WITH 23 head forward at CCM Skipton’s Craven Dairy Auction, on Monday, there was a real buzz in the dairy shippon, as Robin Jennings, Stainbank herd, South Stainley, secured his second championship on the bounce with a 29-litre heifer just 10 days calved selling at £2,000 to show judge, Rob Marshall, Dacre.

The adjudicator also went to £1,700 to claim his chosen reserve champion from Stephen and Jack Swales, Hutton Rudby, another sweet heifer giving 30 litres, sired by Mr Rubi Agronaut.

Top at £2,150 was the first lot in the ring from Georgina Fort’s Bracken Hill herd, Silsden Moor. Her Brackenhill Dr George, a King Doc heifer yielding 35 litres per day, sold to regular dairy buyers Alan and Emily Middleton, Beamsley.

The first and second prize cows were again part of the regular dispersal consignment from the Bolland family, Dykelands herd, Airton, with two fourth calvers, two third calvers and a heifer enjoying solid trade when averaging £1,570.

The Booth family, Shawdale herd, Lothersdale, returned to the CCM dairy ring with two heifers, both from their highly regarded Pamela family, bred from eight and nine generations of VG/EX cows respectively, and both by Lambda. It was the second of the pair that stood third in the milk heifer class and went on to sell for £2,050.

A very tidy consignment of seven heifers with great pedigrees from TD Goldie & Son, Wiskemanor herd, Danby Wiske, Northallerton, topped at £2,000 for an ABS Sassafras daughter from the Dandy family, bred from 10 generations of VG/EX cows, giving 25 litres and rising each day.

Nineteen heifers in milk averaged £1,610, four cows in milk £1,575. “Trade was certainly a buyers’ market, with some great heifers and fresh milk selling for what we are sure will transform into great value purchases, reflected in solid averages,” said dairy sales co-ordinator Sarah Liddle.

Another busy Monday saw 39 dairy-bred rearing calves trade a touch stronger on the week, with joint tops of £450 for Blue-x bulls from both the Fort and Bolland families in Silsden and Airton, while a light entry of cull cows maintained recent strong trade to average 155.80p/kg, £1,063.

An increased turnout of 2,689 prime sheep included 2,118 hoggs, a larger proportion of horned and Mule Lambs making up the entry, all averaging 324p/kg (SQQ 329p), £140.36.

Smart runs of lambs were dearer on the week, again selling to over £5 per kilo, while handy-weighted 37-43kg lambs regardless of breed were good to sell, smarter sorts dearer and either side of £4 kilo, the very best 450-500p/kg, with some adding up to over £200, as were some overweights. Top of the shop again were Newsholme brothers William and Mick Oldfield with Beltex pens to £218, 504.8p/kg.

Of the 571 cast sheep, all classes of ewes were dearer, averaging £110.02, Texel topping at £234.59 for a trio from M Crabtree, Harrogate. A larger entry of 105 breeding sheep saw Texel ewes with twin lambs average £301.67, peaking at £310 and £305 from Anthony and Heather Hewetson, Bank Newton, Texel singles from the same home reaching £100 per life, a Suffolk pair from Jon Midgley, Luddendenfoot, also catching the eye at £305. A strong show of Mules averaged £240, or £80 per life.