Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 13th May 2024. Forward were 460 cattle, 708 sheep and 10 pigs.
67 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 282ppk or £1782
1 Stock Bull sold for 208ppk and £2169
11 Breeding Cattle sold to £1700
43 Young Bulls sold to £1700
103 Store Steers sold to £1510
234 Store Heifers sold to £1550
38 Store Hoggs sold to £138
103 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £168
49 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £300
195 Ewes & Lambs sold to £310
10 Store Pigs sold to £130
Cast Cattle – A tidy enough show with less weight than in some instances sold to a sharp trade this week averaging 192ppk and £1194 per head. A terrific OTM Limousin heifer from J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley Farm, Hamsterley set a pace that no others could catch when she sold for 282 pence per kilo and £1782. Others OTM’s from Low Shipley followed closest on the day, top of the older cows per kilo was a super sort from T & D I Allen & Son, Wolsingham at 226 pence whereas the leading older cow gross value went to a thumping sort from Mayfield Beef Shorthorns when she sold for £1660. The Friesian prices were led by A R & C Booth, Bolton-on-Swale with OTM heifers topping at 212ppk and older cows reaching a top of £1290 whilst the only bull present was a stunning 4-year-old Stabiliser from Skelton Farming Ltd, Stanghow which sold for 208ppk and £2169.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 282 278 258 J & F Hartley & Sons. 240 J Peacock. 236 214 M Robinson & Sons. 228 216 R A & S L Wearmouth. 226 T & D I Allen & Son. 218 208 W Love Ltd. 216 202 Skelton Farming Ltd. 212 A R & C Booth. 212 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 210 J Fletcher. 210 S G Horn. 210 J A & U M Fawcett. 208 G A Rogerson & Son. 206 J & E M Lawson. 204 202 G H Farms Ltd. 204 J J M Lonsdale. 202 B Lowson.
Stock Bull PPK – 208 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £1782 £1702 £1517 J & F Hartley & Sons. £1660 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £1635 £1575 £1362 S G Horn. £1592 P Turnbull. £1508 A & A G Moralee. £1507 I R Appleton. £1488 £1409 G H Farms Ltd. £1448 B Lowson. £1434 J Fletcher. £1425 J Peacock. £1419 Skelton Farming Ltd. £1406 J & E M Lawson. £1391 I Newton & Son. £1379 £1356 D & H M Hodgson. £1377 W Love Ltd. £1376 T & D I Allen & Son. £1361 GK, KN & GJ Hird. £1336 D & P H Brown.
Stock Bull Gross – £2169 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Breeding & Store Cattle – A scattering of breeders kicked off proceedings selling well with the grass growth finally hitting top gear, leading the way was a 5-year-old Limousin cow with a Hereford heifer calf at foot from J H Johnson, Marshall Green Farm selling for £1700. A varied offering of young bulls saw a tremendous trade with the top spots dominated by a run of 13-month-old Limousins from R L Walker, East High Wood, Langleydale with a best of £1700 and four others between £1550 and £1680. A very large show of grazing stores for the time of year found new homes with ease as the increased catalogue attracted 37 buyers operating on 48 accounts. Top of the day at £1550 was a sweet 13-month-old Simmental heifer from J M Greensit & Son, Goskins Farm, Hackforth; she was followed over the line by an excellent quartet of Aberdeen Angus steers from G & C Jopling, Eastgate House at £1510 on a day which saw plenty of smaller grass destined cattle selling £1000 to £1200 with the slightly stronger beasts regularly trading either side of £1400. Numbers increased with quality arguably less saw the steers level at £1104 and the heifers £1086.
In Calf Cow – £1260 J H Johnson.
Cows & Calves – £1700 £1580 £1520 J H Johnson. £1680 Jual Farms.
Young Bulls – £1700 £1680 £1590 £1550(x2) £1400 £1390 £1380 £1240 R L Walker. £1410 £1390(x2) £1380(x2) R Simpson & Sons. £1370(x3) £1280(x3) Wilkinson & Son. £1280 G W Chapman. £1050 F & A Gilchrist. £1020 B & J Bainbridge. £970 W S I Anderson.
