THE annual Christmas show season at CCM Skipton Auction Mart on December 6 concluded with festive store cattle highlight, judged by Richard Spink, Bedale, when Ribble Valley brothers Peter and Edward Fox, Fox Farms, Clitheroe, returning to win both the bullock and heifer classes, as they did the previous year.

The bullock, a Limousin-x made £2,000, the heifer, a British Blue-x, £1,750, the second prize heifer from the same home away at £1,700. The second prize bullock from JG Hall & Son, Gargrave, also made £1,700, the third prize heifer from A&AR Phillipson, Briercliffe, topping the section at £1,780. A full ringside of buyers ensured store cattle met a stronger trade for all classes, plenty of strong suckler bullocks with age and size selling at £1,850-plus. Store bullocks sold to a Continental-x average of £1,508, natives £1,374, black and whites £986, with heifer averages of £1,367 for Continental-x and £1,176 for natives.

Plenty of strong Angus bullocks made £1,400-£1,510, Angus heifers selling to £1,500. Dairy-bred bullocks topped at £1,810 from DT&LA Houseman, Darley, with dairy-bred heifers peaking at £1,680 for a Blue from M Ryder & Sons, Harrogate.

First and second prizes in the feeding cows fell to Limousin from John, Claire and daughter Annabel Mason, Oddacres, Embsay, selling at section top £1,540 and £1,510, as did the third prize winner from James and Deborah Ogden, Austwick. Grazing cows proved a sharp trade, with a good entry of beef-bred cows – 27 head averaged £1,105..

Also among the turnout of 326 feeding cattle were 18 young bulls, which averaged £1,255, topping at £2,080 for a Limousin-x, again from the Masons. A small prime cattle entry saw North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, Masongill, sell steers to £2,017, 354.5p/kg, heifers selling to £1,619, 249.5p/kg, for an Aberdeen-Angus cross from the Bell Busk Moorhouses.