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Moonshine shines at Skipton

A LIMOUSIN cross heifer from the Ewbank family was the star attraction at the Cravens Champions show and sale at Skipton, when it secured the championship ticket as well as top price of £3,800.

Named Moonshine, this seven-month-old is by Limousin bull Whitemoss Marchington, and is a full-sister to the Ewbanks' reserve champion from last year. Bred from a cow bought at Gary Bell's dispersal to join the family's herd near Middlesmoor, Moonshine was knocked down to John and Clare Mellin, Long Preston, for their son Barney, aged six, who will show the heifer this year.

Messrs Ewbank also secured the reserve male ticket with Sedgy, another by the Marchington bull, which this time made £2,350 when sold to the judge, Chris Bell, Long Marton.

Selling for the second-highest price of £3,000 was the male champion, a Limousin cross bullock by Huntershall Tonto, from the Walker family, Dunsop Bridge. Bred from a home-bred British Blue cross, it was snapped up by father and son duo Francis and Andrew Smith, Masongill.

Messrs Walker also secured the reserve overall ticket, with an 11-month-old British Blue cross heifer. Sired by Maes Owain and out of a Blue cross cow, it sold to T.K. Drinkall, Preston, for £2,400, and will be shown by Rose Foster this summer.

Messrs Walker also sold a pure-bred Blue heifer by Sandyvale Jagerbomb, out of Brennand Prosecco, for £2,900 to Isaac Sharp, Paythorne.

Heading up the unhaltered entry at £2,500 was a Limousin cross by Gallaber Leo from the Fawcett family, Drebley, who also sold a Blue cross heifer for £2,450 to Ian Swales, Goole.

Auctioneers:ÌýCraven Cattle Marts.

Gisburn dairy sale hits £3,500

DAIRY cattle peaked at £3,500 for a pedigree heifer giving 34kg from G.B. Moorhouse, Bell Busk, at the third sale in February at Gisburn.

That was a Westcoast Earlybird-sired entry from the Aireburn herd, which was bred from an EX90-rated Blumenfeld Frazld Basic dam, which recorded more than 12,000kg.

Pedigree cows sold to £3,250 for a Stantons Adorable-sired second calver from A.H. Price and Son's Jackbeck herd, Clapham. It is from long line of EX-rated dams, including the 50-tonne EX94 Jackbeck Seaver Melody 2.

Heifers also reached £3,180 for Fieldside Kari 29, a Sandy Valley EQ HMWF daughter giving 37kg, from H. and V.E. Jolly, Great Eccleston.

At £3,050 was Hollinshall Adorable Pearl 155, a 37kg heifer from R.C. and S.W. Beecroft, Killinghall.

I.R. and N. Bradburn, Orrell, sold an Altavelvet-sired second calver named Deanbank Panda 83 for £2,950.

Non-pedigree entries sold to £2,950 for a heifer giving 33kg, from Jennings ²ÝÁñÉçÇø, Ripon, with another from G. and P.S. Fleetwood, Hopton, at £2,720.

In-calf heifers reached £2,400.

AveragesÌý– Pedigree calved heifers, £2,463; pedigree calved cows, £2,558; non-pedigree calved heifers, £2,234; non-pedigree calved cows, £2,085; in-calf heifers £2,390.

Auctioneers:ÌýGisburn Auction Marts

Strong trade for calves

STIRKS aged six months are regularly surpassing the £1,000 mark on a weekly basis at Hallworthy, with consignments achieving £100-£200 more than vendors' expectations.

A group of British Blue steers topped the recent trade at £1,450, with Angus steers to £1,320.

Heifers peaked at £1,230 for a trio of Blues, with Angus to £1,145.

At Holsworthy, rearing calves were up 36% per head on the same week last year, with a large percentage of the continental calves achieving £700 or more week on week.

Just recently, Blue heifers have been making more than Blue bulls, and Angus-bred calves have also met a strong demand as bulls averaged £540, with heifers at £519.

Auctioneers:ÌýKivells.

Hoggs hit £270/head and 648.5p/kg at Borderway

A TOTAL of 3,330 prime hoggs sold through Borderway on Monday to average £167.40/head or 360p/kg.

Beltex hoggs from Messrs Wharton and Son, Dunscore, topped the entry at £270/head or 648.5p/kg, as the consignment of 27 from this home averaged £221.67.

Other breeds sold to £250/head and 595.2p/kg for Texels from Messrs Fisher, Castle Douglas, who sold 47 to average £212.23/head.

Hill-bred hoggs reached £181/head for Hill Cheviots, from Messrs Chalmers and Co, Canonbie, as well as 397.5p/kg for more of the same from D. and W. Agriculture, Lockerbie, who also sold 40kg Blackies at £159/head or 397.5p/kg.

Averaging £140.65/head, the 579 cast sheep sold to £288/head for Beltex from Messrs Ingram, Pitcaple.

An entry of 350 breeding sheep peaked at £270/head for continental hoggs due with singles from the dispersal from W.N. and J.C. Gilhespy, Haydon Bridge, who also sold Texel shearlings to £262/head.

Ewes with lambs peaked at £152/life for three-crop Texels with singles also from Messrs Gilhespy.

Auctioneers:ÌýHarrison and Hetherington.

