Expert customers pick winners at CCM sale of outstanding Angus

 
Knowing breeders keen to boost the strength of their herds headed to the Airedale Angus production sale at Isherwoods Airedale House Farm, Kildwick on Saturday (June 20).

The on farm auction was run by CCM Skipton and was held under the auspices of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society with 60 head on offer from the well-known farm, which also supplies its family-owned butcher shop in nearby Silsden.

Lucky visitors were treated to delicious steak sandwiches and sausages from the shop, owned by David Isherwood since 1987 and which is run by his son Josh.

Speaking after the successful day, David said: “What we sold, we were very happy with, and the majority went to repeat customers, which was nice.

“The Aberdeen Angus breeding community is great and very knowledgeable our goal in everything is to supply product that will do well for our customers.

“Being butchers, we understand buyers’ needs in terms of meat and also, being farmers, we have to mix those needs with producing animals that are good structural beasts with longevity – good feet, strong legs, wide nostrils for good respiration and big ears for good heat transfer, as examples.”

The magnificent all-blacks in the sale catalogue all had extremely detailed May breedplans with the eye muscle scanned at 400 days to predict the future length and depth of sirloin.

An excellent example of the breed in the Spring calvers with calves at foot section, was Airedale Katemoss Z821 with calf Airedale Kateslad, who sold for 7,200 guineas. Katemoss was sired by Airedale Mr Editor X718 out of Airedale Katemoss V629 and her calf was sired by Airedale Everest YB15.

CCM Auctioneer Ted Ogden said it was an absolute pleasure to be at the Isherwoods sale that took place in a traditional three-sided farmyard, set in a stunning location overlooking the Aire Valley.

This year’s sale comprised a superb selection of high-quality cattle, chiefly Cows with Spring born

calves, with all the calves sired by the Shadwell Evolution son Airedale Everest, together with an

offering of bulls, maiden heifers and Autumn Calving cows, with buyers attracted by an exemplary

health status and solid figures behind them.

Leading the sale was the Airedale Prairie Lad daughter Airedale Pastareilla X745 (lot 6) which sold

with her 4th calf at foot, an April 2026 heifer, selling at 7500gns to Messrs Holgate of Rathmell, near

Settle.

This was followed at 7200gns by the heifer Airedale Katemoss Z821, an animal with Airedale Lord

Sinden on its sire line, it had an April born bull calf at foot and found a new home in the North of

Scotland with P Allen.

Mr Allen followed this up with purchases of Airedale Rosie Ruth Y760 (Lot 9) with a Heifer calf, and

Airedale Miss Essence Y763 (Lot 8) another with a heifer calf. They sold for 6500gns and 6000gns

respectively.

The Autumn Calving animals sold to 5500gns, achieved by Airedale Prairie W670 (lot 30), an April

2020 born Duncanziemere Edwin daughter due her 7th calf in November 2026 to Airedale Patermall

A877. This is an animal that embodied the offering on the day highlighting the fantastic fertility in

the herd by calving at 2 years old and producing a calf every year since.

Young Bulls peaked at 5000gns for Airedale Elon, sired by Airedale Mr Essen and from the Ellie

family. The offering of Maiden Heifers were keenly contested and saw prices peak for Lot 36 Airedale

Eliza B952, itself also an Everest daughter, and the ringside saw it sell at 3400gns to Me B Howarth,

Bolton.

Averages: Cows with Calves £6163.50, Incalf Cows £4488.75, Maiden Heifers £3,205.50, Bulls

£5,145.00