Sweet consignment from Bollands at Craven Dairy Auction

CCM Skipton Auction Mart’s opening July Craven Dairy Auction on Monday saw Paul, Janet and James Bolland continue the ongoing dispersal of their Airton-based Dykelands herd with a consignment of two heifers and three cows, the latter claiming the leading prices.

Selling from youngest to eldest, the two heifers kicked off proceedings, starting with a nine-days-calved sweet-uddered two-year-old giving 26kg daily and secured by familiar faces, the dairy-farming Sowray brothers, Bishop Thornton, at £1,750.

James Wellock, Gargrave, paid the same price for the second Bolland heifer, a stylish black De-Su Hartley daughter that, just a week calved, was giving 25kg and is set to continue rising.

Moving on to the cows, a second calved Pine Tree Verona daughter was the pick of the Birstwith Metcalfes, the father and son team seeing the potential in the young cow that, also just a week calved, was giving 26kg, having given just shy of 7,000 litres as a heifer at 4.4% butterfat. She sold for £1,800, the day’s top joint price.

Matching her on price was a tremendously youthful fourth calved cow that was giving 30kg, having completed a third lactation of 10,508kg at 4.48% butterfat and 3.08% protein. With a low cell count of just 29 she headed home with Chris Drake, Bradford.

The cows and heifers without faults averaged £1,775, the sixth calved cow with fault finishing at £1.100 Looking forward, the next Craven Dairy Auction in three weeks time on Monday, July 22, will feature a good number of pedigree youngstock of all ages from the Hawbank (Airton family), Dalesbrad (Throup family), Whychall (Hutchinson family) and Lofthouse (Stevenson Brothers) herds.

According to dairy sales co-ordinator Sarah Liddle all these vendors have sold previously through the CCM ring with great success and are respected by many for selling first quality heifers. The youngstock will follow the regular milking consignments in what promises to be a great sale day.

Back at Skipton on Monday, the weekly sale of dairy-bred rearing calves saw 40 head forward trade to a top of £580 for a British Blue-x bull from D Calvert & Son, West Marton, who also headed the Blue-x heifer prices at £415.

Strong Blue bulls were regularly £500-plus, younger rearing bulls meeting a flying trade at £405-£460, the section averaging £497, while strong 6–8-week-old Blue heifers sold at £380-£415, with younger models £320-£380, producing an overall section average of £360.

Limousin-x bull calves topped at £515 from G Pickersgill & Sons, Hawksworth, averaging £398, while of the native youngsters the Drake family, Thornton, headed both the Aberdeen-Angus bull and heifer calf prices at £430 and £260 respectively, the same home also responsible for the £148 top price black and white bull calf.

Thick Angus bulls at four-weeks-old sold at £340-£390 and younger calves £270-£320. Charolais-x heifer calves peaked at £405 from J Peel, Gisburn.