Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their New Year prize show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock. Forward were 501 Cattle and 941 Sheep.
93 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 252ppk or £2213
4 Stock Bulls sold to 196ppk or £1806
9 Breeding Cattle sold to £2500
10 Stirks sold to £660
85 Young Bulls sold to £1505
117 Store Steers sold to £1800
183 Store Heifers sold to £1530
859 Store Hoggs sold to £104
82 Feeding Ewes sold to £101
Show Cattle – Sincere thanks go to all our sponsors for the 2023 calendar as they generously ensure for another year that our show and sale winners are well rewarded. Secondly our thanks must go to Ricky Alder of Ponteland for his expert judging this morning, some magnificent cattle were placed before him. Taking the top award in the show was a simply stunning British Blue crossed steer from the Stones Family of Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick; the double muscled machine, just 11-months-old is half-brother to the Champion at this sale last year, both were sired by the prolific Lune Valley Forester. Reserve Champion went to a superb Limousin heifer from DfAM Chairman Mark Dent of S & J Dent & Son, Darlington whilst the other vendor in the prizes proved to be John Norman of Charltons, Guisborough who secured the top two places with his young bulls and also a credible 2nd in a strong heifer class.
Show Results
Best Heifer
1st S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon sold for £1530 to M F Hall, Ponteland
2nd J Norman, Aysdale Gate sold for £1500 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
3rd K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1095 to W Swinbank & Sons, Richmond
Best Steer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1800 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
2nd K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1200 to S Beachell, Driffield
3rd K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1190 to S Beachell, Driffield
Best Young Bull
1st J Norman, Aysdale Gate sold for £1245 to S Beachell, Driffield
2nd J Norman, Aysdale Gate sold for £1290 to A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford
3rd B R Lawson, Buddle House sold for £1220 to L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor
Champion = K O Stones (Steer)
Reserve Champion = S & J Dent & Son (Heifer)
Store & Breeding Cattle – Currently the scintillating store trade seems to set its bar higher every week and then jump over it effortlessly, dearer again with no signs of letting up. Beginning the day was a smart Aberdeen Angus heifer with Limousin calf at foot from P R E Marwood, Huller Bush leading the breeding section when selling for £2500. A blissful young bull trade followed returning an average of £968 with a stunning 36 just young beast selling beyond £1000; top of the tree were a fantastic offering of 11-month-old Limousin crossed bulls from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley which peaked at a whopping £1505. With over 50 active accounts in operation and numbers almost identical on the year the averages improved on what looked like an absolute humdinger 12 months ago, steers levelled up at £1083 (+£17) whilst the hot heifers averaged £1056 (+£72). No beast surpassed the price of our worthy Champion steer at £1800 and no heifer overtook the Reserve Champion at £1530 however in the chasing pack came some remarkable returns with plenty of cattle in the £1400’s including our top performing native breeds some terrific Aberdeen Angus steers from J H Johnson, White Lea Farm.
Leading Prices
In Calf Heifer – £1620 S J Love.
Cows & Calves – £2500 P R E Marwood. £1350 £1120 T Ripley & T Ramesar. £1120 W Love Ltd.
Stirks – £660 £440(x2) £420 £360(x3) £260(x2) £180 J Peacock.
Young Bulls – £1505 £1490 £1460 £1270 D Dixon. £1405 £1380 C Binks & Son. £1315 £1300 £1230 £1200 £1105 E Parsons. £1290 £1205(x4) R G Swinbank. £1290 £1245 J Norman. £1290 £1255 £1130 £1110 £1050 £1010 C N Whitaker. £1220 S Suddes. £1220 £1180 £1140 B R Lawson. £1115(x3) £1095(x4) £1090 £980(x4) J A & U M Fawcett.
Store Steers – £1800 £1200 £1190 K O Stones. £1445(x4) £1410 £1360(x3) £1330(x2) £1280(x3) J H Johnson. £1330 £1285 D R Smith. £1320 W M Reed & Sons. £1315 £1290 £1280 £1270 £1225 £1195 £1130 F Ward. £1305(x2) J H & C Oulton Ltd. £1250 J & E M Lawson. £1245(x2) £1235 £1200(x2) £1130 £1125 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1130(x3) I Spedding.
