Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 29th January 2026. Forward were 160 cattle and 1519 sheep.
41 Prime Bulls sold to 436ppk or £3672
31 Prime Steers sold to 442ppk or £3412
86 Prime Heifers sold to 498ppk or £3560
1395 Prime Hoggs sold to 402ppk or £190
124 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £180
Prime Bulls (41) – A light show and very few of the best end included, all classes appeared sharper with prices exceeding expectation across the board; the sale averaged 374ppk and £2606 per head. Top per kilo at 436 pence was a shapely 752kg British Blue crossed bull from PJ & ES Rogerson, Maison Gill; the top ten all sailed over 400ppk. Best of the gross values at £3672 was a superb 858kg Limousin from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm; the magic from McNeil checked in a further twice over £3500 along with a super sort from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Farm. Native bred bulls were all chasing the Aberdeen Angus this week, tremendous tops spots went to AR Lawson, South Farm at a whopping £3487 and to JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm at 384ppk. The fever followed through to the Friesian’s, none more so than a well fed run from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm which hit highs od 324ppk and £2196.
Bulls- Lead Grossing Top Averages
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (842kg) Average £3554
TW Clark & Son sold 3 (805kg) Average £3297
JR Knox & Son sold 3 (797kg) Average £3097
Bulls- PPK Top Averages
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (842kg) Average 422ppk
PJ&ES Rogerson sold 3 (663kg) Average 414ppk
TW Clark & Son sold 3 (805kg) Average 409ppk
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3672 £3560 £3535 £3451 AC Simpson & Son. £3591 £3400 £2900 TW Clark & Son. £3278 £2771 £2206 PJ&ES Rogerson. £3234 £3103 JR Knox & Son. £2782 JK&CE Farming. £2766 £2671 £2630 £2457 £2222 CH&SE Armstrong. £2719 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2632 £2492 J&K Woodward. £2213 £2063 JA&A Herbert.
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 436 404 399 PJ&ES Rogerson. 429 428 426 406 AC Simpson & Son. 424 418 390 TW Clark & Son. 410 404 J&K Woodward. 394 387 JR Knox & Son. 379 378 371 370 354 352 CH&SE Armstrong. 372 364 JA&A Herbert. 370 W&M Knaggs & Son. 368 JK&CE Farming.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 384 JR Knox & Son. 371 AR Lawson. 368 364 360 346 334 CH&SE Armstrong. 346 343 334 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £3487 AR Lawson. £2952 JR Knox & Son. £2615 £2404 £2332 R Hall & Son. £2355 £2217 £2198 £2156 £2037 CH&SE Armstrong.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 324 319 318 308 CH&SE Armstrong. 323 Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2196 £2103 £1977 £1811 CH&SE Armstrong. £1734 Tallentire.
Clean Cattle (117) – More life in the clean ring, particularly the buyers with heifer orders were seemingly very fit to travel with probably a ten pence rise apparent; the females averaged 428ppk and £2565 with the bullocks 400ppk and £2785. Two handy Limousin heifers hit the top spot per kilo at 498 pence, a 584kg cracker from R Hirst, Neasham Grange was joined by a 547kg peach from W Miller, High Aketon Farm; both beauties were bought by H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. Some superstars from the great feeding of F & R Simpson, Square House Farm led the steers again this week; an excellent 712kg Limousin topped per kilo at 442 pence whilst his thumping comrade at 853kg topped the steer gross values at £3412. With seventeen clean selling over £3000 this week it was a hard-fought race to the top spot, the eventual winner was a superb 35-month-old 800kg Charolais heifer from Five Houses, Hutton Rudby when she sold for an impressive £3560.
Clean- Lead Grossing Top Averages
F&R Simpson sold 4 (780kg) Average £3251
SH Watson & Son sold 2 (727kg) Average £3057
TN Callender sold 3 (740kg) Average £3052
Five Houses sold 11 (708kg) Average £3069
Clean- PPK Top Averages
R Hirst sold 10 (565kg) Average 465ppk
W Miller sold 17 (552kg) Average 450ppk
B Walker sold 2 (569kg) Average 445ppk
Five Houses sold 11 (708kg) Average 433ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 442 428 401 400 F&R Simpson. 439 429 JE Suddes & Son. 432 409 SH Watson & Son. 430 408 LR Welsh & Co. 429 412 DK Barker. 429 409 405 393 384 NE Dyson. 429 384 MW Barker & Son. 428 419 Five Houses. 416 411 410 TN Callender. 400 Tallentire. 397 RO Gilson.
