THE early June Craven Dairy Auction at CCM Skipton saw total clearance of all 39 lots, despite a run of fine days leaving many potential buyers beavering away at home on buckrakes and silage clamps.

Trade was led at £2,220 by the champion from Edward Fort and daughters, Silmoor herd, Silsden Moor, with a 32kg Ri-Val-Re Rager Red daughter from their Gladys family going to Kevin Midgely, Thorpe Bassett,.

Three cows from the continuing dispersal by the Bollands, Dykelands Farm, Airton, saw two in their third fourth and fifth lactations head to the Metcalfe family near Harrogate, respectively averaging £1,417.

The volume consignor was a batch of 35 recently served crossbred heifers from Crathorne Farms, Yarm. Surplus to their Autumn block-calving 400-head herd that averages 6800kg at 5% fat, they head to six new owners, topping at £750 to Mick Blackwell, Gargrave, with the consignment, which included Jersey, Ayrshire and Irish Friesian-cross heifers, as well as Holstein Friesian crosses, averaging £542.

June prime lamb champions at the same day’s monthly show were M Ryder & Sons, Haverah Park, with five 45kg Texel-x making £217 per head, 482.2p/kg, David and Laura Coar, Darwen, standing reserve champions and also third in show with 46kg and 45kg pens, again Texel-x, making £227 and £222 respectively, their consignment selling to highs of £5 per kilo and 493p/kg twice.

Meanwhile, this week’s fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale featured another solid entry of 437 head, among them 47 beef feeding cows and stock bulls, these trading to a new top price for the section of £5,200 for a six-year-old pedigree Limousin bull from LJ Penter, Littondale, bred by Procters Farms.

A good entry of 76 breeding cattle across a wide range of breeds provided an opportunity to purchase cattle with scope for growth and improvement. Families with calves with shape found a good response and when matched with a good quality dam the price soon rose to over £3,000.