Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their Great Annual Show & Sale of Suckled Calves on Monday 23rd October 2023. Forward were 568 cattle and 2214 sheep.
98 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 254ppk or £1917
7 Stock Bulls sold to 250ppk or £2285
6 Stirks sold to £620
137 Young Bulls sold to £1590
169 Store Steers sold to £1750
151 Store Heifers sold to £1430
1883 Store Lambs sold to £129
332 Feeding Ewes sold to £112
Calf Show – Judging duties this year at our flagship suckled calf show were capably carried out by Alan Barnett, Brinns Farm, Shap. Alan, a renowned beef finisher, regularly challenges for the top spots at our Christmas prime stock show and he certainly utilised his expert eye as the vendors again produced a superb show of calves. Our defending Champion’s the Swinbank’s of Cold Comfort Farm took the winners sash for the second year running with a brilliant Limousin sired steer, an outstanding February born calf sired by Barrons Scirocco full of show potential. The superb Swinbank show team steered by daughter Kate also took the red rosette in the Limousin heifer class. Reserve Champion went to the winning British Blue sired steer calf from the consistent Stones family of Marrick, this one a January born stretchy sort sired by Solway View Lenny looks like a real heavy weight maker down the line. Both claves were presented to absolute perfection and were a huge credit to the talented and dedicated young people who brought them out, both Nigel Swinbank and Keith Stones can today be very proud of both their calves and their respective next generations.
Many thanks to our sponsors –
Dots Café, H.H.Smith & Son, Brockhills of Yorkshire, Vicky Anderson Training, NFU Mutual Durham Districts, Swale Vets, S&A Fabrications, Stokesley Show, David Chapman Property & Garden Maintenance, Allflex Livestock Intelligence, Thornton Breakers, Dugdale Nutrition, C&A Embroidery, Vickers & Barrass Chartered Surveyors, Grahams Logs, Stoneygate Farm Shop & Café, Agrisource Farm Machinery, East Oakley Servicing & Repairs, Bennison Groundworks, Hutchinson Sheep Shearing.
Show Results
Champion – J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort Farm – Limousin Steer
Reserve Champion – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm – British Blue Steer
Limousin Heifer Calf
1st – J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort Farm sold for £1300 to H Foster, Guisborough
2nd – M J Marley, Holywell Farm sold for £1210 to I Swales, Goole
3rd – R A & S L Wearmouth, Middletown Farm sold for £1430 to R Hirst, Neasham
British Blue Heifer Calf
1st – T & C Smith, Thorsgill Farm sold for £1320 to W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell
Limousin Steer Calf
1st – J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort Farm sold for £1750 to D Leedham, Lutterworth
2nd – R A & S L Wearmouth, Middletown Farm sold for £1600 to C Moralee & Sons, Durham
3rd – T & C Smith, Thorsgill Farm sold for £1510 to C Moralee & Sons, Durham
British Blue Steer Calf
1st – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm sold for £1690 to S Beachell, Driffield
2nd – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm sold for £1570 to S Beachell, Driffield
3rd – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm sold for £1580 to S Beachell, Driffield
Any Other Breed Calf
1st – M J Marley, Holywell Farm sold for £1200 to N C Wilson, Ripon
Best Bull Calf
1st – R J & R Greenbank, Foster Flatts Farm sold for £1190 to A Wakefield, Thirsk
2nd – E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange sold for £1180 to L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor
3rd – T H Richardson & Sons, High Moor Hill sold for £1450 to A S & S Kemp, Sherburn
Sale of Suckled Calves
Young Bulls – The bull average lifted to a pleasing £960 (+£156 with 31 more sold) as the stronger creep fed bull calves looked to enjoy the best of things with several good runs looking big for their age dominating the top price columns; top of the day at £1590 was a thumping Beef Shorthorn from Northumberland based M E & T D Tailford.
