Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 18th June 2026. Forward were 219 cattle and 1135 sheep.
84 Prime Bulls sold to 404ppk or £3260
40 Prime Steers sold to 407ppk or £3007
95 Prime Heifers sold to 461ppk or £2902
952 New Season Lambs sold to 575ppk or £264
72 Prime Hoggs sold to 370ppk or £210
111 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £220
Prime Bulls (84) – Best bulls just about hanging on to the recent levels, R and O grade bulls much harder to move with little enthusiasm apparent to leave a sale average of 328ppk and £2384 per head. Four bulls found their way to four pond per kilo, three came from the stunning run of pure Limousin’s shown by WI Suddes & Son, South Farm with the other from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Farm. The best of the bunch at 404 pence was a brilliant 699kg bull from the Suddes pen. Half a dozen broke the £3000 barrier, three from South Farm plus the aforementioned Frankland Farm bull and one from K & A Harker, Worsall Grove; top of the pile at £3260 however was a perfectly finished 834kg Limousin bull from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm. Native breed bulls topped at 340ppk for a Hereford from GS Dowson, East Barmby and £2334 for a Beef Shorthorn from G Beadle, Primrose Hill. Pure dairy bred bulls found highlights with Fleckvieh from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm to at 300ppk and £2235 whilst Friesian’s sold to 318ppk and £1974 from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm.
A Few of today’s leading Bull averages:
WI Suddes & Son sold 6 (741kg) average 399ppk & £2961
J Layfield sold 5 (782kg) average 370ppk & £2901
TW Clark & Son sold 3 (741kg) average 368ppk & £2735
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 404 401 400 399 397×2 WI Suddes & Son. 402 351×2 TW Clark. 399 391 374 363 J Layfield. 390 K&A Harker. 388 362 WA Wardman Ltd. 386 JK&CE Farming. 359 FW Hodgson & Son. 357 349 C Binks & Son. 352 LS Staley. 346 SH Watson & Son. 344 342 340 GH Farms Ltd. 344 338 JM Ramsay & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3260 £2960 £2898 £2787 £2597 J Layfield. £3248 £3144 £3001 £2992 £2823 £2556 WI Suddes & Son. £3131 £2653 TW Clark & Son. £2975 £2499 SH Watson & Son. £2820 £2689 WA Wardman Ltd. £2721 £2506 LS Staley. £2674 JK&CE Farming. £2579 £2516 C Binks & Son. £2578 £2487 JM Ramsay & Son. £2512 GH Farms Ltd.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 340 GS Dowson. 324 Williamson. 310 302 284 CH&SE Armstrong. 304 G Beadle. 282 J Gracey. 242×2 G Te-Lintelo.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2334 G Beadle. £2243 £2223 G Te-Lintelo. £2165 £2087 £2064 CH&SE Armstrong. £2086 J Gracey. £1895 Williamson. £1723 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 318 CH&SE Armstrong. 294 280 GS Dowson. 278 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1974 CH&SE Armstrong. £1962 £1781 GS Dowson. £1787 JK&CE Farming.
Clean Cattle (135) – Clean beef considerably dearer, steers in good order to average 362ppk and £2666 and heifers really excellent in comparison to recent levels to average 400ppk and £2418. Just a single penny separated the top two heifers per kilo, best at 461 pence was a beautiful 542kg British Blue from W Miller, High Aketon which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers whilst the runner up at 574kg and 460 pence was a terrific Limousin from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick. The motoring Miller heifers followed again with four between 440ppk and 450ppk whilst the other two vendors in the 440’s were local producers JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange and the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows. The top three steers sold over 400ppk, third place at 401ppk went to J Gracey, Turrif; second spot at 403ppk gains another mention for Cole Hill Farm Ltd and top of them all at 407ppk was a superb 614kg Limousin from RO Gilson, Old Park Hall Farm. Gross values climbed significantly, the top one sold over £3000, four sold in the £2900’s, a dozen in the £2800’s plus sixteen in the £2700’s. Pick of the day at £3007 was a brilliant 802kg Limousin from F & R Simpson, Square House; a couple of quality Cumbrian runs impressed as Messrs R Miller, Arkleby Hall topped at £2983 with a fine Limousin steer and J Dixon & Sons Ltd, Lesson Hall had a best of £2921. Scotland next and a great run of fed cattle joined us from North of the border; J Gracey, Tehillah sold steers to £2835 and a super run from Messrs WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie dominated the top heifer gross values, their best a brilliant 708kg Limousin at £2902.
A few of today’s top averages ppk:
W Miller sold 6 (543kg) average 445ppk
D Work & Son sold 8 (624kg) average 424ppk
R Hirst sold 9 (579kg) average 418ppk
JV&JA Hodgson sold 10 (566kg) average 413ppk
Today’s lead grossing averages:
J Dixon & Sons Ltd sold 3 (722kg) average £2769
F&R Simpson sold 4 (765kg) average £2765
J Gracey sold 10 (732kg) average £2698
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 15 (765kg) average £2696
Steers – Top prices ppk 407 365 340 RO Gilson. 403 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 401 385 376 365 359 354 339 J Gracey. 395 388 Askwiths. 391 370 367 365 356 342 Messrs R Miller Ltd. 389 376 370 367 I Marshall & Sons. 383 Messrs WA Fettes. 375 367 364 340 F&R Simpson. 375 348 WF Hustwit. 370 J Dixon & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £3007 £2737 £2712 £2606 F&R Simpson. £2983 £2901 £2876 £2820 £2745 £2744 £2702 £2682 £2681 £2619 £2618 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £2921 £2712 £2675 J Dixon & Sons Ltd. £2835 £2820 £2815 £2745 £2624 £2620×2 J Gracey. £2825 RO Gilson. £2807 Messrs WA Fettes. £2717 £2584 Askwiths. £2660 I Marshall & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 461 450 449 446 442 428 W Miller. 460 438 418 411 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 446 429 420 415 414 413 412JV&JA Hodgson. 445 435 Askwiths. 439 430 428 426×2 424 420 D Work. 438 PJ&ES Rogerson. 438 430 429 424 416 Messrs WA Fettes. 437 RO Gilson. 435 428 424×3 416 R Hirst. 435 430 425 I Tulip. 416 TJ Dennis. 414 NE Dyson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2902 £2882 £2857 £2827 £2804 £2700 £2567 £2566 Messrs WA Fettes. £2825 £2572 J Gracey. £2782 £2730 £2726 £2700×2 £2646 D Work & Son. £2720 TJ Dennis. £2706 £2533 NE Dyson. £2698 £2683 £2640 £2620 £2588 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2659 JV&JA Hodgson. £2654 £2560 £2556 £2531 R Hirst. £2615 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £2564 I Tulip. £2543 RO Gilson.
