Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 5th January 2023. Forward were 278 Cattle, 1963 Sheep and 16 Pigs.
95 Prime Bulls sold to 320ppk or £2557
34 Prime Steers sold to 306ppk or £2115
149 Prime Heifers sold to 320ppk or £2028
1481 Prime Hoggs sold to 328ppk or £145
482 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £150
16 Prime Pigs sold to 125ppk or £103
Prime Bulls (95) – No fear in the new year for the bull beef as a wonderful trade kicked us off in style, warts and all the stunning sale average returned very close to 270 pence per kilo and more importantly a staggering £1914 per head. The top ten all sold over 300 pence, of these a tremendous trio scaled beyond 310 which were all homebred Limousin’s. Neil White of Marrick placed third on the list when reaching 311ppk, second place went to C Harle & Sons, Brandon at 314ppk but our runaway winner with an excellent 755kg bull was the super consistent A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear at 320 pence per kilo. A frightening forty-six bulls sold beyond £2000; six sold in the £2400’s, of which four hailed from McNeil Farm and were duly were joined by one apiece for J A & M Boyes, Cleatlam and Messrs Renton, Morpeth. The top spot however amidst a plethora of Limousin’s was certainly a feather in the cap for the British Blonde breed when a hefty homebred 864kg 21-month-old from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm, Easington sold for a mesmerising £2557. R Hall & Son of Kilton Hall Farm, Brotton feed Friesian’s with extraordinary skill and consistency, it was then perhaps unsurprising that they set the bar high and led the first sale of 2023 when their best sold for 238ppk and £1592. Some splendid averages below are led by the regular raiders from the West T N & J Hall, Ainstable who have somehow evaded mention thus far.
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 4 to average 297ppk and £2058
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 5 to average 296ppk or £2449
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 3 to average 292ppk and £2147
C Harle & Sons, Brandon Village sold 4 to average 290ppk and £2147
J A & M Boyes, Cleatlam sold 4 to average 286ppk and £2095
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 7 to average 286ppk and £1990
Continental Bulls- Top prices ppk 320 296 292 291 284 AC Simpson & Son. 314 288 284 278 C Harle & Sons. 311 309 285 276 x2 269 265 253 N White. 306 300 289 287 282 275 267 TW Clark & Son. 306 270 LR Welsh & Co. 306 298 x2 290 TN&J Hall. 305 292 272 270 265 x2 AG Watson & Sons. 304 296 285 JA&M Boyes LTD. 299 Rebecca Appleton. 298 292 288 Renton Highlaws LTD. 298 293 290 260 255 245 JH&M&N Brown. 298 250 J&K Woodward. 296 P Weightman. 296 280 277 273 267 x2 264 260 259 247 D Richardson & Co LTD. 290 274 F&JS Gargett. 257 256 253 249 JM Ramsay.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls- £2557 P Weightman & Sons. £2499 £2488 £2450 £2416 £2394 AC Simpson & Son. £2486 £2164 £1786 JA&M Boyes LTD. 2427 £2014 £2000 Renton Highlaws LTD. £2373 £2235 £2073 £2059 C Harle & Sons. £2354 £2270 £2170 £2101 £2095 £2079 £2058 £2057 £1952 £1937 D Richardson & Co LTD. £2293 £2146 £2040 AG Watson & Sons. £2233 £2104 F&JS Gargett. £2226 M&J Hayhurst. £2185 £2148 £2126 £2011 £1993 £1916 JH&M&N Brown. £2170 Rebecca Appleton. £2151 £2099 £2037 £2030 £2020 £1868 £1727 TW Clark & Son. £2148 £1844 £1379 LR Welsh & Co. £2118 £1917 J&K Woodward. £2112 £2079 £2047 £1995 TN&J Hall. £2057 £1968 £1857 £1852 £1764 £1685 £1675 £1464 N White. £2053 £1917 £1844 AG Watson & Sons. £1909 CW Gray. £1832 £1770 £1748 £1704 JM Ramsay & Son.
Native Breed Bulls- Top prices ppk 266 R Hall & Son. 260 JA&M Boyes LTD. 240 F Fabi. 233 JA&A Herbert. 218 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls- £1924 JA&M Boyes LTD. £1780 F Fabi. £1758 R Hall & Son. £1608 JK&CE Farming. £1370 JA&A Herbert.