Steer & Heifer Calves – Not the numbers of last year as the show and sale of over year cattle is deferred to next week however a fast trade left a healthy rise in averages; the heifers levelled at £985 (+£65 with 97 less sold) and a terrific steer trade saw them average £1146 (+£117 with 4 less sold). The quality shone through with the best end calves an absolute flyer, particularly the steers leaving the top thirty (aged under 12 months) all selling over £1400. Six of the top seven prices came from the brilliant show calves and credit again must go to our judge as his champion and reserve led the trade at £1750 and £1690 respectively. Top priced heifer of the day also came from the mornings show classes as the third placed Limousin from R A & S Wearmouth, Middletown Farm sold for £1430.
The healthy rise in averages certainly benefitted those with the best runs of calves the most; a stunning average of £1350 for the Swinbank’s thirty-nine was an impressive rise of £184 on last years return whereas the Stones run of twenty calves averaged £1321 which levels them a staggering £261 up on the year. Other super runs saw J C Thwaite & Son 4 average £1350 (n/a in 2022), D G & P G Ayre 3 average £1193 (n/a in 2022), G W Dent 7 average £1187 (+£260), T & C Smith 7 average £1172 (n/a), M J Marley 15 average £1166 (level), B Watson 10 average £1166 (+£169) and R A & S L Wearmouth 14 average £1150 (+£185).
Leading Prices
Stirks – £620(x2) A W Sanderson. £620 £575 £520 Dowson Bros.
Young Bulls – £1590 £1480 M E & T D Tailford. £1450 £1130 T H Richardson & Sons. £1400 £1280 £1190 £1155(x2) £1140(x2) £1100 R J & R Greenbank. £1390 Rachel Valks. £1380 Messrs Grix. £1265 £1175 £1170 £1120 S G Horn. £1230(x2) £1190 £1105(x2) £1095(x2) P Foster. £1200 (x2) £1180(x3) E Scott & Sons. £1200 G Calvert & Sons. £1195 £1105(x2) J A & U M Fawcett. £1170 Duell Partners. £1090(x5) Allison Devereux Farms.
Steers – £1750 £1510 £1500 £1490 £1480 £1460(x2) £1440(x3) £1410(x2) £1400 £1350(x4) £1330(x2) £1310 £1300 J N Swinbank. £1690 £1580 £1570 £1550 £1500(x3) £1430(x2) £1400(x2) £1390(x2) K O Stones. £1600 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1510 T & C Smith. £1500 M J Marley. £1490 £1360 G W Dent. £1400(x2) Northfield Farms. £1400 £1380 £1320 J C Thwaite & Son. £1360(x3) B H & S Hodgson. £1350 W A Wardman Ltd. £1300 G H & R G Stobbs. £1300 J Fletcher.
Heifers – £1430 £1170 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1370 £1170(x2) W A Wardman Ltd. £1360 G H & R G Stobbs. £1340 £1200 Northfield Farms. £1320 T & C Smith. £1320(x2) £1300(x3) £1260(x2) £1240 £1230(x2) £1220 £1180 J N Swinbank. £1300 D G & P D Ayre. £1300(x2) B H & S Hodgson. £1295 G Calvert & Sons. £1250(x4) Wilkinson & Son. £1210(x3) M J Marley. £1200 T Walton. £1170 T & R Quinn. £1170 G W Dent.