New Season Lambs (952) – Pretty much every centre has reported the lamb trade steadier this week, the DfAM ring missed that memo as another barnstorming trade unfolded with buyers aplenty and trade simply sensational once again; all included, weighed straight the sale averaged 484 pence per kilo and an incredible £216.17 per head. Eighty-five lambs sailed over 550 pence per kilo, hundreds more followed over 500ppk; top on its own at 575 pence was a phenomenal 45kg Beltex from HT Davies & Partners, Houghton Grange. Next up at 572ppk and 570ppk were pens of ten and eleven 44kg corkers from JC Simpson, Hill Top East as the wonderful weekly run were once again in flying form. Over one hundred lambs sold over £250, the top twenty-six at £260 or more were three more magical pens from the super Simpson’s as eleven 51kg sold for £264, six at 50kg made the same £264 and nine at 47kg sold for £260. Other vendors in the high prices included the aforementioned HT Davies & Partners, 45kg at £259 plus fifteen super 50kg Suffolk’s from M & J Smith, Common Farm at £259 and a fine first draw from JG Hall, Middlefield which topped at £258 for 49kg. Plenty of light weight lambs and those with Mules for a mother are still trading £190 to £210 as the wonderful lamb trade this year in this centre ticks another week off as one of the very best in the business.
A few of today’s lead grossing lamb averages:
JC Simpson sold 113 (45kg) average £253
M&J Smith sold 49 (48kg) average £250
HT Davies & Partners sold 9 (43kg) average £238
N&D Morgan sold 9 (52kg) average £238
J&B Stanwix & Son sold 34 (48kg) average £237
JR Knox & Son sold 23 (46kg) average £237
Lambs – Top prices ppk 575 544 529 HT Davies & Partners. 572 570 569 564 563×2 553 550 547 546 528 517 JC Simpson. 554 543 535 531 522 515 W&M Knaggs & Son. 535 ACM Spalding. 535 523 514 511 JA&A Herbert. 433 D&PH Brown. 529 518×2 516 510 M&J Smith. 529×2 517 JR Knox & Son. 529 526 515 JG Hall. 526 B Fisk. 522 518 510 TA Greensit & Sons. 521 T Lawson & Son. 519 510 Cole Hill Farm Ltd.
Lead Grossing Lambs £264×2 £260 £259 £254 £253 £252×2 £251 £248 £246 £245 JC Simpson. £259 £249 HT Davies & Partners. £259 £253 £249×2 £244 £240 £238 M&J Smith. £258 £249 JG Hall. £252 £244 S Bell. £252 T Lawson & Son. £251 ND Morgan. £249×2 £238 JR Knox & Son. £245 £244 £240 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £244 £241 £239×2 W&M Knaggs & Son. £244 ND Morgan. £243 P&CM Graham. £243 £242 J&B Stanwix & Son.
Prime Hoggs (72) – Still a handful of hoggs accumulate, trade canny enough for anything straight and healthy. Tops went to B Cowton, Low West House with Beltex selling to 370ppk and £210.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 370 350 264 B Cowton. 365 290 J Musgrave. 315 J Butterfield & Son. 310 304 P Wilks. 297 LE Harrison. 290 266 B Butterfield. 285 271 JF Harland. 260 230 206 D&HM Hodgson. 258 R Dresser. 250 M&J Hodgson. 211 J Curry.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £210 £200 £140 B Cowton. £200 M&J Hodgson. £185 £180×2 D&HM Hodgson. £160×2 B Butterfield. £160×2 JF Harland. £160 R Dresser. £155 £140 P Wilks. £150 £148 J Musgrave. £122 LE Harrison.
Cast Ewes & Rams (111) – The ewe trade rumbles along quite nicely without emulating the incredible flying lambs to average £144.71. Top at £220 was a smart Texel from TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth, the super heavy lowland ewes are still able to reach £200. Mule ewes topped at £160 from JA & A Herbert, Westwick Farm to average £123 and Swaledale ewes topped at £102 for half a dozen fleshy sorts from J Musgrave, Manor Farm.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £220 £160 £158×2 TA Greensit & Sons. £214 £154 £150 R Dresser. £210 £204 JC Simpson. £204×2 ND Morgan. £200 NG Beveridge. £180×2 A Swinbank & Son. £180 A Pennell. £180×2 £160 £150 JA&A Herbert. £180 PA Stacey. £180 GP Addison. £180 LE Harrison. £180 B Cowton. £174 JS Brougham. £170 PR&V Barlow & Son. £162 J Butterfield & Son. £160 C Moffett. £160 RA Patterson & Son.
