Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 7th September 2022. Forward were 192 Cattle, 2700 Sheep and 3 Pigs.
86 Prime Bulls sold to 290ppk or £2428
24 Prime Steers sold to 316ppk or £2246
81 Prime Heifers sold to 326ppk or £2260
1 Cast Bull sold to 190ppk and £1882
2205 Prime Lambs sold to 317ppk or £149
495 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £180
3 Prime Pigs sold 100ppk and £91
Prime Bulls (86) – The booming bull balloon certainly shows no sign of bursting as a much plainer show forward met another fine trade. This week’s average of 241ppk and £1714 although back on paper contained more bulls with Friesian mothers than we often see. The top ten all sold between 280ppk and 290ppk, our winner by a whisker came from local producers A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange with an excellent 745kg British Blue cross. A super seventeen sold over £2000, of these the top five all climbed above £2200, three of these hailed from W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House Farm however once again it was the hefty Limousin’s of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm leading the way with a brilliant 852kg example selling for £2428. Perhaps the trade of the week belonged to the Friesian feeders as they proved in high demand, top prices went to R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall, Brotton at 218ppk and D & C A Henry, Manor Farm, Deighton a most impressive £1623. As always some of our top performers are listed below.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 2 Bulls to average 281ppk and £2349
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Great Stainton sold 3 Bulls to average 280ppk and £2264
J J Horn, Marske sold 2 Bulls to average 279ppk and £1948
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 Bulls to average 278ppk and £2111
S Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 Bulls to average 269ppk and £1902
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 290 258 252 250 248×2 AG Watson & Sons. 289 Foxton Livestock. 288 280 273 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 287 280 279 276 273×2 268 260 259 AS&SM Kemp. 286 276 274 F&JS Gargett. 285 278 AC Simpson & Son. 280 276 LR Welsh & Co. 280 279 JJ Horn. 278 262 S Luck. 274 SH Watson& Son. 272 257 254 JH&M&NW Brown.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2428 £2271 AC Simpson & Son. £2287 £2263 £2242 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2161 £2145 £2027 F&JS Gargett. £2160 £2021 £1968 AG Watson & Sons. £2152 £1984 LR Welsh & Co. £2077 £2050 £2035 £2002 £1972 £1941 £1902 £1898 AS&SM Kemp. £2007 £1992 J Greenheld. £2004 GW Dobson & Son. £1993 £1989 £1905 £1889 JH&M&NW Brown.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 218 214 210 R Hall & Son. 215 211 209 D&CA Henry. 210 J&A Herbert. 208 195×2 194 169 HM&JS Hutchinson. 208 SH Watson & Son. 199 FS Sturrock & Sons. 196 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1623 £1577 £1384 D&CA Henry. £1569 £1560 £1441 £1394 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1473 £1348 £1287 R Hall & Son. £1363 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1291 SH Watson & Son. £1256 JC&P Tallentire. £1203 JA&A Herbert.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppkj 268 264 227 224 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 230 AS&SM Kemp. 220 JK&CE Farming. 212 210 208 195 179 FS Sturrock & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1918 £1906 £1756 £1731 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1644 AS&SM Kemp. £1500 £1432 £1264 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1416 JK&CE Farming.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 190 J Elliott.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £1882 J Elliott.
Clean Cattle (105) – Extraordinary scenes as the clean beef just seems to get dearer, never have we appreciated so much our independent butchers and wholesalers who support the live ring, week after week, they continue to make absolute monkeys of the deadweight agents best offers. Staggering averages today as the heifer’s level at 285ppk, steers a massive 279ppk and the whole sale a wonderful £1707 per head, all this with no weight cap, age discrimination or waiting list. A stunning thirty four of the eighty-one heifers broke 300 pence today, of these a magical eight sold at 320 pence or more; at the very top of this towering list came an excellent 578kg Limousin from Coxhoe based W A Armstrong at 326ppk. Some super steers visited this week from Leicestershire’s M & G Chantrell Ltd and duly scooped the top eight prices per kilo, the pick of these a superstar 622kg Limousin at a massive 316 pence per kilo. Gross values of gigantic proportions were a given with the flying trade, in total five clean beast sold over £2000, four of these came from the incredible feeding of Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton who sold steers twice to £2246 and heifers to £2252 and £2260. Some sensational averages listed below include a rip roaring trade for the Hirst’s of Neasham who have by some miracle thus far escaped mention despite ten handsome heifers averaging 314ppk.
