Top price fell to North Craven’s Graham Coates, who runs the Greystone pedigree herd at Rainscar Farm, Stainforth, with his only entry on the day, a fully home-bred July, 2014-born bull, Greystone Judge, by Greystone Hoover, who had proved himself as a first-time sire when breeding the top price achiever, before finding pastures new.

Greystone Judge
photo: Adrian Legge Photography

Hoover is himself a son of Mr Coates’ stock bull, the £11,000 Newton Blues Chico, while Judge’s dam is the productive Greystone Weetabix. He was her seventh calf and at the age of 12 she is currently expecting her ninth calf to Almeley Ginola, acquired for 20,000gns from Herefordshire’s Graham Morgan in 2013.

The Greystone herd was established in the early 1980s by Graham’s parents, Eric and Jane Coates. It now comprises some 25 pedigree British Blue calving cows and the latest headline grabber, bred from easy calving lines, found a new home locally with Gargrave dairy farmer Colin Whitelock, of Low Green Farm.

The same buyer made a second acquisition when paying 2,850gns for the all-white Edmonds Jasper, the third prize April, 2014-born bull from Gavin Boocock’s Edmonds herd at St Lois Farm, Full Sutton, York, again fully home-bred by Edmonds Gerry, out of Edmonds Eve.

Mr Whitelock, a familiar face at Skipton, will put both bulls to good use on his dairy herd to produce high quality British Blue-cross rearing calves.

Second top price of 4,000gns was achieved by a well-bred third prize winner from Dylan Townend, who runs the Clifftown pedigree herd at Quarry Farm, Broughton, near Malton.

His February, 2014-born Clifftown Jock, junior interbreed champion at last year’s Newark & Notts County Show, is by the renowned Belgian AI sire, Boherard Cantona, and a maternal brother to Mr Townend’s 2014 Blue Wednesday supreme champion, Clifftown Horatio, the first-ever British Blue bull he had bred and shown.

The dam of both, Tamhorn Duchess, was acquired at the Tamhorn dispersal sale, with her latest Skipton frontrunner finding a new home with Jamie Loveridge, who has a cross-bred commercial beef herd at Great Bells Farm on the Isle of Sheppey off the Kent cost. He will put his new acquisition on to Simmental-cross-Friesian cows with the aim of producing more shape in his calves.

The Empire D’Ochain son, Boherard Cantona, was also responsible for the day’s third top price sale, the 3,950gns Keasden Head Idonis from another North Craven breeder and Skipton regular Sheila Mason, who runs the pedigree herd of the same name in Clapham. Her November, 2013-born bull, out of Keasden Head Flame Gamin, joined D Beal, of Malton.

With 2015 Blue Wednesday supreme champions, the Walker family, from Dunsop Bridge, unrepresented at the latest renewal, it presented an opportunity for Rob Walker to step into the ring as show judge.

He awarded the supreme championship to the first prize winner in the show class for older 2013 or 2014-born bulls, the October, 2013, Littlebank Isaac, an extremely well muscled and mobile young bull, again bred in North Craven by husband and wife Richard and Wendy Maudsley, who run their Littlebank pedigree herd, established in 2003, at Rathmell, near Settle.

By another Belgian AI sire, Imperial De L’Ecluse, out of the Gitan du Ptit Mayeur daughter, Littlebank Diva, who comes from one of the Maudsleys’ best breeding lines – the same family has bred bulls to 9,000gns – the title winner sold for 3,300gns to Pateley Bridge beef farmer Bernard Simpson, who regularly sells prize-winning prime cattle at Skipton.

Making an impact on only their second appearance at the Skipton showcase were Derbyshire breeders Mycock Agri Ltd, of Highfield Farm, Flagg, near Buxton, a family enterprise run by husband and wife, Paul and Karen Mycock, along with their two sons, Charley, 20, and Dan, 25 – hence their pedigree prefix Chardaney!

They scooped first and second prizes in the show class for younger 2014-born bulls with sons of Boothlow Gentleman John, acquired four years ago from the Belfield family from Sheen in the Staffordshire Peak District and since sold on for 4,500gns.

The red rosette winner, the June-born all-black Chardaney Joop, out of the home-bred Chardaney Gabrielle, also progressed to be chosen as overall reserve champion, before selling for £3,800gns to Daniel Wise, of New House Farm, Upper Heaton, Huddersfield.

Now 23 and having graduated from Leeds University, where he gained a Masters Degree in Engineering, Daniel became fully involved with the family farm four years ago following the death of his grandfather Raymond Ellis, who was well known in local agricultural circles.

He now runs the business in partnership with his grandmother Barbara Ellis, with dad Chris also fully involved, as is mum Karen behind the scenes in an administrative support role.  

Breeding both pedigree Beef Shorthorns and a commercial Limousin-cross herd, the family required a second bull to both expand the herd and diversify by introducing British Blue bloodlines, hence the Skipton purchase.

The Wises are investing in and modernising the business and have recently constructed a brand-new cattle shed, designed by Daniel with his engineering skills, to move forward in the right direction with higher welfare standards for their animals. “Our aim is to produce a higher quality of meat that retail butchers will want,” explained Daniel.

Rob Walker said both his champion and reserve stood out in the show ring and exhibited lots of potential for the future with their new owners.

Runner-up in the show class for older bulls was Richard Pedley, of JH Pedley, whose Oak Tree pedigree herd is based at the farm of the same name in Barbon, near Carnforth. Their August, 2013-born fully home-bred Oak Tree Impulsive, by Oak Tree Great Expectations and the first calf of Oak Tree Flurry, sold for 2,750gns to Red Rose beef farmer Jonathan Shorrock, of Cliviger, near Burnley.

The overall bull average was £3,465 per head, significantly up on the 2015 average of £3,255. Craven Cattle Mart’s general manager Jeremy Eaton said:
“The sale was the most successful to date and further established the venue as a centre for the breed.

	Related Links
	Lawsons Land Leading Craven Dairy Auction Honours
	Countdown to Skipton Pedigree Beef Season
	Lawsons on the Mark at Craven Dairy Auction
	Sowray Calf Sets New £780 Record Price at Skipton