Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle store and breeding stock on Monday 8th April 2024. Forward were 325 cattle, 475 sheep and 2 pigs.
89 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 288ppk or £2354
3 Stock Bulls sold to 220ppk or £2228
19 Breeding Cattle sold to £2650
33 Young Bulls sold to £1620
76 Store Steers sold to 1650
105 Store Heifers sold to £1710
285 Store Hoggs sold to £191
58 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £158
51 Ewes & Lambs sold to £385
2 Store Pigs sold to £125
Cast Cattle – Something for everyone today as the top end were of exceptional quality, down at the other end some lean meat was offered but thanks to the green market status all remained very well sold to average 195ppk and a marvellous £1304 per head. Let’s start at the top and some terrific cattle, the best per kilo at 288 pence was a smart Limousin OTM heifer from C N Whitaker, Low House Farm; behind her at 278ppk came a fabulous six-year-old Bazadaise cow from Messrs Parkin, Bridge House Farm, Lincolnshire with another Limousin OTM heifer in close attendance at 274ppk from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon. Top natives per kilo were an Aberdeen Angus OTM steer from E A & N Thompson & Son, Ormside which sold for 270 pence and of the older cows a fine sort from T W Brown & Son, Brokes Farm sold for 242 pence. On to the gross values and a fantastic five cows went beyond £2000; three thumping Limousin’s from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst sold at £2025, £2220 and the joint top of £2354, another great Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm did herself proud at £2220 with the aforementioned brilliant Bazadaise from Bridge House Farm proving to be the other classy cow to match the Longhirst Limousin at £2354. Top gross value within the twenty-five native breeds brought more success for the Aberdeen Angus breed as Jack Henshaw of Mainsgill topped the cows at £1592 whilst the excellent steer from E A & N Thompson & Son scaled as high as £1914. The seventeen milk cows were led at £1390 by a Holstein from Reveley Farms, Lingdale or 196ppk for a fleshy Fleckvieh from D Alderson, East Cowton. Finally, the stock bulls, and a tidy trio were forward topping at 220ppk and £2228 for a superb 9-year-old British Blonde from G Corner, Rye Close Farm.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 288 C N Whitaker. 278 Bridge House Farm. 274 204 S & J Dent & Son. 270 E A & N Thompson & Son. 268 R E Dickson. 260 234 D Alderson. 260 246 230 A C Simpson & Son. 254 A & A G Moralee. 250 234 222 209 J E Jordon & Son. 242 T W Brown. 240(x2) 230(x2) G A Rogerson & Son. 238 226 212 206 R Mortimer. 232 208 Jack Henshaw. 212 T T Hall & Son. 208 A & M J Henshaw. 206(x2) D W Humphrey. 206 R A Patterson & Son. 204 G C & K J White & Son. 200 L W Martin.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 220 G Corner. 192 T Bean & Son. 176 B & L Robson.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2354 Bridge House Farm. £2354 £2220 £2025 £1760 J E Jordon & Son. £2220 £1960 £1754 A C Simpson & Son. £1939 £1581 D Alderson. £1914 E A & N Thompson & Son. £1704 £1561 £1437 £1405 R Mortimer. £1687 £1540 S & J Dent & Son. £1605 R A & S Wearmouth. £1592 Jack Henshaw. £1534 Jack Henshaw. £1509 C N Whitaker. £1496 W & R Kemp & Son. £1484 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £1472 J C & P Tallentire. £1437 A & A G Moralee. £1436 R E Dickson. £1419 Matthew Henshaw. £1444 £1404 £G A Rogerson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2228 G Corner. £2214 B & L Robson. £1889 T Bean & Sons.
Breeding Cattle – A nice show of breeders this week, the highlight came from J C & P Tallentire, Carlton Grange, Richmond when they sold a smart British Blonde crossed cow with a 6-month-old heifer calf at foot for £2650. The Tallentire pen also produced a cow with a calf at foot to £2550 as did W B Rutter & Sons, Greengill Farm whilst L Booton, Manor Farm sold an in-calf Limousin cow to £1950, the same price achieved by the British Blonde bull from Carlton Grange.
In Calf Cows – £1950 £1800 £1180 L Booton. £1700 J C & P Tallentire.
Breeding Bull – £1950 J C & P Tallentire.
Cows & Calves – £2650 £2550 £2100 £2000 £1950 J C & P Tallentire. £2550 W B Rutter & Sons. £2100 R B Watson.
