A SHIPPEN full of quality heifers was on offer at Skipton Auction Mart’s final Craven Dairy Auction of the year, with a good choice of 16 to suit all tastes put forward for sale before buyers and the champion heifer from HS Petch and Sons, Great Ayton, Middlesborough, topping the day’s trade at £2,400.

The Petch family was clinching its third dairy title of the year, following up on a second victory at the Christmas highlight last month, their latest champion Aytonian Tamora 448, sired by Mogul and giving 27kg at four weeks calved, the pick of show judge and regular Beamsley buyer Alan Middleton.

Reserve champion was one of two consigned by the Bolland family - Paul, Janet and son, James – who first began the staged dispersal of their Dyklelands Holstein herd in Airton back in June, picking up five championships along the way, along with reserve championship successes. Their latest overall reserve was a stylish black heifer with a wearing udder giving 32kg, though it was her herdmate, with a similar stamp, that performed best on price at £2,050.

Second top price of £2,300 fell to the third prize in-milk heifer, Harlsey Marvel Gina, again giving over 30kg and consigned by GB Corner and Sons, Brompton, Northallerton.

The Pounder family, Stainton Hill Farms, Barnard Castle, brought their first-ever consignment to CCM and of the four robot-trained heifers it was the ‘red one’ – Stainhill Abundant Julie Red, giving 29kg and rising with each day - that buyers favoured when topping their batch at £2,100. The 16 Pounders averaged £1,800, selling to seven different buyers, with five breaking the £2,000 barrier.

Craven Dairy Auctions return on Monday, January 8, with the opening show of dairy-bred rearing calves also on the same morning’s agenda, while looking ahead into the New Year scheduled for Wednesday, January 3, is the Great New Year Opening Sale of feeding bulls, prime cattle – also the first monthly show - beef feeding cows, store and breeding cattle. It will again include many annual consignments of quality Continental-cross feeding bulls, bullocks and heifers.

In the interim, the final Saturday show day of 2023 was staged at the weekend, with an action-packed agenda, headlined by annual pedigree winter sheep fixtures for Beltex, Texel, Blue Texel and Badger Face Texel females, further supplemented by the winter collective sale of non-MV Continental females, the monthly livestock collective sale and Christmas sale of Border Fine Arts, Beswick and other ornaments. Our reports begin left, with more to come in next week’s Herald.

Meanwhile, a brand-new Christmas Carol Service staged at the mart earlier this month proved a resounding success, with a large audience in rousing voice. It was led by joint Mart Chaplains James Theodosis and Andrew Webb, with Skipton Brass Band also in attendance. A collection in aid of RABI – Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution – raised £ 326.13.