Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 4th May 2023. Forward were 193 Cattle, 1638 Sheep and 8 Pigs.
53 Prime Bulls sold to 321ppk or £2500
20 Prime Steers sold to 319ppk or £2348
118 Prime Heifers sold to 351ppk or £2210
2 Cast Cows sold to 171ppk or £1337
31 New Season Lambs sold to 385ppk or £168
1202 Prime Hoggs sold to 364ppk or £201
405 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £190
8 Prime Pigs sold to 170ppk or £163
Prime Bulls (53) – This week’s trade would in reality be very similar although an average of 272ppk looks somewhat down on paper as the quality forward was far cry from the high-end goods offered seven days ago. One vendor swimming against the tide with two excellent bulls on the day was L S Staley of Bluestone House, Marwood; the pick of the Staley pen a 769kg Limousin led the way when he sold for 321 pence per kilo. Nineteen bulls including five fine sorts from A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold over £2000, the top four sold over £2400 including the Staley duo which were joined by a cracking Limousin from Bridge of Allan based Robert Graham & Son and our top gross valued bull a Jurassic sized Salers bull from Rigel Pedigree, Middleton-on-Leven at 31 months of age selling for £2500. A host of native breed bulls attended this week, the Aberdeen Angus took the spoils when they peaked at 278ppk from R Hall & Sons, Brotton or an impressive £2157 from T J Neill, Wooler. Finally, the dairy bred bulls, top per kilo at 260 pence and a pleasing £1840 was an expertly finished Holstein Friesian earning a second mention of the day for the Hall’s of Kilton Hall, Brotton.
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 319ppk and £2461
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 5 to average 297ppk and £2221
T & D I Allen & Son, Wolsingham sold 2 to average 295ppk and £2197
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 321 318 LS Staley. 312 JK&CE Farming. 310 306 305 288 280 AG Watson & Sons. 300 297 281 280 JJ Kemp & Son. 299 R Graham & Son. 296 294 T&DI Allen & Son. 294 286 282 272 GH Farms Ltd. 293 267 J Richmond. 278 273 JK Gregory. 276 268 258 GS Dowson. 270×2 266 258 JM Ramsay & Son. 268×2 256 JA&A Herbert. 255 254 250 E Scott. 230 Rigel Pedigree.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2500 Rigel Pedigree. £2468 £2454 LS Staley. £2433 R Graham & Son. £2311 £1943 J Richmond. £2301 £2284 £2235 £2153 £2131 AG Watson & Sons. £2334 £2160 T&DI Allen & Son. £2148 £2064 £1900 £1887 GH Farms Ltd. £2109 JK&CE Farming. £2079 £2022 £1871 £1848 JJ Kemp & Son. £1908 £1669 £1634 £1627 JA&A Herbert. £1774 £1764 £1755 £1717 JM Ramsay & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 260 247 R Hall & Son. 239 233 JM&S Walton. 237 236 JM&S Walton. Lead grossing Friesian Bulls £1840 £1444 R Hall & Son. £1540 £1488 JM&S Walton. £1464 £1446 JK Gregory.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 278 R Hall & Son. 269 JV Hodgson & Son. 269 259 255 TJ Neill.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2157 £2101 £1993 TJ Neill. £1934 JV Hodgson & Son.
Clean Cattle (138) – Cattle with loin enjoyed the best of the coin, leaner sorts a shade easier than of late but still a healthy return for all classes; heifers with a heavy proportion of dairy crosses amongst them averaged 294ppk whilst a good fleshy show of steers levelled up at an impressive 304ppk. Thirteen heifers sold at 340ppk or more, of these just two climbed in to the 350’s, a superb homebred 577kg British Blue from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm, West Woodburn was narrowly beaten by an excellent 557kg Limousin from Aaron Armstrong, Coxhoe when she sold for 351ppk; both good sorts were bought by H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. Some truly excellent steers forward today, valiant efforts from regular sellers Messrs Askwith, Suddes, Marshall and Barker Farming all had to accept defeat as the brilliant W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm turned out three homebred sensations all selling at 319ppk. Nineteen heifers and thirteen steers sold over £2000, naturally the on-song team from Low Leam were involved at the top of both lists however not even they could halt a couple of renowned feeding firms in attendance today. Leading the heifers was a powerful 674kg Limousin heifer from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton selling for £2210 whilst the tremendous steer feeding of I Marshall & Sons, Hope House Farm saw them take pride of place this week twice breaking £2300 with a best of £2348 for an excellent 748kg Limousin; three of the four fabulous steers from Hope House were pleasingly bought here in the DFAM store ring from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm.
