Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Special Backend’ show and sale of suckled calves in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 14th November 2022. Forward were 557 cattle and 2606 Sheep.
105 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 228ppk or £1806
7 Stock Bulls sold to 190ppk or £1995
10 Breeding Cattle sold to £1280
78 Young Bulls sold to £1550
158 Store Steers sold to £1760
199 Store Heifers sold to £1500
2278 Store Lambs sold to £126
328 Feeding Ewes sold to £97
Show Cattle – Thanks go to Darlington stalwart Keith ‘JK’ Metcalf of Bolam who expertly judged the show classes for us today. Bliss for the brilliant Bentley Farm Bradfordian John Clayton on this occasion who certainly made the pilgrimage from West Yorkshire worthwhile when his super sweet 9-month-old Limousin heifer claimed the Championship rosette, taking the reserve was the pick of the pen from the renowned Stones Family of Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick with a muscular March born British Blue steer. Best in the bull class came from J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm, Lartington with an excellent Limousin.
Champion
J R Clayton, Bradford sold for £1500 to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield
Resreve Champion
K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1480 to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield
Best Steer
1st K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1480 to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield
2nd H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1060 to S Beachell, Driffield
3rd F Ward, Frosterley sold for £1310 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
Best Heifer
1st J R Clayton, Bradford sold for £1500 to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield
2nd H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1155 to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland
3rd F Ward, Frosterley sold for £1400 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
Best Bull
1st J C Thwaite & Son, Lartington sold for £1300 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
2nd L Claughan, Elwick Village sold for £1300 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
3rd J R Clayton, Bradford sold for £1090 to L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor
Store Cattle – Absolutely fabulous scenes at the store cattle ringside, numbers forward up by 39% on the corresponding sale last year and an absolute humdinger of a trade throughout with 52 active accounts in full flow. Steers averaged £1004, heifers £899 and young bulls £903 as all classes exceeded the high levels set at this sale one year ago. Some classy show calves certainly featured heavily in the top prices however nothing could live with the extraordinary pace set by some thumping big bullocks from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Cottage Farm, Great Stainton, the pick of these at an incredible £1760 a 20-month-old Charolais. Top native breed came from the same remarkable pen when an Aberdeen Angus sold for £1580 whilst the days leading heifer was our beautiful Bradford champion already mentioned at £1500. Power again prevailed in the young bulls when a hefty Salers bull from L Claughan, Potters Farm, Elwick Village sold for the days top price of £1550.
Bulling Heifers – £720(x2) R Valks
In Calf Cows – £1280 H Watson & Son. £980 S Medley.
Cows & Calves – £920 £880 S J Saville & Sons. £800 D H Craig.
Young Bulls – £1550 £1300 L Claughan. £1300 £1215 £1020 D A & M A M Brown. £1300 J C Thwaite & Son. £1210 £1095 T Ducker. £1150 £1090 £990 £980 £925 £915 J R Clayton. £1085 £1070 £1050 £1045(x3) £1015(x2) £990 £925 C Peckitt & Son. £1060(x3) G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1060 £1045 £990 £960 R J & R Greenbank. £1000 J H Emerson. £970(x3) R A Patterson & Son. £960(x2) R C Bainbridge. £945 A P Taylor. £935 £910 W S I Anderson.
Store Steers – £1760 £1600 £1580 £1350(x2) B & B Kitching & Son. £1480 K O Stones. £1445 £1315 £1300 D A Gill. £1445 £1400(x2) £1380(x4) £1360(x2) £1345 £1280 £1270(x2) £1250(x2) £1235(x2) £1225 J H Johnson. £1330 R Laws & Sons. £1315 £1250(x2) R Wade & Son. £1310 £1255 F Ward. £1275 £1225 John Lowrie Partnership. £1255 J R Calvert. £1220 G Beadle. £1210 F M R Gibson & Son. £1210 K Cator. £1185 J S Foster & Son.
Store Heifers – £1500 J R Clayton. £1480(x2) A & A G Moralee. £1455 £1270 £1235(x2) £1170 R Lawson & J Farley. £1440(x9) £1285(x2) £1280(x2) B & B Kitching & Son. £1400 £1310 £1255 £1180(x2) £1150 £1140 F Ward. £1175(x3) £1165(x2) £1155(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy. £1165(x2) R A Patterson & Son. £1160 £1155 H S Hutchinson. £1150 R Errington & Son.
