Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held a special sale of in lamb ewes in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 12th February 2024. Forward were 278 cattle and 1685 sheep.
687 In lamb ewes sold to £460
87 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 242ppk or £2080
3 Stock Bulls sold to 200ppk or £1962
3 Stirks sold to £780
15 Breeding Cattle sold to £1800
32 Young Bulls sold to £1700
50 Store Steers sold to £1980
88 Store Heifers sold to £1880
3 Ewes & Lambs sold to £180
860 Store Hoggs sold to £154
135 Feeding Ewes sold to £136
In Lamb Ewes – A fabulous entry including several genuine dispersals and reductions cleared at a wonderful 99% with buyers from far and wide ensuring that the ringside was packed and the trade brisk throughout. Top price of the day went to an excellent pair of Beltex ewes from the dispersal of the late George Dent of Cockfield which sold for £460 per head. Two super single Texel shearlings scanned with twins from the Stones family of Nun Cote Nook, Marrick followed when selling at £400 and £420 with several others from the George Dent dispersal completing the high flyers of the day as friends and neighbours turned out in force to support. An excellent dispersal of Texel bred ewes from John Norman of Guisborough also generated large interest, the strong sorts sold to a top of £228 to leave an average of £207. The third dispersal of the day came from Martin Petch of Great Ayton, a genuine run of Mule ewes full of lambs topped at £171 and averaged £146. Plenty of big scans around it would seem and several pens forward with triplets and quads were in surprising demand, Mule shearlings from J H Johnson, Roddymoor enjoyed the triplet trade of the day with pens at £202 and £200. Some of the day’s notable runs are mentioned below.
J Norman, Guisborough sold 71 to average £207
S Dent, Cockfield sold 85 to average £193
CA & JG Skidmore, Toronto sold 20 to average £193
J H Johnson, Roddymoor sold 52 to average £189
T & H Agri, Ebberston sold 40 to average £182
G & J H Tomlinson, Knitsley sold 31 to average £151
H S Petch & Sons, Great Ayton 135 to average £146
Ewe & Lamb at foot- £180 S Suddes.
In Lamb Ewes- £460 £330 £280 £260 £255 £250 £240 £210 x2 £200 x4 £195 £180 £170 x4 £165 x5 £160 x2 Susan G Dent. £420 £400 KO Stones. £228 £222 £218 £205 £202 £198 x2 £170 J Norman. £215 £182 x2 £180 £175 £165 CA&JG Skidmore. £202 £200 £180 £158 JH Johnson. £200 £192 £190 £168 T&H Agri. £171 £168 £165 x2 £162 x2 HS Petch & Sons. £164 £155 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £155 H Frater & Son.
Cast Cattle – A red hot cow ring this week as trade continued its recent upward trajectory to average an excellent 185ppk and an incredible £1295 per head. Top per kilo at 242 pence was a fleshy OTM Aberdeen Angus heifer from Jack Henshaw, Mainsgill Farm; second spot went to a Simmental OTM heifer from R I Jones, Biggin House Farm when she sold just tuppence off the top. Excellent Limousin’s led the trade for the older cows as Ivanhoe Livestock, Wyvill Grange twice sold at 228ppk with regular supporting W I Suddes & Son, A C Simpson & Son and J N Swinbank all hot on their heels between 218ppk and 220ppk. Some grand old gross values for the cows, none better than a British Blue weighing 1000kg from W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Magna at £2080 with the next three in the £1900’s including two from Messrs Suddes, Cornsay Limousin’s and a thumping Beef Shorthorn from P T Stephenson & Son, Moorhen Farm. Just the three stock bulls offered this week, the pick of them an excellent 10-year-old Limousin from C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall sold for 200ppk and £1962. Of the eighteen milk cows presented it was two regular vendors with excellent Holstein Friesian’s rising to the top as G Thompson & Sons, Butterknowle reached 200ppk and J T Forster & Son, Killerby £1280.
