SKIPTON Auction Mart’s annual “Craven Native Day’ cattle sale on Wednesday produced a top call of 2,800gns for a June, 2020-born Aberdeen Angus junior bull from AA&IM Smith, who run the Three Peaks Herd at Pemberton Farm, Ingleton, their Three Peaks Everest, an AI son of Quaker Hill Dead Centre, out of a Buckhurst cow by Blelack Entertainer, finding a new home with Copgrove Hall Stud, Harrogate.

Top price among the senior bulls was 2,300gns for Saville Frank, another Angus from the local Stapleton family at High Skibeden Farm, Skipton. Bred by Thirsk’s S&S Medley, the 2017 Duncanziemere Jukebox son, out of a The Moss Mr Eshton Netherton dam, the bull has been successfully utilised for three years on both pure and cross-bred cattle, pure Angus cows in particular and also Holstein Friesian dairy cows. The easy calving bull joined AF Inman in Scotton, Harrogate.

A dispersal sale of pedigree Hereford cattle on behalf of Calderdale’s CJ&JE Lumb, of Upper Exley, Halifax, produced a top price of 1,400gns for one of the females, the 2018 Barwick 1 Miranda, sold with her January-born Monarch 1 Lagan-sired bull calf. Next in line at 1,300gns was an in-calf cow, Barwick 1 Irene 2nd, due June to Tunneltop 1 Rebel, bred in Queensbury by MA Ormondroyd. Both fell to JL Millin & Son, of Ashton-under-Lyne, while Rebel was himself sold for 1,300gns to Huddersfield’s Stephen Eastwood.

Natives also figured prominently among Skipton’s fortnightly Wednesday sale of 63 feeding cattle, with mainly Angus bullocks and heifers forward. The latter topped at £1,245 for a pen of seven from Joey Drinkall in Chorley, while strong dairy-bred heifers made £1,000-£1,075, their bullock counterparts away at £1,120-£1,260.

Hereford heifers from Heather Whittaker, of Halifax, sold to £1,020, an older Hereford cull cow from the same home hitting £1,310, while Galloway heifers at 16/17 months from Clitheroe’s Stuart Verity got away at £830

Attention now turns to CCM’s big North East Limousin Breeders Club-supported Craven Limousin double header this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. It launches on the Tuesday afternoon with the show-only Northern Limousin Extravaganza for 2021-born breed youngsters, with judging from 2.30pm.

The afternoon also provides an opportunity for pre-sale viewing ahead of the following day’s premier annual breed fixture, the keynote Spring show and sale of pedigree Limousin bulls and females, which has attracted a catalogue entry of 99 head, comprising 48 bulls, 27 heifers and 14 cows either in-calf or with calves at foot from more than 20 respected breeders from across the north, down into Lincolnshire.

Section champions will emerge from the nine show classes for both males and females, ahead of the crowning of both supreme and reserve supreme champion cattle. Judging, which is in the hands of Charlie Boden, of the renowned Sportsmans pedigree herd in Stockport, begins at 8.30am, with the sale set to commence at 11.30.

An online catalogue is available at www.ccmauctions.com