| 2016-01-26 |    |
Senterprise Success at Craven Dairy Auction
The Senterprise pedigree Holstein herd of father and son Fred and Mark Houseman, who trade as Church Farm Enterprises at Burton Top Farm, Burton Leonard, clinched championship honours at the year’s second Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, Jan 25)
The Housemans bowled over the opposition with their first prize newly calven heifer, Senterprise Cricket Dot, by Ralma O-Man Of Cricket, out of Senterprise Spooky Dot. Eighteen days-calved and giving 29 litres, she sold for a price-topping £1,520 to Andrew Townsend, of Southfield. Burnley. He and his father Alf are multiple buyers of Skipton dairy cattle.
Mark Houseman is pictured second from right with his Craven Dairy Auction champion, joined by judge Andrew Townsend, right, Peter Baul and the reserve champion and NMR’s Helen Whittaker. Mr Townsend bought both principals.
The opening 2016 champion, Bishop Thornton’s Peter Baul, who runs the Ravensgate pedigree Holstein herd at Watergate Farm, Bishop Thornton, was again prominent when presenting the second prize heifer and reserve champion, Ravensgate Maxi Sparkle 226, by the genomic rated Genus dairy sire, Cervi Maxicoat, out of the home-bred Tennyson Sparkle, who was herself a prize winner at Skipton a few years back.
Giving 28 litres and 28 days-calved, the runner-up made £1,500 when also joining the Townsends, with the third prize 36 litre newly calven heifer from multiple 2015 champion Robin Jennings, of the Stainbank pedigree Holstein herd at Hill House Farm, South Stainley, selling away at £1,480 to Fred and Mike Longster, of Fellbeck Pateley Bridge.
Father and daughter David and Suzy Lawson, of the Newbirks pedigree herd at Mill Farm, Arthington, picked up the winner’s red rosette in the newly calven cows show class with another submission from their long-established and milk rich Jazz family. Their second calver, Newbirks Jazz 1611, by their own Newbirks Jazwyn, out of Jazz 1505, came to market giving 35 litres and sold for £1,390 to Wick Williams, of Nantwich, Cheshire, another regular buyer at the Skipton dairy ringside.
Robert and Elaine Butterfield, from the Ingleview herd in Bentham, sold a dairy bull for £1,200 to Cowling’s Martin Jennings, while in-calf and maiden cattle met a handy trade against the newly calved trade, the former selling to £980 for an entry from Brian and Susan Barningham, who trade as Isaac Oliver and Partners in Darley. David and Jill Pennock, of Bolton Abbey, headed the maiden heifer prices at £720.
While there was a busy ringside, many potential buyers continued to have a strict price in mind. Of the 27 head forward, newly calven heifers averaged £1,241, in-calf heifers £880 and maiden heifers £670.
Church Farm Enterprises also topped the same day’s rearing calf trade with a British Blue-cross bull calf that made £395, with Geoff and Margaret Booth, of Lothersdale, and Paul and Janet Bolland, of Airton, also selling Blue-cross youngsters in the late £300’s.
The 74-strong entry traded similarly to previous weeks, with Continentals averaging £301 per head and native breeds £191, with a high of £228 for an Aberdeen Angus bull calf from Jonathan and Emma Sharp, of Oakworth. Black and whites were not as hot as the previous week, but still averaged out well at £67.59 per head, with a number of small young calves dragging the average back. John Marshall, of Dacre, was top on price at £130 with a bull calf.