Cast Cows & OTM- Leading PPK 242 Jack Henshaw. 240 RI Jones. 228 x2 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. 220 214 204 WI Suddes & Son. 218 216 210 AC Simpson & Son. 218 194 JN Swinbank. 216 214 208 190 A&MJ Henshaw. 210 W&C Iceton. 208 202 190 WA Richardson LTD. 204 198 196 B&B Kitching & Son. 204 PM&FM Hill. 200 194 194 186 WA Wardman LTD. 200 G Thompson & Sons. 200 GH Farms LTD. 198 196 B Watson. 198 194 190 188 ABP Wilsons. 194 186 J Norman. 192 W Denham. 192 PT Stephenson & Son. 190 186 HW&M Alderson & Son. 190 Gerard Te-Lintelo. 186 Matthew Henshaw. 186 MS Foord.
Stock Bulls- Leading PPK 200 C Harle & Sons. 176 R Potts. 144 J King.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross- £2080 £1640 £1366 WA Richardson LTD. 1945 £1914 £1844 WI Suddes & Son. £1939 PT Stephenson & Son. £1887 W Denham. £1835 £1591 £1465 AC Simpson & Son. £1794 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £1753 £1646 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £1636 GH Farms LTD. £1599 Jack Henshaw. £1558 JN Swinbank. £1521 J Norman. £1520 £1509 £1435 B&B Kitching & Son. £1478 £1354 £1282 £1251 WA Wardman LTD. £1464 Grants Pro Agri LTD. £1460 Matthew Henshaw. £1438 W&C Iceton. £1404 £1324 £1271 A&MJ Henshaw. £1401 B Watson. £1383 PM&FM Hill. £1370 £1364 £1330 £1246 ABP Wilsons. £1337 A&AG Moralee. £1301 W Denham. £1280 £1263 JT Foster & Son. £1273 £1252 RI Jones. £1266 MS Foord. £1256 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Stock Bulls Lead Grossing- £1962 C Harle & Sons. £1601 R Potts. £1512 J King.
Store Cattle – Just like their mothers the store cattle continue to sail along at a phenomenal rate of knots, the fifty bullocks this week averaged a preposterous £1423, heifers £1192 and young bulls £1214. Excellent Limousin steers from D W Dresser, Greatham set the pace when twice selling for £1980 and again at £1940, a thumping Charolais from J H Johnson, Roddymoor followed closest at £1870. Heifers sold to £1880 from A & A G Moralee, Willington who produced an excellent Limousin whilst young bulls completed the hattrick for the Limousin breed when a yearling from Hughes Brothers Farms sold for £1700; the top ten bulls all sold over £1400 and none were beyond 12 months of age.
Store Bulls- £1700 £1610 £1600 £1590 £1580 £1430 £1370 £1080 £1020 Hughes Bros Farms LTD. £1480 x4 £1380 E Parsons. £1370 £1320 £1315 x2 £1310 £1240 £1070 x2 £1035 £900 JA&UM Fawcett. £940 £910 £880 £860 £845 RA Patterson & Son.
Store Steers- £1980 x2 £1940 £1650 DW Dresser. £1870 £1760 x2 £1690 x2 £1420 JH Johnson. £1630 £1540 AP&E Procter. £1560 x3 £1500 £1460 £1445 £1300 A&AG Moralee. £1560 £1390 x3 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1545 £1540 x2 £1420 JC Thwaite & Son. £1460 £1290 R&W Todd. £1440 £1360 x2 W Emerson. £1435 D Alderson. £1430 £1350 £1245 J&EM Lawson. £1370 £1315 x2 T Coulthard & Son. £1410 JN Swinbank. £1380 £1220 B Watson. £1310 WB Rutter & Sons. £1170 £800 x2 D Clarke. £1100 S Suddes. £980 D Walker. £875 P Suddes.
Store Heifers- £1880 £1540 £1475 £1450 A&AG Moralee. £1660 £1510 £1460 £1410 £1380 x2 £1310 £1285 £1280 x2 C Harle & Sons. £1600 M Robinson & Sons. £1590 £1410 £1390 x2 LW Martin. £1570 £1220 AP&E Procter. £1440 D Alderson. £1400 £1390 £1280 £1210 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1395 £1390 £1385 £1270 JS Wiper. £1375 x2 £1190 L&BM Kidd & Son. £1375 D Harris. £1340 £1260 J&EM Lawson. £1330 £1265 £1170 WB Rutter & Sons. £1320 x4 Wilkinson & Son. £1240 TT Hall & Son. £1240 x2 B Watson. £1170 x3 A Wilson.
