Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 7th May 2026. Forward were 236 cattle and 653 sheep.
39 Prime Bulls sold to 415ppk or £3572
66 Prime Steers sold to 440ppk or £3196
131 Prime Heifers sold to 479ppk or £3062
27 New Season Lambs sold to 527ppk or £246
501 Prime Hoggs sold to 500ppk or £240
125 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £270
Prime Bulls (39) – Bulls a touch easier to average 361ppk and 2557 this week, still the top eight passed 400ppk and ten sold over £3000. Leading the prices per kilo at 415ppk and 413ppk were a couple of cracking home bred Limousin bulls from JB Luck & Son, Milestone House, the pair of them weighed 737kg and 776kg respectively. The Luck’s made their own luck in the gross value race too as they set the pace with a terrific 880kg bull reaching £3572, following at £3345 was a smart sort from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm ahead of a big lad from Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall at £3339. The reliable feeding of R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall once again saw them at the top of the Friesian trade this week, their best sold for 227ppk and £2171. Final mention in today’s bull report must go to Alan Bothroyd of Upton Farm, Loftus; a loyal, valued and longstanding supporter of DfAM, today marked the end of an era as we sold the last ever bull from Alan, we thank him enormously for his support over the years and wish him and his family good luck for the future.
A few of today’s leading averages;
JB Luck & Son sold 3 (797kg) average 411ppk & £3278
JR Knox & Son sold 2 (823kg) average 392ppk & £3232
P Langstaff sold 2 (770kg) average 403ppk & £3103
K&A Harker sold 2 (780kg) average 395ppk & £3085
C Binks & Son sold 2 (779kg) average 388ppk & £3026
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 415 413 406 JB Luck & Son. 409 400 LS Staley. 407 378 JR Knox & Son. 406 400 P Langstaff. 397 394 K&A Harker. 391 386 C Binks & Son. 372 GH Farms Ltd. 361 Messrs R Miller. 360 350 348 345 J&A Herbert. 358 353 J Armstrong. 356 GS Dowson. 350 Williamson. 344 JK&CE Farming. 339×2 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3572 £3204 £3058 JB Luck & Son. £3345 £3118 JR Knox & Son. £3339 Messrs R Miller. £3230 £2823 C Binks & Son. £3227 £2943 K&A Harker. £3170 £3036 P Langstaff. £2940 £2813 LS Staley. £2720 £2655 £2481 J Armstrong. £2704 GH Farms Ltd. £2460 R Hall & Son. £2349 JK&CE Farming. £2298 £2295 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 341 324 GS Dowson. 320 J Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2035 J Armstrong. £1899 £1853 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 327 304 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2171 £2085 R Hall & Son.
Clean Cattle (197) – Really strong numbers forward, butchers spec cattle still going relatively strong, some resistance for those that would more traditionally go on the hook however all are very welcome, no age, weight or farm assurance guidelines here as we try very hard to hit the ladders as the deadweight seems to always land on the snakes. All included the steers averaged 360ppk and £2515 and the heifers 395ppk and £2408. Still the top five sold between 470ppk and 479ppk and a remarkable forty-four cattle sold over £2700 today, just a scattering however made it to £3000. The top quartet per kilo were all handy weight Limousin heifers from W Miller, High Aketon Farm, Wigton; the classy Cumbrian contingency weighing 540kg to 553ppk twice hit 479ppk and followed again at 478ppk and 477ppk. The other heifer hitting 470ppk hailed from one of the many travelling Scotsmen, a superb 616kg Limousin OTM from the firm of Messrs WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Aberdeenshire. Top of the gross values was an excellent 752kg Limousin steer from Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall when he amounted to £3196 whilst the top heifer in the lump at £3062 was a superb 747kg Limousin from F & R Simpson, Square House Farm.
A few of today’s lead grossing cattle averages:
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 5 (776kg) average £3004
F&R Simpson sold 4 (714kg) average £2916
AF Hall sold 4 (699kg) average £2841
Messrs WA Fettes sold 8 (683kg) average £2796
Top cattle averages ppk:
W Miller sold 12 (554kg) average 450ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 2 (644kg) average 432ppk
R Hirst sold 12 (602kg) average 430ppk
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (651kg) average 429ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 440 431 W Miller, High Aketon. 434 PR&V Barlow & Son. 425 404 380 370 Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall. 415 411 407×2 400 386 380 374 E Buchan. 414 412 408 392 AF Hall. 399 394 Taylor Bros. 395 369 Messrs Miller Allerby. 384 Askwiths. 381 F&R Simpson. 378 WF Hustwit. 378 Sykes Produce Ltd. 362 J Pallister & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £3196 £2978 £2964 £2961 £2924 Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby. £2990 £F&R Simpson. £2962 £2893 £2856 £2851 £2842×2 £2776 £2757 E Buchan. £2914 £2879 £2810 £2762 AF Hall. £2840 £2620 £2579 Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall. £2751 £2739 £2519 AJ Dickie. £2617 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2529 D Walker.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 479×2 478 477 457 444 438×2 424 420 W Miller, High Aketon. 470 446 421 Messrs WA Fettes. 464 448 445 434 432 428×2 427 R Hirst. 456 446 428 Askwiths. 450 432 429 JE Suddes & Son. 450 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 449 WF Hustwit. 440 425 JB Luck & Son. 440 428 TW Clark & Son. 438 Taylor Bros. 438 432 430 PR&V Barlow. 434 F&R Simpson. 430 JJ Kemp & Son. 430 Five Houses.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3062 £2946 £2664 F&R Simpson. £3009 £2934 £2895 £2841 £2783 £2717 Messrs WA Fettes. £2984 £2916 £2676 JE Suddes & Son. £2848 £2781×2 £2741 £2705 £2643 R Hirst. £2789 £2779 JB Luck & Son. £2736 Reay & Walton. £2703 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2679 £2641 JV&JA Hodgson. £2663 Taylor Bros. £2641 Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall. £2637 £2634 £2632 £2629 W Miller, High Aketon.
