Thursday 24th March – Darlington Auction Mart had forward:
66 Bulls sold to 335ppk & £2763
24 Steers sold to 290ppk & £2191
84 Heifers sold to 310ppk & £1893
1288 Hoggs sold to 353ppk & £166
297 Cast Sheep sold to £310
5 Pigs sold to 90ppk & £75
Bulls – With numbers in short supply all classes & weights of bulls much dearer on the week. Leading the way were the Watsons from Nunstainton Grange whose Limousin topped the market at an unbelievable 335ppk & £2499, his consignment of 7 averaged 300ppk & £2175. The top grossing bull was a British Blue which made the 2-hour journey from Settle well worthwhile for vendor G Coates – realising £2763. Frequent vendors in the dairy section of the bulls JM&S Walton, Brettanby sold 6 Friesians to average 194ppk & £1219, although top spot belongs to JK&CE Farming, Blue House Farm with his Friesian making 210ppk & £1398. Another long-distance traveller TJ Neil, Howtel Farm, Mindrum Berwick upon Tweed was top of the Native section with 4 Aberdeen Angus that averaged 230ppk & £1518. Other leading Bull averages as follows:
C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall 312ppk & £2284
RW&R Henry, Holme Farm 305ppk & £2346
Whitwell Farms 302ppk & £2034
WJ&AS Bowes & Sons 293ppk & £2196
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 335 325 319 308×2 276 AG Watson & Sons. 329 318×2 314 310 305 285 235 Whitwell Farms. 325 319 293 C Harle & Sons. 318 307 299×2 RW&R Henry. 314 G Coates. 300 287 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 299 295 LS Staley. 287 JJ Horn. 265 234 232 JK Gregory. 258 249 245 EA Martin. 241 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2763 G Coates. £2609 £2326 £2289 £2161 RW&R Henry. £2499 £2310 £2299 £2251 £2060 £1992 AG Watson & Sons. £2448 £2090 LS Staley. £2411 £2325 £2115 C Harle & Sons. £2359 £2296 £2263 £2168 £1994 £1956 £1789 Whitwell Farms. £2220 £2172 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2126 JJ Horn. £2031 £1904 £1839 EA Martin & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 210 JK&CE Farming. 206 198 GW Dobson & Son. 206 195 194 193 189 188 JM&S Walton. 200 193 192 187 JE&B Morgan & Sons 200 R Hall & Son.176 JA&A Herbert. 163 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1398 JK&CE Farming. £1374 £1288 GW Dobson & Son. £1334 £1270 £1267 £1256 £1099 £1088 JM&S Walton. £1266 R Hall & Son. £1174 £1134 £1129 £1088 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 238 231 226 224 TJ Neill. 233 203 GS Dowson. 233 D Walker. 232 R Hall & Son. 231 JA&A Herbert. 204 JK Gregory.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1811 R Hall & Son. £1811 £1550 £1375 £1335 TJ Neill. £1607 D Walker. £1449 £1181 GS Dowson. £1416 JA&A Herbert. £1246 JK Gregory.
Clean Cattle – All cattle very much in demand especially good heavy steers. Overall average for Heifers was 279ppk and steers 259ppk A top price of 310ppk for a 500kgt British Blue Heifer which realised sold by WA Armstrong, Coxhoe realised £1556 and was purchased by H Taylor & Sons, Darlington. The top spot for lead grossing beast goes to WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam his Homebred Blonde D’Aquitaine Steer – just one in a fabulous run of 6 that went on to average just a couple of pounds short of £2000 returned at a fantastic £2191 and sold to Worsley Wholesale Butchers.
Steers – Top prices ppk 290 287 278 275 271 260 WJ Scott Ltd. 288 284 TN Callender. 280 278 Askwiths. 276 W Swinbank & sons. 269 264 240 239 J Gilson. 249 246 T Watson. 248 245 LR Welsh & Co. 237 226 GW&L Marsay. 230 215 K&MM Henderson.
