Skipton Auction Mart’s first monthly prime cattle show of 2019 produced a first-ever title win at the venue for North Craven father and son, Francis and Andrew Smith, of Lodge Farm, Masongill, close to the Yorkshire-Lancashire border.

The duo also picked up the reserve championship for good measure, both with Limousin-cross entries, bought in as sucklers and further improved and finished on the farm.

Show judge Frank Wrathall, of Gisburn, tapped out the Smiths’ first prize 500kg heifer as overall champion, just pipping their red rosette-winning 580kg bullock, which stood reserve champion, with the principals joining two regular butcher buyers at Skipton.

The victor made £1387, or a section-topping 277.5p per kg, when claimed by, Alan Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop and Restaurant in Lancaster Leisure Park.

However, it was the overall runner-up that headed the gross prices at £1482, or 255.5p per kg, when falling to James Robertshaw, of Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton, Bradford.

A total of 28 under 30-month clean cattle were penned for sale. Countrystyle Meats took home four, to include the highest priced per kg steer, a 520kg Limousin-cross that stood second in its show class at 260.5p per kg, or £1355, which was presented by regular vendors, the Critchley family, from Hutton, Preston.

Heavy heifers were up among the other leading gross prices, with Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, seeing his 645kg Limousin cross entry sell well at £1467, or 227.5p per kg, when returning to Calderdale with Halifax Meat wholesalers J and E Medcalf.

An increased entry of 44 cull cows, with more cattle carrying finish, fell to a good spread of nine buyers. Steaking cows appeared the best sold in the mid-90p per kg price bracket, while dairy prices peaked at 131.5p per kg for a 27-month-old black and white from JM Smith and Son, of Carleton.

The dairy section also produced the day’s top per head price of £884 for another black and white from Peter Baul, of Bishop Thornton.

With plenty of cows available nationwide and no indication of any major uplift in values in the short term, the opening New Year sale produced an overall selling average of £628.16 per head, or 93.93p per kg.