Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 18th May 2023. Forward were 213 Cattle and 1538 Sheep.
71 Prime Bulls sold to 340ppk or £2937
38 Prime Steers sold to 335ppk or £2401
104 Prime Heifers sold to 355ppk or £2304
271 New Season Lambs sold to 425ppk or £184
881 Prime Hoggs sold to 350ppk or £185
386 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £208
Prime Bulls (71) – Plenty to feel bullish about as the soaring sale averages returned at 284ppk and a massive £1955 per head. Six lovely Limousin’s from five different vendors sold at 330ppk or more, our tremendous top three featured J B Luck & Son, Milestone House at 336ppk, J C Johnson, Beanley Carr Farm at 339ppk whilst the Cornsay herd of W I Suddes & Son, South Farm topped proceedings weighing 645kg and selling for 340ppk. Some gargantuan gross values today as no less than twenty-three bulls sold over £2200; another podium place for the Beanley Carr bulls as a second from this good home placed third selling for £2610 with Jedburgh challengers Robert Neill & Partners, Upper Nisbet Farm a commendable second place at £2741. Top of the tree however at a massive £2937 was a brilliant Limousin from Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn; no better time than this for the live ring to offer the deadweight disciples a sermon then as the sale topper ticked none of their unnecessary boxes, he was not farm assured, weighed 1088kg and yesterday celebrated his third birthday. Friesian trade remains firm, best this week from the crazily consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall Farm reached 258ppk with the top gross value honours going to J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm at £1718. See below some of the day’s top pen averages.
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 3 to average 327ppk and £2154
J C Johnson, Trimdon sold 2 to average 323ppk and £2498
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 to average 323ppk and £2279
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 3 to average 322ppk and £2063
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 4 to average 314ppk and £2188
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 312ppk and £2441
Robert Neill & Ptnrs, Jedburgh sold 2 to average 308ppk and £2530
J Layfield, Willington sold 6 to average 307ppk and £2184
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 301ppk and £2239
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 340 330 312 WI Suddes & Son. 339 310 JC Johnson. 336 321 314 JB Luck & Son. 332 291 Robert Neill & Partners. 330 329 307 S&J Dent & Son. 329 Owlands Farm. 326 290 289 F&JS Gargett. 326 300 LS Staley. 325 319 310 305 AG Watson & Sons. 319 315 308 307 306 J Layfield. 306 William Tindale. 305 JK&CE Farming. 296 295 D Richardson & Co LTD. 295 JJ Horn. 292 291 W&M Knaggs & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls – £2937 Hughes Bros Farms LTD. £2741 £2320 Robert Neill & Partners. £2610 £2386 JC Johnson. £2539 £2343 LS Staley. £2461 £2193 WI Suddes & Son. £2405 £2158 £2154 F&JS Gargett. £2399 William Tindale. £2379 £2376 £2313 £2258 £2048 J Layfield. £2339 £2276 £2060 D Richardson & Co LTD. £2326 £2325 £2186 JB Luck & Son. £2306 £2042 S&J Dent & Son. £2268 £2250 £2213 £2022 AG Watson & Sons. £2266 Owlands Farm. £2185 £2070 JJ Horn. £2090 J Richmond. £2031 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 258 R Hall & Son. 249 JK&CE Farming. 236 x2 229 x2 JM&S Walton. 235 232 214 JR Knox & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls – £1718 £1589 £1581 £1504 JM&S Walton. £1548 JK&CE Farming. £1522 R Hall& Son. £1461 £1389 £1376 JR Knox & Son.
Clean Cattle (142) – An excellent trade saw the heifer’s level at 297ppk with steers 287ppk and the whole shooting match average £1780 apiece, a lean bottom end distorted these numbers slightly as those without thick loins proved harder to place. An incredible achievement this week for the Marshall family of Hope House Farm, Bishop Middleham as they led the pence per kilo and gross values in both the steers and the heifers, congratulations to all concerned. The expertly fed Limousin’s from the marvellous Marshall’s sold a stunning steer for 335ppk and £2401 whilst their handsome heifers saw a best per kilo of 355 pence with another beauty reaching £2304. A brilliant heifer from J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse fell just a penny short of the Hope House heroics with eight other heifers today selling in the 340’s and a further twenty-one between 320ppk and 339ppk. With the Marshall’s claiming gold and silver in the steers it was a credible share of the bronze medal for two great steers from A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford reaching 326ppk. Gerard Quinn of J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm often challenges for the top gross values and it was no surprise today that the ‘Mighty Quinn’ featured at the top end of the scoreboards selling steers to £2343 and heifers to £2140. See below some of the days stand out performances.
