NEWLY-CALVEN commercial entries took the principal honours at the opening February Craven Dairy Auction at Skipton Auction Mart.

Malhamdale’s Robert Crisp, of Nelson Farm, Calton, landed another champion’s rosette with his first-prize ten days-calved 25kg heifer, like many of his past frontrunners by a son of Picston Shottle, out of a Garrison-sired daughter. Both are Genus bulls.

The victor sold for £2,000 to the judges, dairy farming brothers and calf breeders, Shaun and Peter Sowray, from Bishop Thornton.

Mr Crisp was also responsible for the first and third prize newly-calven cows, both second calvers to Garrison. The former sold for second top price of £1,900 to the Clarke family, from Hampsthwaite, the latter for £1,350 to ringside regular Wick Williams, of Nantwich, in Cheshire.

The second-prize heifer and reserve champion was consigned by Richard Walker, who farms with his son Andrew at Moorlands Farm, East Morton, Keighley, where they milk 100 cows.

While they also have the Morton pedigree herd, the overall runner-up came from their commercial holding and is by their stock bull, Enchanted Ramshot, acquired several years ago at Skipton from breeder and regular dairy buyer, Aubrey Greengalgh, of Preston. Three weeks-calved and giving 33kg, the heifer joined Mr Williams at £1,880, who also paid £1,600 for the second prize newly-calven cow from Glusburn’s David Fort.

A strong ringside produced a flying trade for the ten newly-calven milkers on offer, with heifers averaging £1,616 and cows £1,562. In-calf entries also sold well, with a brace of heifers from John Roberts, of Huddersfield, hitting £1,420 and £1,400.

The 51 youngsters on parade at the same day’s weekly rearing calf sale sold well for the ages on offer, with a high of £350 for a British Blue-cross bull calf from Richard Spence, of Sutton-in-Craven, who also headed the heifer calf prices with a £340 Limousin, while the Sowrays achieved £330 with a Blue-cross heifer calf.

Continental-cross entries averaged £273 per head overall, natives £211.40 and black and whites £70.43.