BOTH Jerseys and black and whites were out in force at Monday’s annual Spring Coloured Breeds show and sale at CCM Skipton Auction Mart, which supplemented the fortnightly Craven Dairy Auction.

The bounty on offer came from a multitude of sellers across Lancashire and Yorkshire, while buyers spanned five counties. “Many, particularly in the Jersey sale, which is now into its fifth year and has become established in the calendar for many, this year attracting a larger entry than ever before, will seem tremendous value once settled in their new homes,” noted dairy sales co-ordinator Sarah Liddle.

Trade topped at £2,310 for the reserve champion Jersey, the widely admired Regatta Video Craze Jane VG85, who was consigned by the Coates family, Baildon, Shipley. She calved on January 14, is giving 19kg per day and is a second generation VG pedigree now carrying a short service to Avonlea Chocochip. She makes the long journey south to near Swindon with five others finding a new home at Dreammaker Jerseys with online purchaser Sarah Howie.

Under Red Rose show judge Lee Hunter, Mundowy Jerseys, Wrightington, the Coates family also took first place in both the maiden heifers and in-calf heifer show classes, the latter with Regatta Video G Jane, from an EX dam and due August to Chocochip. She heads to Stephen Porter at Cartmel at £1,470.

The first prize maiden heifer, a promising young September 2023-born calf from a previous show winner, Regatta Ferdinand T Auriel, a potential sixth generation VG or EX, made £1,050 when going to North Craven with the Butterfield family.

The coloured breeds fixture was again sponsored by Datamars Livestock, represented by Amy Jones, with the fortnightly Craven Dairy Auction report below.

Elsewhere, as anticipated a stronger entry of 66 dairy-bred rearing calves met an equally strong ringside, with all goods in solid demand. British Blue-x bulls averaged £433, topping at £490 twice from Townhead Farm, Grassington, and the Airton Bollands, Blue-x heifers averaging £330, with a high of £400 from the Beamsley Middletons.

From Calderdale, A&G Midgley, Luddendenfoot, headed the Limousin prices with bull calves to £350 and heifers to £320, while of the natives, Angus bull calves sold to £325 from Alf Townsend, Burnley, who also consigned the £100 top price black and white bull calf. Cull cows sold to highs of £1,265 and 170.5p/kg for black and whites from the Dean family, Threshfield.

Additionally, 2,220 prime sheep were penned for sale, among them 58 Spring lambs, with a per kilo top of 584.6p for a single Texel from Andy Brown, Gargrave, and joint per head highs of £248 for a brace of 48kg Suffolk lambs from Mark Evans, Steeton, and a single Charollais from Charles Marwood, Whenby. The overall average for new season lambs was 487.27p/kg.

The 1,623 prime hoggs sold to a resounding high of 604.8p/kg from the Shuttleworths, Heber Park Beltex, Gargrave, with best Beltex hoggs regularly away at 500-550p/kg, some cracking runs from several vendors averaging over £5 per kilo for handy weight Beltex, while heavy hoggs were dearer on the week, smart types also exceeding £5 per kilo, with a by-weight top of 561.7p/kg from the Faceby Hutchinsons and per head high of £270 from PB Fox & Son, Kexby, York.

Cull ewes, 539 head in all, met a stronger trade on the week, averaging £120.93 and peaking at £284.50 for a Beltex ewe, again from the Shuttleworths. Other smart ewes with weight sold at £200-£250. Mule ewes sold to £152.50 twice, again from Andy Brown and RA&M Earnshaw, Flasby. Swaledale ewes peaked at £128.50 from Joe and Nancy Throup, Draughton. Cast rams averaged £152.

An increased turnout just shy of 200 breeding sheep outfits saw trade up on the week, especially for ewes with twins and plenty of clientele for lambs with a bit of age on them. Top price was achieved by SG Entwistle, Lark Hill, Hoddlesden, with a tremendous pair of Texel/Cheviot-x ewes with Beltex lambs making £330, followed by others reaching £318 and two further lots at £305, the same firm also heading the singles trade at £250. Singles were again solid, matching the previous week, with multiple outfits over £100 a life.

Mule outfits maintained increased trade compared to this time last year, currently sitting around £10/£15 per life more than in 2023 for strong ewes with lambs of decent age. Top call for Mules with twins was accredited to Jonny Metcalfe, Linton, who made £295 per outfit with his first pen, followed by another at £285. He wasn’t alone at these heights, with four other vendors hitting £95 per life with the same goods.