RECENT history repeated itself at the annual Craven Champions 2022-born store cattle with show potential highlight at Skipton Auction Mart when last year’s principals, the Hodder Valley Walkers and the Ewbanks, from Upper Nidderdale, once again secured supreme and reserve supreme honours, both with young, up-and-coming all-black British Blue-crosses, both readily claimed by the show judge. (Wed, Feb 15) The Walkers – husband and wife, Geoff and Margaret, and sons, John and Rob, of Brennand Farm, above Dunsop Bridge – have made the early season Craven Champions showcase their own in modern times, their latest title winner landing an unparalleled tenth supreme championship success this century.

Their latest coup came with an 11-month-old home-bred heifer, among the first crop of calves to Maes Owain, acquired some 18 months ago, out of a pedigree Limousin cow, first tapped out as winner of its halter-led show class, then female champion and overall supreme by Scottish show judge Michael Robertson, who runs the Fodderletter pedigree Limousin herd in Tomintoul. The adjudicator was clearly impressed, claiming his chosen and much admired victor for top call of £3,600.

The Walkers once again took home the supreme champion’s Jack Walker Trophy, first presented by son Geoff 2014 in memory of his late father. All three of their Blues picked up red rosettes, the first prize 11-month-old haltered bullock, later male champion, by the same sire, out of a Blue-cross cow, going under the hammer at £2,200 when falling to commercial Blue-x-Limousin cattle breeder Danny Ferguson, of Selby.

Mr Ferguson also went to £2,700 to claim a further Walker first in the un-haltered heifer show class, this a 12-month-old by their legendary former stock bull, Cromwell Fendt, responsible for many past Craven Champions supreme champions and, in fact, a full sister to their 2021 title winner. The purchaser, who plans to show the bullock, said both would introduce solid new bloodlines.

The Walkers once again had a major influence on the breeding of the reserve supreme champion, the second prize haltered Blue-cross heifer and reserve female champion from husband and wife, Mark and Fee Ewbank, of Intake Farm, Middlesmoor.

Like their 2022 overall reserve, it was by Brennand Jimmy, acquired some eight years ago from the Walkers and also responsible for the couple’s first-ever Craven Champions supreme champion in 2020, as well as the 2021 male champion. The nine-month-old also fell for £2,800 second top to the adjudicator, who farms with his wife Ellie at Fodderletter, an 1,100 acre hill farm on the northern slopes of the Cairngorm Mountains in what is the highest village in the Highlands.

Together, they run 15 pedigree Limousin and a 90-cow Limousin and Blue-cross suckler herd. No strangers to success in both the the show and sale rings, Michael said he along with the family, planned to exhibit both acquisitions this year, possibly beginning with the Royal Highland Show, then on the north east summer show circuit, with the supreme champion hopefully to be retained in the herd.

The Ewbanks also stood third in the haltered Blue heifer class with a same way-bred animal making £1,700. In fact, all four Ewbank show cattle were by the prolific Jimmy, the remaining duo finishing second and third in the un-haltered heifer show class, selling at £1,850 and £1,700.

Every single prize winner sold well into four figures. Standing first and second in the Limousin heifer class were local mart regulars John and Claire Mason, and daughter Annabel, who run the Oddacres herd in Embsay.

The red rosette winner, a ten-month-old daughter of their imported French bull, Pedro, made £1,400, just eclipsed at £1,450 by the younger runner-up, a six-month-old daughter of their 9,000gns purchase Procters Major, who stood best stock and progeny bull in the North East Limousin Breeders Club annual herd competition.

Leading price of £1,350 among the rosette winners in the un-haltered bullock show class went to the third prize continental from Calderdale’s David Broadbent, who farms in Midgley, with a first and second prize double - the red rosette winner also stood reserve male champion - achieved by Limousin bullocks consigned by RVCM Agri, travelling down from Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway. Both sold for £1,320, while in the mix the same vendors also sold home-bred Limousin store heifers to £1,840, also topping beef feeding cattle trade with another Limousin at £1,760.

The Craven Champions highlight, sponsored by NFU Mutual in Skipton, formed part of the midweek Wednesday sale of 521 cattle, with pen after pen of exceptional young feeding bulls among the 176 head seeing a further increase on the fortnight and overall trade up £156 on the year for the same sale. May-born Continental bulls sold to £1,680, producing an under 10-months average of £1,325, while over 12 -months bulls sold to £1,650, averaging £1,369.

Trade was also strong and dearer on the week for 300-plus store bullocks and heifers, notably premium grade and smart retail type cattle, as finishers responded to a rising prime trade in a bid to keep yards full, with high demand throughout for everything aged from eight to 28 months. All classes were well catered for, feeding cattle outside the show selling to £2,140 for a Limousin bullock from Fair Place Farm, Cowling.

With buyers again out in force, suckler cattle of all sizes met a serious trade. A run of ten black 10/13-month-old Limousin heifers from Holmfirth averaged £1,551, while retail spec feeding cattle with weight and flesh fired in at £1,600-£1,800. Another sharp trade for 39 beef-bred feeding cattle saw cows average £1,258 and bulls £1,480, while of the breeding cattle a nice selection of home-bred Limousin-cross in-calf heifers from JG Hall & Son, Gargrave, sold to a top of £2,050, averaging £1,962.

There was also a charity element to the day’s proceedings, with Gordon Beresford, Halton West, selling single Aberdeen-Angus and British Blue entries in aid of Airedale Breast Cancer Unit and Breast Cancer UK. Generous bidding took the sale value to close on £3,000 and with kind donations ringside both during and after the sale a grand total £3,240 was realised.