Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their special ‘The Cattle are Lowing’ show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their special Christmas show and sale of rearing calves on Monday 1st December 2025. Forward were 509 cattle, 1418 sheep and 130 calves.
106 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 385ppk or £3387
2 Stock Bulls sold to 320ppk or £2704
15 Stirks sold to £1340
32 Breeding Cattle sold to £3050
85 Young Bulls sold to £1980
106 Store Steers sold to £2340
163 Store Heifers sold to £2500
1167 Store Lambs sold to £162
251 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to 218
130 Rearing Calves sold to £790
Show of Store Cattle
Thanks go to Elliot Grieves of Oakdene for undertaking the judging duties and making an absolutely excellent job of placing some very good cattle which were put before him. The champion was an outstanding 11-month-old Limousin steer from regular Darlington supporter F Ward, Rogerley Hall, full of potential for the future he was to be later knocked down to Cole Hill Farm, Elwick for £2100. The reserve rosette went to a beautiful 13-month-old British Blue heifer from J Dixon, Stainton Manor which went on to sell for £2050 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop. A full break down of the show results and prices are listed below.
Limousin Steer
1st & Champion – F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £2100 to Cole Hill Farm, Elwick
2nd JC Hope & Son, Cornhow sold for £1860 to MA & EA Sedgewick, Durham
3rd JC Hope & Son, Cornhow sold for £1920 to EW Grieves, Stockton
Limousin Heifer
1st W Love Ltd, Sandy Carr sold for £1860 to R Hirst, Neasham
2nd SG Horn, West Holling Carr sold for £1910 to R Hirst, Neasham
3rd SG Horn, West Holling Carr sold for £1780 to FW Penrose & Son, Ripon
British Blue Heifer
1st & Res Champ J Dixon, Stainton Manor sold for £2050 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
2nd J Dixon, Stainton Manor sold for £2400 to IM Maughan, Hamsterley
3rd J Dixon, Stainton Manor sold for £2300 to IM Maughan, Hamsterley
Sale of Store Cattle
Charity Bull – Today’s sale included a very generous donation of a store bull from Mr Cyrus Armstrong of Deerness Valley Dairy; all proceeds were kindly given to Cancer Research UK. The bull was bought by the Kemp family of Heugh Hall Farm, Bowburn for £2500; DfAM would like to thank Cyrus and the Kemp family for their marvellous generosity.
On to the sale proper and the feeding cattle remain a very sharp shot across the board, a supersonic steer trade sees them average £1755 whilst the hot heifers followed at £1553 and the bouncing young bulls £1422; all averages are up £300 to £400 on the year. Numbers remain in good order in this part of the world and a full gallery of buyers were again present to fill yards ahead of the oncoming Christmas drop off in quantities. A good quality offering of young bulls began proceedings, a smart Simmental from E Parsons, Newstead Farm led the way at £1980, following at £1880 were a tidy pair of young Limousin’s from JA & UM Fawcett, Manor House. Only seven of the thirty-six bulls selling beyond £1500 today were over 12-months-old. Some style in the store cattle peaked at £2500 when a strong Aberdeen Angus from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Hill went under the hammer. The in form Elstob Angus followed at £2400, that price was matched twice by classy 11-13-month-old British Blue heifers from J Dixon, Stainton Manor Farm. Top of the steers at £2340 was a beautiful 18-month-old Limousin from Cumbrian raiders TW West, Picket Howe Farm, Egremont on a super day which found the top twenty-five prices all over £2000. A tidy offering of breeding cattle preceded the stores and were all in demand, top call of £3050 went to a 5-year-old Aberdeen Angus cow with a Limousin bull calf at foot from I & RA Watson, West Hinedon.
Breeding Cattle:
Cows & Calves £3050 £2180 I&RA Watson. £2600 £2520 £2000 £1780×2 £1750 £1700 £1680 WT Hall.
In Calf Cows £2250 £2200 £2100 £1950 £1900 £1650×2 £1420 TW West. £1350 WT Hall.
