Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 16th May 2024. Forward were 181 cattle and 1344 sheep.
45 Prime Bulls sold to 317ppk or £2606
24 Prime Steers sold to 321ppk or £2240
111 Prime Heifers sold to 339ppk or £2154
1 Cast Cow sold for 140ppk and £999
180 New Season Lambs sold to 445ppk or £210
868 Prime Hoggs sold to 434ppk or £220
296 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
Prime Bulls (45) – Trade easier on the week to see the sale average 266ppk and just shy of £1900 per head; the top half dozen sold over 300 pence per kilo, amongst these were our leading pair of Limousins from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin Farm, Sadberge which sold at 309ppk and 317ppk. The top twenty bulls sold over £2000, in third place at £2371 was the sale topper from Sadberge, he was beaten by a thumping Charolais from M & J Hayhurst, Kirkby Misperton at £2432 however the pick of them all was a sublime 849kg British Blonde from J J Horn, Bushy Park, Marske which totted up impressively to £2606. The dairy bulls were also a shade easier this week, the best of them, not for the first time, came from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall, Brotton at 240ppk and £1504. Below are some of the days leading averages.
J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 to average 304ppk and £2446
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 3 to average 299ppk and £2096
R W & R Henry, Worsall sold 3 to average 291ppk and £2201
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 2 to average 286ppk and £2021
D W Humphrey, Redcar sold 2 to average 285ppk and £2057
G H Farms Ltd, Bishop Auckland sold 2 to average 285ppk and £1927
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 317 309 270 W&M Knaggs & Son. 307 302 JJ Horn. 306 GK KN & GJ Hird. 301 JC Johnson. 299 293 284 RW&R Henry. 298 275 DW Humphrey. 297 273 GH Farms Ltd. 297 270 JK&CE Farming. 296 277 C Binks & Son. 296 LW Martin. 279 IP Crane. 276 270 267 SH Watson & Son. 269 265 JR Knox & Son. 264×2 J Richmond. 255 M&J Hayhurst. 251 250 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2606 £2286 JJ Horn. £2432 M&J Hayhurst. £2371 £2104 £1814 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2362 £2141 £2098 RW&R Henry. £2248 £2147 £1989 SH Watson & Son. £2197 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2166 LW Martin. £2101 £2014 DW Humphrey. £2095 £1947 C Binks & Son. £2093 £1823 GH Farms Ltd. £2078 £1877 IP Crane. £2076 £2016 JR Knox & Son. £2016 £1992 JK&CE Farming. £1923 JC Johnson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 240×2 238 R Hall & Son. 214 WE&CA Anderson. 200 GW Dobson & Son. 188 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1504 £1464 £1435 R Hall & Son. £1402 GW Dobson & Son. £1226 WE&CA Anderson. £1067 D Walker.
Clean Cattle (135) – Last week’s trade looked way ahead of many other outlets, back to reality this week unfortunately with averages down to see the heifer’s level at 287ppk and a plain show of steers 267ppk. Top per kilo at 339 pence was an excellent 596kg Limousin from J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm, Cornsay Colliery; a smart sort from Anthony Swinbank & Son, Springwell House Farm followed closest at 337ppk ahead of J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange at 328ppk. Top of the steers per kilo was an excellent home bred British Blue from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm, West Woodburn which sold for 321 pence; the same good run claimed third place on the steer list at 306ppk with the regular selling Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows splitting the Low Leam team with a Limousin at 309ppk. Despite the steadier trade the top few gross values remained very impressive as W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones, Caldwell led the heifers at £2154 whilst the Scott’s of Low Leam confirmed the quality of their steers topping the day at £2240. Below are some of the day’s top pen averages.
Heifers
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 to average 314ppk and £1987
Anthony Swinbank & Son, Sedgefield sold 2 to average 313ppk and £1811
J C Johnson, Trimdon Village sold 2 to average 312ppk and £1601
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Richmond sold 2 to average 311ppk and £1795
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 310ppk and £1586
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 309ppk and £1764
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 306ppk and £1898
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 306ppk and £1795
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 285ppk and £1927
Steers – Top prices ppk 321 306 275 WJ Scott Ltd. 309 304 Askwiths. 284 WA Armstrong. 279 266 LW Martin. 274 261 250×2 AJ Marr & Son. 270×2 268 267 258 PR&V Barlow & Son. 266 JR&B Anderson. 248 JM Ramsay.
Lead Grossing Steers £2240 £2019 £1845 WJ Scott Ltd. £1900 £1690 Askwiths. £1860 £1713 LW Martin. £1849 £1586 AJ Marr & Son. £1624 JM Ramsay & Son. £1618 M Ord & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 339 315 309 JE Suddes & Son. 337 A Swinbank & Son. 328 318 307 JV Hodgson. 326 GK KN & GJ Hird. 325 319 317 315 WA Armstrong. 323 310 Askwiths. 321 318 314 WJ Scott Ltd. 320 318 315 314 310 305×2 R Hirst. 320 IMC Farming. 320 JR&B Anderson & Son. 316 311 310 I Marshall & Sons. 315 310 JC Johnson. 311 308 305 J Layfield. 308×2 306 W Swinbank & Sons. 306 Foxton Livestock. 304 GH Farms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2154 £2152 £1887 £1829 W Swinbank & Sons. £2147 £2132 £2020 JE Suddes & Son. £2067 £1912 £1873 £1806 £1806 £1779 JV&JA Hodgson. £2055 £1949 J Layfield. £2054 £1947 £1904 WJ Scott Ltd. £2054 £1993 £1939 £1916 £1906 £1884 R Hirst. £1961 Foxton Livestock. £1859 31842 £1830 WA Armstrong. £1841 GK KN & GJ Hird. £1819 A Swinbank & Son. £1812 £1801 I Marshall & Sons.
