Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Mid-March Extravaganza’ show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 13th March 2023. Forward were 459 Cattle and 339 Sheep.
70 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 294ppk or £2435
5 Stock Bulls sold to 310ppk or £3465
2 Cows & Calves sold to £1620
69 Young Bulls sold to £1500
128 Store Steers sold to £1665
183 Store Heifers sold to £1780
319 Store Hoggs sold to £124
20 Feeding Ewes sold to £108
Show Cattle – A nice offering of cattle were placed before the expert eyes of our judge Mr John Smith-Jackson, Haltwhistle, Northumberland whom we thank sincerely for his services. Picked as the Champion was a stretchy Limousin crossed steer from the prolific Stones Family of Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick. With Keith resting peacefully in the lambing shed the younger generation of team Nun Cote Nook did themselves proud with this super black bullock which is sired by Haltcliffe Favouri; he certainly looks a promising prospect and is without doubt one with scope to grow forever more. Reserve Champion headed into Weardale and regular sellers H S Hutchinson, White House Farm with the sweetest little black Limousin crossed heifer, she looks an absolute superstar in the making be it to feed or breed. Winning the red rosette in the bull class was W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Fields who deserves credit for producing an absolutely stunning run of bulls on the day.
Show Results
Champion
K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1510 to W & L Thompson, Pickering
Reserve Champion
H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1280 to M F Hall, Ponteland
Best Young Bull
1st W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Magna sold for £1500 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
2nd G C & K J White & Son, Middleton-in-Teesdale sold for £1310 to A S & S M Kemp
3rd W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Magna sold for £1475 to A S & S M Kemp
Best Steer
1st K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1510 to W & L Thompson, Pickering
2nd K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1400 to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland
3rd K O Stones, Marrick sold for £1260 to P J & M P Gilhespy
Best Heifer
1st H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1280 to M F Hall, Ponteland
2nd R A & S Wearmouth, Long Newton sold for £1130 to B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees
3rd G C & K J White & Son, Middleton-in-Teesdale sold for £1190 to B Walker
Cast Cattle & OTM – Whoever would think that the cow trade could go up another gear? Absolutely unbelievable scenes in the geld ring as the incredibly dear just got dearer. This week’s sale (containing 31 genuine milk cows) saw those over the scale average a stunning 210ppk and £1393. No better place to start than with a new centre record which was set when the 38-month-old Limousin stock bull Foxhill Ronaldo from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold for an amazing 310ppk and £3465; a quite superb quintet of bulls today left with a fairy tale average of some 278ppk and £2514. Cows were also in outstanding form, a best price per kilo of 294 went to a Limousin OTM heifer from D W Humphrey, Upleatham, just adrift was our leading older lady a brilliant 7-year-old Limousin from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst which reached 274ppk and a huge £2435. The 31 parlour princesses also enjoyed a flyer, warts and all they averaged 177ppk with tops of £1726 from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm and 216ppk from Stainton Hill Farms, Streatlam. Last but by no means least, the native breeds were today best represented by the fleshy Hereford cows of regular consignors W & R Kemp & Son, Bishop Auckland which peaked at 230ppk and £1798.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 294 236 D W Humphrey. 274 J E Jordon & Son. 272 H S Hutchinson. 262 R Nattrass & Sons. 260 250 E Taylor & Son. 256 C G Robinson. 250 230 M Barker Farms. 250 R L Walker. 246 J Thompson & Sons. 242 232 220 G W & M Singleton & Sons. 242(x2) 222(x2) 210 J Layfield. 232 J & E M Lawson. 230 222 W & R Kemp & Son. 228 G W & L Marsay. 222 212 B Watson. 216 208 Stainton Hill Farms. 210 W M Reed & Sons. 206 J & M J Walton. 206 Wilkinson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 310 W & M Knaggs & Son. 282(x2) 242 W A Wardman Ltd. 264 R Nattrass & Sons.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2435 J E Jordon & Son. £2160 C G Robinson. £2128 £1531 D W Humphrey. £2071 J Thompson & Sons. £1944 J & E M Lawson. £1807 £1652 M Barker Farms. £1805 £1727 £1500 £1373 J Layfield. £1798 £1412 W & R Kemp & Son. £1796 G W & L Marsay. £1775 R L Walker. £1763 R Nattrass & Sons. £1726 £1497 £1426 £1387 Wilkinson & Son. £1710 £1595 £1496 G M & M Singleton & Sons. £1690 C & N Penk. £1535 Tennant. £1434 M Ord & Sons. £1429 £1375 B Watson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3465 W & M Knaggs & Son. £2679 £2272 £2178 W A Wardman Ltd. £1977 R Nattrass & Sons.
