BROTHERS Charles and Richard Kitching, of Grisedale Farm, Threshfield, notched up a hat-trick of monthly prime cattle championship wins for the year at Skipton Auction Mart’s June show and sale this week. (Mon, June 7)

The beef farming brothers claimed their latest title with the first prize heifer, a black 570kg British Blue/Limousin-x bred in North Craven by Sheila Mason’s Keasden Head herd and bought out of Skipton, before retuning as prime champion and taking the leading price per kilo of 284.5p, grossing at £1,621, when selling to Red Rose retail butcher Phil Gregory.

Mr Gregory, again crossing the border to source more top-notch beef cattle for his DA Gregory & Sons Butchers in Bacup, also claimed two further prize winners.

They were the first prize steer, a 570kg Limousin-x from Silsden Moor’s Simon Bennett at 282.5p/kg, gross £1,610, and the second prize heifer, a Limousin-x from North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, of Masongill, at 282.5p/kg, or £1,553.

The Smiths, who have themselves consigned three prime cattle champions and two reserve champions at Skipton in 2021, were also responsible for the second prize steer, another 565kg Limousin-x, which made 269.5p/kg, or £1,522, when becoming one of four purchases by Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers in Bradford.

The Kitchings, who also have a trio of reserve championship wins to their name this year, also took the day’s top gross price of £1,654.68, or 273.5p/kg, with a 605kg Limousin-x again claimed by Pearsons, whose weekly haul also included two handier weight Kitching heifers, one a third prize winner, both 281.5p/kg, or £1,576 and £1,548.

Accounting for the last of the rosettes was the third prize bullock, a 615kg Blue-x from Jim and Christine Scrivin in Elslack, which grossed £1,632, or 265.5p/kg, when becoming one of a trio of buys by Simon Barker for his mart-based Barkers Yorkshire Butchers.

Regular purchaser Robertshaw’s Farm Shop in Thornton also took home a single entry.

The 30 prime cattle on parade – the show classes were judged by Halifax wholesaler Gerald Medcalf – again produced solid averages for under 30-month clean cattle, heifers averaging 274.6p/kg, or £1,511, and steers 264.1p.kg, or £1,583,

Cast and feeding cows were an excellent trade, a smart four-year-old British Blue from the Jowett family in Queensbury catching the eye at £1,695, or 221.5p/kg, while a heavy 1,030kg Aberdeen-Angus cow from Matthew and Claire Ellison in Embsay grossed £1,632, or £158.5p/kg.

Dairy cows were sharper all round, prices hitting 148.5p/kg for a young Shorthorn cross from C Stanton, of Clitheroe, and 150.5p/kg for a six-year-old handy weight British Friesian from Sutton-in-Craven’s Richard Spence.

Leading gross prices for dairies were £1,088 from H Downs & Son in Bingley and £1,033 from GP&S Fleetwood, of Mirfield.

A single mature 1,075kg black and white stock bull from Jeremy Taylor in Broughton made £1,392, or 129.5p/kg, with the cull section producing and overall selling average of 147.7p/kg, or £1,032.90.

Forward for the same morning’s weekly sale were 38 rearing calves, with trade again buoyant, the best Blue-x bulls continuing to sell well from £420 to a top of £475 for one from RL Wright, of Airton.

The more commercial medium goods were £320-£380 and the smaller end £250-£300.

Medium Blue-x heifer calves traded to £320 from Town Head Farm in Grassington, mediums selling away at £280-£300 and the smaller end £240-£270.Limousin heifers made to £280.

Of the natives, Aberdeen-Angus bull calves topped at £340 for one from James Gooch in Cononley, Town Head Farm again stepping up with the £270 top price Angus heifer calf. Hereford bulls sold up to £270 for mediums. Black and whites peaked at £135 for a youngster from regular Eastby vendor Andrew Ayrton.

Just two fresh pedigree heifers were forward for the fortnightly Craven Dairy Auction.

First up from Sally Wellock’s Harehills herd in Oakworth was one calved on May 24 and giving 27kg, which bagged a selling price of £1,650, while the second, a 19 days calved 34kg heifer from Peter Baul’s Ravensgate herd in Bishop Thornton did better at £1,800.

A special online dairy bull sale is due to take place on Wednesday and Thursday with a catalogue posted under online timed auctions at www.ccmauctions.com