DFAM would like to sincerely thank all our wonderful customers who selflessly adjusted their timetables for the day allowing us time to show our respects to HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Your cooperation was greatly appreciated.
Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Anniversary Show & Sale of Store Cattle’ in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 19th September 2022.
Forward were 309 Cattle and 1770 Sheep.
65 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 236ppk or £1848
2 Stock Bulls sold to 210ppk or £2215
28 Cows & Calves sold to £1750
1 Breeding Bull sold for £1500
82 Store Steers sold to £1660
64 Store Heifers sold to £1620
28 Young Bulls sold to £1490
1519 Store Lambs sold to £104.50
251 Feeding Ewes sold to £102
Show Cattle
Great thanks must primarily go to our generous sponsors whom between them help to ensure that these events are possible, we are most grateful to Rickerby’s, James Middlemiss Machinery Ltd, G W Robson & Co, Watson Machinery, Mole Valley Farmers, Goodfellow Farming, R W Lynn Fencing Contractors, AgriSource, AGRi Insurance, Castle Farm Vets, Monty Wests, Paxtons, Vickers & Barrass.
On to the business in hand and the proclamation of our 2022 Anniversary Champion store beast was down to the respected opinion of Darlington stalwart Mr Jon Grieves, Oakdene Farm, Whinney Hill. The winner of the highly coveted trophy this year was an exceptional 29-month-old Limousin heifer from G W Dent, The Bungalow, Gordon House Farm, Cockfield. Reserve Champion again went to the popular Limousin breed, on this occasion a super 20-month-old steer from P Baker, High Farm, Redmarshall. Ensuring that the Limousin’s completely scooped the limelight was our 1st place bull from O J Kendall, Woodyard, Reeth. Results below.
Class 1 – Heifer:
1st GW Dent, The Bungalow sold for £1620 to S Wildman & Son, Chapel Farm.
2nd J Thompson & Sons, Springwell Cottage sold for £1370 to R Hirst, Neasham Grange.
3rd HS Hutchinson, White House Farm sold for £1230 to R Hirst, Neasham Grange.
Class 2 – Steer:
1st P Baker, Hall Farm sold for £1450 to M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent.
2nd HS Hutchinson, White House Farm sold for £1220 to Shoby Priory Agriculture, Melton Mowbray
3rd J Thompson & Sons, Springwell Cottage sold for £1240 to W Anderson Farmers Ltd, Ainderby Myers.
Class 3 – Bull:
1st OJ Kendall, Woodyard sold for £1195 to A S & S M Kemp, Whitwell Farm.
2nd M Gascoigne, Miln House sold for £1330 to A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange.
3rd D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm sold for £1310 to A S & S M Kemp, Whitwell Farm.
Champion GW Dent, The Bungalow.
Reserve Champion, P Baker, Hall Farm.
Cast Cattle & OTM
Absolutely explosive. Greater numbers than some of our more pessimistic followers predicted as a fine show assembled, trade quite simply off the clock, a staggering sale average of 179 pence per kilo and a massive £1175. Top price per kilo was a sensational 6-year-old Limousin cow all the way from Sheffield and Mr S Wilde, Spite Winter House; behind the South Yorkshire superstar an incredible 17 others sold beyond 200 pence. Leading the gross values was an altogether more local affair as a tank of an Aberdeen Angus from J V Hodgson & Son, Piercebridge reached £1848, best of the rest a brilliant Limousin from J R & M Richardson, Etherley House at £1758 followed by three cows in the £1600’s and seven more in the £1500’s. Just two stock bulls this week, the pick of them a majestic 10-year-old Limousin from M & P Stead, Greencroft sold for 210ppk and £2215. Last but by no means least a fantastic Friesian trade, top of the pile were Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law at 218ppk and G Thompson & Sons, Butterknowle at £1332.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 236 222 S Wilde. 230 226 D & M Lowes. 220 F E Pinkney. 218 216 214 J R & M Richardson. 218 208 Deerness Valley Dairy. 216 190(x2) J V Hodgson & Son. 212(x2) F & J S Gargett. 212 G C & K J White & Son. 212 198 G Thompson & Sons. 210 202 198 J N Watson. 200 192 R G & G Rutter. 192 Rigel Pedigree.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 210 M & P Stead. 178 D & M Lowes.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1848 £1339 J V Hodgson & Son. £1758 £1547 £1517 J R & M Richardson. £1669 £1470 £1398 J N Watson. £1647 D & M Lowes. £1629 £1571 S Wilde. £1551 £1352 F & J S Gargett. £1536 £1526 Rigel Pedigree. £1514 £1472 £1438 W & R Kemp. £1432 £1388 R G & G Rutter. £1427 F E Pinkney. £1332 £1305 G Thompson & Sons. £1318 £1312 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2215 M & P Stead. £1731 D & M Lowes.