Steers
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 325ppk and £2365
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 2 to average 326ppk and £2236
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 315ppk and £2047
J R & B Anderson & Son, Manfield sold 2 to average 310ppk and £1878
J M Smith, Saltburn sold 5 to average 308ppk and £1981
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 2 to average 302ppk and £2201
Heifers
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 342ppk and £2114
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 2 to average 342ppk and £2004
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 333ppk and £1905
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 4 to average 332ppk and £1795
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 326ppk and £1949
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 318ppk and £1870
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 317ppk and £1805
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 315ppk and £1880
G C & J C Pullan, Richmond sold 4 to average 315ppk and £1743
Steers – Top prices ppk 335 328 324 314 I Marshall & Sons. 326 x2 AG Watson & Sons. 319 313 311 300 297 JM Smith. 318 314 Askwiths. 317 295 262 AJ Marr & Son. 314 308 JR&B Anderson & Son. 309 300 270 265 RO Gilson. 306 300 JE Suddes & Son. 290 PR&V Barlow & Son. 289 261 J Pallister & Sons. 270 262 237 TN Hodgson & Sons. 270 266 K&MM Henderson. 254 240 GW&L Marsay. 242 DL&D Lovegreen. 242 T Watson.
Lead Grossing Steers £2401 £2361 £2355 £2342 I Marshall & Sons. £2343 JE Suddes & Son. £2249 £2223 AG Watson & Sons. £2162 £2000 £1995 £1918 £1829 JM Smith. £2094 £2000 Askwiths. £2084 £1954 £1727 £1642 TN Hodgson & Sons. £2079 £1914 £1606 AJ Marr & Son. £2059 JE Suddes & Son. £1925 £1848 £1820 £1792 RO Gilson. £1909 £1649 K&MM Henderson. £1907 £1838 J Pallister & Sons. £1888 £1868 JR&B Anderson & Son. £1827 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 355 349 336 334 I Marshall & Sons. 354 346 341 320 319 x2 JV&JA Hodgson. 345 340 S&J Dent & Son. 344 325 324 323 322 315 x2 314 R Hirst. 343 340 327 320 W&M Knaggs & Son. £337 331 JB Luck & Son. 334 328 JE Suddes & Son. 332 328 324 317 WF Hustwit. 329 TW Clark & Son. 327 PR&V Barlow & Son. 327 MF Hall. 326 315 Askwiths. 321 315 x2 GC&JC Pullan.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2304 £2130 £2103 £1919 I Marshall & Sons. £2140 £2050 JE Suddes & Son. £2107 £1900 S&J Dent & Son. £2090 Anthony Swinbank. £2000 £1885 TW Clark & Son. £1993 £1990 £1965 £1943 £1941 £1926 £1922 £1900 JV&JA Hodgson. £1972 £1950 £1946 £1931 £1881 £1879 £1869 £1851 WF Hustwit. £1962 MF Hall. £1943 £1936 £1930 £1915 £1874 £1868 £1854 R Hirst. £1919 £1890 JB Luck & Son. £1906 WE&CA Anderson. £1869 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1864 GC&JC Pullan.
New Season Lambs (271) – More numbers forward, unsurprisingly last week’s barnstorming trade wasn’t repeated however a tidy show still returned a weighed straight average of £153 per head with an SQQ of 362 pence per kilo. New faces at the top of this week’s chart despite more brilliant lambs from last week’s leader J C Simpson, Caldwell who placed a close second with six cracking 43kg lambs selling for £182 (423ppk). Best per kilo today however went to an excellent 40kg Texel lamb from Bridie Fisk, Walworth when it sold for 425 pence (£170) and the top gross value of a pleasing £184 headed home with an excellent pen of five 45kg lambs from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin, Sadberge.
