ALAN Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop & Restaurant in Lancaster, returned to the prime cattle ringside at Skipton Auction Mart’s weekly Monday sale to claim a trio of under 30-month entries, among them the two leading per kilo prices in both the steer and the heifer sections.

The Critchley family, from Hutton, topped the heifers with a 510kg British Blue-cross sold for 256.5p/kg, or £1,308, with Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite presenting the pick of the steers, a 550kg Limousin-cross knocked down at 248.5p/kg, or £1,367.

Overall, top gross price of £1,401, or 239.5p/kg, fell to a 585kg Blue-cross heifer consigned by Charles and Richard Kitching, of Threshfield, which became one of four acquisitions, the largest tally on the day, by weekly purchaser James Robertshaw on behalf of Keelham Farm Shop in Skipton, .

Another compact, high quality turnout of 16 under 30-month clean cattle sold to eight retail outfits. Other butcher buyers were Skipton-based Stanforths with three, two for Ellisons in Cullingworth and one each for Sandersons in Baxenden and Brayton Farm Shop, Selby.

Three very plain cattle among a light entry of 24 cull cows may have given the impression that trade was easier on the week, though it actually proved very similar, notably for those carrying meat, when achieving an overall selling average slightly over £595 per head, or 94.04p/kg. Dairies sold around 110p/kg, with the odd young cow, a black and white from James Gooch, of Cononley, hitting 127.5p/kg, or £899.

An entry of 70 rearing calves at Skipton Auction Mart saw trade for Continentals a shade easier, though the best bull calves were still in good demand, with a month-old British Blue-cross from John and Rob Marshall in Dacre topping the day at £375.

A straight trade for Continental heifer calves saw good, honest entries make from £240 to a high of £280 for another Blue-cross from Silsden Moor’s Edward Fort. The overall section average was £283.33.

Native calves were out in stronger numbers, with a particularly good trade for Aberdeen-Angus heifers, which averaged £140, peaking at £210 for one from Carleton’s John Smith, who also topped the native bull calf prices with another Angus at £275. The overall section average was £202.33, with black and white youngsters averaging £51.15 and selling to £80 for a bull calf from Flasby Estates.

Another solid turnout of 524 head was penned for sale at Skipton’s latest fortnightly Wednesday cattle fixture, which comprised 93 young bulls, 37 beef feeding cows and bulls, and 395 store bullocks and heifers. (Aug 14)

With more buyers than anticipated at the ringside, feeding bull trade was very good, with under 10-month-old entries keenly contested and any heavy over 13-month bulls meeting a surprisingly good trade.

The section achieved an overall Continental-cross selling average of £951, with three joint highs of £1,210 for a brace of Charolais-cross, plus a Simmental-cross, all these bulls coming from RD Elliott, of Tadcaster.

A solid entry of feeding cows attracted the usual strong line-up of buyers and all classes sold at similar rates to the previous fixture. While an Aberdeen-Angus stock bull caught the eye at £1,350, top price of £1,360 fell to a black Limousin-cross cow from JM Wilson & Son in Beckwithshaw. Cows levelled at £861 across the board.

The store cattle ring was notable for much older entries compared to previous weeks, which resulted in higher overall averages for both the bullocks and heifers.

The best strong cattle could still command over £1,200, with a pen of three Limousin-cross bullocks from the Fox family in Clitheroe making £1,250 each, with two others from the same home hitting £1,260.

Of the store heifers, a pair of Charolais from the Whiteley family in Soyland did well at £1,230 and £1,210. Bullocks sold to an overall Continental-cross average of £966, with heifers averaging £905.

Native cattle were also out in good numbers. Gargrave’s Paul Drinkall sold Aberdeen-Angus at £1,250, £1,240 and £1,235, with a couple of pens from Ashley and Rachel Caton in Otterburn selling for £1,080 and £1,025. Native bullocks averaged £990 and heifers £782.

Retail-type cattle were well supported, with a good number of heifers up to and above £1,000 and Jonathan Townley, of Clapham, seeing a couple of his entries make £1,190 and £1,080.

Dairy-bred bullocks were a cracking trade, with black and whites averaging £830, topping at £920 for one from Malcolm Taylor in Winterburn.