Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock on Monday 9th May 2022. Forward were 512 Cattle and 579 Sheep.
107 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 228ppk or £1721
2 Stock Bulls sold to 174ppk or £1849
15 Breeding Cattle sold to £1800
48 Young bulls sold to £1450
125 Store Steers sold to £1305
215 Store Heifers sold to £1530
135 Ewes & Lambs sold to £365
79 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £280
29 Store Hoggs sold to £110
23 Feeding Ewes sold to £188
Cast Cattle – It seems surreal to report that the cows were no dearer this week given that the sale averages just a few months ago would have looked spellbinding at 170ppk and £1096, the recent high levels were however certainly maintained. No less than 26 cattle sold above 190ppk with the leading dozen all at 200ppk or more. Best of the bunch was a wonderful 42-month-old Limousin from J C Johnson, Trimdon Village when she sold for 228ppk and £1721, pick of the older continental cows came from W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay with an excellent Limousin selling for 216ppk and £1641. Some exceptional native breed cows were on display this week; Aberdeen Angus were setting the pace as a fleshy 902kg from R E Dickson, Loftus sold at a whopping £1713 whilst a smart sort from G & J H Tomlinson & Son, Knitsley reached 198ppk, both were 5-year-olds. Thirty-three dairy cows were included this week, a hefty sort from S H Watson & Son, Winston topped at £1525 whilst fleshy OTM’s from F S Sturrock & Sons, Elwick twice sold in the 200’s with the pick of them a superb 210 pence per kilo. Just two stock bulls joined us this week with the best of them at 12 years young a remarkable British Blonde from Messrs Sanderson and Bell, Forest-in-Teesdale selling for 174ppk and £1849.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 228 J C Johnson. 216 192 W I Suddes & Son. 210 H S Hutchinson. 210 200 F S Sturrock & Sons. 210 I & R A Watson. 208(x2) 196 S & R E Williamson. 206 K Mitchelson. 204 196 F Ward. 202 196 D Barron. 200 M Barker Farms. 198 192 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. 196 C & J C Stephenson. 196 J M & M & C Wise. 196 W M Bainbridge. 194 A J Gibson. 192 T L Holmes & Son. 192 D Robson & Sons. 190 L Brown. 190 R E Dickson.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 174 Sanderson & Bell. 140 S J Saville & Sons.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1721 J C Johnson. £1713 R E Dickson. £1641 £1509 £1338 W I Suddes & Son. £1590 M Barker Farms. £1565 A P Greenshields. £1525 S H Watson & Son. £1508 £1415 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1505 S & R E Williamson. £1495 K Mitchelson. £1480 £1419 F S Sturrock & Sons. £1460 £1303 D Barron. £1453 L Brown. £1452 F Ward. £1449 T L Holmes & Son. £1447 J J Kemp & Son. £1440 J M & M & C Wise. £1404 £1363 D Robson & Sons. £1398 H S Hutchinson. £1384 Little Newsham Farms. £1365 I & R A Watson. £1357 T L Holmes & Son. £1352 G E Raw. £1338 J J Kemp & Son. £1302 S J Love.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1849 Sanderson & Bell. £1478 S J Saville & Sons.
Store & Breeding Cattle – Proceedings began with a varied mix of cows and calves, something for all tastes, topping the sale was a smart four-year-old Limousin cow with 2-month-old bull calf at foot from R C Raper & Daughters, Doncaster when she sold for £1800. The young bull trade remains strong, particularly for the forward sorts, in the unlikely circumstances that any value for money can be found it perhaps lies in the smaller, younger bulls. Top of the section was a well grown 12-month-old Limousin from Messrs Wilkinson & Son, Rushyford when he sold for £1450. Very healthy numbers of store cattle were forward this week, a pleasing showing from both new and existing vendors saw all types sell well as the buoyant buyer’s immune systems remain absolutely helpless at fighting Spring grass fever. Some superb cattle from Rise Slowly Farm, Burnt Houses certainly saw bidding rise quickly as an excellent forward Limousin heifer sold for £1530 and a 17-month-old Aberdeen Angus steer from the same home sold for £1305. No doubting the day’s top yearlings as some great goods from Grinton set pulses racing, excellent Limousin’s from W A Dinsdale & Son, Harkerside Place Farm sold heifers to £1295 and steers to £1200. What proved to be a busy day for just an orthodox Monday in May saw some 68 vendors hailing from County Durham, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear all enjoying a sharp trade regardless of the breed, size or shape of the wares they had to sell.
