Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store, and breeding stock on Monday 15th May 2023. Forward were 432 Cattle and 1000 Sheep.
82 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 282ppk or £2022
7 Stock Bulls sold to 276ppk or £2169
1 Breeding Bull sold for £3900
69 Young Bulls sold to £1630
132 Store Steers sold to £1560
141 Store Heifers sold to £1545
244 Ewes & Lambs sold to £320
133 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £300
54 Store Hoggs sold to £142
48 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £170
Cast Cattle – Another marvellous morning in the geld ring as today’s super sale averages returned at 204ppk and an impressive £1366. Some classy sorts rose to the top of the prices per kilo list as a marvellous twenty-five sold to 220 pence and beyond; pick of the pack was an excellent OTM Limousin heifer from B Watson, Baal Hill Farm when she sold for 282ppk, other Limousin OTM’s from Katie Willey, Chopwell and W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Great Stainton also sold in the 270’s, the Chopwell charge checked in at £1973 and the Stainton superstar £2022 thus proving to be the top gross valued females of the week. Age was but a number for the oldest beast on offer today and she’s certainly worthy of mention as the quite remarkable 15-year-old British Blue cow from I Spedding, Wolsingham sold for 226ppk and £1559. Top native breeds were a fleshy Hereford from A & D Heyes, Crane Row at £1842 or a sharp Beef Shorthorn from the Mayfield herd, Wolsingham at 264ppk. Friesians a flyer again as they peaked at 220ppk from Little Newsham Farms or an impressive £1629 from S H Watson & Son, Winston. Final mention goes to the stock bulls, two Limousin’s, three Angus, one Friesian and a Galloway averaged a marvellous 215ppk and £1808 with the top boy a 32-month-old Limousin from S J Welford, Egton Bridge reaching 276ppk and £2169.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 282 B Watson. 276 Katie Willey. 274 244 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 264 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 248 A C Simpson & Son. 246 220 T W Clark & Son. 242 J D Bentley & Son. 240 216 I Newton & Son. 238 230 G K, K N & G J Hird. 226 J W Richardson. 226 I Spedding. 224 B Watson. 222 220 D W Humphrey. 222 G W & L Marsay. 220 Little Newsham Farms. 220 I M Maughan. 220 Allison Devereux Farms. 218 D & B Harding. 216 A W Sanderson. 216 Little Newsham Farms. 216 A & D Heyes. 214(x2) I R Appleton. 214 A J Hunter. 214 M W Reed. 214 A Willey.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 276 S J Welford. 252 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 230 A Layfield. 226 A Willey. 194 J F Harland. 188 Deerness Valley Dairy. 172 R G Richardson.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2022 £1771 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1973 Katie Willey. £1842 A & D Heyes. £1827 £1629 S H Watson & Son. £1738 M R Souter. £1704 £1669 £1635 J Richmond. £1702 £1614 D W Humphrey. £1679 A Willey. £1639 Allison Devereux Farms. £1628 £1480 T W Clark & Son. £1605 I R Appleton. £1568 M W Reed. £1559 I Spedding. £1541 £1518 G K, K N & G J Hird. £1502 A J Hunter. £1492 Little Newsham Farms. £1479(x2) G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1478 B Watson. £1476 J D Bentley & Son. £1470 E Scott & Sons. £1470 A Willey. £1450 G L & M Steel.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2169 S J Welford. £2110 R G Richardson. £1860 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1767 A Willey. £1764 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1757 A Layfield. £1208 J F Harland.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A brilliant 3-year-old Limousin bull from J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley Farm, Hamsterley kicked off proceedings and sold for an impressive £3900. An increased offering of young bulls followed and some terrific prices were achieved, none more so than the excellent annual consignment of 12–14-month-old Limousin’s from J R Fell, North Oxen-le-Fields who produced fifteen fine lads to average £1408 and top at £1630 which is a stunning £215 increase on the year. A 14-month-old Aberdeen Angus bull from T T Hall & Son, Evenwood shared the top slot with the Fell bull at £1630 with Northumberland raiders Messrs Grix and Common their closest challengers. Store cattle trade continues at quite the pace, top this week at £1560 was a strong 2-year-old British Blue steer from J Robson, Stoney Stoops, behind him in the steer race followed two terrific 16-month-old Limousin’s from R W Ridley, Hurst at £1535 and £1520. After success in the geld cow ring earlier for the Willey family of Broomfield Farm, Chopwell it was a very solid performance from that same good home through the stores, top heifer of the day from Broomfield was a well grown Montbeliarde which sold for £1545, the same fine feeding produced seven Longhorn steers to sell beyond £1450 with the top three reaching £1485. With grass on the move fast now the yearling cattle on offer certainly enjoyed proceedings, good runs from J C Smith, Manor Farm, Egglescliffe and T Common & Son, Low Ardley, Hexham were probably the pick of the runs of youngsters on the day.
Leading Prices
Breeding Bull – £3900 J & F Hartley & Sons.
Young Bulls – £1630 £1600 £1590(x3) £1580 £1530(x2) £1485 £1420 £1195 £1150 £1110 £1070 £1060 J R Fell. £1630 T T Hall & Son. £1610 £1510 £1460 £1210 W O Grix & Partners. £1545 £1460 T Common & Son. £1390 £1280 £1185 £1160 £1140 M J Hutchinson. £1380 £1040 £1020 J & F Hartley & Sons. £1290 £1255 £1210 £1145 R Simpson & Sons. £1140 £1005 R A Patterson & Son. £1135(x2) £1130 £1110 R J & R Greenbank.
