Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their annual ‘Mid-March Extravaganza’ show and sale of Store Cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cows, Store and Breeding Stock on Monday 14th March 2022. Forward were 517 Cattle and 373 Sheep.
88 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 250ppk or £2010
12 Stock Bulls sold to 238ppk or £2147
19 Breeding Cattle sold to £1580
99 Young Bulls sold to £1500
126 Store Steers sold to £1520
173 Store Heifers sold to £1570
356 Store Hoggs sold to £111
17 Feeding Ewes sold to £100
Support for Ukraine
A superb hamper donated most generously by Dot’s Café was auctioned in support of the war-stricken country, an incredibly generous crowd of buyers bought and re-gifted the hamper on numerous occasions in a touching show of solidarity. The hamper raised a wonderful £7430 for this incredibly worthwhile cause, all the staff and directors here at DFAM would like to wholeheartedly thank Dot’s Café and all those who supported the hamper sale today.
Show Cattle – The show today was kindly sponsored by Kingsbridge Insurance Brokers and I’Anson Brothers Ltd. John Grieves of Whinney Hill kindly officiated over the show classes this morning, with his judging capabilities now internationally recognised our vendors were certainly in safe hands. Tapped out as Champion were loyal Darlington supporters Northfield Farms, South Thornberry, Bowes with a superb British Blue Steer, the Reserve Championship was won by a terrific British Blonde Heifer from T W & G Corner, Rye Close Farm, Aycliffe. Regular raider of our trophy cabinet K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick scooped the red rosette in the Young Bull class narrowly beating the Bradford bull himself J Clayton, Bentley Farm who picked up 2nd and 3rd.
Best Steer
1st Northfield Farms, Bowes sold for £1520 to E W Grieves, Whinney Hill
2nd K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1200 to A R Teasdale, Doncaster
3rd H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1150 to S Wildman & Son, Selby
Best Heifer
1st T W & G Corner, Aycliffe sold for £1570 to A R Teasdale, Doncaster
2nd R Peart, Hamsterley sold for £1045 to B Elsworth & Sons, York
3rd R Peart, Hamsterley sold for £1025 to I M Maughan, Hamsterley
Best Young Bull
1st K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1500 to A Kirkbride Ltd, Workington
2nd J Clayton, Bradford sold for £1370 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
3rd J Clayton, Bradford sold for £1405 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
Store Cattle – No doubting that the pre-sale chat revolved around the spiralling cost of grain, fertiliser and fuel and the natural fall in store cattle prices around the region during the last trading week. The 43 active ringside accounts today however were full of fire and we need not have worried as an absolutely marvellous trade ensued. Credit must go to the 67 vendors who produced an excellent show, the younger grass cattle without question proving to be the dearest commodity with numerous buyers keen to source grazers.
Young Bulls average £950 (-£12 on 2021) with 7 more sold
Store Steers average £1034 (+£24) with 5 less sold
Store Heifers average £996 (-£10) with 14 more sold
Further credit must go to our judge as the three first prize winners all topped their sections, an excellent day with a total clearance and an absolutely incredible 66 feeding beast selling beyond £1200.
Leading Prices
Cows & Calves – £1580 £1550 £1420 £1380 £1350 £1320 G S & S E Wilson. £1280 B A & C Pearson Ltd.
In Calf Cows – £920 £870 £730 B A & C Pearson Ltd. £680 M V N & D Cutler.
Young Bulls – £1500 £1140 K O Stones. £1455 £1405 £1370 £1170 J R Clayton. £1410 £1395(x2) £1370 £1350(x3) £1305 £1285 £1280 W A Wardman Ltd. £1275 A P Greenshields. £1190 £1180 £1170(x3) £1160 £1150(x2) £1100 £1095 £1090 W A Richardson Ltd. £1100(x2) R J & R Greenbank.
Store Steers – £1520 £1240 £1205 Northfield Farms. £1370 £1255 £1245 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1310 B H & S Hodgson. £1280 P R E Marwood. £1275(x3) £1200 I W Cairns. £1270(x2) K Sayer. £1265(x2) £1175 B J S Farms. £1255(x2) £1185(x3) Wilsons. £1240 L Kidd. £1215 W Wearmouth & Son. £1200 K O Stones. £1195(x4) R H & R G Stobbs. £1190 J G Wall & Sons. £1175 H S Hutchinson.
