| 2013-10-16 |    |
Lawsons Bag Another Craven Dairy Auction Title
The Newbirks pedigree Holstein herd of David and Claire Lawson at Mill Farm, Arthington, won a further Craven Dairy Auction championship at the opening October show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Oct 14)
Like their September title winner, the victor was a red rosette-winning newly calven heifer daughter of the Genus sire Bomaz Boulder. Giving 36 litres, she joined Stephen Jeanes in Glusburn for £2,200.
Claire Lawson with the family’s latest Craven Dairy Auction champion, joined by the reserve champion with James Drake, left, representing Keith Downs, and co-judge Michael Longster
The Lawsons were also responsible for the second prize newly calven heifer and the second prize newly calved cow, sold at £1,950 and £2,150 to, respectively, Brian and Kath Wellock, of Eshton, and Mark Goodall in Tong, Bradford.
Reserve champion was the first prize newly calven cow from Bingley’s Keith Downs. The home-bred second calver, giving 44 litres, sold for £2,000.
Bishop Thornton’s Peter Baul presented the third prize heifer, which made top call of the day at £2,250 when also joining Mark Goodall. The third prize cow from Barden’s Ian Parkinson sold for £1,920 to JP&KE Hartley, of Bolton Abbey.
Newly calven heifers averaged £2,011 per head and newly calven cows £1,906. Show judges were father and son dairy farmers Fred and Michael Longster, of Fellbeck, Pateley Bridge.
At Monday’s weekly rearing calf sale, there was strong trade throughout, with dairy-bred youngsters averaging £92 each and an overall selling average for the 51 head entered of £229. Glusburn’s Richard Spence was responsible for the £450 top price British Blue-cross bull calf.
The weekly sale of prime sheep attracted a massive entry of 6,850 head, a record high for a Monday sheep sale. Among them were 5,947 prime lambs, which sold to an overall average of 165.5p/kg, or £69.79 per head.
