Oddacres Ebenezer puts on ‘Dickens of a show’ at Skipton pedigree beef highlight
The celebrated Oddacres pedigree Limousin herd of local breeders John and Claire Mason in Embsay was responsible for the title winner at the Lingfields Beef Cattle Fair, the annual multi-breeds show and sale of pedigree beef breeding cattle at Skipton Auction Mart on Wednesday 25th May 2011.
The fixture again proved popular among commercial beef cattle breeders looking to source quality stock bulls to supplement their herds.
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| Andrew Mason with the Oddacres Limousin bull champion, joined by sponsors Mike Redfern, Townson Bros, and Diane Pickles, Marr and Macgregor Feeds. |
The champion, Oddacres Ebenezer, first prize winner in the class for older bulls, is a 17-month-old son of Ange, who also sired the Masons’ joint top price bull at Skipton’s leading Craven Limousin Day show and sale in 2010.
The dam of their latest victor is the Volcan daughter Sabine, one of several imports, both male and female, bought in France when the Masons were restocking their herd, established in 2001, after foot and mouth.
Sabine has proved an excellent breeding cow for them, with her son Ebenezer selling for 1,700gns to R Wood, Aysgarth
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| The Masons’ Skipton Limousin champion |
The reserve championship fell to another Limousin, the first prize winner in the class for younger bulls, Prietec Freddie, from Terry and Elaine Priestley, of Lane House Farm, Mewith, Bentham.
The runner-up is a son of Gunnerfleet Unbeatable, bred in Chapel-le-Dale, Ingleton, by Jim and Ian Handley. The same sire was also responsible for the Priestleys’ older intermediate bull class victor at Skipton’s 2011 Craven Limousin Day show and sale earlier this month, while another Handley-bred bull also sired the champion at last year’s multi-breeds beef breeding cattle fixture.
Freddie is out of the Scottish-bred Ronick Hawk daughter Prietec Suger and sold for 1,500gns to Alan and Keith Alsop, Dacre. The Priestleys were also responsible for the second and third prize pedigree females, both also by Gunnerfleet Unbeatable. They each made 860gns when joining the same buyer, Ian Moorhouse, of TB Moorhouse, Dacre.
Best of the females was a two-year-old British Blue, Every Elizabeth, from Red Rose showman Jeff Mellin, Nelson. She is by Arlequin Du Pre Rosine, out of Every Cheekygirl, and sold for top price in class at 1,500gns to A & RA Middleton, Cowan Bridge.
Back with the younger bulls, class prices were headed at 1,600gns bu the second prize winner, Brontemoor Filip, from the leading West Yorkshire Limousin pedigree herd of Stephen and Ruth Priestley, Denholme. The buyer of the 15-month-old son of Doonbeg Andrew, out of the home-bred Brontemoor Bianco, was Robert Metcalfe, Brearton, Harrogate.
The show brought down the curtain on Skipton’s 2011 pedigree beef season. Judge was Roger Green, Bashall Eaves, and sponsors fuel and lubricants firm, Townson Bros, and livestock nutrition company Marr and Macgregor Feeds, represented by Mike Redfern and Diane Pickles respectively.
The fixture formed part of the fortnightly sale of 676 head of store cattle. Top pedigree price on the day at 2,700gns fell to a March, 2007-born British Blue bull, Besthorpe Communicator, from Simon Bennett, Silsden, who also headed the selling prices at last year’s corresponding fixture.
By the Nottinghamshire-bred Besthorpe Thunder Flash, Mr Bennett bought the bull at Chelford in 2009, where he stood first in his show class. His new owner is Philip Metcalfe, Otterburn.
Aberdeen Angus prices were headed at 2,100gns by a January, 2010, bull, Crook Rise Maxi Pecan, from local vendor Geoff Lawn, Skipton. The son of Glendara Walnutt, all-Ireland champion for two consecutive years, found a new home locally with JP & KE Hartley, Beamsley.
The day also incorporated a dispersal sale of cows and calves on behalf of Messrs R & A Wallbank, Slaidburn, with eight outfits achieving over £2,000 and an overall average of £1,546. They sold to a top of £2,600 for a British Blue cow with British Blue heifer calf, acquired by R C Turnbull & Son, Coxwold, York.
Several other consignments of heifers with calves were keenly sought. Joe Atkinson, Scorton, sold Limousins to £1,750, with local vendor Jim Stockdale, Burnsall, seeing his British Blues top at £1,720. Limousins from Paul Fletcher, Heywood, peaked at £1,620, while Richard Wood, Crossroads, sold Blondes to £1,450,and William Bilsborough, Giggleswick, Limousins to £1,350.
Pedigree British Blue bulls averaged £2,345 and Limousin bulls £1,619.
