Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 15th June 2023. Forward were 160 cattle, 2736 sheep and 11 pigs.
70 Prime Bulls sold to 320ppk or £2710
22 Prime Steers sold to 318ppk or £2187
68 Prime Heifers sold to 341ppk or £2075
1139 New Season Lambs sold to 357ppk or £170
783 Prime Hoggs sold to 277ppk or £150
814 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £500
11 Prime Pigs sold to 145ppk or £109
Prime Bulls (70) – Bull trade in excellent form, dairy breeds and crosses a touch easier with the national trend however no drop for the best bulls which remain very easy to sell, todays sale then averaged 270ppk and a massive £1954. Thirteen bulls broke 300 pence per kilo, five sold in the teens in a close-run race at the top however just one bull reached 320 pence, a superb 731kg Limousin from regular sellers A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange. An unbelievable thirty-two sold beyond £2000 with the top ten all the right side of £2300, the top three all over £2500 came from the excellent Limousin breeders and feeders A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with a best of a whopping £2710. Some fine sorts from North of the border kept the superb Simpson’s on their toes as a heavy Limousin from W T Morrison Farms, Keith sold for £2486. A somewhat unusual winner in the native breed bull race this week as a superb 735kg South Devon from the in form Nunstainton Grange team took the honours at 290ppk and £2131 whilst local sellers J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm (£236ppk) and the uber consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall (£1577) between them led the Friesian feeders this week. See below some of the day’s top pen averages.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 bulls to average 313ppk and £2624
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 bulls to average 304ppk and £2283
J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge sold 2 to average 302ppk and £1971
J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 to average 298ppk and £2257
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 7 to average 297ppk and £2224
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 297ppk and £2199
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 320 316 300 298 288 AG Watson & Sons. 319 313 310 AC Simpson & Son. 318 295 278 F&JS Gargett. 318 291 LS Staley. 311 274 A&D Proctor. 310 295 JK&CE Farming. 310 GW Dobson & Son. 307 WF&DM Metcalfe. 298×2 JJ Horn. 290 S&J Dent & Son. 290 283 260 S Luck & Son. 289 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 285 280 279 A&R Thompson. 280 259 J Norman. 275 WT Morrison.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2710 £2587 £2576 AC Simpson & Son. £2486 WT Morrison. £2373 £2339 £2259 £2226 £2185 £2055 AG Watson & Sons. £2351 £2315 £1932 F&JS Gargett. £2334 £2231 LS Staley. £2300 £2268 A Clark. £2264 £2249 JJ Horn. £2252 £2039 T Hill & R Wright. £2233 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2227 £1932 S Luck & Son. £2213 WF&DM Metcalfe. £2170 £2162 £1983 A&R Thompson. £2135 GW Dobson & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 236 235 R Hall & Son. 220 219 218 213 JM&S Walton. 214 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1577 £1510 £1487 £1452 JM&S Walton. £1442 £1394 R Hall & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 290 AG Watson & Sons. 246 W Henderson & Son. 227 JA&A Herbert. 217 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2131 AG Watson & Sons. £1589 W Henderson & Son. £1588 R Hall & Son. £1411 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (90) – Quality butchers cattle remain in terrific demand; despite the ongoing deadweight price reductions the live ring remains buoyant as the independent butchers and wholesalers keep up their good work. Heifers levelled at 293ppk and with half the steers native breeds they averaged 271ppk. A very smart top end to the heifers saw plenty in the 330’s however just one beyond 340ppk, the plaudits go to a fantastic home bred 596kg British Blonde from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm selling for 341ppk; regular sellers the Hirst’s and the Hustwit’s proved to be the closest challengers. More success for team Low Leam in the steers as another brilliant Blonde set the pace weighing 688kg and selling for 318ppk; the recent good form of I Marshall & Sons, Hope House saw them pick up the silver medal in the steer section. More success in the gross values for the Scott’s of Low Leam when they again fought off the Marshall’s to top at £2187 and they almost claimed a clean sweep of today’s top honours, narrowly beaten by a wonderful 627kg Limousin heifer from A Swinbank & Son, Sedgefield which took top gross valued heifer at £2075. See below some of our top pen averages.