Cast Cattle – Numbers of cows increase as the winter housing was forced upon many last weekend, trade remaining strong with the best fleshed very easy sold; this week’s sale average 158ppk and £1087 per head. Some brilliantly fed cows from D K Barker, Little Ketton Farm led the way as the excellent four- and five-year-old Limousin’s topped at 254ppk and £1917. Nicest of the native’s was another well fleshed example when a seven-year-old Hereford from Leslie Brown, Winston sold for 190ppk and £1632 whilst the Friesian trade topped at 208ppk for a youngster from Stainton Hill Farms with cows to £1248 from A & J E Smith, Healey. A brilliant thirty-month-old British Blue from W A Wardman, Thrushwood Farm led the bull trade when he sold for 250ppk and £2285.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 254 244 188 180 D K Barker. 238 218 200 198 192 J Layfield. 208 Stainton Hill Farms. 190 Leslie Brown. 188 W A Wardman Ltd. 188 R Smith. 188 174 W K M M Lamb. 186 176 172 J & O Harrison. 184 W M Reed & Sons. 184 F E Pinkney. 180 M W Cook & Son. 174 P & P J Sayer. 170 G Calvert & Sons. 170 S A & K W Dowson.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 250 200 W A Wardman Ltd. 194 J Layfield. 186 J & O Harrison & Sons. 174 B & J Donald. 150 D K Barker. 148 R Wilson.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1917 £1803 £1758 £1530 D K Barker. £1632 Leslie Brown. £1606 £1580 £1509 £1502 £1304 J Layfield. £1512 M W Cook & Son. £1429 F E Pinkney. £1369 M S Foord. £1364 £1349 C M Cameron. £1329 £1270 W K M M Lamb. £1314 J & O Harrison & Sons. £1312 W A Wardman Ltd. £1279 R Smith. £1274 F Crawford. £1267 W M Reed & Sons. £1249 S A & K W Dowson. £1248 A & J E Smith. £1246 G Calvert & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2285 £1736 W A Wardman Ltd. £2194 J Layfield. £1858 B & J Donald. £1724 J & O Harrison & Sons.
Store Sheep – The store sheep trade goes from strength to strength, the dearest week yet as a plainer show averaged £87.91, anything with size or shape easily selling the top side of £100. A pair of beautiful Beltex from Adam Lowson, Podge Hole Farm, Hamsterley led the way when they sold for £129. Plenty of other lambs traded £110 plus with even the long-term continental and Suffolk’s £80 to £90 on many, many occasions. Of the 200 Mule lambs today, it was regular selling T E Dobson, Unthank Farm impressing the most twice selling over £100 as the breed averaged £84.84 and just over 100 horned lambs peaked at £47 from K Sayer, Scotland Farm with a pen of Swaledale tups. A very mixed offering of feeding ewes still appears a competitive trade; tops for Texel’s of £112, Mule’s £88, Blackface £56 and Swaledale £44.
Leading Prices
Store Lambs
Beltex – £129 £114 Adam Lowson. £99 J M Rowlandson. £98 L D Laws. £98 L R Butler. £93 B Lowson. £89 J R Mann.
Texel – £122.50 S Bolton. £120 £107 W Love Ltd. £115(x2) G H Lister. £113.50 M G & W D Burton. £112.50 M Hogg. £112.50 £110 Z Alderson. £110 A & R Thompson. £108 T E Dobson. £105 K Sayer. £104.50 £103 £102 J G & E M Welford. £104 £100.50 N Medd & Son. 104 P J Anderson. £101 G H & R G Stobbs. £100 G Parsons.
Continental – £115 £93 D Coupland. £111 £103 £102 P G & J Bond. £105 £90 D E Stones. £99.50 F & A Gilchrist. £88.50 W K Wilkinson & Sons. £87 G Bolton.
Suffolk – £110.50 £93.50 M G & W D Burton. £109 J H Johnson. £108 £100 D Bowles. £105.50 G Bolton. £97.50 D Alderson. £94 B Cave. £94 A P & E Procter. £93.50 Fletcher & Coates. £91.50 K Buckle. £91 K Mowbray.
Mule – £104 £102 T E Dobson. £96 £85 P Turnbull. £90 £83.50 £75 A P & E Procter. £86 D Alderson. £85 £82 J M Rowlandson. £77 R L Dent. £76.50 C & J C Stephenson.
Charollais – £94.50 £94 £93 B Cave. £94 R R C Andrew. £84 J & S Ford.
Swaledale – £47 £30 K Sayer. £38 J & E Spry. £30 R B Watson.
