Thursday 3rd August – Darlington Auction Mart had forward:
66 Bulls sold to 294ppk & £2547
31 Steers sold to 316ppk & £2049
41 Heifers sold to 344ppk & £2056
1 OTM sold to 170ppk & £1601
1109 Lambs sold to 411ppk & £181
465 Cast Sheep sold to £154
17 Pigs sold to 178ppk & £190
Prime Bulls (66) – Less forward and trade improved on the week, today’s sale average returned at a much better 247 pence per kilo this despite over half of the entry being either Dairy or Native bred. A dozen cracking bulls sold over for 280 pence, A handy weight Limousin from DW Humphrey and a superstar British Blue from the ever-consistent Northumberland based Renton’s of Highlaws were our joint winners at 294ppk. With a notable 17 selling this week over £2000. It was a majestic 22-month-old British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm which topped the lead grossing table, at £2547. The top Friesian once again came from the ever consistent yard of Hall’s Kilton Hall selling to 215ppk & £1380 and the Lead Grossing Friesian was sold for £1503 by FS Sturrock & Sons, Home Farm. An Aberdeen Angus sold by AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange for 248ppk & £1909 was the leader in the native section.
Some of today’s leading averages:
WJ&AS Bowes 3 Bulls av 273ppk & £2241
Renton Highlaws Ltd 6 Bulla av 284ppk & £2029
F&JS Gargett 2 Bulls av 257ppk & £2100
JB Luck 2 Bulls av 285ppk & £1980
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 294 292 287 279×2 278 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 294 DW Humphrey. 292 280 JB Luck & Son. 289 287 285 S&J Dent & son. 285 249 GW Dobson & Son. 280×2 260 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 278 275 260 252 AG Watson & Sons. 276 P Weightman & Sons. 271 WJ Scott Ltd. 269 248 F&JS Gargett. 268 266 265 WI Suddes & Son. 267 266 258 255 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 257 255 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2547 P Weightman & Sons. £2401 £1659 WI Suddes & Son. £2385 £2237 £2100 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2151 £2022 £1989 £1947 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2148 £2119 £2077 £2070 £1897 £1860 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2134 £2046 £2008AG Watson & Sons. £2130 £2071 F&JS Gargett. £2072 £1889 JB Luck & Son. £1864 WJ Scott Ltd. £1817 31618 S&J Dent & Son. £1801 GW Dobson & Son. £1787 JJ Horn. £1776 £1619 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 215 205 R Hall & Son. 208 JK&CE Farming. 194 GS Dowson. 194 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1503 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1380 £1264 R Hall & Son. £1310 JK&CE Farming. £1117 GS Dowson.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 248 AG Watson & Sons. 235 RW&H Atkinson. 234 R Hall & Son. 234 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 228 226 209 206 200 199×2 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1909 AG Watson & Sons. £1743 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1646 £1509 £1466 £1430 £1367 £1226 £1205 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1478 RW&H Atkinson. £1453 R Hall & Son.
OTM – Top prices ppk 170 J Elliott.
Lead Grossing OTM £1601 J Elliott.
Clean Cattle (72) – A lighter show of cattle but my goodness did those that brought them today see an absolute flyer. The heifers averaged a stunning 310 pence per kilo up an incredible 40ppk on the week, whilst the steers which were a very mixed show levelled at 250ppk. Doubling up today were Robin and Imogen Hirst of Neasham when they sold a wonderful batch of 10 heifers to average an exceptional 328 pence per kilo including the topper a 561kg Limousin which headed to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington at 344 pence & £1929 their Charolais Heifer was also the top grossing clean beast on the day, selling for £2056 to Thompson Wholesale Meats.; A sensational day for the vendors which saw half of the heifers offered – sell for at least 300 pence. Top steer per kilo went to 2 regular DFAM vendors as Scotts of Low Leam and W Wardman, Thrushwood both sold for 316p.The top gross valued steer came from regular top spotters The Hodgson’s of Summerhouse with a thick fleshed 732kg British Blue at £1966. A special mention must also go to Frank & Martin Hustwit, Morden Southside who sold a run of 10 wonderfully finished cattle for a fantastic 323ppk & £1914.
