Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 6th June 2024. Forward were 149 cattle and 1025 sheep.
49 Prime Bulls sold to 333ppk or £2568
15 Prime Steers sold to 324ppk or £2273
83 Prime Heifers sold to 343ppk or £2132
2 Cast Cows sold to 186ppk or £1446
435 Prime Lambs sold to 482ppk or £231
316 Prime Hoggs sold to 340ppk or £180
274 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (49) – The bulls changed up a gear this week as trade took a handsome lift to see them all in average 279ppk and £1968. Double tops for J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm, Willington today with Limousin bulls leading both the pence per kilo and pounds per head; top per kilo at 333 pence was a 693kg bull whilst the top gross value at £2568 tipped the scales to 862kg. Cracking British Blonde bulls from F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm neared the summit peaking at 318ppk and £2419 whilst a good run of Limousin’s from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm also impressed with a best of 325ppk. Lincoln Red bulls led the native breeds from S N Bird & Sons, Elwick at 264ppk or Aberdeen Angus to a top of £1891 from J & A & D A Horn, Manor Farm. Dairy bulls saw a Fleckvieh from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall impress at 265ppk and £1666 whilst the more traditional black and whites were led at 237ppk, again by the Hall’s of Kilton or £1605 from J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm. See below a select few of the day’s top pen averages.
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 2 to average 313ppk and £2190
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 4 to average 310ppk and £2071
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 307ppk and £2338
J Layfield, Willington sold 6 to average 306ppk and £2317
Continental Bulls- Top Prices PPK 333 318 309 302 298 284 J Layfield. 325 317 315 287 S&J Dent & Son. 318 x2 287 F&JS Gargett. 316 311 C Binks & Son. 294 x3 D Richardson & Co LTD. 290 288 JK&CE Farming. 290 289 250 SH Watson & Son. 289 x2 GH Farms LTD. 288 274 269 M Thuey. 284 280 J Richmond. 277 276 255 JE&B Morgan & Son. 277 267 x2 229 J&A&DA Horn. 265 R Hall & Son. 264 263 257 242 SN Bird & Sons. 232 226 220 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2568 £2497 £2315 £2307 £2110 £2107 J Layfield. £2419 £2324 £2270 F&JS Gargett. £2410 £2354 £2346 SH Watson & Son. £2373 £1930 £1891 £1722 J&A&DA Horn. £2310 £2236 £2228 D Richardson & Co LTD. £2253 £2127 C Binks & Son. £2200 £2148 £1987 £1951 S&J Dent & Son. £2104 £1999 J Richmond. £2066 £2040 GH Farms LTD. £2056 £1969 JK&CE Farming. 1929 £1772 £1736 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £1907 £1768 £1709 M Thuey. £1666 R Hall & Son. £1612 £1315 £1297 GS Dowson. £1570 £1454 £1439 SN Bird & Sons.
Friesian Bulls- Top Prices PPK 237 210 R Hall & Son. 228 JM&S Walton. 226 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1605 JM&S Walton. £1512 £1323 R Hall & Son. £1299 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (98) – Not the dramatic lift that the bulls enjoyed however trade was firmer on the week, not all superstars, a fair proportion of R grade cattle included saw the heifer’s level at 301ppk with a nice show of steers averaging 298ppk and £1960. Top per kilo at 343 pence was a beautiful 573kg Limousin heifer from regular selling R Hirst, Neasham Grange, a delightful dozen others followed in the 330’s with a further seventeen in the 320’s as the butcher’s shop heifer trade stayed firm throughout the sale. The better end of the steers all sold over 310 pence per kilo, top of the pile at 324ppk was a super 637kg Limousin from the Askwith’s of Low Mown Meadows; Whitby based J M Smith and the Marshall’s of Bishop Middleham headed up the chasing pack. Some great gross values were achieved as some seventeen cattle broke the £2000 barrier; four fantastic Limousin steers from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House Farm led the way, weighing between 700 and 750kg the quality quartet sold between £2223 and £2273. Top gross valued heifer at £2132 came from local feeder Neil Brown, Werst Hartburn Farm with an excellently finished 652kg Limousin; three other heifers over £2100 on the day came from West Hartburn again, one for the Hirst’s of Neasham and the other from Rochester & Murray, Glebe Farm. See below the days top pen averages.
Heifers
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 3 to average 328ppk and £2068
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 328ppk and £1964
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Great Stainton sold 2 to average 325ppk and £1990
R Hirst, Neasham sold 12 to average 324ppk and £1952
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 2 to average 323ppk and £2003
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 320ppk and £1966
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 317ppk and £1971
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 308ppk and £2245
Steers- Top Prices PPK 324 311 Askwiths. 318 282 258 JM Smith. 316 314 306 300 I Marshall & Sons. 313 311 WA Armstrong. 310 J&MJ Walton. 290 Anthony Swinbank & Son. 277 JK&CE Farming. 251 JR Spink.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2273 £2259 £2227 £2223 I Marshall & Sons. £2063 £1878 Askwiths. £1966 JK&CE Farming. £1908 £1756 £1584 JM Smith. £1864 JR Spink. £1790 £1757 WA Armstrong. £1630 J&MJ Walton. £1510 Anthony Swinbank & Son.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 343 337 335 334 329 328 326 320 315 314 312 R Hirst. 337 326 324 320 308 WA Armstrong. 337 334 319 309 WF Hustwit. 335 329 325 320 x2 316 306 x2 303 JV&JA Hodgson. 335 316 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 334 331 301 Askwiths. 334 327 324 JH&M&NW Brown. 332 316 I Marshall & Sons. 329 328 JB Luck & Son. 329 306 WL Robinson & Partners. 313 302 RW&R Henry. 312 308 Rochester & Murray. 308 JM Smith.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2132 £2106 £1967 JH&M&NW Brown. £2112 £2075 £2059 £2020 £1965 £1962 £1950 £1934 £1929 £1851 £1849 R Hirst. £2109 £1928 £1878 Rochester & Murray. £2073 £2007 Askwiths. £2047 £1963 £1959 £1921 £1911 £1910 £1872 WF Hustwit. £2028 £1978 I Marshall & Sons. £2018 £1952 £1924 £1862 WA Armstrong. £1997 £1983 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1990 £1938 JB Luck & Son. £1985 £1957 £1949 £1930 £1879 £1872 £1869 JV&JA Hodgson. £1978 £1865 £1860 RW&R Henry. £1951 WF Hustwit. £1895 £1884 WL Robinson & Partners.