Friesian Bulls- Top prices ppk 238 R Hall. 217 216 214 212 210 JM&S Walton. 217 215 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls- £1592 R Hall & Son. £1545 1503 GW Dobson & Son. £1390 £1367 £1300 £1296 1288 JM&S Walton.
Clean Cattle (183) – Quantity but of varied quality, no doubting that trade today is behind the extreme levels of late 2022 however averages of heifers 278ppk and steers 266ppk sit us nicely ahead of the opening week last year. Bidding surpassed 300 pence on 39 occasions and peaked at 320, the beast responsible a sweet 571kg Limousin heifer from the ever-reliable team at Renton Highlaws, Morpeth which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. Nine other heifers sold over 310ppk with more magic from the Renton’s joined by good runs from local producers Messrs Layfield, Hirst, Grieves and Hodgson plus another Northumbrian raider W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam. More glory for the Renton pen when they also led the steers per kilo, a British Blue this time which reached 306ppk, credit to team Low Leam who produced the next top three steers per kilo who were themselves closely followed by more Northern chargers Messrs I E & J H Brown, Belford. Gross values now and topping the heifers was yet another superb sort from the Renton Highlaws squad, this one an excellent 33-month-old 674kg Limousin selling for £2028. Top of the shop however and in doing so ensuring a clean sweep for the North today was a thick meat 853kg Limousin steer from K J & S S Bell, West Throphill, Mitford which sold for £2115. Below are some of the stand out averages.
Heifers
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 7 to average 310ppk and £1794
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 6 to average 301ppk and £1680
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 to average 297ppk and £1784
E W Grieves, Stockton sold 4 to aveage 296ppk and £1610
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 10 to average 295ppk and £1737
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 294ppk and £1805
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 294ppk and £1741
I E & J H Brown, Belford sold 2 to average 292ppk and £1759
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 7 to average 287ppk and £1841
A J Marr & Son, Old Ravensworth sold 2 to average 284ppk and £1841
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 282ppk and £1623
Steers- Top prices ppk 306 Renton Highlaws LTD. 305 299 298 290 280 272 269 WJ Scott LTD. 294 IE&JH Brown. 291 274 WJ Smith & Partners. 287 281 AJ Marr & Son. 285 266 R Hirst. 280 274 TN Callender. 276 J Pallister & Sons. 270 269 246 245 Askwiths. 268 256 P&JH Davison. 249 248 242 241 KJ&SS Bell.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2115 £1752 £1706 £1527 KJ&SS Bell. £1974 £1887 £1853 £1829 £1802 £1787 £1756 WJ Scott LTD. £1903 £1521 £1377 R Hirst. £1876 £1806 AJ Marr & Son. £1827 J Pallister & Sons. £1815 £1656 P&JH Davison. £1793 IE&JH Brown. £1765 Renton Highlaws LTD. £1729 £1728 £1539 £1526 Askwiths. £1708 J Gilson. £1690 £1556 WJ Smith & Partners. £1657 £1638 TN Callender.
Heifers- Top prices ppk 320 315 314 312 306 305 301 Renton Highlaws LTD. 315 305 301 299 295 J Layfield. 314 306 304 297 R Hirst. 313 304 EW Grieves. 311 310 307 306 297 295 x2 JV&JA Hodgson. 310301 300 WJ Scott LTD. 309 306 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 309 305 x2 301 295 TN&J Hall. 308 303 301 299 x2 298 WA Armstrong. 307 304 301 JE Suddes & Son. 302 WF Hustwit. 301 IE&JH Brown. 301 298 CW Gray. 297 296 B Walker.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2028 £1827 £1792 £1774 £1753 Renton Highlaws LTD. £1921 £1881 £1872 £1869 £1859 £1849 £1844 £1`843 £1820 £1774 £1757 £1743 JV&JA Hodgson. £1892 JM Smith. £1890 £1782 CW Gray. £1887 £1850 £1815 WJ Scott LTD. £1845 £1818 £1768 JE Suddes & Son. £1837 £1834 £1826 DH Lawson. £1830 £1817 WF Hustwit. £1830 £1751 £1731 J Layfield. £1818 IE&JH Brown. £1813 £1789 £1766 £1764 £1761 £1758 £1737 £1734 WA Armstrong. £1802 £1755 TN&J Hall. £1751 £1784 B Walker. £1784 £1731 R Hirst.
