Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 27th March 2023. Forward were 265 Cattle and 604 Sheep.
62 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 310ppk or £1981
4 Stock Bulls sold to 296ppk or £3182
30 Young Bulls sold to £1750
51 Store Steers sold to £1670
116 Store Heifers sold to £1560
42 Ewes with Lambs sold to £220
450 Store Hoggs sold to £119.50
28 Feeding Ewes sold to £84
Cast Cattle – A change from the usual voice in the box mattered little as the cull cow trade continued at quite some pace, a below average show levelled at 202ppk and £1322. This week we justifiably start with news of our leading bull, and what a bull; a sublime 7-year-old 1075kg Limousin from B R Lawson, Buddle House Farm, Whashton sold for a staggering 296ppk and £3182. Brilliant British Blue OTM heifers from Northfield Farms, Bowes led the prices per kilo with a best of 310 pence whilst our top grossing cow, a Limousin at £1981 certainly made the journey up the A1(M) from Sheffield worthwhile for S Wilde, Spite Winter House. Hereford’s were hot in the native breed race topping at £1823 from Leslie Brown, Winston and 246ppk from A P Taylor, Heighington; also reaching 246ppk was our best Beef Shorthorn, this one down from Morpeth and J W Robson & Sons, East Shaftoe. Pick of the dairy breeds per kilo proved to be a Montbeliarde from Northfield Farms at 196ppk whilst the top gross seller was a truly remarkable Friesian from W Walker & Sons, Newton Aycliffe making her journey away from the parlour at the grand old age of fourteen and selling for £1460.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 310 290 198 Northfireld Farms. 276 244 J S Foster & Son. 250 234 W Walker & Sons. 248 222 S Wilde. 246 A P Taylor. 246 228 222 J W Robson & Sons. 238 212 C G Robinson. 232 230 218 210 T L Holmes & Son. 230 208 204 A Wilson. 220 204 Leslie Brown. 212 J J Horn. 206 B R Lawson. 204 Duell Partners. 196 I Lancaster. 194 J R Wesson.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 296 B R Lawson. 256 A S & S M Kemp. 184 J P Burrells. 164 Mrs H Barker & Mr J Gibson.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1981 £1589 S Wilde. £1873 £1394 C G Robinson. £1843 £1677 £1543 £1358 T L Holmes & Son. £1823 Leslie Brown. £1766 £1656 J S Foster & Son. £1742 £1698 £1358 Northfield Farms. £1594 A P Taylor. £1556 £1388 J J Horn. £1541 I Lancaster. £1460 £1392 W Walker & Sons. £1436 R W Welford & Sons. £1428 Little Newsham Farms. £1415 £1380 J W Robson & Sons. £1393 H M Dent. £1372 £1362 A Wilson. £1342 W E & C A Anderson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3182 B R Lawson. £2342 A S & S M Kemp. £2059 Mrs H Barker & Mr J Gibson. £1788 J P Burrells.
Store Cattle – The clocks may have changed but the terrific store cattle trade has not as we close out March with another flyer. Beginning with the bulls and following a furious Thursday in the prime ring the feeders were bidding at full throttle today; four fabulous Limousin yearlings from D W Humphrey, Capon Hall Farm, Upleatham returned an eye-watering average of £1610 with the pick of the pen making a sensational £1750. More bulls around 12 months of age impressed too as local producer E Parsons sold Simmental’s to £1430 and Charolais to £1370 and Salers from S & A Greaves, Eggleston peaked at £1340. The insatiable demand for feeding cattle continued throughout the sale, leading the way in the steer section were wonderful 14-22-month-old Limousin’s from N B & R Hird, Romaldkirk which three times surpassed £1600 to a top of £1670, close behind came excellent 10-11-month-old steers either side of £1500 from W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby. Next come the red-hot heifers; charging out of Commondale to the top of the tree was a superb 22-month-old Limousin cross from L W Martin, Wayworth Farm with her closest challenger a sweet 11-month-old from A M Beadle, Staindrop at £1500. Other highlights included a plethora of native and dairy breeds in great demand as G W & M Singleton & Sons, Farlington sold Hereford steers to £1460; G E Raw, Toft Hill Hall sold Aberdeen Angus heifers to £1450 and some staggeringly good Friesian steers from R & W Todd, High Toft Hill sold to a top of £1335 with their half dozen averaging £1309.
Cow & Calf – £1600 W T Hall
Young Bulls – £1750 £1620 £1560 £1510 D W Humphrey. £1485 £1430 £1370(x3) E Parsons. £1340 £1290 S & A Greaves. £1280 W O Grix & Partners. £1195(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy. £1185 £1180 £1060 F Watson. £1175 £1160 £1100 £1085 £900 R A Patterson & Son. £1050 N Basey & Son. £960 £930 C W Jackson. £880(x2) R J Welford.
Store Steers – £1670 £1605(x2) N B & R Hird. £1510 £1480 £1410 £1370 £1270 £1250 W A Wardman Ltd. £1480 W O Grix & Partners. £1460 £1450 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1440 £1135 A E Newton. £1335(x2) £1295(x4) R & W Todd. £1300 Northfield Farms. £1270 F M R Gibson & Son. £1265 A M Beadle. £1220 W B Rutter & Sons. £1215(x2) P R E Marwood. £1190 J H Johnson. £1175 T W & G Corner. £1135 E Scott & Sons.
Store Heifers – £1560 £1460 £1300 £1250 L W Martin. £1500 A M Beadle. £1490 £1400 £1295 £1245 £1150 E Parsons. £1460 £1320 £1300 £1290 L & B M Kidd & Son. £1450(x2) G E Raw. £1440 £1380 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1370 £1250 £1210 £1200(x2) £1180 £1160(x2) £1155 W A Wardman Ltd. £1250 W M Bainbridge. £1240(x2) £1165 R Errington & Son. £1230(x2) W B Rutter & Sons. £1220 £1150(x2) W O Grix & Partners. £1200 Wilsons. £1170 E Scott & Sons. £1160 W T Hall. £1150 R A Patterson & Son.
Store & Breeding Sheep – British Summertime begins and somehow the store hoggs keep on coming, trade excellent as the prime hogg recent boost filters through with instant results. Twice bidding reached £119.50 as a strong pen of seventeen Texel’s from J D Spensley, Moulton were matched by ten shapely sorts from J Thompson & Sons, Tow Law. Suffolk’s topped at £114 from M J Hutchinson, Wolviston with Mules to £106 from J Burbury, Hart Village. Hill hoggs in strong demand as Swaledales sold to £87 from K Sayer and Blackface to £98 from D Lynn and Cheviots to £99 from M J Hutchinson.
A first foray in to the ewes and lambs this year saw regular flock aged Mules to £200, Suffolks £215 and Texels to £220 all with twins at foot and all hailing from E Scott & Sons, Middridge.
Store Hoggs – Leading Prices
Texel – £119.50 £116 J D Spensley. £119.50 £115 £111 J Thompson & Sons. £118 £106 £98 R G & G Rutter. £116 P A Stacey. £108 £104 J Butterfield & Son.
Suffolk – £114 £94 M J Hutchinson. £80 G H & R G Stobbs.
Mule – £106 J Burbury. £90 £84 K M Sayer. £80 G H & R G Stobbs.
Blackface – £98 D Lynn.
Cheviot £99 £80 M J Hutchinson.
Beltex £96 £89 S A Braithwaite.
Swaledale – £87 £59 £56 K M Sayer.