Stirks £1340 L Booton. £1020×2 C Dennis. £800 £790 £750×4 £720×2 D&J Taylforth. £780 £750 £720 £500 M Radford
Store Bulls £2500 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1980 £1800 £1520×2 £1500 E parsons. £1880×2 £1800 £1780×6 £1720×2 £1700 £1680 £1480 £1460×3 JA&UM Fawcett. £1800 £1660 £1570 A Gregg. £1760 £1720×2 £1700×3 £1660×2 £1650 £1600×4 £1560 £1430×2 £1410 R&BK Wise. £1490 £1410 £1390 £1300 Messrs Shepherd. £1480 £1460×2 JW Richardson.
Store Steers £2340 £2300 £2180 £2120 TW West. £2300 £2000 D Walker. £2230×2 P Leese. £2200 £1970 DG&PD Ayre. £2130 £1980 £1870 JG Wilkinson & Son. £2100×2 £2020×3 £1980×3 £1920 £1900×4 £1860×2 JC Hope & Son. £2100 F Ward. £1980 £1910 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1960×6 K Buckle. £1910×2 JE AJ Pickford. £1910 £1880 GL&M Steel. £1890×3 DR Smith. £1860×2 £1820×2 I Newton & Son.
Store Heifers £2500 £2400 £2300 £2180 B&B Kitching & Son. £2400×2 £2300 £2050 J Dixon. £2260 C Moffett. £2160 £2080×2 £2000 TW West. £2080 £2060 £1990 £1940 £1890 F Hickson & Sons. £2040 £1950 £1910 DR Smith. £1940×2 AC Walton. £1935×4 High Mains Partnership. £1910 SG Horn. £1890×2 R Hickson. £1890 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1860 W Love Ltd. £1850×4 G&H Johnson & Son. £1850 £1840 P Leese.
Cast Cattle – The cow trade is a wow trade to see them average 272ppk and £1791 for a show which probably saw 80% if not 90% lacking finish, twenty of which were milkers and thirty plus were natives. Red is dead as the competitive green market remains absolutely essential for selling cast cows of all types with competition fierce across the board regardless of breed or condition. No doubting the days top cows as a terrific run of fed Limousin’s from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin led from the front, top per kilo at 385 pence was a wonderful 5-year-old whilst at the front in the lump was a marvellous 901kg 9-year-old at an impressive £3387. Four fantastic cows from East Newbiggin averaged a sensational 369ppk and £3154 per head. Beef Shorthorn’s dominated the native breeds as an OTM heifer from Juaul Farms, Great Ayton led the prices per kilo at 372 pence and an impressive 12-year-old from Upsall Castle Farms topped the gross values at £2547. A largely lean show of Friesian’s still sold well, tops went to an OTM from Deerness Valley Dairy at 324ppk or £1861 from WE & CA Anderson, Layton Fields.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 385 376 358×2 W&M Knaggs & Son. 372 344 Juaul Farms. 346 316 F&JS Gargett. 342 S&J Dent & Son. 340 GH Farms Ltd. 338 PD Shepherd. 324 Deerness Valley Dairy. 324 AP&E Procter. 324 308 J&O Harrison & Sons. 322 SG Horn. 316 300 G Te-Lintelo. 312 SH Watson & Son. 312 306 JC Hope & Son. 310×2 Raby Home Farm. 308 A Wilson. 308 Upsall Castle Farms. 305 W&J Herbert. 304 A&AG Moralee. 304 AP&E Procter.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3387 £3161 £3049 £3021 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2616 S&J Dent & Son. £2580 GH Farms Ltd. £2547 £2502 £2211 £2103 Upsall Castle Farms. £2545 SH Watson & Son. £2511 £2070 PD Shepherd. £2469 SG Horn. £2435 F&JS Gargett. £2414 £2069 A Wilson. £2387 AP&E Procter. £2380 £2095 A&AG Moralee. £2303 J&O Harrison & Sons. £2273 Juaul Farms. £2171 JC Hope & Son. £2162 W&J Herbert.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 320 B Watson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2704 B Watson.
