Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held a special sale of breeding sheep and breeding rams on Tuesday 3rd October 2023. Forward were 1364 head.
396 Gimmer Lambs sold to £500
612 Shearling Ewes sold to £215
356 Breeding Ewes sold to £230
14 Aged Rams sold to 420 guineas
60 Shearling Rams sold to 750 guineas
18 Ram Lambs sold to 580 guineas
Gimmer Lambs – Thanks go to Peter Monkhouse of Wolsingham for undertaking the judging of the Mule lambs this morning, coming out on top were the first pen from an excellent run shown by regular consignors T E Dobson, Unthank Farm. The second prize lambs hailed from O M Wearmouth & Son, Howgill Farm with a credible third prize ticket going to S K Wilson, Rose Cottage. The Mule lambs were another fine trade, almost exclusively small running types they averaged £102 which is a pleasing £21 rise on last year. The continental gimmer lambs all sold well but none came close to a stunning run of pure Texel’s from M Navazi, Redmires Farm which twice reached £500 and saw the pen of five average an excellent £390.
Texel £500×2 £350 £300×2 M Navazi. £130 JW&J Collin. £124 J Burns. £122 M Whorlton. £100×2 JH Johnson. £118 £100 JM Rowlandson. £90 £85 JW&J Collin.
Mule £130×2 £120 £118 TE Dobson. £124 £118 £110 £102 OM Wearmouth & Son. £120 RL Carter. £118 £92 S Straughan. £110 SK Wilson. £102 £99 £94 J Burns. £98 £92 £90 GA&J Allison. £90 £88 JD Heavisides. £90 £88 GA&C Jopling.
Dutch Spotted Texel £115 £100 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Continental £102 £92 K Sayer.
Shearling Ewes – Buyers on the whole were more cautious, a good clearance rate however on the whole trade just dragged its heels slightly. One breed in demand is the North Country Cheviot and it was they who fittingly led the way in the incorporated Hill of a Day sale. Five fine girls from Ettersgill’s Will Burton sold for £215 to top the section. Mule shearlings topped at £185 from another Teesdale resident C Bell, The Pry whilst the white-faced continental shearlings topped twice at £178 for pens from both Thornton Park Estate and T & H Agri, Ebberston. Swaledale shearling trade was led by the in-form T E Dobson, Unthank Farm at £120 with the Bell’s of Pry Farm next best at £100.
Cheviot £215 W Burton.
Mule £185 C Bell. £175×2 D Rutter. £172 £165 £162×2 £160×2 £158×3 £155 £150 £138×3 £135 Dyson Farming Ltd. £150 HS Hutchinson. £145 £142 £140 £138×2 £132×2 Bowes House Farm Partnership.
Continental £178 £175 £172 £170 Thornton Park. £150 E Grieves. £128 £115 Pear Tree Projects. £90 JM Bainbridge.
Texel £178 £165 T&H Agri. £168 £145 P Suddes. £158×2 £154 £132 Bowes House Farm Partnership. £92 JM Bainbridge.
Swale £120 TE Dobson. £100 C Bell. £78 JM Bainbridge.
Breeding Ewes – Blue Texel’s from Elliot Grieves led the older ewe trade when they sold twice over £200 to a top of £230; good Texel’s from Ritchie Bland Estates sold well as did some Jurassic sized Texels from Messrs Navazi, Redmires. The dispersal of Romney ewes from I W Adamson, Woodland all sold between £112 and £116; the big shortage was undoubtedly in the Swaledale ewe pens as buyers left short of requirements, tops of £94 went to R K & S Ridley, Kexwith with strong five croppers from T E Dobson not far adrift.
Texel £230 £210 £150 EW Grieves. £164 £142 £122 Ritchie Bland Estates Ltd. £152 £136 M Navazi. £130 £110 £104 E Henderson. £98 £95×2 JE Braithwaite & Sons. £92 JM Bainbridge.
Romney £116×2 £115 £114 £112×2 IW Adamson.
Swale £94 £88 £76 RK&S Ridley. £84 TE Dobson. £60 £56 H W & M Alderson & Son.
Continental £86 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
BF Leicester £84 J Rutter. £80 Ritchie Bland Estates Ltd.
Tups – A 75% clearance but it must be said that tup buyers were selective and continue to pick the best and leave the rest. Top of the tree not for the first time were Colin and Andrew Whitfield, High Castledene when their ¾ Texel ¼ Beltex shearlings served them well to top at 750 guineas. Crossing type Blue Faced Leicester’s from D G Sayers, Swainby impressed the most in the ram lambs to top at 580 guineas whilst the same breed topped the older rams for K Sayer, Scotland Farm at 420 guineas.
Ram Lambs – Sold in guineas:
BF Leicester 580 500×2 470 420 DG Sayers. 400×2 K Sayer.
Texel 350 300 M Navazi.
Shearling Rams:
Continental 750 550 500×2 450 400 AS Whitfield. 500 400×3 JR Todd. 240 160 150 M Navazi.
Texel 420 380 300 N Edmondson. 400 E Wilson.
Cheviot 280 250 KO Stones.
BF Leicester 200 S Straughan. 195 J Rutter.
Aged Rams:
BF Leicester 420 300×2 K Sayer. 320 280 S Straughan.