Store Steers – £1560 J Robson. £1535 £1520 £1475 RW Ridley. £1485 x3 £1480 x3 £1450 GA Willey. £1470 £1350 x4 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1410 £1360 £1260 A Willey. £1355 x3 £1320 £1315 £1260 x3 £1190 JC Smith. £1300 £1170 T Common & Son. £1295 Beckwith. £1280 £1180 X2 £1170 A&AG Moralee. £1280 GN&B Moor. £1270 DH Craig. £1200 £1195 IW Cairns. £1190 Sanderson & Bell.
Store Heifers – £1545 £1400 A Willey. £1490 RW Ridley. £1415 x3 JM Dent. £1400 £1345 IW Cairns. £1380 GN&B Moor. £1350 £1280 N Wilson. £1340 R Simpson & Sons. £1290 x2 £1220 £1190 J Robson. £1290 x2 £1245 x2 WH Brown. £1275 x2 £1175 JS Wiper. £1270 £1165 Tennant. £1260 £1160 W Denham. £1255 I Newton & Son. £1255 JC Smith. £1255 x4 R Errington & Son. £1230 x2 TH Mace & Sons. £1190 1120 W&J Herbert. £1160 B Watson. £1140 W Wearmouth & Son. £1120 JN Swinbank.
Breeding Sheep – The pre-sale show of hoggs and lambs was kindly judged by Paul Cass of Scarborough, with some excellent sheep before him Paul made a thorough and professional job of the task in hand. Scooping the Championship for the second year running at this event were five brilliant Texel hoggs with Beltex lambs from D Carr & Son, Highwood Farm, Hexham; the reserve rosette went to another Hexham based producer Messrs M W & C M Ridley, Shitlington Hall Farm who impressed on their Darlington debut with their second prized pen of Continental hoggs. Some serious strength in the Mule class earned the top two spots for R N Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall, Northallerton with previous DfAM winners T W Thompson of Danby completing the prize winners as listed below.
Continental Hoggs & Lambs (Pens of 5)
1st D Carr & Son, Highwood Farm sold for £300 to M R Cass, Scarborough (Champion)
2nd M W & C M Ridley, Shitlington Hall sold for £280 to M R Cass, Scarborough (Reserve)
3rd M W & C M Ridley, Shitlington Hall sold for £280 to M R Cass, Scarborough
Mule Hoggs & Lambs (Pens of 5)
1st R N Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall sold for £270 to I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham
2nd R N Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall sold for £260 to I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham
3rd T W Thompson, Lealholm Lawns sold for £230 to K & M Elders & Son, Bradbury
Away from the show the recent trend continued as both the ewes and lambs with the strongest lambs demanded a premium, top of the shop today were ten terrific Suffolk crossed ewes from E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange when they sold with strong twin lambs at foot for £320 per family, thirteen Texel’s from the same home followed closely when they reached £320. The hogg and lamb trade was naturally dominated by our show class winners, the hogg sale throughout averaged £115 per life, as mentioned earlier the stronger the lamb the firmer the trade.
Ewes & Lambs – £320 £310 E Scott & Sons. £255 £245 £220 £205 x2 W Wearmouth & Son. £255 £240 £205 F Johnson. £250 GW Chapman. £232 £230 £220 £210 TW Brown. £230 £228 £225 £218 £215 £208 Lee-Ann Raine. £228 £180 W Burton. £220 JS Brougham. £220 £215 £210 £208 £202 £170 £168 £160 Northfield Farms. £220 £210 £190 K Raine. £218 £202 £140 G Williamson. £202 £190 £185 £125 D&JA Teasdale. £200 x2 £158 D&M Buck. £185 CW Cutler. £165 £160 CG Barraclough.
Hoggs & Lambs – £300 £290 £250 D Carr & Son. £285 £280 £245 £210 £200 MW&CM Ridley. £270 £260 RN Kirby & Son. £270 £230 x2 £220 TW Thompson. £232 £180 Mollie Raine. £220 £200 x2 WM Reed & Sons. £190 WR Barron. £185 A Newton. £160 x2 K Raine. £160 D Alderson. £142 CW Cutler. £140 G Williamson.
Store Sheep – Mid-May and still the store sheep come from somewhere every week, it seems tomorrow never dies, you only live twice and presumably the vendors have sat all season thinking that it was no time to die. The world is not enough but surely a top price today of £142 comes close, the best pen thankfully were gimmer hoggs and will therefore die another day. The successful vendor today was of course Mr Bond, P G & J Bond, New Close Farm, Sacriston; we had been expecting him.
Store Hoggs – £142 £130 £108 PG&J Bond. £127 £125 Tom Bell. £113 £112 x2 £109 R Errington & Son. £92 £55 K Sayer. £76 J Brown & Sons.
Feeding Ewes – £170 GW Chapman. £150 £100 PJ Anderson & Son. £142 £140 £122 £109 £54 £53 £50 K Sayer. £122 £108 £72 £40 IW Cairns. £112 £96 Tom Bell. £98 CW Cutler. £92 EJ&D Braithwaite. £61 J Brown & Sons.