New Season Lambs (27) – Absolutely off the clock, needed to be seen to be believed, the show included two Blue Texels, eight Texel crosses, five Suffolk crosses, four Dorsets, seven Hampshires and a Mule; the sale averaged 442ppk and £203.67 with an SQQ of 478ppk. The pair of Blue Texels from Duell Partners, High Middlefield led the way, top per kilo at 527 pence was a bonnie 43kg lamb (£227) whilst top per head at £246 was a cracker weighing 52kg. Spring has sprung, numbers are needed from now onwards with plenty of buyer power present, ready and waiting.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 527 477 472 443 Duell Partners. 500 478 456 445 429 420 400 RA Patterson & Son. 500 B Cowton. 396 A Chapman. 391 351 D Coupland.
Lead Grossing Lambs £246 £227 £226 £215 Duell Partners. £227 £210×2 £206 £201 £178 £160 RA Patterson & Son. £222 A Chapman. £215 B Cowton. £190 £184 D Coupland.
Prime Hoggs (501) – Numbers are dying off in this part of the world now, those with any left look well rewarded as trade certainly moved up a gear or two to see them average 402ppk and £196.69 with an SQQ of 419ppk. Five fit little 43kg Beltex hoggs from JP Coatsworth & Son, West Rackwood Hill led the trade per kilo when they sold for 500 pence (£215). Second place per kilo at 479 pence went to a cracking 48kg Beltex from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm, the same hogg ironically also had to settle for second place in the lump at £230. Top of the day in the gross values went to an excellent 65kg Texel from J & A Layfield, New Row Farm when selling for £240; the well fed hoggs from New Row have been a constant quality supply this season and it’s nice to see them still at the top even at this late stage. The hill hoggs might be the biggest movers on the week, Mules, Cheviots and Blackies regularly £170 to £190 just dependant on weight and finish.
Thanks today go to Megan Dowson and Ben Cowton who each donated a prime hogg for the Yellow Wellies charity in support of Katie Thompson, Softley Farm who is raising vital funds. The two hoggs generously add a further £500 to Katies fundraiser.
A few of today’s leading Hogg averages:
R Atkinson sold 29 (50kg) average 434ppk & £221.45
TN Callender sold 46 (52kg) average 412ppk & £216.98
A Crowder sold 28 (49kg) average 430ppk & £212.79
J&A Layfield sold 33 (55kg) average 383ppk & £211.18
D Barron Sold 6 (51kg) average 405ppk & £209.33
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 500 428 413 404 400×2 395 JP Coatsworth & Son. 479 460 449 428 421 420 TN Callender. 476 437 407 A Crowder. 467 465 446 429 428 423 421 405 J Lovegreen. 463 445 430 426 424 422 413 398 CS Robinson. 461 439 396 TW Dinning. 440 428 R Atkinson. 430 400 D Barron. 425 412 C Binks & Son. 425 394 R Tiplady & Son. 423 400 K Thompson. 414 GF Whitfield. 409 400 M Robson. 408 403 G&S Frankland.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £240 £220 £217×2 £211 £200 J&A Layfield. £230 £227 £221 £220 £219 £215×3 £210 TN Callender. £228 £200 D Barron. £225 £208 £200×2 M Robson. £223 £220 R Atkinson. £220×2 K Thompson. £220 £219 £210 £200 A Crowder. £217 £202 TW Dinning. £215×2 £205 CS Robinson. £215 J Lovegreen. £215 £210 JP Coatsworth & Son. £212 £209 £205 RE&L Frank. £210 A Chapman. £210 £200 G&S Frankland. £208 AW Gray.
Cast Ewes/Rams (125) – Ewes completed a cracking day in the sheep ring with trade excellent for all classes leaving a sale average of £180.71. Twice trade hit £270 as a shapely Texel ewe from PR & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm joined an excellent black Beltex tup from JA & A Herbert, Tees Farm. Plenty of the continental ewes sold between £200 and £250, Mule ewes sold to a top of £180 and averaged a remarkable £170.62 whilst lean ewes look in ferocious form with some not very pretty at all sailing over £100.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £270 £190 PR&V Barlow & Son. £270 £218 £204 £186 £180 £175 JA&A Herbert. £250 K Tallentire. £250 £220 £205 £194 £191×2 £180 £175 £168 £163 TW Dinning. £242 A Crowder. £230 £204 £162 D Barron. £202 A Chapman. £201 D Barron. £200×2 £180 £162 RA Patterson & Son. £197 R Appleton. £195 £192 GF Whitfield. £191 IR Appleton. £188 NG Beveridge. £180 £172 J Lovegreen.
