Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 26th January 2026.
Forward were 379 cattle, 723 sheep and 116 calves comprising of…
101 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 442ppk or £4207
2 Stock Bulls sold to 288ppk or £2557
15 Stirks sold to £860
47 Young Bulls sold to £2520
60 Store Steers sold to £2280
137 Store Heifers sold to £2270
17 Breeding Cattle sold to £2600
613 Store Hoggs sold to £150
110 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £228
116 Rearing Calves sold to £850
Cast Cattle – Calling air traffic control requesting permission to enter unauthorised airspace, the best cows were flying higher than they ever have before! Nowhere else to start than with the incredible 7-year-old 952kg Limousin crossed British Blue cow from F & R Simpson, Square House Farm, Quebec which sold for a mind-blowing 442ppk and £4207. Think that’s a one-off, think again – a fantastic 946kg OTM pure bred Limousin heifer from W & M Knaggs & Sons, East Newbiggin Farm sold for 426ppk and £4029. Whatever next? Two more quality continental cows from Square House, a 9-year-old British Blue at 420ppk and £3511 plus an equally good 6-year-old Limousin at 418ppk and £3481. Still not satisfied? Mention must go to a magical 8-year-old British Blue from Messrs CB Parsons, Slealands when she sold for 406ppk and £3617. To the native breeds, and they too were in high spirits, when an excellent 7-year-old Aberdeen Angus from C Dawson, Nunstainton sold for £2971 and a cracking OTM from Mayfield Beef Shorthorn’s sold for 346ppk. Thirty milk cows this week were included in the sale averages of 269ppk and £1780 per head; pick of the parlour maids were Fleckvieh cows from Deerness Valley Dairy which topped at £1812 and 260ppk whilst the best Friesian returns belonged to G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm at £1800 and the on-song Deerness Valley Dairy again who sold a smart young sort at 295ppk. A couple of bulls offered were led by a tidy Limousin from CW Jackson, Woodend Farm when the 9-year-old sold for 288ppk and £2557.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 442 420 418 384 F&R Simpson. 426 396 W&M Knaggs & Son. 406 CB Parsons. 395 J&P Armstrong. 360 GH Farms Ltd. 352 330 JC Johnson. 346 312 302 284 G Te-Lintelo. 342 324 300 P Sobota. 328 316 288 C Dawson. 323 322 JH&M&NW Brown. 312 A Davison. 306 WS Thompson & Partners. 304 W Emerson. 300 W Wearmouth & Son. 295 Deerness Valley Dairy. 294 RL Walker. 292 290 J Bennison. 290 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £4207 £3511 £3481 £3125 F&R Simpson. £4029 £2997 W&M Knaggs & Son. £3617 CB Parsons. £3129 £2795 JC Johnson. £2971 £2505 £2289 C Dawson. £2914 J&P Armstrong. £2624 £2493 JH&M&NW Brown. £2464 £2168 £2003 G Te-Lintelo. £2296 NG Beveridge. £2253 GH Farms Ltd. £2168 A Davison. £2090 £1992 £1980 P Sobota. £2059 £1995 £1960 JJ Dowson & Son. £2024 GW Dobson & Son. £2008 £1946 RL Walker.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 288 CW Jackson. 258 WS Thompson & Partners.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2557 CW Jackson. £2007 WS Thompson & Partners.
Store Cattle – The feeding beast somehow managed to galvanise themselves a trade every bit as good, if not a touch better, than the terrific returns of a week ago. Aberdeen Angus led the way today across the board. Top of the young bulls was a strong 22-month-old from F Fabi, Broad Lea Farm at £2520. Best of the rest in the young bulls was a beautiful 10-month-old British Blue from E Wilson, White Hills at £2180 followed by a trio of 8-9-month-old Limousin’s from J & P Armstrong, Sherburn Towers between £2140 and £2080. More Angus achievements when a 22-month-old steer from TW & C Emerson, Middlewood Farm sold at £2280 which was just £10 ahead of our top heifer at £2270 hailing from Rose A Farms Ltd, Low Houselop. Limousin steers sold to £2240 for a strong duo from GL & M Steel, Bunker Hill Farm whilst a nice pair from C & N Bentley, The Gables sold steers to £2200 and heifers to £2180. Earlier on a tidy part dispersal of Luing cows and calves from AJ Hunter, Crow Trees Farm sold well to top at £2600 for a 2021 born cow with a pure-bred heifer calf at foot.
Stirks £860×3 £780 £760×5 £730×3 £700×3 C Rodriguez.
Cows & Calves £2600 £2350×2 £2100×2 £1900 AJ Hunter.
£2250 £2200 B&L Robson.
Store Bulls £2520 F Fabi. £2180 E Wilson. £2140 £2120 £2080 £1940 £1870 J&P Armstrong. £1900×3 T&R Quinn & Son. £1880 £1800×2 £1500 DL Brown. £1800 £1670×2 £1600×4 £1440×2 J Curry. £1480×2 AP Taylor. £1420 £1270 £1050 J Graham. £1300×2 JK Gregory. £1300 £1240×3 £1180×3 MR Souter. £1220 GW Chapman. £1100×3 RB Farming Ltd.
Store Steers £2280 £2010×2 £2000×3 TW&C Emerson. £2240×2 GL&M Steel. £2200×2 £2020 Rose A Farms Ltd. £2200 CN Bentley. £2190×3 £1900 £1880 T Coulthard & Son. £2140×2 £1910 GW&L Marsay. £2060 £1960 £1780 TW&G Corner. £2060 £1990 RN Foord & Son. £2020 £1800 C&M Burnett. £2000 DR Smith. £1980 MH Hodgson. £1920×2 £1900 PT Stephenson & Son. £1850 I Newton & Son.
