Chris Norton, of dairy auctioneers Norton and Brooksbank, celebrating 50 years of auctioneering

Mr Norton, while stepping back a little, will remain involved with the business along with his founding partner Tom Brooksbank.

He says: "I have had a long association with the Cowell family and wanted to mark the occasion in Lancashire where our first sale was and where we have always had such a great rapport with farmers."

The son of a lawyer who also had a dairy farm, Mr Norton was fascinated by pedigrees from an early age.

He says: "At home, we had a small herd of Shorthorns before moving to Friesians, and I loved the cows and also developed a real interest in pedigrees – whether that be cows, horses or humans.

"So, on leaving Cirencester Agricultural College, dairy auctioneering seemed an obvious career choice and I joined Hobsons, the principal dairy auctioneers of the time.

"Initially, I was mainly cataloguing and clerking, and in those days we also had to number the cows for sale.
"I was told it could be five years before I was allowed to sell, but it was actually only about six months. I sold bulling heifers at my first auction in April 1974, and my auctioneering career continued from there."

Mr Norton says two of the most memorable sales while at Hobsons were the dispersal of the Grove herd for Dyfrig Williams, Carmarthen, in 1983, and the Sharcombe herd for Sir Keith and Lady Showering in 1981.

Tom Brooksbank had joined Hobsons a year after Mr Norton and they continued to work together up until 1983, when the retirement of Hobsons' senior partners led them to make the decision to set up their own business as Norton and Brooksbank.

Their first sale was the monthly dairy sale in January 1984 at Lancaster, where they continued to sell regularly for a number of years.

The business continued to go from strength to strength, and was responsible for a huge number of major dispersal sales as well as production and private sales, with the sale of the Ullswater herd for Tom Carrick, Appleby, in 1989, as one particular standout for Mr Norton.

READ NOW: How to reach true market value

Dairy industry changes

He has undoubtedly seen many changes to the industry during his career.

"When we started, 200 cows was a big herd, but now 400-500 is the norm and there are also a lot more private sales," he says.

"Computerisation has been another big change for everyone, as has – more recently – the introduction of MartEye enabling people to buy cattle from anywhere. We were the first company to use it after Covid-19 and it has been fantastic. Nowadays, farmers do not always have the time to travel to auctions, but they can still view the sale and buy. At a recent sale, 40 per cent of buyers were on MartEye."

In spite of current industry challenges, Mr Norton is still optimistic for the future of dairy farming and the auction system.

He says: "Consumers will always want milk, but I would like to see more stability for farmers. At the moment, milk prices are too volatile, governed by supply and demand, and farmers are buying cattle not knowing what their milk price might be going forward.

"The auction system is still the best way to sell the best end cows, particularly pedigrees – all the best racehorses are sold at auction.

"I have had a great career and made many friends over the year, but it is now time to take a step back."

READ NOW: Auctioneering offers career opportunities