Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 17th July 2023. Forward were 193 cattle and 246 sheep.
63 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 230ppk or £1846
2 Cast Bulls sold to 198ppk or £2154
1 Cow & Calf sold for £1280
19 Young Bulls sold to £1520
53 Store Steers sold to £1565
54 Store Heifers sold to £1350
246 Store Lambs sold to £116
Cast Cattle – The beef trade is undoubtedly dipping however all things considered this week’s cast ring average of 179 pence per kilo and £1169 per head is far from disastrous and remains miles in front of any dead weight alternatives available. A superb British Blonde cow from W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm, Yearby led the prices per kilo when she sold for 230 pence, plenty of others followed beyond 200ppk including the next best which was also our leading native breed, a tidy Hereford OTM heifer from J & S Thompson, Morton Grange which reached 226ppk. Top gross valued cow this week was a thumping 972kg Limousin from M Gallon, High Crows Farm when she sold for £1846, five other continental cows sold over £1600 ahead of our top native which was again a Hereford, this fleshy girl came from W & R Kemp & Son, Wigdon Walls Farm and sold for £1564. Top of the Friesian’s came Little Newsham Farms reaching £1153 whilst the best per kilo was a youngster from Stainton Hill Farms when she sold for an impressive 210 pence. An excellent 10-year-old Limousin from N White, Barf House, Marrick topped the bull prices when he clocked the scale to 1088kg and sold for 198ppk and £2154.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 230 198 192 186(x4) 182 W A Wardman Ltd. 226 J & S Thompson. 220 194 N Edmondson. 218 212 E Wilson. 216 186 D Barron. 210 Stainton Hill Farms. 208 W & M Knaggs & Son. 206 184 W Lodge & Sons. 190 H Chamley. 190 186 M Gallon. 188 T N Callender. 186 184 W & R Kemp & Son. 186(x2) M Shepherd. 184 W O Alderson. 184 R Bradley & Son. 184 I Newton & Son.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 198 N White. 190 K T Anderson & Son.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1846 £1759 M Gallon. £1706 £1355 D Barron. £1688 W & M Knaggs & Son. £1682 E Wilson. £1637 £1462 £1443 £1316 £1218 £1183 £1177 £1167 W A Wardman Ltd. £1564 £1478 W & R Kemp & Son. £1548 £1449 N Edmondson. £1438 £1354 £1218 M Shepherd. £1433 E Wilson. £1401 J & S Thompson. £1318 W Lodge & Sons. £1278 £1267 R Bradley & Son. £1256 P Harrison. £1251 J & M J Walton. £1246 W O Alderson. £1210 T N Callender. £1195 I Newton & Son.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross – £2154 N White. £1436 K T Anderson & Son.
Store Cattle – Very little evidence yet in the store ring of any price drops across the beef industry, an exceptional trade occurred for all shapes and sizes. Top of the young bulls proved to be a superb 13-month-old Limousin from regular sellers T T Hall & Son, Church Farm, Evenwood when he sold for £1520, closest behind at £1280 was also a Limousin, this one just a baby at 8-months-old came from Hughes Brothers Farms, Neasham. A cracking trade for the steers saw Friesian’s to £1235, Fleckveih’s to £1315, Blue’s to £1330, Blonde’s to £1380, Charolais to £1420 but the king of this week’s ring was the reliable Limousin’s when local dairy farmers W Walker & Sons, High Copelaw Farm showed a well grown pair just shy of two years old which sold for £1565. Heifers too were in fine form, best of all was a smart British Blue from D R Smith, East Roughlea Farm when she sold for £1350, just a tenner behind sat a sweet 14-month-old Charolais from W A Wardman, Yearby with a quality quartet of Aberdeen Angus also from East Roughlea following them home when selling for £1295.
Cow & Calf – £1280 Joseph Dixon.
Young Bulls – £1520 T T Hall & Son. £1280 £1090 £840 Hughes Brothers Farms. £1170 £1130 £865 D E Stones. £1090 H W & M Alderson & Son. £1060(x2) £780(x2) W T Hall. £855 £780 £775 J W Richardson.
Store Steers – £1565(x2) £1470 £1380 W Walker & Sons. £1420 £1380 W A Wardman Ltd. £1330 £1315(x3) £1280(x3) £1275(x3) £1260 £1245 £1235 £1200(x2) £1195 £1190(x3) £1165(x2) £1160 £1130 K Metcalfe. £1300 D R Smith. £1190(x2) H Chamley. £1165 £1120 N Wilson.
Store Heifers – £1350 £1295(x4) £1290 D R Smith. £1340 £1275 £1270 W A Wardman Ltd. £1285 H Chamley. £1130 N Wilson. £1095(x3) £1090(x4) £1050 £985(x2) £980(x3) B J S Farms. £1080 £1075 £985 J W Chamley & Son. £1065 W O Alderson. £980 M J Hutchinson. £950 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd.
Store Lambs – The first offering of the season and a very positive start, largely long keep lambs averaged a pleasing £80.30 with buyers and interested parties aplenty. The few short keep lambs enjoyed an absolute flyer, eleven strong Texel’s from J Armstrong, Armondside Farm topped proceedings reaching £116 with the same good home selling two further pens beyond £100. Top of the Suffolk’s were nineteen nice sorts out of Mule ewes from T & C Smith, Thorsgill Farm which sold for £95 apiece.
Leading Prices
Texel £116 £109 J Armstrong. £94 £85.50 J Wigham. £90 J Burbury. £89 T & C Smith. £85 £74 B R & S Fell. £82 £77 Luke Turnbull. £80 E G Bulman. £76 J Curry.
Blue Texel £101 J Armstrong.
Suffolk £95 £89 T & C Smith. £70 B R & S Fell.
