OVER 300 head of cattle, predominantly feeders, were forward for Skipton Auction Mart’s latest midweek fortnightly sale, with solid four-figure prices the order of the day across all sections. (Wed, June 22)

Stores were a tremendous, even fiery trade, notably for smart goods and strong feeding cattle among the 210 bullocks and heifers forward. Purchasers competed strongly for native entries, with Shorthorn bullocks averaging £1,353, a tremendous run from Andrew Fawcett, of Bishop Thornton, selling from £1,350 to heights of £1,490. Angus bullocks sold to £1,365 from Ken and Lynne Throup in Silsden.

Native heifers were also in demand, with prices very favourable for vendors, good meat feeding heifers away at £1,100-£1,190 and even plainer feeding cattle trading either side of £1,000. Large feeding suckler-bred Hereford heifers sold to £1,450 from K Lister & Sons, of Kettlewell.

Continental stores also caught the eye, dairy-bred Blue bullocks seeing pen after pen sell at £1,300-£1,375, the biggest thick types making £1,400-plus to a top of £1,495 from EW&E Lucas, of Blackburn. Blue heifers were right up there too, Brian Kaye, of Sheffield, selling his best dairy-breds to £1,400.

With fat cattle prices holding up well in the live ring and purchasers showing strength back in the store ring, best end suckler-bred continental heifers were also well sold, the Listers again on the mark with a strong Limousin heifer at £1,650. Continental suckler-bred bullocks sold to £1,630 from the Fox family in Clitheroe.

Store bullocks sold to a continental-cross average of £1,269 and natives £1,105, with the corresponding averages for store heifers £1,221 and £1,008.

The 58 young feeding bulls met a very good enquiry regardless of age, John Lancaster, of Bordley, heading the selling prices at £1,680 with a 12-month-old Limousin, following up with a same way bred 11-month-old at £1,600.

Other chief price achievers were Ribblehead’s Jeff Pickles with a one-year-old Blonde at £1,550, Johnny and Neil Cowperthwaite, of Eldroth, with a 13-month-old Blonde at £1,540, and Mick Carr, of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, with a nine-month-old Limousin making £1,530. The continental-cross average for young bulls was £1,180, natives averaging £953.

There was an excellent enquiry for 33 beef feeding cows, both meated short keep types and good genuine grazers, with a couple of premium pure-breds at £2,000 and £1,950, which helped propel the overall selling average to £1,267. The former was a Limousin consigned by Paul Baines, of Gisburn, the latter a British Blue from Cray’s Chris and Tom Akrigg, who also sold a second at £1,720. Native cows sold to £1,540 for a Shorthorn from Michael Daggett in Burnsall.

Another strong entry is anticipated for the next midweek cattle sale on Wednesday, July 6, while the much anticipated opening seasonal store lambs show and sale is scheduled for the following Wednesday, July 13, as usual coinciding with day two of the Great Yorkshire Show.