Listed below are some of the week’s top performers:
WF Hustwit 10 cattle av 323ppk & £1914
JV&JA Hodgson 10 cattle av 308ppk & £1957
R Hirst 8 cattle av 323ppk & £1886
Steers – Top prices ppk 316 315 270 262 WJ Scott Ltd. 316 306 294 278 260 WA Wardman Ltd. 292 232 Jack Henshaw. 280 JV&JA Hodgson. 270 243 A&MJ Henshaw. 245 228 AJ Marr & Son. 240 239 233 231 229 SN Bird & Sons. 237 228×2 TN Hodgson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £2049 JV&JA Hodgson. £1981 £1861 £1734 £1687 WJ Scott Ltd. £1971 £1692 £1684 £1554 £1549 WA Wardman Ltd. £1855 £1799 £1564 £1536 TN Hodgson & Sons. £1844 £1695 Jack Henshaw. £1746 £1688 £1598 A&MJ Henshaw. £1732 FJ Young & Partners. £1473 £1450 £1423 £1402 SN Bird & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 344 341 338 334 333 328 320 319 318 310 R Hirst. 341 336 331 329 327 317 307 300 WF Hustwit. 339×2 JE Jordon & Son. 338 336 326 315×2 311 310 285 281 JV&JA Hodgson. 335326×2 325 WJ Scott Ltd. 329 DW Humphrey. 300 WA Wardman Ltd. 286 FJ Young & Partners.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2056 £1929 £1900 £1896 £1883 £1873 £1858 £1844 £1834 £1781 R Hirst. £2049 £1962 £1927 £1919 £1902 £1893 £1863 £1795 WF Hustwit. £2008 £2003 £1989 £1982 £1963 £1920 £1906 £1879 £1871 JV&JA Hodgson. £2003 DW Humphrey. £1876 31806 £1751 WJ Scott Ltd. £1864 £1823 JE Jordon & Son. £1758FJ Young & Partners.
Prime Lambs (1109) – With the glory of our usual British summer, many farmers decided against grading lambs in adverse conditions. Hence a reduced entry compared to last week. Nevertheless, those who brought the best quality and heavier lambs were rewarded with a stronger trade. A large entry of lighter lambs affected the average however. Top price of the day goes to K&PM Lough with a cracking Beltex lamb weighing 44kg and making £181. Closely following was M Pickering with a pen of terrific Texel lambs at £167, whose success continued as they also had a pen of Texels at £160. Pushing his way into the top three, was F&JS Gargett with four shapely Beltex lambs at £155.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 411 283 K&PM Lough. 371 313 295 x2 273 M Pickering. 358 300 296 292 G&E Walton. 352 292 279 F&JS Gargett. 328 273 G Thompson & Sons. 318 288 Emma Moorcock. 317 287 DL&D Lovegreen. 311 306 297 284 281 D&PH Brown. 300 286 MJ Blacklidge. 300 M Barley. 297 289 279 JA&J Herbert. 294 281 280 275 BR&R Routledge. 293 M&A Gaskin. 285 DM McClurg. 280 x2 273 HT Davies & Partners. 280 275 I&A Holmes. 280 J Pallister & Sons. 279 K Hall. 278 277 GF Whitfield. 278 P Douglas. 277 JR Knox & Son. 276 W&C Iceton. 274 W Wearmouth & Son.
Lead Grossing Lambs – £181 £122 K&PM Lough. £167 £160 £145 £130 x2 £126 M Pickering. £155 F&JS Gargett. £153 £150 £131 Emma Moorcock. £152 £144 £129 £125 £123 MJ Blacklidge. £149 £148 £147 £144 £138 G&E Walton. £149 £143 £141 £131 x2 D&PH Brown. £142 £125 £123 JA&A Herbert. £140 J Pallister & Sons. £139 P Douglas. £139 £138 £134 M&A Gaskin. £138 G Thompson & Sons. £134 £126 K Hall. £133 £132 £123 S Love. £130 DL&D Lovegreen. £129 £124 x2 I&A Holmes. £127 £125 £123 JR Knox & Son. £123 JR Raine & Sons. £123 W Wearmouth & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (466) – A sharper trade arose this week, with a similar number of ewes stepping forward. Leaner ewes remain hard to place, which unfortunately affected the average. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story as the best finished ewes were sought after, and as a result, top grossing prices were increased. AWSM Farms had a fantastic run of ewes and topped the market overall at £154, followed by prices between £136 – £140. Sharing the top spot with AWSM Farms was CK&D Muir with a big Texel Ewe at £154. Making it into the top trio was D&PH Brown with fantastic Continental ewes at £142 and £132. A run of Magnificent Mules Today reached a top price of £131 from HS Petch & Sons, Newton Under Roseberry. Superb Swaledales today reached £78 sold by N White of Marrick.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep – £154 £139 £138 £136 £119 £100 £95 AWSM Farms. £154 £131 £110 £96 £84 CK&D Muir LTD. £142 £132 £117 x2 D&PH Brown. £131 HS Petch & Sons. £130 £115 £114 £100 £94 J Curry. £130 £124 £95 £86 £80 SM Donaldson. £129 £123 M Pickering. £121 £82 D&JA Teasdale. £106 x2 £95 Gray. £105 x2 RA Patterson & Son. £101 £100 £88 N White. £98 JW&DW Laing. £97 R Peart. £95 MW Reed. £95 GF Whitfield. £94 £93 £92 £90 £87 East Mellwaters Farm. £90 J&VM Bussey. £88 J Thompson. £88 Anna Herbert. £84 x2 W Wearmouth & Son.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 178 150 J Mitchell & Son. 174 152 146 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £190 £149 £125 C Weightman. £145 £1
