Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 12th January 2026. Forward were 303 cattle, 845 sheep and 114 calves.
133 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 372ppk or £2846
3 Stock Bulls sold to 378ppk or £3757
1 Cow & Calf sold for £2350
20 Young Bulls sold to £2220
53 Store Steers sold to £2400
92 Store Heifers sold to £2250
661 Store Hoggs sold to £162
184 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £228
114 Rearing Calves sold to £760
Cast Cattle – Fair numbers on offer as the depleting milk price brings forward more dairy cows; trade remains good for the parlour goers whilst the beef bred animals enjoyed some absolutely exceptional rates of return. The green market status remains invaluable as feeders and wholesalers were once again in attendance to leave a sale average of 252ppk and £1665. Top of the tree today was a superb 5-year-old British Blue bull from JR & JA Wharton, Segbushwell when he tipped the scales to 994kg and sold for a marvellous 378 pence and £3757. Top of the cows per kilo at 372 pence (£2793) was a smart 5-year-old Limousin from JR Addison & Son, West Stoney Keld. Leading the females in the lump was a terrific Aberdeen Angus OTM heifer from DA & MAM Brown, Agglethorpe Hall; at 818kg the fleshy sort sold for 348 pence which totted her up to an impressive £2846. The plethora of dairy cows provided over sixty girls this week retiring from milking, none bettered a strong 6-year-old Holstein Friesian from Deerness Valley Dairy at 280ppk and £1974. Montbéliard cows chased the familiar black and whites closest and sold to £1819 or 260ppk whilst representatives from the Jersey’s, Ayrshire’s and Dairy Shorthorn’s made up the rest.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 372 JR Addison & Son. 348 336 318 316 DA&MAM Brown. 342 E Wood. 336 304 JJ Horn. 334 JE Jordon & Son. 332 312 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 330 298 JN Swinbank. 328 294 292 WA Wardman Ltd. 326 314 M Gallon. 321 GM&V Bayles. 320 300 K&A Harker. 312 BJS Farms. 309 298 294 Skelton Farming Ltd. 305 300 Taylor Bros. 303 A Blackett. 300 297 294 F Ward. 299 DJ Mallon. 297 RL Dent.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2846 £2351 £2273 £2053 DA&MAM Brown. £2793 JR Addison & Son. £2719 £2155 WA Wardman Ltd. £2712 £2537 £2483 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2688 K Hall. £2658 JE Jordon & Son. £2607 £2002 JN Swinbank. £2580 £2323 K&A Harker. £2542 GM&V Bayles. £2411 E Wood. £2342 £2232 £2119 Skelton Farming Ltd. £2286 BJS Farms. £2216 £2210 M Gallon. £2211 NG Beveridge. £2208 A Blackett. £2207 £2187 JJ Horn.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 378 JR&JA Wharton. 330 J Sisterson. 210 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3757 JR&JA Wharton. £2940 J Sisterson. £1644 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Store Cattle – The store trade looked very sharp indeed today with several fresh faces in the buyer’s gallery all willing to step forward. Impressing most was a strong pair of British Blue steers from J Sisterson, Newlands Haugh when they sold for £2400 apiece; eight from this good home averaged £2340. Also in the mix was a cracking Limousin steer from K & MM Henderson, West Witton Row when he sold for £2360 whilst the pick of the heifers hailed from JE Holliday & Son, Woodland House with a British Blue reaching £2250. Young bulls had earlier enjoyed the fast trade, nobody more so than F Watson, Beacon Hill with a smart pair of yearling Limousin’s selling for £2220. Just one cow and calf in attendance, a 14-year-old Limousin with a 1-month-old heifer calf at foot from C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall sold for £2350.
Cows & Calves £2350 C Harle & Sons.
Store Bulls £2220×2 £1970 F Watson. £1700×4 DL Brown. £1600 £1580 £1550 £1540×2 £1520 CN Whitaker. £1580 £1130 £900 R&BK Wise. £1400 CH&MC Phalp.
Store Steers £2400×2 £2320×6 J Sisterson. £2360 £2290 £2240 £2180 K&MM Henderson. £2310 £1930 JG Wilkinson. £2260 CH&MC Phalp. £2220 £1780 £1720×2 £1700×3 £1660×2 A Wilson. £2111 Codlaw Farms. £1940×3 £1870×3 D&M Lowes. £1870 JE Holliday & Son. £1790 £1700 £1670 £1640 AW Dixon. £1640 £1600 G Bolton.
Store Heifers £2250 JE Holliday & Son. £2120 WA Wardman Ltd. £2120 £2080 £2060 £2000×2 £1960 £1920 CH&MC Phalp. £2120 £1900 £1880 JC Thwaite & Son. £2060×2 MH Hodgson. £2020×2 PS&SJ Hobson. £1990×2 £1870 Codlaw Farms. £1960 Ainsty Farms Direct. £1880 JE Holliday & Son. £1860×3 DM McClurg. £1860 £1840 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1840 G&H Johnson & Son. £1820 D&M Lowes.