Lambs – Top price ppk 425 422 397 Bridie Fisk. 423 418 414 411 404 JC Simpson. 415 395 388 369 351 P Tindale. 410 382 348 BR&RI Routledge. 408 400 391 W&M Knaggs & Son. 402 K&RE Robson. 386 346 I Burn & Sons. 378 W Kirk & Sons. 378 370 361 Anna Herbert. 374 JM Smith. 365 357 355 TW&PT Moss Limited.
Lead Grossing Lambs – £184 £176 x2 W&M Knaggs & Son. £182 £180 £177 £170 x2 JC Simpson. £175 £166 x2 £159 £158 P Tindale. £175 £170 £168 £156 x2 £155 I Burn & Sons. £170 £169 £159 Bridie Fisk. £169 K&RE Robson. £164 £157 BR&RI Routledge. £161 £148 £160 JM Smith. £164 £160 £150 x2 TW&P Moss Limited. £160 £154 Rose A Farms LTD. £160 I Spedding. £159 W Kirk & Sons. £155 £148 x2 Anna Herbert. £137 JW&DW Laing.
Prime Hoggs (881) – Another eclectic mix as is so often the case in May, trade a touch easier on the week as butchers and wholesalers perhaps look to turn more towards the new season lamb. A sale average of 271ppk is however no disaster given the number of vendors now reaching the bottom of their barrels. The late Spring dates on the calendar often see a late surge from the Callender’s of Ox Eye Farm, Whinney Hill and it was they who produced the run of the day taking the top three prices per kilo, the pick from Ox Eye a trio of 44kg Beltex sold for 350 pence per kilo. Few bring more powerful consistency to our hogg ring than A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear and even nearing the end of this season’s crop it was they who led the gross values when twice producing 69kg Texel hoggs to reach £185. Strong contenders and making it over £180 were also Newark’s P R Weaver and some expertly fed Charollais hoggs from R H Thompson & Son, Whins Farm. Mule hoggs sold to £137 from Ian Kirk of Nottinghamshire whilst horned hoggs reached £110 for Blackface and Swaledales sold to £100.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 350 342 x2 329 325 321 309 297 TN Callender. 336 335 319 AC Simpson & Son. 328 300 A Crowder. 321 320 316 313 301 RH Thompson & Son. 319 304 292 Ainsty Farms Direct. 318 JD Brannen. 314 SW Bowe. 311 PR&V Barlow & Son. 306 M&CLR Dale. 306 F Hare & Sons. 305 IE&AC Teasdale. 303 302 300 293 x2 PR Weaver. 300 C Dawson. 295 294 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Hoggs – £185 x2 £180 £179 £178 £175 £170 £168 £167 £163 £161 AC Simpson & Son. £183 £177 173 £170 £167 £165 £161 £160 PR Weaver. £181 £174 £168 x2 £165 x2 £164 £160 x3 RH Thompson & Son. £177 JK&CE Farming. £172 JR Knox & Son. £170 M&CLR Dale. £160 x2 £159 IE&AC Teasdale.
Cast Ewes & Rams (386) – Big averages saw the ewes level at £112 with the rams a stunning £138, in reality a good show would help these numbers as trade appeared very similar. More success for W & M Knaggs & Son of Sadberge as they led proceedings selling pure Texel ewes twice beyond £200, best of the rest was again Texel success as Newark’s P R Weaver reached £184. British Rouge ewes sold to £162 from I E & A C Teasdale, Pockley, Suffolk’s topped at £160 from another marauding Midlander T W & P T Moss, Ompton and some serious flesh at the better end of the horned sheep saw L W Martin, Commondale sell six Blackface for £110 and T E Dobson, Stanhope produce five fine Swaledales at £100.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep – £208 £206 £149 £144 £140 x2 £137 W&M Knaggs & Son. £184 £162 £150 £140 PR Weaver. £180 £151 £135 £133 P Tindale. £162 £148 £144 £139 IE&AC Teasdale. £162 £152 JC Simpson. £160 TW&P Moss Limited. £160 I Spedding. £150 £145 £135 £131 M&A Gaskin. £145 £135 BR&RI Routledge. £144 £122 JR&AR Wall. £144 £130 C Dawson. £142 CA Knaggs. £140 PR&V Barlow & Son. £140 MW Reed. £140 £130 K&RE Robson. £139 £135 TE Dobson. £134 £120 F Hare & Sons. £133 HT Davies & Partners. £130 £90 JR Knox & Son.
