SKIPTON Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly Wednesday cattle sale attracted another healthy entry of 485 head and while the majority were for feeding, 25 breeding cattle offered variety in stock bulls, cow and calf outfits and others in calf. (July 8)

The pick of the two bulls on price was a pedigree Limousin at £2,700 from Jan Feather, of Oxenhope, while very sharp trade for outfits produced a top call of £2,200 for a young Simmental cow with Simmental heifer calf from Oakworth’s Geoff Mellin, who sold another at £2,150. Ashfield Farms in Lothersdale presented a Limousin cow with same way bred heifer calf at £2,000.

While the 40 beef feeding cows lacked a shortage of the very best types, with more genuine grazing sorts making up the entry, they were still able to command a solid overall average of £911 per head.

Taking top price honours at £1,200 was a Limousin cow from John and Claire Mason’s Oddacres herd in Embsay, closely followed at £1,185 by a Limousin/British Blue-cross from JW Stockdale & Son, of Burnsall.

Six other cows achieved prices of £1,100 or more, clearly indicating continuing strong demand at Wednesday sales for all classes of beef feeding cows from short keep meated cows to lean grazing sorts. The mart says more are required.

The 460 feeding cattle included 132 young feeding bulls, with feeders in fine form at the ringside ensuring a good trade. The best heavy yearling bulls sold quickly, seven achieving £1,200 or more and two strong Limousin-crosses from Ian Pratt, of Hebden Bridge, topping at £1,390 each.

Bulls under a year old peaked at £1,270 for another Limousin from Jeff Pickles, of Ribblehead, with the 10 to under 12-months-old bracket averaging £1,061, with an overall bull section average of £1,023.

Like the breeding cattle, 288 store bullocks and heifers were again sold in the largest main sale ring in order to safely accommodate all buyers and again utilising newly installed individual ringside buyer booths.

Store cattle trade was similar to the previous fortnight, young bullocks regularly making from £820 to £1,020 for exceptional sorts, with a section high of £1,265 for some real good making cattle from brothers Peter and Edward Fox in Clitheroe.

A large run of British Blue bullocks from David and Jacqui Coates in Coniston Cold sold to £1,160 for several pens, while black and whites also sold well, large bullocks reaching £1,110.

Blue heifers were also in ready demand, dairy-breds with weight selling up to £1,100 and suckler-bred sorts reaching heights of £1,330. Top call was achieved by the Davey family in Eldroth with a pair of £1,550 Bazadaise heifers.

Both native-sired bullocks and heifers sold well, with lots of four-figure prices, including a pair of 14 month Aberdeen-Angus bullocks from Helen Cox, of Laverton, at £1,145 each, the biggest heifers making to £1,085.

An entry of over 500 head is expected at the next fortnightly sale on Wednesday, July 29, which also includes the annual summer fair of breeding cattle, with entries already received for over 20 Continental-cross cows with Autumn/Spring-born calves.