Store Sheep – The supersonic store hoggs sail along merrily to average £110.93. Short keep sheep typically £120 to £150 with the healthy runners all over £100 and only some tups and the out and out gambles trading under three figures. A brilliant Beltex from J Musgrave, Manor Farm set the pace when selling for £164, following at £160 was another Beltex, this one from B Cowton, Low West House. Mule hoggs topped at £111 from J Milbank & Sons, Gayles Fields with the breed average £98.90.
Feeding ewes were in fine form to average £127.76, a trio of Texel’s from JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange led proceedings at £228 with plenty of the lowland feeders selling £150 to £200 throughout. Mule ewes topped at £154 for a pen of fourteen from F Ward, Rogerley Hall with a breed average of £128.17. Cheviot ewes topped at £176 from DR Smith, East Roughlea whilst three fit Swaledale’s from GA & C Jopling, Eastgate House led the horned sheep at £108 with the breed average an impressive £75.87.
Store Hoggs:
Beltex – £162 J Musgrave. £160 £120 B Cowton. £154 NG Beveridge.
Texel – £144 M Egan. £140 £138 £126 £122 £118 JE Holliday & Son. £125 DR Smith. £124 S Fenwick. £122 Bowes Bros. £121 J Butterfield & Son. £120 HS Hutchinson. £120 JD&MS Mortimer. £120 £115 AWSM Farms. £120 £118 BR&S Fell. £118 J Musgrave. £118 £116 BJS Farms. £112 J Milbank & Sons.
Continental – £144 £127 £125 £120 £116 DR Smith. £139 K Wilkinson. £135 NG Beveridge. £124 £119 CH&MC Phalp. £121 £110 WH Brown. £116 J Milbank & Sons. £113 L Fowler. £111 A Wilson. £110 AW Sanderson.
Suffolk – £130 B Cowton. £130 HS Hutchinson. £129 £114 JE Holliday & Son. £120 DR Smith. £116 WH Brown. £110 AWSM Farms.
Dutch Spotted – £126 £120 BJS Farms.
Mule – £111 J Milbank & Sons.
Feeding Ewes & Tups:
Texel – £228 £200 £182 £178 JV&JA Hodgson. £184 BJS Farms. £170 £128×2 F Ward. £168 £152 £126 BR&S Fell. £168 £150 £128 RI Jones. £168 £118 GP&A Carter. £150 £120 JE Holliday & Son. £142 GH Lister. £132 JD&MS Mortimer. £128 HS Hutchinson. £128 JD Teasdale.
Cheviot- £176 DR Smith. £130 £116 JD Teasdale.
Suffolk – £170 BJS Farms. £134 JD Teasdale. £132 RI Jones.
Charollais – £162 J Musgrave. £150 GP&A Carter. £140 RI Jones.
Blue Texel – £160 BJS Farms.
Mule – £154 F Ward. £153 BJS Farms. £140 JD&MS Mortimer. £120 £116 GH Lister. £120 HS Hutchinson. £118 DE Stones.
Continental – £148 GH Lister. £138 JP&R Ward. £128 BR&S Fell.
Swale – £108 GA&C Jopling.
Rearing Calves – The calves kicked off 2026 with a good show of numbers, the best end appear similar to the closing sale last year with perhaps the sharpest shot enjoyed by the middle ground; all in the sale averaged £489.21 which is around £40 up on the closing of the calves in December. Topping the trade at £760 was a lovely 12-week-old British Blue bull calf from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law; the same home also led the heifer calves twice reaching £660 from the same pen. Aberdeen Angus calves were in demand and sold to highs of £645 for bulls from JL Miles & Sons, Little Bridge and £630 for heifers from the high-flying Deerness Valley. Friesian bulls averaged a massive £397.50 with a remarkable top price of £480.
1 Inra95 Bull averaged £590
40 British Blue Bulls averaged £535
6 Hereford Bulls averaged £516
17 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £467
5 Limousin Bulls averaged £455
6 Friesian Bulls averaged £397
17 British Blue Heifers averaged £478
2 Inra95 Heifers averaged £460
17 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £466
2 Limousin Heifers averaged £390
1 Dairy Shorthorn Heifer averaged £300
Leading Prices
Aberdeen Angus Bulls – £645 £545 £JL Miles & Sons. £530 £510 £450 £440 Deerness Valley Dairy. £500(x2) H Gibb & Son. £500 £480 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Limousin Bulls – £630 £535 £500 JR & JA Wharton. £360 RW Raper & Sons.
British Blue Bulls – £760 £730 £695 £690 £660 £655 £620 Deerness Valley Dairy. £650 £640 £630 H Gibb & Son.
Hereford Bulls – £540 £500 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £530 £520 £510 £500 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Inra95 Bull – £590 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – £480(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy. £420 JL Miles & Sons. £355 H Gibb & Son. £340 £310 RW Raper & Sons.
Aberdeen Angus Heifers – £630 £600 £560 £500 £480 £470 £440 Deerness Valley Dairy. £600 JL Miles & Sons. £480 J Bircham. £430 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Dairy Shorthorn Heifer – £300 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Limousin Heifers – £560 JR & JA Wharton.
British Blue Heifers – £660(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy. £520 £490 £480(x2) £470(x3) Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £470 J Bircham.
Imra95 Heifers – £520 £400 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
