Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 9th November 2023. Forward were 198 cattle, 2474 sheep and 20 pigs.
85 Prime Bulls sold to 311ppk or £2634
30 Prime Steers sold to 318ppk or £1987
83 Prime Heifers sold to 348ppk or £2141
2085 Prime Lambs sold to 355ppk or £160
389 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £150
20 Prime Pigs/Sows sold to 204ppk or £204
Prime Bulls (85) – The bull trade matched last week’s average of 266 pence per kilo, the big difference today however was much more weight forward leaving an absolutely stunning average per head of £1987. The top twelve bulls all sold over 300ppk, both T W Clark & Son, Frankland Farm and the Matten’s of Thirsk chipped in at 310 pence however leading the day at 311 pence per kilo was an outstanding 684kg homebred Limousin from the team at Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth. Some great gross values as an amazing forty-seven bulls sold over £2000, of these a delightful dozen sold over £2400, ten of the tremendous top twelve came from the expert feeding of J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange, Thirsk however the top spot belonged to a fabulous home bred 881kg Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear selling for £2634. A large percentage of first crosses but again not so many pure dairy bred bulls this week, best of the Friesians at £1548 were R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall whilst top per kilo at 223ppk were G W Dobson & Son, Wood Close; the Dobson’s also produced a thumping Fleckvieh bull which reached £1796. Below as usual are some of the days top pen averages.
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 12 to average 298ppk and £2428
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 294ppk and £2197
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 5 to average 293ppk and £2374
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 8 to average 293ppk and £2152
Messrs Harker, Worsall sold 4 to average 286ppk and £2067
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 311 304 295 294 293 291 290 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 310 308×3 303 300×2 296×2 290×2 JA Matten & Sons. 310 295 TW Clark & Son. 309 299 290×2 278 AC Simpson & Son. 306 K&A Harker. 291 290 PI Harker. 291 JK&CE Farming. 290 277 WA Richardson Ltd. 290 277 JH&M&NW Brown. 289 286 AG Watson & Sons. 285 276 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 284 277 LR Welsh & Co.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2634 £2404 £2366 £2363 AC Simpson & Son. £2565 £2536 £2473 £2460 £2456 £2433 £2430 £2417 £2414 £2401 £2334 JA Matten & Sons. £2366 £2244 £2243 £2225 £2215 £2127 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2322 £2249 WA Richardson Ltd. £2311 £2285 £2226 £2187 £2117 £2114 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2253 £2124 AG Watson & Sons. £2247 £2236 £2110 TW Clark & Son. £2233 K&A Harker. £2165 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 223 GW Dopbson & Son. 220 R Hall & son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1548 R Hall & Son. £1469 GW Dobson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 238 R Hall & Son. 229 JR Knox & Son. 212 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1774 JR Knox & Son. £1670 R Hall & Son. £1375 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (113) – The heifer average climbed a fraction today to see them level at 301 pence whereas a very two tier offering of steers fell on the week to average 271ppk. The very best end butchers’ heifers look a touch dearer on the week whilst the R grade wholesale beast remain easily placed with Christmas just around the corner, the regular vendors all appeared to be £30-£40 either side of last weeks returns. Over half of the clean cattle sold over 300 pence per kilo, the top half a dozen heifers rose beyond 340ppk including our sale leader a tremendous 536kg Limousin heifer from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse reaching 348ppk. A credible second place went to Cumbrian raider A Barnett of Brinns Farm, Shap at 345ppk with two further heifers at 344ppk from the Hodgson’s again and W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones, Caldwell. Plenty of steers sold the top side of 300ppk, best of them all a 563kg Limousin from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton at 318ppk with the Smith’s of Belle Isle Farm and the Gilhespy’s of Low House both in hot pursuit. Top of the gross values was another excellent sort from A Barnett, Brinns Farm; this one a 657kg British Blue heifer sold for £2141, eight heifers from four other vendors sold over £2000. Top gross valued steer was a tremendous Limousin from P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland weighing 633kg and selling for £1987, as usual all the cattle from the prolific Ponteland producer were pleasing products of the DfAM store ring. See some of the top averages below.
