IN their continuing quest for the best, regular buyers Knavesmire Butchers, of York, took away the highest priced per kilo animal at Skipton Auction Mart’s latest weekly prime cattle sale, an exceptional British Blue-cross heifer weighing 560kg from the Cowperthwaite family at Stockdale Farm, Settle, which made 325.5p/kg, or £1,822.

The Albermarle Road shop also purchased the leading per kilo steer, a 560kg Limousin-cross from the Baines family in Middop at 311.5p/kg, or £1,744.

Of the 14 under 30-month clean cattle forward, among the gross prices weight with quality continued to sell very well. Top call at £2,113, or 285.5p/kg, went to Hargreaves Farms in Walton-le-Dale, Preston, with a 740kg Limousin -cross steer which sold to weekly buyers, Ralph Pearson Wholesale Butchers in Bradford, which was again the principal purchaser with nine acquisitions.

Hargreaves Farms sold four steers in total to average £2,072.

Best heifer gross at £1,978, or 297.5p/kg, was a 665kg Blue-cross from ever-present Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching, which figured among the Pearson buys.

With just five cull cows penned for sale, the heady trade seen of late continued, the section producing an overall selling average of151.37p/kg, or £927.90 per head. Top call of £1,325, or 175.5p/kg, fell to a Beef Shorthorn from Cray’s Chris and Tom Akrigg, while dairies, which were short of meat, sold to £972, or 170.50p/kg, for a black and white from Brian and Judith Moorhouse’s Aireburn herd in Bell Busk.

Over in the rearing calf sale ring, there was again ready demand for the 61-strong entry, which traded to a section-topping £460 for a Blue-cross bull calf from Airton’s Paul and Janet Bolland.

Draughton’s Joe and Nancy Throup followed closely with Limousin-cross heifer calf at £450, while the Sowray brothers from Bishop Thornton sold two at £420, a Limousin-cross bull calf and a Charolais-cross heifer calf.