Heifers
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 314ppk and £1706
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 5 to average 307ppk and £1819
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 6 to average 307ppk and £1698
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 4 to average 305ppk and £1750
J V & J A Hodgson sold 10 to average 300ppk and £1880
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 6 to average 297ppk and £1812
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 297ppk and £1715
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 2 to average 282ppk and £2256
Steers
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 11 to average 295ppk and £1789
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 2 to average 288ppk and £2246
R A & B A Ridley & Son, Riding Mill sold 7 to average 263ppk and £1883
Steers – Top prices ppk 316 311 308 306 301 297 291 286 281 279 268 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 299 WA Armstrong. 288×2 Barker Farming Partnership. 288 269 267 262 260 252 246 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 286 W Swinbank & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £2246×2 Barker Farming Partnership. £2076 £1955 £1907 £1860 £1856 £1813 £1717 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1965 £1953 £1900 £1891 £1799 £1798 £1760 £1722 £1718 £1694 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1756 W Swinbank & Sons. £1674 WA Armstrong. £1593 RD Musgrave.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 326 321 314 296 WA Armstrong. 324 321 320 319×2 318 315 307 303 299 R Hirst. 321 310 306×2 304 300 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 321 301 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 320 316 306 291 W Swinbank & Sons. 317 312 310 308×2 307 293 JV&JA Hodgson. 309 307 303×2 WJ Smith & Partners. 303 299 290 B Walker. 290 A Crowder. 288 Barker Farming Partnership. 284 283 WF Hustwit.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2260 £2252 Barker Farming Partnership. £1956 £1952 £1943×2 £1934 £1931 £1921 £1804 JV&JA Hodgson. £1917 £1900 £1882 £1794 W Swinbank & Sons. £1884 £1838 £1802 £1797 £1775 WA Armstrong. £1855 £1756 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1847 B Walker. £1846 £1693 JB&N Harrison & Son. £1843 £1773 £1742 £1730 £1694 R Hirst. £1784 £1763 £1750 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1763 £1758 £1740 £1739 WJ Smith & Partners. £1734 £1714 WF Hustwit.
Prime Lambs (2205) – Meat means money, lean lambs are hard to move yet the fully fleshed remain in high demand; the weighed straight lamb average today was a credible 243ppk and £107.57 which sits us just about a fiver up on the same week last year. Top price per kilo went to a great quartet of Beltex lambs from J Thompson, Bolam when they sold for 317 pence, plenty of others sold just either side of 300 pence. Top price per head at £149 went to a pair of 50kg Texel’s from O S Laws of Red House Farm, Northallerton; plenty of heavy weights sold well over £130 today, the bottom end of the sale lacked finish, we cannot stress enough that better tops make better chops, the real coin lies in the loin.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 317 276 J Thompson. 311 284 271 W Ramsay & Sons. 308 277 264 J Gray. 304 286 271 265 AS&G Donaldson. 298 283 OS Laws. 293 264 KJ&SS Bell. 290 LD Laws. 290×2 286 285 275 268 J&A Moralee. 289 I Burn & Sons. 288 278 G Thompson & Sons. 286 268 HT Davies & Partners. 284 MJ Blacklidge. 282 JL Gill & Son. 282 GC&JC Pullan. 281 WR Thompson. 278 BR&R Routledge. 278 W.K M.M Lamb. 277 MW&M Skidmore. 275 KA Luke. 275 SM Donaldson.
Lead Grossing Lambs £149 £135.50 £132 £124.50 OS Laws. £148 MJ Blacklidge. £148 K Mowbray. £146 £135.50 £130 £126 £123.50 AS&G Donaldson. £145 £130 J Gray. £144.50 £135×2 LD Laws. £141 £129 £126 £124.50 KJ&SS Bell. £141 GC&JC Pullan. £138.50 M&A Gaskin. £138 £131 £130 £127 TH Richardson & Son. £136 MW&M Skidmore. £136 Forster Hall & Son. £135×2 £127 £123×2 J&A Moralee. £134 £126 W Ramsay & Son. £132 IM Maughan. £131 G Thompson & Sons. £130 J Thompson. £130 I Burn & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (495) – Fit ewes and rams dearer on the week, lean healthy ewes continue to look better sold through the store ring as feeders. A top Texel ewe from T H Richardson & Sons, Hamsterley led the way at £180, more terrific Texel’s followed as a quintet from A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £175. Mule ewes were back up and over £100 this week with four big girls from S M Donaldson, Bedale the pick at £110 whilst the fittest Swaledale ewes sold in the £40’s and £50’s regularly.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £180 £150 £145 £120 TH Richardson & Sons. £175 £145 £110 x2 A&R Thompson. £150 £100 JE Stobbs. £140 JC Thwaite & Son. £140 £114 £112 £110 JL Gill & Son. £140 £126 M&A Gaskin. £132 £120 £98 RG Richardson. £128 £100 JR&M Richardson. £126 £102 PRE Marwood. £120 £140 WL Robinson & Partners. £120 £100 £90 B&J Bainbridge. £120 OS Laws. £120 x2 £100 £94 AJ Gibson Farming. £118 HT Davies & Partners. £116 P Cockburn. £112 IM Maughan. £110 £94 SM Donaldson. £108 £99 Alistair Ward. £102 £99 JA&A Herbert. £100 JR Mann. £100 x2 MW&M Skidmore. £100 S Gill. £100 JJ Horn. £99 CH&MC Phalp. £94 P Dent. £90 R Tookey & Son. £130 C Dennis. £120 C Dennis. £64 F Johnson.
Prime Pigs (3) – Pretty poor numbers, the guy who went to market obviously showed up, so did the one who usually stays at home, the roast beef connoisseur made an appearance and that was it. Perhaps in some ways it is a blessing that we saw no sign of the vegan brother or for that matter the joker going wee wee wee all the way home.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 100 M&A Gaskin.
Lead Grossing Pigs £91 M&A Gaskin.