Store Heifers £2270 Rose A Farms Ltd. £2180 CN Bentley. £2160 G&H Johnson & Son. £2150 £1970×2 £1930×2 £1890×6 Codlaw Farms. £2140 £2110 £2070 £1940 LW Martin. £2100 I Newton & Son. £1990×2 £1980 £1940×2 E Parsons. £1970×2 £1890×3 TW&C Emerson. £1960×2 £1900×2 D Clemitson. £1960 £1930 £1910 DR Smith. £1960 T Coulthard & Son. £1940×4 DR Smith. £1910×2 £1900 £1880 RN Foord & Son. £1880×2 DM McClurg.
Store Sheep – The feeding hoggs and ewes continue in marvellous form as the quantity of roots to the south of here remains abundant. A lesser show of hoggs averaged £103.66 whilst the ewes levelled out at £120.91. Top of the hoggs at £150 were two small, but very well put together, Beltex hoggs from JR Mann, High Goosepool Farm; the best shapes and the better grown remained £120-£150 throughout. Feeding ewes and rams remain a marvellous trade, top of £228 went to a Texel tup from F Ward, Rogerley Hall with plenty of the better end £180 to £200. Swaledale ewes sold to a top of £101 and averaged an outstanding £88.75.
Feeding Sheep:
Texel – £228 £205 £192 £178×2 F Ward. £200 £140 £108 GP Addison. £200 WH Brown. £198 DR Smith. £195 £168×2 J Sewell. £178 B Cowton. £148 £130 J Walton. £140 Pallanthorpe Farm Partnership.
Mule – £129 DR Smith. £120 J Walton. £116 C Hall. £107 GA&C Jopling. £106 P kirk.
Charollais – £192 J Sewell.
Continental – £185 S Straughan. £162 RE&BJ Potter. £160 £148 DR Smith. £154 C Jackson. £146 £140 Pallanthorpe Farm Partnership. £122 WH Brown.
Suffolk – £152 J Sewell.
Store Hoggs:
Texel – £150 JR Mann. £141 £128 LD Laws. £140 F Ward. £134 £131 D&HM Hodgson. £130 £128 £123×2 £120 Pallanthorpe Farm Partnership. £128 £122 C Jackson. £126 GP Addison. £126 S Beeforth. £126 ABP Wilsons. £125 £118×2 I Hedley. £123 NG Beveridge. £120×2 N&LL Brown & Son. £120 Bowes Bros. £119 JD&MS Mortimer. £118 JR Mann. £118 RW Spry.
Continental – £149 ABP Wilsons. £137 Pallanthorpe Farm Partnership. £135 JR Mann. £128 GP Addison.
Suffolk – £139 £133 D&HM Hodgson. £111 NG Beveridge. £110 MK Verity.
Beltex – £138 NG Beveridge.
Rearing Calves – The calf trade lifted again as the average soared to a tremendous £551.03 which is a remarkable rise of over £60 on the fortnight previous. Top of proceedings was a thumping 3-month-old Inra 95 bull from Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd, Heddon-on-the-Wall when he sold for £850. A sharp run of British Blue calves from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law certainly held their own as they sold November born British Blue bull calves to £810 and heifers to £705. See the averages below as all breeds and creeds were in excellent form throughout.
15 Inra 95 Bulls averaged £681
15 British Blue Bulls averaged £617
13 Hereford Bulls averaged £584
17 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £556
6 Friesian Bulls averaged £394
2 Friesian Heifers averaged £640
1 Limousin Heifer averaged £590
9 British Blue Heifers averaged £574
9 Inra 95 Heifers averaged £555
14 Hereford Heifers averaged £451
15 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £443
Bull Calves:
Inra 95 – £850 £770 £765 £740 £725×2 £695 £670 £650×2 £645×2 £595 £565 £525 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
British Blue – £810 £750 £735 £695 £605 Deerness Valley dairy. £705 G Thompson & Sons. £665×2 £635 £590×2 £400 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £495 3485 £440 CN Bentley.
Hereford – £670 £640 £635×3 £560 Deerness Valley dairy. £615 £610 £570 £560 £520 £500 £450 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Angus – £660 £590 £580 £560 £500 G Thompson & Sons. £635 L James. £620 £600 JL Miles & Sons. £610 £600 £570 £460 £430 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £605 £550 £500 Deerness Valley Dairy. £390 R Tookey & son.
Friesian – £490 R Tookey & Son. £485 £440 G Thompson & Sons. £440 £255×2 M&RK McKenzie.
Heifer Calves:
Friesian – £750 £530 Deerness Valley Dairy.
British Blue – £705 £690 £625 £600 £585 Deerness Valley Dairy. £540 CN Bentley. £530 G Thompson & Sons. £490 £405 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Inra 95 – £640 £635 £580 £565 £560 £550 £540 £465×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Limousin – £590 J&MJ Walton.
Hereford – £530×2 £485 £480 £440 Deerness Valley Dairy. £450×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Angus – £500 G Thompson & Sons. £480 £460 £450×2 £430×2 £425×2 £415 £410 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £450 £430 £420 Deerness Valley Dairy. £440×3 JL Miles & Sons. £430×3 £415 £410 R Tookey & Son.
