| 2013-08-27 |    |
Rearing Calves Sell to £600 Record High at CCM Skipton
An unprecedented trade at CCM Skipton’s seasonal rearing calf show and sale saw two British Blue-cross bull youngsters each sell for £600, thought to be an all-time record high at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Aug 26)
Top prices honours fell to top-notch calves presented by Alan Middleton, of JP&KE Hartley in Storiths, and brothers Shaun and Peter Sowray, of Bishop Thornton. Both fell to N&M Mason, of Crowle, Sconthorpe.
James Middleton £600 calf
With all breeds and classes among the robust entry of 127 calves meeting good trade, judge Dave Albutt had a difficult choice in choosing his show champion, with several calves vying for the day’s top honour.
Shaun Sowray £600 calf
He eventually chose a 40-day-old British Blue-cross bull calf from Richard Spence, of Low Jack Field Farm, Sutton-in-Craven, as the overall victor. It went on to sell for £410, again to the Masons.
Mr Spence, who consistently performs well with his calves at Skipton, also presented the top price Limousin-cross bull calf, sold for £410. He was also responsible for the top price £225 black and white bull calf.
The reserve championship fell to the first prize British Blue-cross heifer calf from Church Farm Enterprises in Burton Leonard, who sent out red rosette and other prize winners, which all sold well into the £300s.
Decrar Farming, of Bielby, York, headed the native breed prices with Aberdeen Angus bull and heifer calf entries sold at £420 and £330 respectively.
D&P Spence, of Silsden Moor, had the top price British Blue-cross heifer calf at £385, while Cowling’s Andrew Ogden, champion at the previous seasonal calf show, again chipped in with the first prize and top price Blonde bull calf at £270.
British Blue-cross bull calves averaged £412 per head, with heifer calves averaging £288 each. The overall sale average was a solid £201.52 per head. BOCM Pauls again acted as main calf show sponsor.