OTM Steers – Top prices ppk 346 W Weightman.
Lead Grossing OTM Steers £2224 W Weightman.
Store Sheep – The store lambs are dearer still, as the goods get smaller the £115 average was maintained despite an increasing number of Mule lambs on offer. Buyers from far and wide continue to chase lambs, none more so than our sale toppers, four cracking continentals from Ivanhoe Livestock, Abbotts Close at £162. Forty further lambs trade over £150, seventy over £140 and the next two-hundred over £130. A mixy show of Mules topped at £126 from OM Waermouth, Mossville with the breed levelling at £107 whilst Swaledale’s topped at £74 from WB Rutter & Sons of Grouse Lodge.
Buyers are jumping on feeding ewes like seagulls on a spilt bag of chips, an incredible trade was available for all types to see them average £127.15 all in this week. Top at £218 was a strong Texel cross ewe from R Marwood & Sons, Hilltop Farm. The same home followed at £212 ahead of C Moffett, Backandsides at £208. Two vendors traded at £200 and were followed by a chasing pack of lowland ewes frequently at £160 plus. Magic in the Mule’s as WR Wilson & Partners, Manor Farm sold fourteen at £148 whilst horned ewes were red-hot to see Blackface to £118 and Swaledale’s to £102.
Store Lambs:
Continental – £162 £154 £150 £149 £142 £130 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £140 £138 £128 NG Beveridge. £138 £131 H Beveridge. £134 JR Dowd. £130 C Moffett
Beltex – £150 £142 NG Beveridge. £150 £148 £139 £136 JE Holliday & Son. £150 H Beveridge. £147 J Beveridge.
Dorset – £150 £140 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership.
Texel – £146 £138 £135 HT Davies & Partners. £145 W&J Herbert. £140 £137 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £140 V Wilson. £139 MK Verity. £139 N Medd & Son. £138 £135 HM&JS Hutchinson. £137 £130 £129 JR&J Crowe. £137 GT&M Tweddle. £136 M Gallon. £135 JR Mann. £132 £129 P&AR Jopling. £131 R Bell. £131 £129 WB Rutter & Sons. £131 J Burbury.
Suffolk – £145 N Medd & Son. £140 WR Wilson & Partners. £136 R Bell. £135 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Feeding Ewes:
Texel – £218 £212 £170 £148 R Marwood & Sons. £208 C Moffett. £194 £188 £180 WL Robinson & Partners. £182 £150 JR&J Crowe. £166 WL Robinson & Partners. £160 £144 JE Holliday & Son. £130 P&AR Jopling. £128 JR Mann.
Continental – £200 £174 £148 Rose A Farms. £200 £156 £154 £140 £128 NG Beveridge. £165 £160 £151 £148 JP&R Ward. £164 N&LL Brown & Son. £140 R Bell. £146 JR Mann. £140 JR&P Ward. £128 P Kirk.
Beltex – £195 J Beveridge. £180 NG Beveridge.
Suffolk – £192 WL Robinson & Partners. £144 JR&J Crowe.
Charollais – £176 P Kirk. £172 JR&J Crowe.
Mule – £148 WR Wilson & Partners. £140 JR&J Crowe. £138 RW Shann & Sons. £138 R Bell. £137 JR Mann. £136 WL Robinson & Partners. £132 E Cox. £128 Petch Farms. £126 C Moffett. £126 RW Shann.
Rearing Calves – An excellent turn out for the Christmas show and sale found plenty of enthusiastic buyers’ ringside to see a sale average of £493.15. Perhaps the most remarkable statistic is the meteoric rise of the Inra 95, incredibly sixty-two of the up-and-coming breed were offered today. Top call in the bucket calves went to a lovely Limousin bull from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm when he sold for £790. Top of the British Blue’s was our worthy champion bull calf from CN Bentley, The Gables whilst the ever increasing Inra’s topped at £720 for a six-week-old superstar from Kitchings of Summerfield. Heifer calves hit highs of £760 for a British Blue from the Bentley pen and £695 for the Wilkinson Limousin’s. Aberdeen Angus calves topped from Deerness Valley Dairy with bulls to £690 and heifers to £480 whilst Friesian bulls averaged £327 and topped at a whopping £475 from Durrant Agricultural Services.