Prime Hoggs (1481) – We start 2023 in DfAM as we conducted 2022 and that is with a perfectly straight set of scales at the sheep ringside, relative to the trade and trend elsewhere then this week’s sale average of 244ppk is pleasing, no denying though that figure is a worrying 26 pence per kilo adrift of the same week last year. A pristine pen of nine 41kg Beltex hoggs from W Ramsay & Sons, Wingate led the prices per kilo when they reached 328 pence, plenty of other handy weighted hoggs burst the 300 pence barrier. Bidding bettered £140 on eight occasions, pick of them all at £145 was a superb 49kg Texel from A S Whitfield, Knitsley which sold for £145.
Hoggs- Top prices ppk 328 316 315 W Ramsay & Sons. 320 313 287 268 M Smith. 313 292 WKMM Lamb. 308 304 302 x2 262 J Thompson & Sons. 304 278 x2 TH Richardson & Sons. 303 302 301 WA Wardman LTD. 295 290 264 259 AS Whitfield. 292 F&JS Gargett. 291 x2 283 266 259 CK&D Muir LTD. 288 272 254 K&MM Henderson. 284 278 262 257 M Barley. 274 A Ross. 273 WR Thompson. 273 253 AWSM Farms. 262 SC Brown. 261 PM&FM Hill. 260 DG&PD Ayre. 260 259 Cole Hill Farm LTD. 256 CJM Hedley. 255 254 KJ&SS Bell. 254 J&A Layfield.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £145 AS Whitfield. £142 £140 £139 £135 x2 £134 £120 TH Richardson & Sons. £141.50 £140 £131 Cole Hill Farm LTD. £141 £138 £135 M Smith. £140 £126 A Ross. £140 £125 £123 £120 J&A Layfield. £139 £127 x2 £125 J Thompson & Sons. £138 £137.50 WKMM Lamb. £137 £131 J Curry. £136.50 WA Wardman LTD. £135 £121 £120 £120 K&MM Henderson. £134.50 £132.50 £123.50 W Ramsay & Sons. £134.50 F&JS Gargett. £127.50 119.50 CK&D Muir LTD. £126.50 I Newton & Son. £124 Winsbury Farm Partners. £121 £120.50 £120 WR Thompson. £120 JK&CE Farming. £120 GF Whitfield. £120 W Burton. £120 JP Floyd. £120 SC Brown. £120 F Johnson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (482) – Dearer again as the sale averaged a splendid £97, the top pen hailed from the East as Whitby’s P M & F M Hill, Old Hall Farm sold a quintet of Texel’s for £150 each. No doubt that the Mule ewes enjoyed themselves more than any other today, the 196 averaged £94 with the heavy girls the dearest seen for some time, six from R Gilson, Byers Green sold for £135 with many others in the £110’s and £120’s. A pen of eighteen excellent North Country Cheviot ewes from K O Stones, Marrick impressed at £115 as did our best horned ewes which were thirteen wonderful Swaledale’s shown by P R E Marwood, Huller Bush selling for £81.
Cast Ewes & Rams- £150 PM&FM Hill. £141 £127 A&PA Jopling. £140 £129 £120 £114 MW Reed. £140 £138 TH Richardson & Sons. £140 £136 £135 £128 RO Gilson. £132 £115 KO Stones. £132 £126 £116 £113 WA Wardman LTD. £130 W Ramsay & Sons. £128 £121 I Spedding. £128 HS Petch & Sons. £128 £114 WKMM Lamb. £128 £126 £122 PRE Marwood. £124 £120 AJ Gibson Farming. £123 M Smith. £120 PM&FM Hill. £120 £114 TW Brown. £119 x2 DG&PD Ayre. £119 £117 F&JS Gargett. £117 TW Thompson. £112 AC Simpson & Son.
Prime Pigs (16) – A massive show by our very low standards at the first pig sale of the year, anyone who suggests we won’t keep these kinds of numbers coming all year will (I suspect) be proven absolutely correct.
Pigs Leading PPK – 125 110(x2) 100 C Weightman. 110(x2) 100 J Mitchell & Son.
Pigs Leading Gross – £103 £96 £86 £67 C Weightman. £88(x2) £83 J Mitchell & Son.