Store Cattle – The feeding beast continue their merry jaunt through April, trade sharper again for all creeds and colours. A nice show of young bulls saw the top six sell over £1500 as three excellent 13-month-old Limousin’s from J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm did battle with three super 10-month-old Simmentals from E Parsons, Newstead Farm; Cragg Hill came out on top with a best of £1620. A native breed dominated show of steers saw ten of the top thirteen all state Aberdeen Angus or Hereford on their passports; it was the famous Scottish breed taking the top two places as G L & M Steel, Bunker Hill Farm topped at £1650 with Messrs Ashley across from Cumbria next in line at £1600. The Aberdeen Angus also offered a strong showing in the heifer race providing three of the top five however an excellent Limousin led the way at an impressive £1710, the heifer in question was a tremendous two-year-old from A & A G Moralee, Lowfield Farm. Of the younger grass destined cattle, it was more success for J C Thwaite & Son as they produced a 12-month-old Limousin heifer at £1480 and a 13-month-old steer to £1540.
Store Bulls £1620 £1585 £1560 JC Thwaite & Son. £1580 £1560×2 £1390×2 E Parsons. £1295×4 £1260 Wilkinson & Son. £1270 £1185 £1180×2 £1100 £1050 RL Dent. £1020 £890 £870 JD Teasdale. £945 £920GH&RG Stobbs.
Store Steers £1650 £1540 £1520 GL&M Steel. £1600 Messrs Ashley. £1570×3 £1400 Mill Pond Farm. £1540 JC Thwaite & Son. £1510 £1500×3 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1480 £1410×2 G&EM Nixon. £1475 £1430 L&BM Kidd & Son. £1460 £1350 DG&PD Ayre. £1420 MH Hodgson. £1370 WB Rutter & Sons. £1325×4 PT Stephenson & Son. £1325 £1185 J Dixon. £1290 I Newton & Son. £1270 G Bolton.
Store Heifers £1710 £1580 £1510 £1390×3 £1225×2 £1205×4 A&AG Moralee. £1540 £1340 JW Golding. £1500 £1255×3 £1245 G&EM Nixon. £1480 £1420 £1360 JC Thwaite & Son. £1460 L&BM Kidd & Son. £1425 £1400 Messrs Ashley. £1400 £1325×3 JP Phelan. £1400 WB Rutter & Sons. £1395 JJ Horn. £1390 N Wilson. £1370 £1285×2 RL Walker. £1360 JS Foster & Son. £1360 JE&S Ward. £1320 DG&PD Ayre.
Store Sheep – Up we go, the store hoggs keep finding levels we never knew existed as today they averaged a monumental £144.57. Top of the pile this week were fifteen tidy Texel’s from J Wood, Manor House Farm, Roxby when they sold for £191 apiece; eleven smart Texel’s from D Rutter, Ingleby Greenhow followed at £190. From start to finish an absolutely electric trade, the excellent run from Manor House, Roxby were no doubt the highlight with 149 hoggs levelling at £157.97 including Cheviots to £150, Mules to £142 and Swaledale’s to a massive £144. Feeding ewes were also fought hard for to see a top of £158 for Suffolks from M H & J Walker & Son, Sigston Grange.
Store Hoggs
Texel – £191 £169 J Wood. £190 D Rutter. £162 £156 Messrs Raw. £158 £110 R A Patterson & Son. £128 J McLaughlin. £122 B G Dale. £122 E Wilson.
Suffolk – £180 J Wood. £172 £140 R A Patterson & Son. £158 Wolsingham Park Farm.
Blue Faced Leicester – £152 £142 D Rutter.
Cheviot – £150 £138 J Wood.
Swaledale – £144 J Wood.
Mule – £142 J Wood. £138 J McLaughlin. £129 £126 £104 Wolsingham Park Farms.
Other – £142 £140 £134 E Wilson. £142 J B & L M Knight. £132 J Wood. £132 M H & J Walker & Son. £114 I Spedding. £110 Godschalk Partners.
Blackface – £134 M W Cook & Son.
Feeding Ewes & Rams
£158 M H & J Walker & Son. £152 £140 £102 I Spedding. £140 J & H M Jenkins. £140 £114 £108 R A Patterson & Son. £136 £124 R W & C Spry. £130 E Wilson. £124 £101 D Rutter. £120 D Alderson. £102 A Swinbank. £100 D & J A Teasdale.
Ewes & Lambs – Anyone who though storm Kathleen might have flattened the ewe and lamb trade were proved completely wrong as another fantastic trade saw them level at £102.85 per life. Top of the day at £385 was an excellent Suffolk cross ewe with a pair of Texel lambs at foot from C A & J G Skidmore, Needless Hall Farm; the same good home sold other outfits to £382 and £380. Plenty of lowland bred ewes are selling £100 to £130 per life, older Mule ewes are comfortably £80 to £100 per life just depending on the strength of their lambs.
Leading Prices
£385 £382 £380 £370 C A & J G Skidmore. £365 D & P Heppell. £318 S Suddes. £315 £300 £270 £230 W Wearmouth & Son. £232 J Burbury. £230 £210 J Wigham. £218 £208 T & C Smith.