Cows & Calves – £1800 £1700 R C Raper & Daughters. £1550 £1480 £1050 B J Magraw. £1320 £920 G D Davies.
In Calf Heifer – £1250 B J Magraw.
Young Bulls – £1450 £1440 £1370 £1165 £1145 Wilkinson & Son. £1340(x2) J C Thwaite & Son. £1305 £1210 £1165 £1120 W B Rutter & Sons. £1290 W L Robinson & Partners. £1285 £1240 £1235 T & D I Allen & Son. £1210(x2) £1175 F Bainbridge. £1210 J C Thwaite & Son. £1200(x2) £1185 £1170 W S I Anderson. £1145 £1125 £1075(x3) J Dixon.
Store Steers – £1305 £1295 D & J Hunnam & Son. £1275 £1210 J S Foster & Son. £1270 W C Barker & Son. £1250 J H Johnson. £1225 S & R T Lowson. £1210(x2) £1200 £1180 £1100(x3) G T & M A Wearmouth. £1200 £1140 W A Dinsdale. £1190 L Kidd. £1170 J Robson. £1170 G & E Nixon. £1160(x2) £1140 O & L W Welford. £1130 £1125 £1105(x5) S R Garnett. £1120 D G & P D Ayre. £1100(x3) W H Smith & Sons. £1100 M V, N & D Cutler.
Store Heifers – £1530 D & J Hunnam & Son. £1375 £1225 £1110 J Robson. £1330 G T & M A Wearmouth. £1295 £1200 £1140 W A Dinsdale & Son. £1290 D Robson & Sons. £1200 M W Cook & Son. £1200 £1165 J S Foster & Son. £1195 J Dent. £1195 £1125(x3) S R Garnett. £1190 A & A G Moralee. £1190 £1115 W B Rutter & Sons. £1190 R Errington & Son. £1180 R White. £1180(x2) B Williamson. £1175 L Kidd. £1135 D R Smith. £1130 C & M Burnett. £1130 J R & L Harding. £1110(x3) £1100 A R Marshall. £1110 A Walton. £1100 Forster Hall & Sons. £1100 A P & E Procter.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Not enough hoggs and feeding ewes at this late stage to make the auctioneer perspire, those stragglers appearing however maintained excellent prices, the feeding ewe trade in particular is red hot at the moment. Ewes with lambs at foot sold to the highest rates we have witnessed thus far in 2022 whilst the hogg and lamb trade, although strong, did not quite match last week’s absolute scorcher. Topping the sale this week were a perfect pen of 10 Aberdale crossed 2-3 crop ewes with twin Beltex lambs as foot which came from the ongoing dispersal of Colin and Liz Gaskin, Marwood; the delightful pen sold for a terrific £365 per family with others from the same home selling away nicely between £280 and £295. The top hoggs of the day also hailed from the Marwood based couple as the same good breeding all suckling single lambs sold smart pens twice to £280.
Ewes & Lambs – £365 £295 £290 £280 C & E Gaskin. £238 £198 £190 Fletcher & Coates. £220 £198 £168 I Spedding. £210 £165 H S Hutchinson. £210 H Foster. £190 £182 £175 £170 £165 K R Gibson. £180 £175 B R & S Fell. £175 W & V Burton.
Hoggs & Lambs – £280(x2) £250(x2) C & E Gaskin. £238 £232 £215(x2) M W Reed. £225 £222 £215 £205 H S Hutchinson.
Store Hoggs – £110(x3) P A Thompson. £87 £70 H Frater & Son.
Feeding Ewes – £188 £162 £152 £97 M R Cass. £107 P A Thompson. £95 £90 £67 H Frater & Son.