Lead Grossing Steers £2191 £2166 £2135 £1984 £1753 £1735 WJ Scott Ltd. £2032 £1793 Askwiths. £1914 £1860 TN Callender. £1794 W Swinbank& Sons. £1763 £1591 K&MM Henderson. £1756 £1727 £1603 J Gilson. £1745 £1523 LR Welsh & Co. £1552 £1434 T Watson. £1350 £1344 GW&L Marsay.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 310 298 297 288 287×2 286 WA Armstrong. 309 308 295 293 291×2 289 286 R Hirst. 300 286 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 297 286 P&JH Davison. 297 291 289 MF Hall. 295 292 288 M Robinson & Sons. 294 292 290 287 285×2 284 JV&JA Hodgson. 291 W Swinbank & Sons. 291 290 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 290 K&J Heslop. 288×2 286 AC Simpson & Son. 288 280 Askwiths.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1893 £1827 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1889 £1886 £1833 AC Simpson & Son. £1886 £1863 £1806 £1791 £1788 £1784 £1780 £1772 £1762 £1754 JV&JA Hodgson. £1826 W Swinbank & Sons. £1804 £1721 £1696 £1684 £1678 £1669 £1667 £1658 R Hirst. £1749 £1739 £1655 WA Armstrong. £1716 LR Welsh. £1710 £1671 £1665 £1658 P&JH Davison. £1696 Askwiths. £1694 £1687 K&J Heslop.
Hoggs – A plainer show of Hoggs forward but trade dearer on the week, especially for the heavyweights resulting in an SQQ of 267ppk. Top price was 353ppk for a pair of Texel Hoggs sold by TH Richardson & Son, High Moor Hill which realised £138. The lead grossing price was £166 for a single Hogg consigned by TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 353 328 322 302×2 TH Richardson & Son. 352 331 305 276 CS&V Whitfield. 343 333 311 280 275 JD Brannen. 325 300 TN Callender. 301×2 300 289 WA Wardman Ltd. 300 DJL Livestock. 300 J Bradley. 295 280 WR Thompson. 293 RG&G Rutter. 291 287 RE&L Frank. 288 283×2 TW Clark & Son. 286 275 R&BK Wise. 285 I Oliver. 285 D Blake. 283 JL Gill & Son. 280 AC Simpson & Son. 278 W Kirk & Sons. 277 S Thompson & son. 272 270 RW&R Henry.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £166 £165 £160 £150×2 £143 £135 £132 TN Callender. £156 £149 CS&V Whitfield. £150 DJL Livestock. £147 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £145 £140 £137×3 £136.50 £134×2 £132×4 £130×3 AC Simpson & Son. £145×2 £140×2 RH Thompson & Son. £140 £134.50 £134×2 JD Brannen. £140 A&CA Stanwix. £140 £132 M&CLR Dale. £138 £132 £131 £130×3 TH Richardson & Son. £137 R&BK Wise. £135.50×2 £130 WA Wardman Ltd. £135 £131 RE&L Frank. £130 W Robson.
Cast Sheep – Plenty of life in the market for the old girls, with last week’s market record of £300 smashed – ewes averaged a very healthy £120 with Tups even dearer at £135 average. The record breaker was a single ewe that sold for £310 by WM Reed & Sons, Lands Farm Westgate.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £310 £160 £140 WM Reed & Sons. £250 £200 £150 MF Hall. £215 £172 £160 £158 S&RE Williamson. £200 £180 CS&V Whitfield. £198 JM&S Walton. £195 £140 WA Wardman Ltd. £184 £170 W Robson. £175 D Blake. £172 D Coupland. £158 £148 M&CL Dale. £156 W Wearmouth & Son. £140 W Kirk & Sons. £150×2 CG Teasdale & Son. £150 D&HM Hodgson. £148 TW Clark & Son. £146 TE Dobson. £145 I Oliver. £144×2 £142 JM&S Walton. £140 K Hall.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 90×2 J Mitchell & Son.