Calf Show Results:
Class 1- British Blue Bull Calf under 42 days
1st– Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides
2nd– H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Redhouse
3rd– R Tookey & Son, Southside
Class 3- British Blue Heifer under 42 days
1st– H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Redhouse
2nd– CN Bentley, The Gables
3rd– H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Redhouse
Class 4- British Blue Heifer over 42 days
1st– CN Bentley, The gables
2nd– Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides
3rd– CN Bentley, The Gables
Class 5- Any Other Continental Bull under 42 days
1st– Kitchings of Summerfield
2nd– Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd
3rd– Kitchings of Summerfield
Class 6- Any Other Continental Bull over 42 days
1st– Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides
2nd– Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd
3rd– Kitchings of Summerfield
Class 7- Any Other Continental Heifer under 42 days
1st– Kitchings of Summerfield
2nd– Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd
Class 8- Any Other Continental Heifer over 42 days
1st– Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides
2nd– J&A Stevenson & Sons, Blue House Farm
3rd– Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd
Class 9- Native Bull under 42 days
1st– WD Richardson, Manor Farm
2nd– WD Richardson, Manor Farm
3rd– R Tookey & Son, Southside
Class 10- Native Bull over 42 days
1st– Deerness Valley Dairy
2nd– R Tookey & Son, Southside
3rd– Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd
Class 11- Native Heifer under 42 days
1st– WD Richardson, Manor Farm
2nd– H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Redhouse
Class 12- Native Heifer over 42 days
1st– Deerness Valley Dairy
2nd– Deerness Valley Dairy
Class 13- Dairy Bred Bull under 42 days
1st– WD Richardson, Manor Farm
2nd– R Tookey & Son, Southside
3rd– WD Richardson, Manor Farm
Class 14- Dairy Bred Bull over 42 days
1st– J&A Stevenson & Sons, Blue House Farm
Champion- CN Bentley, The Gables
Reserve Champion- Kitchings of Summerfield
Leading Prices
Bull Calves:
Limousin – £790 £760 £750 Wilkinson & Son. £340 CN Bentley.
British Blue – £775 £450 £350 CN Bentley. £770 £720×3 £650 R Martin. £740 Deerness Valley Dairy. £740 Wilkinson & Son. £540×2 £460 H Gibb & Son. £400 £380 R Tookey & Son.
Inra 95 – £720 £680×2 £645 £600 £520 Kitchings of Summerfield. £690 £660 £630×2 £625 £580×2 £540 £520×4 £510×2 £500 £490×2 £480 £470 £460×3 £450×3 £440 £410×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Angus – £690 £450 £320 Deerness Valley Dairy. £590 £580 £540×3 £465 WD Richardson. £410 Kitchings of Summerfield. £350 £330 R Tookey & Son.
Friesian – £475 D McGuinness. £380 £320 WD Richardson. £330 R Tookey & Son. £300 £250 Deerness Valley Dairy. £240 CN Bentley.
Brown Swiss – £470 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Hereford – £410×3 £350 WD Richardson. £280 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Heifer Calves:
British Blue – £760 £480 £460 £380 £370 CN Bentley. £600 Wilkinson & Son. £480 £460 H Gibb & Son.
Limousin – £695 £655 £640 £620 £610 Wilkinson & son.
Angus – £480 £440 £420×2 £390 £300 Deerness Valley Dairy. £370 H Gibb & Son.
Inra 95 – £470×2 £460×4 £450×4 £440×4 £435 £420 £410×3 £400 £380×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £470 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Hereford – £410×2 £370 £350 WD Richardson. £370 EW Grieves.