Young Bulls – An excellent show of young bulls enjoyed an absolutely blistering trade as the 69 of them averaged £1234 which is an increase of a mind blowing £284 on the corresponding sale last year. No doubting the run of the day came from W A Richardson, Hutton Fields who turned out 24 outstanding 10-12 month old Limousin crosses to average over £1400 with a top of £1500.
Store Steers – Bullock trade too was in excellent form as the 128 averaged £1152 which is a rise of £118; best of the bullocks belonged to W A Wardman of Thrushwood Farm, Yearby with an excellent 14-month-old Limousin which sold for £1665, closest of the classy calves at £1580 hailed from W A Dinsdale & Son, Harkerside when a 10-month-old sold for £1580.
Store Heifers – Hot, hot, hot were the heifers as the 183 averaged £1072 an increase of £78 on the year. Big was beautiful for P R E Marwood, Huller Bush Farm when selling our leading lady, a cracking 22-month-old Limousin cross made a massive £1780, some quality from Northfield Farms also impressed when reaching a top of £1760. Of the youngsters it proved to be 11-month-old Limousin heifers from W A Richardson, Hutton Fields (£1590) and C & M Burnett, Low Greenfields (£1560) which led the way. A great day throughout with 58 active buyers was full of highlights which certainly included a superb consignment of pure Limousin calves from A & R Thompson, Moorsholm which lit up the ring when they sold 21 heifers to average £1270 and 17 steers to average £1207.
Leading Prices
Cows & Calves – £1620 £1120 P Dent.
Young Bulls – £1500 £1475 £1460 £1455 £1435 £1420(x2) £1415 £1415 £1405(x3) £1400(x2) £1395 £1390(x3) £1380 £1375 £1370 £1345(x2) £1300 W A Richardson Ltd. £1465 £1460 £1405 £1380 J J Horn. £1440 £1415 £1375 W A Wardman Ltd. £1385(x3) C G Robinson. £1380(x2) £1300 E Parsons. £1315 J C Thwaite & Son. £1310 G C & K J White & Son. £1290 W M Bainbridge.
Store Steers – £1665 £1535 £1450 £1405 £1300 W A Wardman Ltd. £1580 £1380(x2) £1315 £1260 W A Dinsdale & Son. £1580 M Shepherd. £1510 £1400 £1330 £1260 K O Stones. £1490 £1420 £1290 M R Madrell. £1465 £1360 £1320 H S Hutchinson. £1440 £1280 £1260 J & E M Lawson. £1320(x2) E Scott & Sons. £1290(x2) £1270 Wilsons. £1265(x4) W Emerson. £1250(x6) A & R Thompson. £1250 Beckwith.
Store Heifers – £1780 P R E Marwood. £1760 £1660 £1630 £1510 £1440 £1260 Northfield Farms. £1590 £1420 £1360 £1340 £1310 W A Richardson Ltd. £1560 C & M Burnett. £1430 M Shepherd. £1430 J & E M Lawson. £1400 £1390 W A Dinsdale & Son. £1390 £1350 £1310 £1255 L W Martin. £1370 £1250(x2) Wilkinson & Son. £1330(x6) £1255(x7) A & R Thompson. £1290 £1260 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1280 H S Hutchinson.
Store Sheep – Numbers dwindling however still higher than the amount of BBC presenters willing to work on Match of the Day; trade remains absolutely excellent in comparison to the prime hoggs of late. Best this week were a pair of strong Texel’s from J E Holliday & Son, Woodland House reaching £124 with a great run of Beltex hoggs from J Thompson & Sons, Springwell Cottage Farm hard on their heels.
Store Hoggs
£124 £116 £86 J E Holliday & Son. £118 £114 £108 £101 £100 J Thompson & Sons. £106 £102 £101 £97 £92 £90 M J Hutchinson. £102 £94(x2) T & D I Allen & Son. £101 J Swale & M J Milner. £97 £89 B G Dale. £95 M Dawson. £93 £92 £86 N & A Hunter. £91 P Suddes.
Feeding Ewes
£108 £97 £78 J Swale & M J Milner. £68 £56 S Beeforth.
