North-East Lancashire father-and-son dairy farmers Philip and John Bowen hit the bulls eye when landing their first Craven Dairy Auction championship at the June show at Skipton Auction Mart. (Mon, June 18)

Philip and John Bowen are pictured right with their Craven Dairy Auction champion, joined by, from left, Linda Davy, of Farmers & Mercantile Insurance Brokers, the LPW Group’s engineering manager Ben Hickson and judge Robin Boothman

The Bowens, who trade as J Bowen & Son at Park Farm, Barrow, Whalley, clinched the title with a newly-calven Holstein Friesian commercial heifer giving six gallons, which received the BOCM Pauls Dairy Cup and went on to sell for £1,260 to Robert Metcalfe, of Gargrave, Skipton.

Mr Metcalfe also landed a £60 cash windfall as the buyer of the champion from Farmers & Mercantile Insurance Brokers, of Boroughbridge.

Judge Robin Boothman, of Fence, said he could find very few faults with the victor – “a good heifer that will last a long time.”

The reserve champion was a newly-calven commercial cow from L Simpson & Sons, of Red House Farm, Sutton Grange, Ripon. Giving 40 litres, the second calver sold for £1,100 to G Parker, of Emley, Huddersfield.

Mr Parker also paid the day’s top price of £1,310 for the second prize newly-calven heifer from the Whinhill Holstein Friesian commercial herd of father-and-son dairy farmers Malcolm and Robert Swires, of Haverah Park, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate.

The Swires had a good day in general, entering a total of ten cattle in the show, which sold to an average of £1,082.

Best of the in-calf heifers from Malcolm Wood, of Wakefield, went to Josh Lancaster, of Horton-in-Craven, for £860, while regular exhibitor Robert Johnson, of Felliscliffe, Harrogate, paid £660 for the first prize maiden heifer from F Fryer & Sons, of Middleton, Ilkley.

Two newly-calven Shorthorn heifers from George and Gladys Emmott, of Steeton, also proved popular, the better of the duo selling at £900.

The show was supported by a new sponsor at Skipton, the LPW Group, of Ingleton, who supply cleaning equipment. The next Craven Dairy Auction, a sale only, takes place on Monday, July 9, with the main monthly show and sale scheduled for Monday, July 30.

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