Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of store stock on Monday 25th September 2023. Forward were 245 cattle and 2290 sheep.
77 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 262ppk or £2194
4 Stock Bulls sold to 248ppk or £1849
4 Stirks sold to £840
2 Cows & Calves sold to £2100
13 Young Bulls sold to £1260
66 Store Steers sold to £1675
77 Store Heifers sold to £1395
2041 Store Lambs sold to £132
249 Feeding Ewes sold to £151
Cast Cattle – The cow trade remains excellent, this week’s sale averaged 179ppk and £1160; some good cows could be seen at the top end but a moderate bottom proportion mattered little as all types were very keenly bid for. Top price per kilo at 262 pence (£1527) was unusually a Holstein Friesian; a super 30-month-old from Deerness Valley Dairy took the bragging rights back to Tow Law. No doubting the top older cow this week as a fantastic Limousin just over 4-years-old from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst weighing 885kg which sold for 248ppk and an excellent £2194. Three other cows sold over £1700 as another from Longhirst joined a cracking pair from W M Reed & Sons, Westgate at the top end of proceedings. Native breeds led the trade for males as a Hereford bull from W O Grix & Partners, Whalton sold for £1849 and a superb young Aberdeen Angus steer from E A & N Thompson & Son, Bromley Green led the prices per kilo at 248 pence.
Cast Cows – Top prices 262 Deerness Valley Dairy. 248 220 TW Clark & Son. 248 210 196 JE Jordon & Son. 244 240 WM Reed & Sons. 230 206 DR Smith. 230 184 R&W Todd. 222 216 198 182 F Hickson & Sons. 212 186 182 B Storey. 212 JT Forster & Son. 210 190 188 186 184 JR Allan. 208 186 GP Addison. 198 T&R Quinn & Son. 188 L Booton. 188 GS Bainbridge. 186 P Suddes. 184 Beckwith. 182 TH Mace & Sons. 182 A Rutherford.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2194 £1726 £1497 JE Jordon & Son. £1766 £1717 WM Reed & Sons. £1560 L Booton. £1532 PT Stephenson. £1527 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1491 £1391 TW Clark & Son. £1475 £1346 JT Forster & Son. £1441 £1406 B Storey. £1432 £1328 C Moffett. £1389 T&R Quinn & Son. £1367 £1358 GP Addison. £1327 £1305 £1253 £1246 JR Allan. £1315 £1243 R&W Todd. £1314 GS Bainbridge. £1286 TH Mace & Sons. £1235 A Rutherford.
OTM Steers 248 EA&N Thompson & Son.
Lead Grossing OTM Steers £1743 EA&N Thompson.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 206 202 WO Grix & Partners. 138 L Brown.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £1849 £1714 WO Grix & Partners. £967 L Brown.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A brilliant pair of dairy crossed British Blue heifers with 4-month-old Limousin sired calves at foot from W Burton, West Common Top Farm, Ettersgill started things off well when they sold for £2100 and £1900, they were followed by a small offering of young bulls which were topped at £1260 by an Aberdeen Angus from S Jackson, Tuthill. Store cattle prices remain terrific, especially the short keep types which continue to beggar belief. The run of the day came from B & L Robson, Gawen House, Staindrop with some very well grown 17-19-month-old Charolais steers seeing them top twice at £1675 with the pen of seven averaging a wonderful £1619. The Charolais breed also topped the heifers this week when a smart 19-month-old from E Parsons, Newstead Farm, Little Stainton saw the hammer fall at £1395; behind the leading heifer a stretchy run of dairy crossed British Blue heifers from D Walker, High Woodifield Farm East impressed as eight of them averaged £1283.
Cows & Calves £2100 £1900 W Burton.
Calves & Stirks £840 £780 £760 L Booton. £540 AW Sanderson.
Store Bulls £1260 S Jackson. £1185 £835 RL Carter. £1110 £700 F Hare & Sons. £1060 £710 WO Grix & Partners. £890 £850 C Bell.
Store Steers £1675×2 £1600×2 £1595×3 B&L Robson. £1470 £1440 £1350 JW&B Firby. £1460 Y Kettle. £1435 £1430 £1365 £1360 £1260 £1240 £1200 £1135 FK Fleming. £1430 GA&C Jopling. £1425 £1250 £1165 DR Smith. £1300 £1290 £1200 AE Barker. £1270 F Crawford. £1220 MH Hodgson. £1200 £1180×2 £1145 A Gregg. £1200 RA&SL Wearmouth. £1190 £1100 WO Grix & Partners.