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 316ppk and £2098
P R & V Barlow & Son, Shelford sold 2 to average 316ppk and £1722
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 2 to average 311ppk and £2123
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 311ppk and £2051
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 310ppk and £2285
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 2 to average 307ppk and £2165
Heifers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 7 to average 330ppk and £2043
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 328ppk and £1855
J M Ramsay & Son, Scorton sold 2 to average 320ppk and £1952
J J Kemp & Son, Stillington sold 2 to average 319ppk and £1817
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 4 to average 317ppk and £1887
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 316ppk and £1729
Steers – Top prices ppk 319×3 309 WJ Scott Ltd. 318 298 Barker Farming Partnership. 317 315 PR&V Barlow & Son. 316 307 JE Suddes & Son. 316 306 Askwiths. 314 310×2 309 I Marshall & Sons. 278 264 JM Ramsay & Son. 275 257 AJ Marr & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2348 £2300 £2281 £2212 I Marshall & Sons. £2264 £2086 £2073 £1971 WJ Scott Ltd. £2196 £2050 JE Suddes & Son. £2191 £2139 Barker Darming Partnership. £2082 £2019 Askwiths. £1815 £1708 JM Ramsay & Son. £1746 £1697 PR&V Barlow & Son. £1622 £1493 AJ Marr & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 351 329 316 310 WA Armstrong. 350 346×2 340 333 310 WJ Scott Ltd. 348 347 340 310×3 309 JV&JA Hodgson. 347 325 321×2 316 312 R Hirst. 345 306 JE Suddes & Son. 341 335 312 Askwiths. 341 335 324 321 WF Hustwit. 340 332 PR&V Barlow & Son. 335 305 JM Ramsay & Son. 328 309 Barker Farming Partnership. 328 327 321 TW Clark. 326 314 JJ Kemp & Son. 322 310 309 308 307 J Layfield. 313 302 P&JH Davison. 305 300 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2210 £2188 £2105 £2094 Barker Farming Partnership. £2117 £2096 £2060 £2034 £2019 £1971 WJ Scott Ltd. £2088 £2016 £1897 £1890 £1848 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2067 E Scott. £2063 JM Ramsay & Son. £2057 £1961 £1901 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2050 P&JH Davison. £2029 J Layfield. £2015 £2008 £1995 £1964 £1932 £1889 £1886 £1853 JV&JA Hodgson. £2012 £1852 R Hirst. £1977 £1949 £1946 £1868 WF Hustwit. £1969 £1954 TW Clark & Son. £1955 £1865 WA Armstrong.
New Season Lambs (31) – Still the lambs in this part of the world just trickle forward as the wet weather has undoubtedly delayed the supply, the previous two years have seen over 100 forward by this stage. Top prices today went to East Mellwaters Farm, Bowes at 385ppk and Whitby’s R I Jones at £168, young shepherdess Anna Herbert of Barnard Castle finished a credible second place on both leader boards.
Spring Lambs – Top prices ppk 385 383 341 East Mellwaters Farm. 383×2 360 Anna Herbert. 373 350 329 RI Jones. 363 346 324 BR&R Routledge. 321 B Fisk. 319 WR Barron. 304 RD&D Elders.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs £168 £140 £135 RI Jones. £165 £162 £161 Anna Herbert. £161 £154 £140 East Mellwaters Farm. £160 £142 £133 BR&R Routledge. £150 WR Barron. £135 B Fisk. £125 RD&D Elders & Son.