Store Steers £1510×4 £1210 GA&C Jopling. £1500 RN Foord. £1490 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1490×2 £1390 £1380 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1410 £1345×2 £1315 £1180 £1130 D Robson & Sons. £1400×2 L Claughan. £1380 RG Swinbank. £1380 £1300 T Coulthard & son. £1360 £1320 J&EM Lawson. £1290 I Newton & Son. £1280 £1220 A Gregg. £1250 £1220×2 JC Smith. £1195 K Sayer. £1185×2 £1145 M Shaw. £1160×2 BH&S Hodgson.
Store Heifers £1550 £1450 GM Greensit & Son Ltd. £1500 £1450×2 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1500 £1290 £1270 IW cairns. £1460 £1420 £1350 £1340 £1290 A&AG Moralee. £1460 £1400 R White. £1450 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1440 W&J Herbert. £1420 £1410 DG&PD Ayre. £1400×2 £1340 £1320 £1250×3 JR Fell. £1350 D Robson & sons. £1330 C&M Burnett. £1305 T Coulthard & Son. £1290 JS Wiper. £1270 G Beadle. £1270 JG Wilkinson. £1270 T Coulthard & Son. £1260 TH Robson & Sons. £1255 Forster Hall & Sons. £1250×2 B Watson.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Nothing chivvies the sheep trade along like an abundance of Spring grass and all of a sudden, the priceless green stuff is in plentiful supply. The final scrapings of the store hogg barrel are upon us but still easily sold even at this late stage, top today was an excellent Texel from R Peart, Mayland Hall at £138. Feeding ewes continue to get a fair kick of the ball if they are anything like healthy, tops this week at £168 were a nice pair of Texels from Wolsingham’s I Spedding.
Hoggs and lambs looked a very similar trade to those at last weeks show, top of the day at £300 was a smart Texel with a single lamb from D R Smith, East Roughlea; the same good home sold six Suffolks with singles at £298 whilst the Mule trade was topped by H S Hutchinson, White House Farm selling ten with ten at £285.
Ewes and lambs rumble along nicely, some hill ewes trading around £70 per life but once again the lowland breeds and Mule’s sold £80 to £110 just dependent on age and strength of lamb. Top today at £310 were a super pen of 10 Texel ewes with 19 lambs at foot from R G & G Rutter, High House, Hamsterley with Texel’s and twins from W H Brown, Swale Hall close behind at £308. Pick of the Mule ewes came from I Spedding, Harelaw Farm when selling 15 older ewes with single lambs at £218 whilst J H Johnson, White Lea Farm filled the ring selling 53 older Mule ewes with lambs in one hit at £94 per life. (see photo)
Store Hoggs – £138 £92 R Peart. £96 £51.50 M & G Hodgson. £63 A Swinbank. £51 T B Walton.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £168 £128 I Spedding. £160 £140 JJM Lonsdale. £136 R Peart. £112 P J Anderson & Son. £110 £90 C Hall. £110 £94 T & A E Millar. £100 £92 J D & M S Mortimer. £98 A F Smith. £88 M & G Hodgson.
Hoggs & Lambs – £300 £298 £250 D R Smith. £285 £280 H S Hutchinson. £250 £215 M W Reed. £225 J Bolton.
Ewes & Lambs – £310 R G & G Rutter. £308 £242 £240(x2) W H Brown. £275 £240 £210 A & B Herworth. £272 £220 £192 A F Smith. £270 245 £212 £200 W Burton. £222 £215 £188 G Williamson. £218 I Spedding. £188 J H Johnson. £182 J P Richardson.
Store Pigs – Not the best news today as our number one pig report fan is sadly somewhat worse for wear; whilst out on one of her selfless long-distance charity walks, she was apparently mugged by six dwarves. Not Happy.
£130 £120 £110 £90 C Weightman.
