DUNCAN Robinson, of Low Birks Farm, Eldroth, returned to winning ways in the auction ring at Craven Dairy Auction on Monday with a nice white 29-litre heifer, calved 20 days.

The homebred heifer was picked out as champion by judge Josh Clarke, of Greystone Plain Farm, Felliscliffe, and found a home with Tom Critchley, of Hutton, selling for £1,580.

Topping the sale was the reserve champion heifer from Brian Moorhouse, of Bell Busk, with his 33kg Grafeeti daughter, calved 12 days.

She was knocked down to Brian Blezard, of Ribchester, selling for £1,800.

Newly calven heifers averaged £1,510.

Overall there was a mixed shippon of milkers with a bit of everything on offer, and it was the in-calf heifers which stole the show.

Richard Verity, of Grewelthorpe, once again swept the board with first, second and third prizes.

He went on to see two of his heifers reaching £1,520, and a run of six averaging £1,418.

M Smith, of Ripley, sold a couple of September calvers, notably a Norwegian Red cross for £1,080. In-calf heifers averaged £1,418.33.

MD Parkinson, of Barden, took first prize in the newly calven cows show and topped the prices in the section, selling to £1,300.

National Milk Records again sponsored the show.

Butchers were prepared to fight it out for the best picking from the show, but it was James Robertshaw who ended up the leading buyer at this week’s prime cattle sale at Skipton Auction Mart.

Of the 12 clean cattle under 30 months, the regular purchaser bought nine in total, for Robertshaw’s Farm Shop, at Thornton, and Keelham Farm Shop, in Skipton.

Stanforths Butchers, in Skipton, bought four, and accounted for the top gross and leading priced heifer, a 580kg Limousin cross heifer sold by Threshfield’s CD&RF Kitching, which made 242.5p/kg or £1,407.

Keelham Farm Shop, in Skipton, picked up the leading p/kg steer, a 550kg Limousin cross from Messrs Kitching, for 245.5p/kg or £1,350.

Robershaw’s of Thornton picked up the leading p/kg lightweight heifer from Steve Walton, of Phoenix Grain Ltd, a 505kg Limousin cross at 234.5kg.

JD Taylor & Son, of Broughton, topped the prices for prime cattle over 30 months, selling black and white heifers for £982 and £861, 134.5p/kg and 130.5p/kg.

There were 26 cull cows put forward and feeders took advantage of a slightly easier trade and a high percentage of lean cattle to fill pens.

The odd meated dairy went to 116p/kg with not just as much spark on the lightweight plain cows.

S Jowett, of Queensbury, sold a Limousin cross for £1,065 or 136.5p/kg.

The overall average was 101.91p/kg or £645.15.

PJ & RH Wallbank sold a Beef Shorthorn bull for £815, or 81.5p/kg.