Prime Hoggs (1202) – Another mixed offering, good hoggs carrying flesh look dearer on the week as the weighed straight sale average of 288ppk again only really tells half the story. An excellent run of Beltex hoggs from Michael & Jamie Gilhespy of Ponteland held the leading price per kilo for a long stretch until a quality quintet of British Rouge hoggs from Ian & Ailsa Teasdale, Beadlam Rigg stole their thunder late in the sale when selling for 364 pence. Some gargantuan gross values were headed at £201 by a thumping pair of Texel’s from E Moralee, Langley Park with Nottinghamshire’s Ian Kirk’s Texel’s also reaching £200; a super run from regular sellers A C Simpson & Son impressed with a top of £185 and their 70 averaging £168 whilst another marauding Midlander Phil Weaver also laid down a strong challenge for the top spots. Best of the Mule’s this week were £151 from W R Barron, Muggleswick whilst Scotch Blackface sold to £150 from L W Martin, Commondale and a rare day for the more unusal Hampshire Downs as a quintet from M H Hodgson, Gainford sold for £170.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 364 323 322 IE&A Teasdale. 352 348×2 339 333 326 323 313 312 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 347 DG&PD Ayre. 337 329 J Pallister & Sons. 336 332 321×2 J&A Layfield. 331 315 311×2 K&MM Henderson. 330 D&HM Hodgson. 330 N White. 326 325 G Gall. 325 315 DR Smith. 323 316×3 314×2 PR Weaver. 323 316 313 Whittington. 322 318 TW Clark & Son. 322 RE&L Frank. 320 Tallentire. 313 I Kirk. 313 C Harle & Sons. 312 311 AC Simpson & Sons. 311 S Beaton.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £201 E Moralee. £200 £190 £185 £169 £166 I Kirk. £185 £184 £178 £176×2 £175 £174 £171 £170×4 £169 £168 £165 £164×2 £162 £160 AC Simpson & Son. £179 £178 £170 PR Weaver. £178 IE&A Teasdale. £178 £165 D&HM Hodgson. £175 TK Smith & Sons. £170 £160 D&PH Brown. £170 MH Hodgson. £169 C Harle & Sons. £168 £167 £166 £161 J&A Layfield. £166 £165×2 £163 GC&JC Pullan. £165 K&MM Henderson. £163 CE Dresser. £162 PJ&MP Gilhespy.
Cast Ewes & Rams (405) – More meat than of late as the ewes averaged an improved £112, in reality the trade for heavy ewes looks similar to that seen recently with the lighter types most improved. Top of the pile was an excellent Texel ewe from D G & P D Ayre, Teesdale when she sold for £190 with two Nottinghamshire raiders Messrs Kirk and Weaver best of the rest. Top tup came from Emma Sanderson, Trimdon with a heavy Suffolk at £172 whilst Mule ewes often climbed in to the £130’s and £140’s with a nice show of horned sheep selling to a remarkable best of £116 for seven brilliant Blackie’s from L W Martin, Commondale.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £190 DG&PD Ayre. £180 £162 £156×2 I Kirk. £180 £150 £140 PR Weaver. £172 £150 £130×2 AW Sanderson. £170 £160 £158 £145 £142 £140×3 £138 RA Patterson & Son. £165 JR&M Richardson. £164 F Ward. £160 £135 CM Cameron. £156 WR Wilson & Partners. £148 JH Johnson. £147 S Beaton. £142 £140×2 J&D Gibson. £140 D&PH Brown. £140×2 JA&A Herbert. £140 £130×2 JP&R Ward. £140 £135 C Harle & Sons.
Prime Pigs (8) – Imagine the delight of our pig auctioneer having just returned from a rock sucking pilgrimage to Blackpool to find massively increased demand resulting in a much better trade. Happy days.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 170 120 70 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £163 £120 £96 C Weightman.