Castle Crawford's Cheviot champion leads

ENTRIES from R.H. Paton's Castle Crawford flock from Abington led the way at the show and sale of South Country Cheviot females at Longtown.

Selling for the top price of 1,500gns was the champion, a four-crop show ewe by Stirkfield Aftershock, scanned with triplets to Glenochar Riot, which was knocked down to David Morrison, Dalwyne flock, Barr.

The Castle Crawford team also topped the gimmer section at 1,400gns with a Becks Twister daughter that was in-lamb to the £18,000 Skelfhill VIP. It sold to M.E. Scott, Newcastleton.

Another Castle Crawford gimmer, this time by Townfoot Smartass, sold to Liam Matheson, Ross-shire, for 1,200gns.

Hitting 1,100gns was a Catslack King-sired gimmer from J.T. Fleming and Son's Hislop flock, Hawick, which was in-lamb to a Catslack ram and sold back to the Catslack flock of W.N. Douglas, Yarrow.

The reserve champion followed on at 1,000gns for first-time vendors, J. and D. Hodge, Dykes flock, Auchinleck. Sired by Becks Take a Chance and in-lamb to Woodburn Absolute, it also sold to Messrs Morrison.

Another first-time consignor, Ewen MacMillan, Lurg flock, Fintry, sold a Townfoot Iceman-sired gimmer to Messrs Douglas, also for 1,000gns.

Two ewes sold for 950gns each – one from Langholm Initiative, Cooms flock, Langholm, and another from Messrs Elliot, Hindhope flock, Jedburgh.

Ewe hoggs sold to 750gns for an entry from J. Common and Son's Crossdykes flock, Lockerbie.

AveragesÌý– Ewes, £791; gimmers, £827; ewe hoggs, £630.

Auctioneers:ÌýC. and D. Auction Marts.

Cannon family's entries lead at Borderway

TWO shared the top price of 3,100gns at the Border and Lakeland February sale at Borderway when both the champion and reserve from the Cannon family, Brampton, went under the hammer at that price.

First to hit that mark was the champion, Deerslet Davinci Belinda, which is sired by Davinci and out of a previous home-bred Belinda by Nitro which goes back to an EX91 cow that yielded just shy of 13,000gns in its third lactation.

It sold to Messrs Farish, Wigton, having calved six weeks prior.

Selling to Messrs Caldwell, Maybole, also for 3,100gns was the reserve champion, the Fustsyn Parfect Parker-sired Willsbro Parker Amber which is bred from 12 generations of high-yielding VG and EX dams.

Messrs Cannon's run of seven averaged £2,625.

The Wilson family, Penrith, sold seven heifers to average £2,580, peaking at 2,650gn to Messrs Forshaw, Longridge, for Stowbeck Redcarpet Alice, which calved its first a fortnight prior.

Close behind on 2,600gns when sold to Messrs Coulthard, Carlisle, was Stowbeck Lambda Popdazzle which changed hands yielding 37kg.

Messrs Wilson sold another Lambda daughter,Ìý Stowbeck Lambda Breeze 3 for 2,500gns to Messrs Forshaw.

That price was matched by Whispering Springs Dalmore Cathy 2, from Messrs Fisher, Penrith, which was knocked down to Messrs Caldwell, Maybole.

AveragesÌý– 1 cow in-milk, £2,100; 41 heifers in-milk, £2,373.51.

Auctioneers:ÌýHarrison and Hetherington.

Sistertons' Simmental steer stars at Darlington

STORE cattle reached a top of £2,570 for a Simmental steer from J. Sisterson, Consett, at Darlington.

The same home sold another Simmental steer for £2,560 as well as four Limousin steers for £2,410.

Heifers peaked at £2,320 for a Parthenais from D. Robson and Sons, Capheaton, followed at £2,280 for British Blues from both A. Gregg, East Boldon, and A.P. and E. Procter, Hillcrest.

A 12-month-old Limousin from F. Hickson and Sons, Capheaton, headed up the young bull entry at £2,280.

The dispersal of 25 dairy-bred British Blue in-calf cows from R. Peart, Hamsterley, peaked at £2.750 for an eight-year-old cow, followed by two at £2,600.

Cast cattle sold to 374p/kg and £4,158 for a nine-year-old British Blue bull weighing 1,112kg from H.W. and M. Alderson and Son, Baldersdale.

A Limousin, over 30 months heifer,Ìý from E. Scott and Sons, Darlington, led the cast females at 370p/kg with a Beef Shorthorn from G, Beadle, Darlington, topping the gross section at £2,924.

Store hoggs averaged £124.40, having peaked at £178/head for a pair of Texels from K. Mitchelson, Satley, with feeding sheep to £255 for a Texel from S. Bell, Carlisle.

Auctioneers:ÌýDarlington ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Auction Mart.

Angus cattle head up Thame

AT the opening fair sale at Thame, Aberdeen-Angus crosses from Marsh Hill topped the trade, selling for the top price of £2,480 with heifers to £2,400.

Elsewhere, Limousin crosses from M. Boniface claimed the next best prices at £2,340 for steers and £2,330 for heifers.

The sale saw steers average £1,809 with heifers at £1,551.

Auctioneers:ÌýThame ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Mart.