ANOTHER bovine bounty of almost 500 head featured at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly Wednesday store and breeding cattle sale this week with 465 head of feeders comprising 134 young bulls, 52 beef feeding cows and bulls, and 279 bullocks and heifers.

Strong continental bulls remained £1,400-£1,500, with very smart medium bulls similar at £1,300, while good medium bulls from £1,200--£1,300 had more margin and comfort for finishers.

The section continental-x average was £1,197.

Feeding cows were again in high demand, buyers competing ringside for numbers. The heavier end – both continental and native – commanded £1,300 to £1500-plus if carrying finish, with plenty of cows to feed away at £1,100 to £1,200.

Section prices peaked at £1,660 for a Limousin from Philip Metcalfe, Otterburn, cows averaging £1,122 and bulls £1,150.

Stores also attracted plenty of ringside interest, trading similarly on the fortnight. British Blue bullocks were strong, plenty of pens selling above £1,300 to a top of £1,455 for dairy-bred entries from the Housemans in Darley, while dairy-bred Blue feeding heifers peaked at £1,450 from Broughton’s Jeremy Taylor.

Suckled-bred Limousin bullocks from the Pinders, Coniston Cold, made to £1,480.

Of the natives, Aberdeen-Angus steers saw strong goods away at £1,200-plus, with a top of £1,280 from B Keegan, Bradford. The overall selling average for Angus steers was £1,121.

Suckler calves were also a nice trade, Bordley’s John Stephenson selling his 11-month-old Blue heifer for £1,490, while Chapel-le-Dale’s Jeff Pickles sold 14/15-month-old Limousin heifers at £1,610 and £1,560.

Store bullocks traded to a continental-x average of £1,132, with a respective heifer average of £1,107

Also penned for sale were 28 breeding cattle, all getting away at four-figure prices to a top of £2,600 for a Limousin-x heifer with Blonde bull calf, a pure-bred Limousin cow with same way bred heifer calf also catching the eye at £2,450. A single two-year-old pedigree Limousin bull made 2,400gns.