In excess of 650 store and breeding cattle were forward for Craven Auction Marts’ fortnightly sale at Skipton, which saw 151 beef breeders sell to a top of £2450.

Leading the trade was a four-year-old second calved Blonde from Joe and Nancy Throup, of Draughton, which sold with December-born British Blue cross heifer calf sired by their stock bull, Brennand Hurricane, and with a positive pregnancy diagnosis. The buyer was Laneshawbridge’s Ben Townsend.

Adam Townley, of Clapham, was also in the money, taking £2200 for a seven-year-old British Blue cow with her Blue bull calf, from York farmer and butcher Anthony Swales.

Ashfield Farms, Lothersdale, also got in on the action selling no fewer than nine breeding lots at £2000 or more with their best at £2200 being a black 2014-born Limousin heifer with her four-week-old heifer calf, purchased by Michael Winchester, Gargrave. 

An added feature of the breeding sale was the consignment of continental cross heifers with Limousin bull and heifer calves at foot from Ashley and Rachael Caton, of Otterburn Lodge Farm, Otterburn, which peaked at £2100 for a 2013-born Salers cross heifer with her May-born calf. 

All types of store cattle were keenly contested, reaching £1460 for a British Blue cross bullock from David Sandham, Croxton. Bullocks averaged £1134 while heifers levelled at £973 and reached £1270 for three Charolais crosses from Andrew Fawcett, Bishop Thornton.