New Season Lambs (180) – The lamb numbers slowly begin to appear although there is no doubting that they have been slow to thrive thus far in 2024. Not a great show of quality forward, weighed straight, averaged 391ppk which included dozens from the pet pens and still keeps them some 30 pence per kilo ahead of the same week last year. Top per kilo at 446 pence were five smart 46kg Texel lambs from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge; the same good home followed at 444ppk and was closely followed by Barnard Castle’s I Hedley at 439ppk. The Hedley pen topped the gross values on the day with a smart single at £210, Peter Tindale of Preston Tilery followed at £206 with the aforementioned Knaggs quintet next in line at £205.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs- £210 £180 I Hedley. £206 £202 £194 £178 PJ Tindale. £205 £200 £190 W&M Knaggs & Son. £200 £180 £176 P Medd & ME Dowson. £200 £175 £167 £165 x2 TW&PT Moss Limited. £190 £188 £176 £175 £165 x2 £164 I Burn. £189 £187 JR Knox & Son. £188 Bridie Fisk. £182 £170 £169 £160 BR&RI Routledge. £180 £175 Anna Herbert. £165 £164 £154 TW Clark & Son. £150 x2 £146 x2 ACM Spalding. £148 £140 JW&DW Laing.
Spring Lambs- Top Prices PPK 445 444 431 W&M Knaggs & Son. 439 420 I Hedley. 425 420 JR Knox & Son. 423 395 393 390 BR&RI Routledge. 417 409 407 400 395 392 x2 I Burn & Sons. 417 412 402 388 384 TW&PT Moss Limited. 412 404 396 395 PJ Tindale. 410 385 383 TW Clark & Son. 409 388 Anna Herbert. 400 377 367 P Medd & ME Dowson. 394 384 x2 306 ACM Spalding. 391 Bridie Fisk. 360 RA Patterson & Son. 341 336 JW&DW Laing.
Prime Hoggs (868) – The numbers dwindle and trade just eased back slightly on the week but the SQQ average of 368 pence per kilo is a remarkable 97 pence ahead of this week last year. Two familiar vendors were again leading the charge; top of the pence per kilo at 434 twice were pens of 46kg clipped hogg from R Atkinson, Scorton whilst the excellent heavy weights from A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear led the gross values at £220. Anice run of hoggs from local producer B Storey featured highly on both lists selling to tops of 422ppk and £202 on a day which still regularly saw the better bred and better fed selling over 400 pence and £200.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 434×2 423×4 4417 408 404 395 388 387 386×2 384 370 R Atkinson. 425 404 400×3 390 375 371 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 422 418 409 404 395 387 B Storey. 400 386 384 378 375 TN Callender. 382 376 374 372 371×2 370 J&A Layfield. 380 373 369 367 PJ Tindale. 377×2 370 366 AC Simpson & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £220 £210×3 £200×7 £195 AC Simpson & Son. £202 £190 £182 £180 B Storey. £200×2 £195×4 £190×2 £188 £184 £182 £178 £177 R Atkinson. £200 £186 P Suddes. £200 £180 K Hall. £193 £192 £190 £189 £188 £187×3 £184 £182 £179 J&A Layfield. £192 JR Knox & Son. £190 JW Richardson. £182 K Raine. £181 PJ Tindale. £180 I Kirk.
Cast Ewes & Rams (296) – As with the lambs and the hoggs the ewe trade is perhaps just slipping slightly, certainly not ringing too many alarm bells however with Eid-al Adha just around the corner. An average offering of quality today levelled at £102 per head, top of the pile at £160 was a tremendous Suffolk ewe from H M & J S Hutchinson, North Close Farm; a trio of Suffolks from A O’Brien followed at £150 alongside twenty-two Aberfield crosses from M & A Gaskin, Holdsworth Farm. Heavy Mule ewes traded around £120 whilst the better end of the horned sheep sold £60 to £80 dependant on flesh.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £160 £120 HM&JS Hutchinson. £150 £140 A O’Brien. £150 x2 £127 M&A Gaskin. £145 x2 £138 £130 B Storey. £140 £126 £120 I Hedley. £140 x2 D Wearmouth. £140 £126 C Taylor. £140 £115 RA Patterson & Son. £140 £120 GS&SE Wilson. £130 £120 RG Richardson. £130 x2 £120 x2 Ian Kirk. £130 £125 JW Richardson. £130 W Emerson. £130 £120 William Tindale. £126 PD&JA Adamski. £126 £110 RH Wilson & Son. £120 K Hall. £120 K Tallentire. £120 J&J Clark & Sons. £120 MH Hodgson. £120 £115 GW Dobson & Son. £120 x2 Luke Turnbull. £120 TW&PT Moss Limited. £120 A&CA Stanwix. £116 Anna Herbert. £110 x2 C Harle & Sons. £110 GE Raw.