New Season Lambs (435) – More of the same as the lambs remain slow to appear and enjoy a ferocious trade off the back of it; this week’s weighed straight sale average returned at 411ppk, in comparison to this week last year we sit £30 to £40 ahead of the game. Top price per kilo at 482 pence went to a magnificent 46kg Texel lamb from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin Farm when selling to Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton at £222. Plenty of the better bred and better fed lambs were selling between 440ppk and 460ppk regularly with the familiar feeding of J C Simpson, Caldwell featuring heavily at the top end. Top of the gross values were a powerful pair of 56kg Texel’s from I & A Holmes, Middle Stotfold Farm, Elwick at £231; the aforementioned Caldwell consignor chipped in at £229 with plenty of other vendors comfortably climbing beyond £200.
Spring Lambs- Top Prices PPK 482 437 420 W&M Knaggs & Son. 466 458 450 449 447 436 JC Simpson. 460 414 GW Whittington Livestock. 453 418 414 W Lewis & Sons. 447 446 437 F&JS Gargett. 447 397 Melissa Donaldson. 445 443 431 I Hedley. 443 415 412 I&A Holmes. 441 436 434 JR Knox & Son. 440 439 430 415 x2 AS&G Donaldson. 439 400 WA Wardman LTD. 430 426 419 402 x2 JA&A Herbert. 427 RA Patterson & Son. 425 423 x2 407 392 PJ Tindale. 424 417 392 E Scott & Sons. 422 405 Duell Partners. 421 W Simpson. 416 JW&DW Laing. 412 William Tindale. 405 R Tookey. 405 392 ACM Spalding. 404 x2 JM Smith. 395 Anna Herbert.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs- £231 £213 £187 I&A Holmes. £229 £219 £189 £188 £188 £179 JC Simpson. £222 £197 £189 W&M Knaggs & Son. £215 £185 £180 AS&G Donaldson. £212 £205 £204 JR Knox & Son. £206 £192 £188 F&JS Gargett. £199 £170 £165 £163 PJ Tindale. £196 £195 £181 I Hedley. £195 £184 £178 W Lewis & Sons. £191 £186 £179 x2 JW&DW Laing. £189 £180 £176 £172 WA Wardman LTD. £188 RA Patterson & Son. £184 £170 GW Whittington Livestock. £179 Melissa Donaldson. £178 £170 JM Smith. £175 £173 £172 x2 £161 JA&A Herbert. £174 £171 £164 £162 £161 E Scott & Sons. £173 Duell Partners. £170 GM Simpson. £170 Anna Herbert. £165 William Tindale. £160 W Simpson.
Prime Hoggs (316) – The hogg trade hasn’t lifted off like many thought it would as we head towards the Eid celebrations and real tailenders within the show with a lack of meat possibly didn’t help matters either. Top per kilo at 340 pence were nineteen tidy 47kg Texel hoggs from P R & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm. Leading the gross values at £180 was a heavyweight Suffolk hogg from K Liversedge, East Roughlea, others followed in the £160’s and £170’s with weight proving the key to success throughout.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £243 £307 K Liversedge. £176 £130 JM&S Walton. £175 £150 £140 R Bradley & Son. £170 x3 Ian Kirk. £162 £155 £145 £135 £130 x2 £110 TN Callender. £160 x2 £154 £140 SR Welford. £160 145 £141 £110 x2 PR&V Barlow & Son. £160 £140 Mark Robson. £155 £150 £144 C Binks & Son. £153 £149 £145 FP&IM Jefferson. £150 £140 £130 C Dawson. £150 £127 £114 Elemore Hall. £145 x2 DE Stones. £145 MB Scott. £132 £126 PJ Tindale. £132 F Ward. £130 £110 RA Patterson. £130 MG&WD Burton. £129 x2 WE Frank & Son. £110 K&PM Lough. £107 GA&J Allison.
Cast Ewes & Rams (274) – The old girls and boys maintained last weeks high levels and a by and large a decent show of flesh saw them average £122. Top of the day at £200 were a fit (not fat) pair of Texel ewes from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge; other lowland bred ewes, again fit not fat, followed regularly north of £150. Mule ewes topped at £132 with the breed averaging £110 whilst the horned ewes sold to a best of £100 and average well in to the £80’s.
Lead Grossing Ewes- £200 £174 £166 £164 £158 £150 x2 W&M Knaggs & Son. £184 £150 £132 LD Laws. £178 £154 Anna Herbert. £170 £130 B Lowson. £170 £164 K&MM Henderson. £164 £154 £140 I&A Holmes. £160 £146 AS&G Donaldson. £156 £150 JM&S Walton. £155 £148 GF Whitfield. £152 Allison Devereux. £151 £137 GW Whittington Livestock. £150 JR Mann. £150 £132 K&PM Lough. £150 RA Patterson & Son. £149 TN Callender. £148 £134 JV Hodgson & Son. £140 I Hedley. £140 F Ward. £138 K Liversedge. £136 JR Knox & Son. £130 J Hird.
