SATURDAY sale days at CCM Skipton Auction Mart continue to grow both in popularity and stature, last weekend’s monthly livestock collective attracting an increased entry of 284 cattle, plus 40 goats and sheep, supplemented by the first Agri-Trader fixture of the year, which included over 700 lots of agricultural machinery and implements.

Purchasers in the cattle ring were well catered for throughout, with a trio of £1,080 joint top prices achieved, two for steers - a Blonde from R Falshaw & Son, Gisburn, and a British Blue from Tim Metcalfe, Clayton, along with a Simmental heifer from JE Greenwood, Denholme.

The Falshaws also consigned the top price £1,000 dairy-bred Blue bull, Blue heifers peaking at £1,060 from JT Moran, Wigglesworth, who also had a native breed top of £1,000 with an Aberdeen-Angus heifer.

Of the 27 black and white bullocks, best at £1,025 were J Caygill & Partners, Rylstone, while a real trade for Limousin heifers saw F Brown, Halton Gill, sell to £970 top. At the younger end, TB Moorhouse, Dacre, sold 5/6-month-old Blonde-x heifers at £650.

A run of in-kid goats from South Yorkshire’s Ellie Hawksworth, Bradfield, proved popular, peaking at £195 for a pair of 1-crop Boar-x due twins, yearling goats carrying singles away at £175 and nanny kids from the same vendor making £95. Sheep sold to £138 for a Lincoln Longwool ram.

In the Agri-Trader arena, livestock equipment was in solid demand, especially anything related to sheep handling, one system making £2,900, a sheep shower and pump £1,625. Vehicles sold to £12,000 for a Landrover Defender 90 TD5, livestock trailers to £5,700 and £5,500 for 14ft and 12ft models. The next monthly livestock sale is on Saturday, March 16, the next Agri-Trader fixture on Saturday, May 11.

More imminently, the mart’s opening working sheep day sale of the year on Friday, March 1, has attracted a nice entry of 54, notably 47 field-run dogs, with a 10am start and a real time bidding facility again available. A catalogue is online at www.ccmauctions.com