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 298ppk and £2068
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 293ppk and £2104
L W Martin, Commondale sold 3 to average 290ppk and £1716
Heifers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 5 to average 327ppk and £1898
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 320ppk and £1828
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Stainton sold 3 to average 311ppk and £1778
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 307ppk and £1866
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 306ppk and £1851
W F Hustwit, Sedgefield sold 5 to average 306ppk and £1792
Steers – Top prices ppk 318 309 297 271 WJ Scott Ltd. 317 305 254 LW Martin. 309 293 290 283 I Marshall. 284 Askwiths. 255 247 246 244 Thoresby Livestock. 248 247 230 A&CA Stanwix.
Lead Grossing Steers £2187 £2119 £2013 £1954 WJ Scott Ltd. £2163 £2102 £2080 £2071 I Marshall & Sons. £1996 £1573 A&CA Stanwix. £1894 Askwiths. £1808 £1759 £1582 LW Martin. £1698 FJ Hugill. £1292 £1264 £12225 £1222 Thoresby Livestock.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 341 336 322 318×2 WJ Scott Ltd. 339 335 331 326 320 318 313 311 310 305 R Hirst. 336 307 306 294×2 WF Hustwit. 335 299 JR Ramsay & Sons. 331 303 A Swinbank & Son. 328 326 325 320 313 310 299 JV&JA Hodgson. 325 324 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 318 314 292 TW Clark & Son. 315 309 Askwiths. 314 307 SH Watson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2075 £1890 £1808 A swinbank & Son. £2046 £2032 £1874 £1812 WJ Scott Ltd. £1994 £1990 £1971 £1946 £1910 £1885 £1836 JV&JA Hodgson. £1992 £1956 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1961 £1787 £1737 WF Hustwit. £1946 £1922 £1908 £1884 £1863 £1832 R Hirst. £1892 £1855 £1851 TW Clark. £1814 £1786 SH Watson & Son. £1812 £1800 JM Ramsay & Son.
New Season Lambs (1139) – Weight and shape are the order of the day as we head in to that time of year when big is so often beautiful, hard to question those drawing hard though as three figures for grass fed March/April born lambs could well look shrewd in the long run. As always weighed straight today’s sale averaged 293ppk, undoubtedly down in price however more than in line with prices elsewhere. Topping the sale at 357 pence per kilo was an excellent quartet of Texel lambs from Alan & Betsy Kirk of Bullmire Farm; the next four top prices per kilo all came from the super consistent J C Simpson, Caldwell. Even the mighty lambs of Richard Bailes, Cole Hill couldn’t claim the top gross value this week as a fabulous 53kg Texel from I Burn & Sons, Grange House Farm, Stamfordham headed back North with that honour having sold for £170. Some super runs of lambs again travelled up from farther south, driving the Notinghamshire enterprise this week was a great run from Ian Kirk, Woodside Farm.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 357 W Kirk & Sons. 353×2 347 345 340×2 338 329 325 JC Simpson & Son. 341 334 W.K M.M Lamb. 339 335 I Hedley. 338 320 312 I Burn & Sons. 332 321 320 311 304 300 Ian Kirk. 331 323 322 321 320 304 I&A Holmes. 325 GP&A Carter. 318 306 C Binks & Son. 317 AS&G Donaldson. 316 A&EJ Dobinson. 315 313 302 BR&R Routledge. 312 304×3 JA&A Herbert. 308 300 Anna Herbert. 308 JR Knox & Son. 306 Cole Hill Farm Ltd.
