There was another excellent trade for almost 500 head of cattle at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest fortnightly midweek sale, comprising 405 feeders, the remainder breeding cattle. (Wed, July 22)

Like the previous sale, young feeding bull trade was said to be animated, with short to medium keep entries in strong demand, seven making £1,300-plus and a further 19 selling in the £1,200s.

The Pratt family, from Erringdon in Calderdale, topped at £1,380, with Jonathan Townley, of Clapham, selling a brace at £1,360, Rick Holroyd, from Wadsworth, also hitting the same price.

Nice medium keep yearling bulls sold around £1,050 to £1,150, some pushing £1,200, with several strong Aberdeen-Angus bulls also making four figures, younger Beef Shorthorns mainly trading in the mid-£800’s.

Cow beef is in strong demand at the moment and there was a solid response at the ringside, with feeder finishers keen to secure the 56 grazing cows and bulls on offer from a wide area, including a consignment of 15 fresh weaned cows up from Lincolnshire.

Cows averaged £941 per head overall, better fleshed entries selling readily to a top of £1,330 for a Charolais from Ted Walker, of Barden, closely followed by a £1,320 British Blue from Bordley’s John Stephenson. Two cast bulls in the entry made £1,450 and £1,380.

There was another flying trade for 243 bullocks and heifers, big strong stores with weight selling to a full ringside of buyers and to a top of £1,330 for a British Blue bullock from the Housemans in Darley.

Tremendous trade for Charolais bullocks produced a top of £1,315 from Clitheroe brothers Peter and Edward Fox, while Dallowgill husband and wife, Paul and Caroline Newbould, had the best of the Limousins at £1,260.

Heifers, too, were in sharp demand, to a top of £1,410 for a Blue, again from North Craven’s Jonathan Townley. Three other Blue heifers made over £1,200.

Native cattle were in strong demand by regular buyers, strong feeding heifers selling either side of £1,000, while Angus steers with frame, weight and size made £1,190-plus.

The sale of 82 breeding cattle was swelled in numbers by a dispersal of 20 stock cows and calves from John Sykes, of Huddersfield, whose run of 20 outfits saw nine lots sell at £2,000 or more, peaking at £2,900 for a Blue cow with twin Limousin heifer calves at foot

Nice outfits of second to fourth calver cows with Spring/summer-born calves made £1,500-£1,800, with plainer outfits £1,250/£1,450. A couple of pedigree stock bulls in the entry saw a Limousin hit £2,000 and a Charollais £1,900.

In general, there were plenty of customers to take the cattle on offer and mart said it was encouraging to see producers looking to swap geld cows in one sale ring for working outfits in the breeding cattle sale ring.