Store Heifers £1395 £1290 £1270×2 £1260 E Parsons. £1295 £1290×4 £1270×3 E parsons. £1280 CE Barker. £1280 £1235 £1195×2 £1185×2 JS Foster & Son. £1235 DR Smith. £1220 £1185 MH Hodgson. £1215 WO Grix & Partners. £1205×5 I Oliver. £1200 £1150 F Crawford. £1195×2 £1190 £1140 J Forster. £1190 S Waggott. £1180 £1170 £1110 RA&SL Wearmouth. £1130 FK Fleming. £1100×2 Pitley Farm Partnership.
Store Sheep – Another excellent entry saw the lambs go even dearer than witnessed last week with more new faces appearing in the buyers gallery. The sale averaged £86 with the best bred and biggest all well over £100, smart long keep lambs £85-£95 and probably the dearest of all were the bottom end with very, very few under £70 no matter how small they are. George Dent of The Bungalow, Gordon House Farm, Cockfield led the way with his run of Beltex with the top pair selling for £132. Texel’s topped at £115 from G H Lister, Wolsingham with Suffolk’s to £100 from S Beeforth, Chop Gate. North of England Mule lambs look a flying trade again this week as the 173 of them averaged over £85 whilst a run of 153 long term project Aberfield crosses from T & A E Miller, Consett look £15 to £20 up on the year averaging £72.69. Feeding ewes again look well sold, eleven superstar Texel’s from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm, Moorsholm led the way at £151.
Store Lambs-
Beltex- £132 £121 £120 £116 £115 £112 £108 £102 GW Dent. £109 £91 HG Spensley & Son. £98 WB Rutter & Sons. £97 £94 RW Dalton. £96 £90 T&H Agri. £89 R Peart. £87 £86 £85 £84 x3 RE Coatsworth.
Texel- £115 £99 £87.50 GH Lister. £110 £96 x2 £81 P Suddes. £110 £97 M Hogg. £107 JH Johnson. £100 £80 R Peart. £97.50 Gillian I’Anson. £96 £92 £80 T Walton. £95 E Peacock. £94.50 £89.50 £86 M Metcalfe. £91.50 £86 JC&AJ Frankland. £91 £90 GH&RG Stobbs. £91 £85 £78 D&G Spry. £91 P&S Wood. £90.50 J Jopling. £90 £86 £83 £82 C&I Watson & Sons. £90 £87 K Buckle. £87.50 JD Heavisides. £87.50 £84 RS Hall & Sons. £87 £80 Robert Dent. £86.50 F Myers & Sons. £79 A Swinbank. £79 RB Watson.
Suffolk- £100 S Beeforth. £99.50 £88 GH Lister. £96 £86.50 £82 T&C Smith. £91.50 TE Dobson. £91 F&A Gilchrist. £89.50 DM Collins. £79 F Myers & Sons.
Continental- £104.50 £96 JH Johnson. £98.50 £91.50 £85 A&R Thompson. £98 JM Bainbridge. £97 £82 £78 £75 RE Coatsworth. £95 RRC Andrew. £94.50 £87 £77 £75 R Worthy. £90 TE Dobson. £89.50 £86 £79 £76 A Rooke & Sons. £88 WB Rutter & Sons. £86 AW Sanderson. £86 T Walton. £86 JJM Lonsdale. £85 Petch Farms. £83 £76.50 £72 AF Smith. £82.50 x2 Robert Dent. £81 £69 R Peart. £78 £76.50 T&AE Miller.
Mule- £90 TE Dobson. £88 £86 D Alderson. £88 £72 P&J Carr. £87 S Beeforth. £84 JJM Lonsdale. £79 DM Collins. £77 R Peart. £75 SK Wilson.
Kerry Hill- £93 GW Dent.
Feeding Ewes- £151 £110 £101 £93 £90 £79 A&R Thompson. £108 £67 R Simpson & Sons. £106 £66 JM Bainbridge. £100 M Hogg. £98 £80.50 Gillian I’Anson. £95 £88 £79 P Suddes. £91 £78 Bowes Bros. £89 £68 D Alderson. £86 £57 WB Rutter & Sons. £74 M Metcalfe. £67 Castlewood Farm.