Store Heifers – £1530 £1490(x2) £1475 S & J Dent & Son. £1500 J Norman. £1445 £1365 W A Wardman Ltd. £1430 P R E Marwood. £1400 £1385(x4) £1370 £1350 £1335(x6) £1300(x2) £1290(x2) £1275(x2) J Atkinson. £1385(x3) J H Johnson. £1380 £1320 F Ward. £1360 £1320 S J Love. £1320 J J M Lonsdale. £1295 M Chambers. £1285(x3) C P Brown. £1275(x2) Forster Hall & Sons.
Cast Cattle & OTM – The cow beef remains in excellent form, another staggering average this week of 184ppk and over £1200 per head. On a day when over one quarter of the cows offered sold in the 200’s the top price per kilo at 252 pence was a handsome Hereford OTM steer from Whitehall Farm, Rowley; behind him two cattle sold for 248ppk as a Charolais OTM heifer from W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby matched a sublime 5-year-old Limousin cow from W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay. Despite the Suddes stunner selling over £2000 she was overshadowed by two terrific Limousin cows from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst when they each tipped the scales beyond 900kg and sold for £2146 and a brilliant £2213. Well fleshed Aberdeen Angus OTM heifers from W Chrystal & Partners, Wingate helped a strong native breed charge up the leader board when they peaked at 226ppk and £1853 whilst a ferocious dairy cow trade saw them top at £1639 from J E Holiday & Son, Witton Park and 212ppk from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law. Stock bulls peaked at £1806 achieved by a Limousin from J Corner, Hamsteels and 196ppk for a Charolais shown by J & M J Walton, Staindrop.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 252 224 208 198 Whitehall Farm. 248 236 232 W I Suddes & Son. 248 228 226(x2) 204 200 194 W A Wardman Ltd. 240(x2) W M Reed & Sons. 238 T N Callender. 238(x2) J E Jordon & Son. 236 D & P H Brown. 226 222 W Chrystal & Partners. 224 A Wilson. 216 J F Harland. 212 196 Deerness Valley Dairy. 206 M G & W D Burton. 200 D J Mallon. 196 A Blackett. 192 M B & H D Fletcher. 190 W J & F J Hadley. 190 F Hare & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 196 J & M J Walton. 194 G Bolton. 178 J Corner. 172 M J Parratt.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2213 £2146 J E Jordon & Son. £2028 £1965 £1954 W I Suddes & Son. £1869 £1617 W M Reed & Sons. £1853 W Chrystal & Partners. £1820 T N Callender. £1793 £1573 £1566 £1496 £1428 £1410 £1397 £1374 W A Wardman Ltd. £1701 £1421 D & P H Brown. £1667 I R Appleton. £1665 J F Harland. £1639 J E Holliday & Son. £1592 A Wilson. £1554 £1341 F Hare & Sons. £1491 Whitehall Farm. £1468 D J Mallon. £1421 K O Stones. £1416 £1381 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1392 M B & H D Fletcher. £1370 £1366 A Blackett.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1806 J Corner. £1720 J & M J Walton. £1460 M J Parratt.
Store Sheep – The hogg trade is suffering, prime prices are poor and the subsequent store trade has followed suit. Only one vendor this week reached three figures, a lovely pair of Beltex hoggs from D & M Lowes, Barningham sold for £104. Strong hoggs still sold frequently £85 to £95 whereas the healthy runners now trade through the sixties and seventies, at this moment there is little evidence of any silver lining the cloud being cast by the onslaught of New Zealand lamb entering our supply chain.
Leading Prices
Beltex £104 £93 £91 £73 D & M Lowes. £88 £77 £76 £75 £71 R Errington & Son. £79 £71 D R Easton. £75 S Fenwick.
Texel £99 D Rutter. £98 £88 D R Smith. £97 £80 M Gallon. £86.50 £81.50 C E Smith. £80 J J Horn. £79 J S Wiper. £76 K & R E Robson.
Suffolk £94 £87 D Rutter. £91 D R Smith. £72.50 D E Stones.
Mule £64 James Burns. £56 Wolsingham Park Farm. £55 S Straughan, £54 R Simpson & Sons.
Horned £42 S Straughan. £37 £28 M W Cook & Son. £20 R Simpson & Son.
Feeding Ewes £101 M T & J Burney. £90 £64 S Straughan. £77 £70 £67 D R Easton. £73 R Errington & Son. £72 N Armstrong. £66 D & M Lowes. £60 J D & M S Mortimer.