Breeding Cattle
A fine offering of Aberdeen Angus cows and calves from C Burgass, The Old Mill House, Lowdham joined the Darlington ranks today and sold very nicely indeed. Top price of the run went to a 5-year-old cow with bull calf at foot when she sold for £1750.
Breeding Bull – £1500 C Burgass.
Cows & Calves – £1750 £1580 £1550 £1480(x2) £1450 £1400(x2) £1380 £1280 £1220(x3) £1200 C Burgass.
Store Cattle
A great show of quality turned out for the Anniversary sale and rewards were high, the blistering prime beef trade of late is without doubt filtering nicely down the chain and ensuring some outstanding returns for our store cattle producers. The quality and depth shone brightly; the hot heifers averaged over £1000 but one of the best shows of steers ever witnessed saw them level at an unbelievable £1217, which incidentally, is the highest bullock average ever seen in DfAM. Top price of the day at £1660 were a perfect pair of strong steers from the in-form J H Johnson, White Lea Farm, Roddymoor; this prolific homes fourteen this week averaged a brilliant £1538. Top of the heifers at £1620 was the pre-sale champion from G W Dent, Cockfield with a great run from J Thompson & Sons, Tow Law in hot pursuit. Best of the young bulls today came from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley who peaked at £1490 with an excellent 14-month-old Limousin.
Leading Prices
Store Steers – £1660(x2) £1585(x3) £1545(x2) £1525(x2) £1475(x2) £1470 £1455(x2) J H Johnson. £1490 F E Pinkney. £1450 £1440 £1330(x2) £1320 £1285(x2) £1280 J A Weighell. £1450 £1310 P Baker. £1400 D Alderson. £1380(x2) £1335(x2) M E & T D Tailford.
Store Heifers – £1620 £1280 G W Dent. £1410 £1370 J Thompson & Sons. £1320 £1260 £1135 R W Ridley. £1310 £1295 £1270 £1135 J A Weighell. £1245(x2) £1170 R Simpson & Sons. £1230 £1170 £1160 H S Hutchinson. £1175(x2) £1135 £1125(x2) £1115(x2) F Ward. £1170 £1115 J G Wilkinson & Son. £1135 £1130(x2) D R Smith. £1135 F Crawford.
Young Bulls – £1490 £1480 £1470 £1440 £1310 D Dixon. £1330(x2) M Gascoigne. £1195 £1140 O J Kendall. £1150 £1050 £1030 £940 £840 C Binks & Son. £800 J N Watson. £770(x3) T D Goldie & Son.
Store Lambs
A shot in the arm perhaps ahead of tomorrow’s bumper entry of breeding sheep as the store lamb trade excelled itself today, the much-needed rain has perhaps ignited the store lamb buyers who were previously unable to take part due to the drought. Three vendors climbed beyond £100, top by a whisker at £104.50 were a quartet of Texel’s from C Longstaff, Witton-le-Wear; the others in the £100 club were another pen of four Texels from James Burns, Ingleby Barwick and fifteen fine Beltex from L D Laws, Hauxwell. Some excellent Mule lambs from the aforementioned James Burns impressed selling to £95 for a great pen of 16 strong sorts. Running lambs also dearer as the rain combined with a firmer finished lamb trade has certainly helped all classes. Feeding ewes staying an extremely strong trade.
Leading Prices (Lambs)
Texel – £104.50 C Longstaff. £104 £95.50 £83 James Burns. £96 £95 £81 S Suddes. £90 £80 J G & E M Welford. £89 £80 T Walton. £86.50 C A & J Kipling. £86 G H Lister. £86 G H & R G Stobbs. £86 C & M Burnett. £83 A Rutherford. £81 £80 K Buckle. £80 Petch Farms.
Beltex – £104 L D Laws. £92 M D Doherty. £84 P & S Wood.
Suffolk – £95.50 £94 A & B Herworth. £89 J & S Ford. £88 J G & E M Welford. £85 K T Anderson.
Mule £95 £87.50 James Burns. £83 G H & R G Stobbs.
Continental – £92 £89 J Brown.
Feeding Ewes – £102 £77 J Brown. £92 £85 £72 Raby Home Farm. £92 S Suddes. £88 £87 £84 £78 C Harle & Sons. £85 K Buckle. £70 W Coatsworth.