Lead Grossing Lambs £170 £150 £149 I Burn & Sons. £160 £153 £146 £142 £140 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £157 £144 £134 W.K M.M Lamb. £151.50 £149 £148.50 £146 £145×2 £143×3 JC Simpson. £149×3 £148 £145 £144 I&A Holmes. £148 £145 £144 M&A Gaskin. £145 JR Knox & Son. £143 W Kirk & Sons. £143 £138 £137×2 £135 Ian Kirk. £140 JT Wilson. £139 £134 I Hedley. £139 BR&R Routledge. £139 Anna Herbert. £138 IR Appleton. £136 A&EJ Dobinson. £136 J Bolton. £135 C Binks & Son.
Prime Hoggs (783) – More hoggs offered as Qurbani approaches and more breeds listed than the RBST would care to mention, quite literally something for everyone. Top price per kilo went to the Beltex of J D Brannen, Red Barns Farm at 277 pence whilst strong Texel’s from K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear led the gross values at £150. Hoggs with good tops and loins are still very saleable however lean meat much harder to place.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 277 250 JD Brannen. 272 259 234 K&MM Henderson. 271 J Butterfield & Son. 269 258 256 244 W Tindale. 269 A Newton. 265 254 253 252 244 240 238 TW Clark & Son. 261 JA Gilson. 256 A Crowder. 256 L&S Barker. 254 S&J Dent & Son. 254 PJ Tindale. 254 Ivanhoe Livestock. 248 243 238 234×2 RA&J Blyth. 244 242 C Dawson. 244 A Donkin. 244 IR Appleton. 240 JP Floyd. 239 234 M Madrell. 238 AS&G Donaldson. 238 234 A Layfield. 236 LD Laws.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £150 £140 K&MM Henderson. £140 £125 TW Clark & Son. £140 Ivanhoe Livestock. £140 £117×4 £116×3 RA&J Blyth. £136 £124×2 W Tindale. £130×2 S&J Dent & Son. £130 PJ Tindale. £130×2 LD Laws. £130×2 PM&FM Hill. £127 JV Hodgson & Son. £127 £120×2 G Te-Lintelo. £125 £122 JD Brannen. £125 AC Simpson & Son. £124 A Newton. £122 £120 IR Appleton. £122 WR Wilson & Partners. £121 £118 F Myers & Sons. £120×2 C Dawson. £120 JP Floyd. £120 R Nattrass & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (814) – First mention and sincere thanks must go to our generous pool of buyers who so willingly supported the kind donation of a Charollais ewe by Mr Leo Moralee of Blackburn Farm with proceeds going to the Bobby Robson Foundation Cancer Charity; sold and re-offered five times in all eventually a truly wonderful £1500 was raised.
As with the hoggs the ewe numbers increased dramatically with intention to supply the forthcoming Islamic celebrations, big numbers everywhere have perhaps overcooked things as trade was back on the week averaging £91, the tups enjoyed the best of things levelling at £117. A brilliant pair of Texel ewes from the Moralee’s of Blackburn Farm topped the sale when selling for £200 apiece; top of the tups at £175 was a strong Texel from L D Laws, Leyburn and whilst the 277 Mule ewes averaged £85, they had to be as big as ships to cross the £100 barrier. Horned ewes with most meat sold typically in the £60’s and £70’s.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200 C Moralee & Sons. £180 Anna Herbert. £175 £120 LD Laws. £155 S&J Dent & Son. £152 £140 JP Floyd. £150 £130 I&A Holmes. £150 J Milbank & Sons. £150 PM&FM Hill. £145 B Lowson. £142 D Alderson. £142 £134 MW&M Skidmore. £140 JD Brannen. £134×2 K&MM Henderson. £132 £130 £127 JC Simpson. £132 Cole Hill farm Ltd. £130 A Tindale. £130×2 Ivanhoe Livestock. £130 RA&J Blyth. £128 F Johnson. £125 P Cockburn.
Prime Pigs (11) – Not a great show of quality but trade rumbles on quite nicely, the resurgent pig prices are largely thanks to those conscientious folk who support our local economy and take their holidays here in the UK. Our current weather is arguably better than that in Mallorca and we wholeheartedly thank all you staycationers for relentlessly barbequing those sausages. Keep up the good work.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 145 135 125 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £109 £82 £72 C Weightman.
