THE Newbirks pedigree Holstein herd from the Lawson family of Wharfedale took the April dairy auction title at the Easter Monday fixture at Skipton mart.

David and Claire Lawson, of Mill Farm, Arthington, joined by daughter Suzy, took the title with a second calver home-bred by a son of their former stock bull Goldwyn, out of a cow with several generations of VG Excellent behind it.

The winner calved five weeks before the show and was giving 40 litres. She sold for £2,200 to James Kayley, of Halton West.

The Lawsons third-prize newlycalven heifer, 11 days calved and giving 28 litres, achieved the £2,420 top price when joining Brian Blezard, Ribchester.

Close behind on £2,380 was a quality heifer from the Senterprise pedigree herd of father and son Fred and Mark Houseman, who trade as Church Farm Enterprises at Burton Top Farm, Burton Leonard. She sold to Wilmot Blockley of Tarvin, Cheshire.

The reserve champion was a firstprize newly-calven heifer from Peter Baul, of M Baul & Partners, Bishop Thornton. The 21 days calved 34-litre heifer, by the Genus sire Garrison, made £2,000 on joining brothers Shaun and Peter Sowray, Bishop Thornton.

Other results included Brian and Judith Moorhouse of the Aireburn pedigree herd at Hesper Farm, Bell Busk, saw their second- prize newly-calven 30-litre heifer sell to James Kayley for £2,350. A pedigree Brown Swiss newly-calven heifer from David and Pauline Brown, of Ramsgill, sold for £1,650 to David and Sue Cockburn, Warshill.

Easingwold’s Mick Corner’s incalf heifers made a clean sweep of the show class prizes and sold to a top of £1,720 – once more to the Sowrays – at an average of £1,550.

The 42 pedigree newly-calven heifers averaged £1,840 per head, while the commercial average was £1,713, with a high of £1,820 for an entry from the Robinson family, Eldroth.

Pedigree newly calven cows averaged £1,834 and commercials £1,610. Maiden heifers averaged £810, with a high of £900 for an entry from R&E Pollard, Colne.

  • An annual standalone show for dairy bulls produced another championship-winning performance from 2013 victors Brian and Judith Moorhouse, of Bell Busk, with Aireburn Bevis, a 12- month-old son of the Semex sire Gillette Windbrook, who was also responsible for the previous year’s title winner. Joelee Outside BC Bevin attracted keen interest at the ringside, before falling for a show-topping £2,000 to the Griffiths family, Penistone.