Bulling Heifer- £780 Kelvin Thompson.
In calf Heifers- £1760 M Robinson & Sons. £920 £880 x3 £820 £800 x3 Kelvin Thompson.
Cow & Calf- £1800 £1520 M Robinson & Sons.
Stirks- £780 £755 £560 Messrs Grix.
Store Sheep – As the quality naturally declines the average somehow keeps on climbing, the store hoggs this week to level at £106 are most likely the dearest we have ever seen them. A brut of a Suffolk X Texel hogg from A & B Herworth, Hamsterley was the one to catch when selling for £154, excellent Texel’s from S Fenwick, Thirlby followed at £147 ahead of brilliant Beltex from J & D Gibson, Barnard Castle at £144. An absolute bag of dolly mixtures in the breed column mattered little as everything was frantically bid for; Blue Texel’s from Ivanhoe Livestock topped at £143 whilst Mule’s sold to £117, Cheviot’s to £110, Easycare’s to £101, Swaledale’s to £90, Herdwick’s to £84 and Blackface to £81. Feeding ewe trade also bouncing, any amount over £100 to a top of £136 twice; Mule’s and Cheviot’s over £100 and fleshy horned ewes £60 to £65.
Store Hogg Leading Prices-
Continental- £154 A&B Herworth. £137 K Sayer. £137 £131 £123 £118 x2 SJ Love. £133 RA Patterson & Son. £129 £120 KA&V Armstrong. £123 £121 R Dale. £110 x2 M Whorlton. £110 JH Johnson. £109 £86 D&JA Teasdale. £106 £98 £80 W Wearmouth & Son. £103 £97 LJ Daley. £101 £74 G Hall. £98 J Harle. £93 £86 J Waters. £93 WM Bainbridge. £90 x2 J Walton. £88 JD Teasdale. £87 J Burbury. £76 SM Rigg. £74 JH Johnson.
Texel- £147 £140 S Fenwick. £139 £135 £131 £127 £119 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £136 £134 D&HM Hodgson. £136 LF&HC Wood. £135 £103 W Love LTD. £133 £104 J Norman. £132 CR McClaren. £130 £104 £100 GH&RG Stobbs. £122 £105 £101 x3 £100 G Bolton. £119 £101 Bowes Bros. £114 RM Guy. £109 £108 £76 P Suddes. £106 M Gallon. £104 £86 LW Richardson. £100 £80 LJ Daley. £99 RA Patterson & Son. £98 M Whorlton. £92 G Hall. £85 TB Walton.
Beltex- £144 £143 £139 £125.50 J&D Gibson. £143 £126 x2 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £141 £135 A&B Herworth. £132 £129 SA Braithwaite. £121 M Gallon.
Suffolk- £132 £112 RA Patterson & Son. £130 £99 G Sedgewick. £109 £105 £90 G Hall. £93 £90 LJ Daley.
Cheviot- £110 £46 CL I’Anson. £108 G Pickering. £90 G Hall.
Charollais- £105 W Wearmouth & Son.
Mule- £117 G Hall. £115 £107 R&RE Everitt. £105 M Whorlton. £97 W Wearmouth. £90 G Bolton. £88 K Sayer.
Swale- £90 £78 SM Rigg. £81 W Wearmouth & Son. £63 K Sayer.
Black Faced- £81 G Bolton. £64 LW Richardson. £62 x2 RM Guy.
Herdwick- £84 £64 SM Rigg.
Other- £101 J Harle.
Gimmer Hoggs – £142 J&D Gibson. £116 £106 £93 £90 £87 £84 Dan Clark. £109 JD Teasdale.
Feeding Ewes- £136 £109 £89 £83 £80 K Sayer. £136 £101 £97 £90 RA Patterson & Son. £128 £113 £97 £91 £85 £82 £79 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £121 LJ Thompson. £119 £104 James Burns. £118 £96 J Burbury. £114 CR McClaren. £109 £98 £90 £77 W Love LTD. £106 £80 x2 KA&V Armstrong. £105 CL I’Anson. £100 M Gallon. £98 LF&HC Wood. £97 LW Richardson. £89 WM Bainbridge. £87 G Sedgewick. £85 GH&RG Stobbs. £67 TB Walton.