Steers
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 308ppk and £1757
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 13 to average 303ppk and £1653
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 2 to average 300ppk and £1861
Heifers
Rochester & Murray, Butsfield sold 3 to average 337ppk and £1838
A Barnett, Shap sold 3 to average 333ppk and £1940
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 4 to average 330ppk and £1949
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 6 to average 328ppk and £1990
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 319ppk and £1831
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 315ppk and £1771
Steers – Top prices ppk 318 312 311×2 308 307 304×2 300 299 295 294 Barker Farming Partnership. 316 302 WJ Smith & Partners. 314 286 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 269 A&CA Stanwix. 259 DL&D Lovegreen. 250 M Ord & Sons. 241 235 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Steers £1987 £1736 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1931 £1790 £1737 £1732 £1694 £1665 £1635 £1620 Barker Farming Partnership. £1901 A&CA Stanwix. £1760 £1754 WJ Smith & Partners. £1545 £1465 M Ord & Sons. £1491 DL&D Lovegreen. £1436 Lupton. £1431 GS Dowson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 348 344 332 320 319 317 314×2 313×2 311 JV&JA Hodgson. 345 330 326 A Barnett. 344 334×2 329×2 W Swinbank & Sons. 342 334 331 314 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 341 339 333 Rochester & Murray. 335 333 332 328 323 318 R Hirst. 326 WJ Smith & Partners. 326 313 MF Hall. 325 JA Gilson. 320 J&K Woodward. 315 PJ&ES Rogerson. 310 308 306 300 WA Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2141 £1894 A Barnett. £2072 £2000 £1927 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2064 £2062 £2014 £2008 £1960 £1830 W Swinbank & Sons. £2031 £1965 £1956 £1803 JA Gilson. £2006 £1820 J&K Woodward. £1971 £1937 £1928 £1865 £1859 £1853 £1837 £1827 JV&JA Hodgson. £1968 £1872 £1857 £1849 £1846 R Hirst. £1936 £1834 Rochester & Murray. £18900 £1875 MF Hall. £1817 PJ&ES Rogerson.
Prime Lambs (2085) – Numbers back to normal after last week’s storm and the trade better again to average a weighed straight all in 270 pence per kilo. Today’s average then of £124.23 sits some £10 head above the same week last year which equates to roughly 20 pence per kilo better off. There is a need, a need for feed as the thick fleshed heavy weighing lambs are enjoying a real premium at the moment. Top per kilo at 355 pence was young Master Arthur Kemp of Whitwell Farm, Sherburn with a superb black Beltex lamb, close behind were excellent sorts from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakely Hill Farm, Station Town and the Lamb’s of Doe Park, Cotherstone. Top of the gross values at £160 were five superb 49kg Beltex lambs from W Ramsay & Sons; plenty of the best heavyweight lambs sold North of £150 including super sorts from D & P H Brown, W Walker & Sons and M & A Gaskin who were all within £3 of the top, the Gaskin’s well fed Aberfield lambs, just out of hoggs, saw their impressive trailer load average £149.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 355 327 297 AC Kemp. 326 324 313 W Ramsay & Sons. 321 300 287 W.K M.M Lamb. 319 GF Whitfield. 319 C&N Warters. 318 293 292 JJ Horn. 317 P Cockburn. 315 M Johnstone. 314 W Walker & Sons. 310 304 301 M&A Gaskin. 309 304 295 289 W&M Knaggs & Son. 308 F&JS Gargett. 308 M Barley. 307 304 Askwiths. 306 JE Suddes & Son. 306 JK&CE Farming. 305 304 300×2 295×2 W Tindale. 303 T Lawson & Son. 300 CK&D Muir Ltd. 297 RG&G Rutter.
Lead Grossing Lambs £160 W Ramsay & Sons. £158 £145 D&PH Brown. £157 £142 W Walker & Sons. £157 £149 £143 M&A Gaskin. £156 £146 £145 JJ Horn. £155 T Lawson & Son. £155 £148×2 RO Gilson. £154 £142 AC Kemp. £152 £151 Askwiths. £151 I Hedley. £150 JC&A Hutchinson. £149 £144 JE Suddes & Son. £148 M Barley. £148 I Marshall & Sons. £146 P Cockburn. £146 DR Smith. £145 JR&J Crowe. £144 JK&CE Farming. £144 S Thompson & Son. £143 JA Gilson. £142 F&JS Gargett. £142×2 W&M Knaggs & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (389) – Continental and Suffolk ewes continued to sell well with plenty the top side of £100 to a top of £150 from S W Bowe, South Fields Farm, Hunton. Mule ewes a touch easier on the week with a best of £77 whilst Cheviots sold to £80 and horned ewes a top of £50 for a strong pen of Blackface. Over fat ewes are hard to place and still the healthy leaner ewes look to be worth more through Monday’s store ring.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £150 £105 £93×2 £90 SW Bowe. £135 £120 £106 £104 JG Atkinson. £125×2 £108 P Cockburn. £125 £95 D Chapman. £124×2 £90 JK&CE Farming. £120 MB Scott. £120 £110 £94×2 ABP Wilsons. £118 £90 AWSM Farms. £110 CK&D Muir Ltd. £110×2 F Hare & Sons. £110 JMS Walton. £110 R Wade & Son. £106 W Tyreman & Sons. £106 £100 AS&SM Kemp. £106×2 Beckwith. £104 £102 W Denham. £95×2 D&J Hunnam & Son.
Prime Pigs (20) – Twenty is not plenty I heard the pig loving mart drover’s cry. A staggering three separate vendors again this week as our almost forgotten plan to take over the pig world before the end of the year seems to be making a resurgence.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 204 180 J Mitchell & Son. 200 175 155 140 C Weightman. 180 150 RJM Farming.
Lead Grossing Pigs £204 £166 £151 £127 C Weightman. £166 £150 £136 J Mitchell & Son. £138 £121 RJM Farming.