Store Heifers – £1570 G Corner. £1480 East Newbiggin Farm. £1450 £1340(x2) P Tindale. £1370 £1340 £1310(x2) £1275(x2) £1265 £1245 C Harle & Sons. £1350 Wilsons. £1340 K O Stones. £1310(x2) £1305(x2) £1200 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1275 £1255(x3) M Chambers. £1275 P R E Marwood. £1230(x2) £1220 L Kidd. £1230 £1180 W A Richardson Ltd. £1210 £1190 F Ward. £1195 J G Wall & Sons. £1190 D & M Lowes.
Cast Cattle – The cow trade remains stratospheric, another mind-blowing sale average of 169 pence per kilo with some 14 breeds represented, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and todays show certainly contained something for all levels of vision. The continental cows this week averaged a spell binding 184 pence per kilo, bidding passed 200 pence on 15 occasions in total and an almost ridiculous 10 cattle sold over £1600. Top price per kilo at a staggering 250 pence went to a superb young British Blue from G C & K J White & Son, Rigg Farm; tight on her tail was perhaps the cow of the day as a 4-year-old Limousin from T N Callender, Ox Eye Farm sold for 236ppk and £2010. Some excellent beef cows from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge and also J Richmond, Dalton and N Swinbank, Neasham broke the £1700 barrier and are duly worthy of mention. Top of the native list this week came two vendors with Aberdeen Angus as an OTM from J Peacock, Ellerton Hill sold for 204ppk and a super 7-year-old from G & J H Tomlinson & Son, Knitsley reached £1563. Delights from the dairy this week went to A R & C Booth, Bolton-on-Swale with a Friesian OTM heifer selling for £1253 and 172 pence per kilo. Best of the bulls this week were a strong 4-year-old Stabiliser from Skelton Farming, Stanghow which reached £2147 and a smart Limousin from J A Scott, Mickleton at an impressive 238 pence per kilo; twice the bridesmaid in the bulls but well worthy of mention was a cracking 3 year old British Blonde from G Corner, Rye Close Farm which sold for 228ppk and £2074.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 250 G C & K J White & Son. 236 T N Callender. 228 186 S & J Dent & Son. 214 N Swinbank. 208 202 W & M Knaggs & Son. 208 J B Luck. 208 182 P Tindale. 206 188 T W Clark & Son. 204 J Peacock. 204 202 200 R Arthur. 198 G S & S E Wilson. 196 A & M J Henshaw. 194 Ouston Farms. 190 182 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. 188 186 F Hickson & Sons. 186 A Wilson. 184 J C Smith. 184 Skelton Farming. 184 W & R Kemp & Son. 182 S G Horn.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 238 J A Scott. 228 G Corner. 190 170 162 Skelton Farming. 176 150 H Frater & Son. 170 R E Shield.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2010 T N Callender. £1763 £1695 W & M Knaggs & Son. £1742 J Richmond. £1714 N Swinbank. £1660 £1270 T W Clark & Son. £1658 £1526 Ouston Farms. £1619 J C Smith. £1563 £1516 £1409 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1438 W & R Kemp & Son. £1423 £1366 P Tindale. £1413 G S & S E Wilson. £1407 F Hickson & Sons. £1387 S G Horn. £1383 Skelton Farming. £1318 S & J Dent & Son. £1289 F Hickson & Sons. £1277 A Wilson. £1257 G C & K J White & Son. £1253 A R & C Booth.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2147 £1548 £1490 Skelton Farming. £2074 G Corner. £1582 R E Shield. £1516 J A Scott. £1213 A & M J Henshaw.
Store Sheep – A change of voice in the rostrum however no change in trade as the store sheep remain an absolute flyer, may the winners at Cheltenham this week prove as easy to find as the bids were at the store hogg ringside. Top price of £111 went to a smart trio of Charollais hoggs shown by Matthew Watson, Woodland with several others in the race and selling comfortably over £100 including our leading Mules from W Wearmouth & Son, Eastgate.
Leading Prices
Store Hoggs – £111 £104.50 Matthew Watson. £109 R R C Andrew. £106 W Love Ltd. £104 £96 Craig Watson. £103 £99 £94 W Wearmouth & Son. £101(x2) K O Stones. £100 S J Love. £97(x2) J D Bousfield. £96 W H Brown. £94 I & R A Watson.
Feeding Ewes – £100 £94 £61 £60 H Frater & Son. £61 W Love Ltd.