Lead Grossing Steers £3412 £3276 £3171 £3147 F&R Simpson. £3123 £3057 £2976 TN Callender. £3080 £3034 SH Watson. £3028 £2872 £2867 £2853 £2826 NE Dyson. £2925 £2839 DK Barker. £2850 RO Gilson. £2818 £2779 JE Suddes & Son. £2787 £2702 MW Barker. £2704 £2652 LR Welsh & Co.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 498 484 479 476×2 458 452×2 450 437 436 W Miller. 498 479 477 472 462 460 459 450 448 447 R Hirst. 474 455 450×2 436 431 JV&JA Hodgson. 474 452 448 443 440 NE Dyson. 448 445 443 439 Five Houses. 448 GH Farms. 445×2 B Walker. 443 LR Welsh & Co. 443 RO Gilson. 442×2 WF Hustwit. 440 438 JE Suddes & Son. 429 DP Wood.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3560 £3316 £3269 £3257 £3203 £3104 £3038 £2986 £2961 Five Houses. £3163 £2929 £2852 £2801 £2773 £2719 JV&JA Hodgson. £2986 £2921 £2919 £2907 £2712 NE Dyson. £2939 DP Wood. £2914 £2665 LR Welsh & Co. £2908 £2830 £2757 £2735 R Hirst. £2809 £2746 RO Gilson. £2724 £2706 £2676 £2658 W Miller. £2630 WF Hustwit.
Prime Hoggs (1395) – A few more forward as the trade hardens towards the end of this trading week and brings them out, the weighed straight average returned up £10 on seven days ago to sit at £153.38 and 324ppk with an SQQ of 336ppk. Topping the prices per kilo at 404 pence was an excellent 42kg Texel hogg from RO Gilson, Old Park Hall. Next in line at 402ppk and 400ppk came some sweet handy-weight Beltex sorts from DG & PD Ayre, Roger Moor Farm. More spark in the heavy hoggs with £170 and beyond frequently achieved, those who sat tight last week perhaps made a cute move. Top of the gross values at £190 was a brilliant 48kg Beltex cross Charollais hogg from F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm; following closest were some well fed heavies from both J & A Layfield, New Row Farm and the aforementioned RO Gilson. Hill breeds numerous this week, some fleshy sorts impressed with Mule hoggs to £148 and Cheviot’s to a top of £168.50.
Hoggs- Top Averages
J&A Layfield sold 50 (55kg) Average £174
CA Mottram & Sons sold 100 (55kg) Average £166
F&JS Gargett sold 39 (50kg) Average £162
JD Brannen sold 16 (46kg) Average £162
TM Darling & Son sold 9 (48kg) Average £162
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 404 369 361 345 RO Gilson. 402 400 380 345 DG&PD Ayre. 395 365 F&JS Gargett. 382 365 357 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 377 376 372 368 348 JD Brannen. 368 345 JE Parlour. 366 352 350 WA Wardman Ltd. 365×2 W.K M.M Lamb. 365 364 351 346×3 342 N&LL Brown & Son. 362 TM Darling & son. 358 342 M&A Gaskin. 354 C Dawson. 353 DK Barker. 352 C Binks & Son. 352 W Kirk & Sons. 350 CH&MC Phalp. 348 W Swinbank. 346 WL Robinson & Partners.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £190 £168 £165 F&JS Gargett. £187 £185 £181 £179 £171×3 £165 J&A Layfield. £185 £170×2 RO Gilson. £180 £174 £164 MH Hodgson. £176 £175 £166 £164×2 CA Mottram & Sons. £175×2 £172 £169 £168.50 £166 £164×3 WA Wardman Ltd. £174 W.K M.M Lamb. £173 £170 JD Brannen. £172 £166 IR Appleton. £171 £165 M&A Gaskin. £170 TM Darling & Son. £168 R Appleton. £167 C Dawson. £165 £164×2 R Wood & Son. £164 WR Wilson & Partners.
Cast Ewes & Rams (124) – A nice show of ewes this week met a touch of resistance to average all in £122.48. Topping the trade at £180 were a strong pair of Texel ewes from RE & L Frank, Crabtree Farm; the better end of the lowland ewes sold typically £150 and beyond. Mule ewes averaged £103, the leaner end of all breeds looked harder work and certainly worth more through the feeding ring on a Monday.
Lead Grossing Cast sheep £180 £160 £140 RE&L Frank. £170 £140 JK&CE Farming. £150 £130 £120 MJ Marley. £150 £140 £130 AWSM Farms. £140 £110×2 CK&D Muir Ltd. £140 £120×3 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £128 MH Hodgson. £120 £110 FT Gibbon & Son. £120 RH Wilson & Son. £115 W Walker & Sons. £110 A Fox. £110 Ainsty Farms Direct.