Cast Cattle & OTM – A mixed bag this week with the best end looking very good however falling right the way down to the other end of the spectrum and some rather decrepit old girls; trade remains in marvellous form as all in the sale averaged 159ppk and £1089. Bravo to the Brown’s today as our top vendors shared that particular surname; D & P H Brown of Aldbrough-St-John produced a cracking 36-month-old Limousin at 228 pence per kilo whilst D A & M A M Brown of Agglethorpe topped the gross values reaching £1806 with their 9-year-old Charolais. A beautiful British Blue also from the Agglethorpe firm impressed selling for 218ppk and £1800 whilst leading the native breed charge were a superb Aberdeen Angus from S Medley, Commondale at 216ppk and a fleshy Beef Shorthorn from A C M Spalding, Winston at £1597. Pick of the dairy girls today were a 32-month-old Holstein Friesian from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law and an excellent Montbeliarde from Chopwell based a Willey realising £1370. Twice senior stock bulls sold to 190 pence per kilo as a British Blue from J R Calvert, Gunnerside reached £1867 but was outweighed by a bulky Charolais from S E Harrison & Son, Beamish at £1995; in the two top boys slipstream an eclectic mix saw one South Devon, a Salers, two Stabilizers and an Aberdeen Angus all sell over £1400.
Cast Cows & OTM – Leading PPK – 228 D & P H Brown. 218 200 196 D A & M A M Brown. 216 210 S Medley. 216 206 200 W I Suddes & Son. 212 H S Hutchinson. 210 I Lancaster. 208 192 J R Clayton. 208 B Watson. 202 G Williamson. 200 182 T W Clark & Son. 198 190 Deerness Valley Dairy. 196 I Lancaster. 196 J R & G Walton & Sons. 192 B & B Kitching & Son. 192 G H Lister. 190 182 A Willey. 186 180 T F Bothroyd & Son. 184 A C M Spalding. 184 J C Thwaite & Son. 180 Baysleap Dairy Farm.
Stock Bulls – Leading PPK – 190 S E Harrison & Son. 190 J R Calvert. 172 Allison Devereux Farms. 152 J R & P Ward. 142 P Prudom & Son Ltd. 138 W R Barron. 136 J Bennison.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1806 £1800 £1370 D A & M A M Brown. £1630 £1573 £1321 J M Greensit & Son. £1615 £1578 £1468 W I Suddes & Son. £1597 A C M Spalding. £1586 D & P H Brown. £1560 T W Clark & Son. £1549 £1319 I Lancaster. £1536 J R & G Walton & Sons. £1447 G H Lister. £1379 £1370 A Willey. £1378 J C Thwaite & Son. £1369 H S Hutchinson. £1367 J E Holliday & Son. £1336 J R Clayton. £1333 T F Bothroyd & Son. £1319 B & B Kitching & Son. £1306 S Medley. £1304 B Watson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1995 S E Harrison & Son. £1867 J R Calvert. £1834 W R Barron. £1668 Alllison Devereux Farms. £1517 P Prudom & Son. £1429 J Bennison. £1428 J R & P Ward.
Store Sheep – Big numbers forward this week were no problem as a host of budding ringside buyers ensured that trade remained absolutely brilliant, over 200 lambs sold beyond £100 with healthy long keep lambs looking dearer by the week now. At the very top of the pile were a trio of humungous Charollais lambs from Wolsingham’s S Love which sold for £126, just a pound behind came an excellent Beltex from Whitehall Farm, Rowley. Store lamb prices are wonderful for the time of year resulting in sellers smiling and some perplexed faces at times within the buyer’s gallery.
Leading Prices
Charollais – £126 £117 S Love. £109 C Morris.
Beltex – £125 D Blake. £118 J R & J Crowe. £110 R W Dalton. £109 T & D I Allen & Son.
Texel – £113 K O Stones. £111 D W T Davies. £110 £109 W Love Ltd. £107 M T & J Burney. £106.50(x2) J Davis. £106 J R & J Crowe. £106 J & E Boocock. £104 £100 J & F Hartley & Sons. £103.50 D Blake. £103 G Wood. £102 A & R Thompson. £101 J A Scott. £100 W A Stephenson.
Suffolk £108 J R & J Crowe. £95.50 D Blake.
Mule £97 W Wearmouth & Son.
Feeding Ewes – £97 £95 £93 £88 J A Scott. £95 £71 L R Butler. £86 Petch Farms. £85 R E Coatsworth. £82 W Love Ltd. £80(x2) Ainsty Farms Direct. £80 R A Patterson & Son. £76 M T & J Burney. £70 W B Rutter & Sons.
