The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2016 - Issue 46 | Page 20

William Sykes & Son

THE NO 1 IZUZU DEALERS IN THE NORTH

Matt and the team at Golden ’ s wish Paul , Robert and the rest of the team at Sykes another prosperous 150 Years

R N Golden Ltd is one of the largest Isuzu Dealers in the country and have been so year in year out over the last 30 years . Starting out in the late 50 ’ s , R N Golden initially sold Land Rovers to the farmers of Yorkshire and Derbyshire . Now they do exactly the same with Isuzu pickups , dealing with the sons and grandsons of those very farmers .

Because of Golden ’ s affinity to farming , they support many agricultural shows and Sheep Dog trials .

R N Golden SHOWS 2016

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I ’ m at Bakewell Market Every Monday !

01484 608060 / 07771 666 442

afford . He was right of course . When I filled all the pigpens I could have done with at least one more buyer . Huddersfield was a good fatstock market every Monday . We would get 200-300 sheep and 100 + cattle but it was the pigs that really took off . At Christmas we would have 1000 pigs .

‘ Everyone needs to work together and at Holmfirth that certainly happens ’

“ After Foot and Mouth in 2001 , Barnsley Council wanted Penistone Mart back up and running as soon as possible . I was under a lot of pressure at the time and that brought about an untimely wake up call when I suffered a stroke . Through hell and high water I got it back under way and it was going well - but then Tesco came in and that sounded the death knell . On the last day ’ s sale at Penistone every pen was full . We had 150 fat and store cattle that day and 400-500 sheep . At one time we operated the mart in conjunction with Wilby ’ s on a Monday and with Bagshaw ’ s on a Thursday but after Foot and Mouth it was just us on a Thursday . Strange really . Both marts were doing well yet both closed because of councils - not poor trade .

“ I was delighted to be invited to sell the sheep at Holmfirth Mart in November 2008 and I ’ ve been here ever since . I sell the sheep and David Moxon does the cattle . The mart chairman , Anthony Hobson does a marvellous job . Holmfirth Mart is doing unbelievably well for a little market . It gets great support from buyers even though there isn ’ t the same number of smaller local butchers around today . October is the mart ’ s busiest time for sheep with the annual store lambs and breeding sheep sale that takes place on the second Sunday in October . Over the year we average around 400 sheep a week but that spikes at around 600-700 . The biggest change over my time selling sheep at Huddersfield , Penistone and Holmfirth has been that it ’ s now all about white faced sheep , particularly Texels , Charollais and Beltex . When I was a lad it was all about black faces . We also still do well with the native breeds to around here – Gritstones , Lonks and White Faced Woodlands .”

20 Jun / Jul 2016 www . farmers-mart . co . uk