Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime cattle and bulls on Thursday 3rd October 2024. Forward were 135 head.
56 Prime Bulls sold to 343ppk or £2844
12 Prime Steers sold to 352ppk or £2570
67 Prime Heifers sold to 388ppk or £2335
Prime Bulls (56) – The bull trade bundles its way in to October at a terrific pace to see them this week all in average 288ppk and £2017; the top end bulls appear a fabulous trade. Top per kilo at an impressive 343 pence was a superb homebred 755kg Limousin from the Renton family of High Highlaws, Morpeth; following at 338ppk was the Marrick magician Neil White with a 733kg Limousin followed very closely by a brilliant British Blonde weighing 844kg from D Richardson & Co, Bracken House, Melsonby. The beautiful Blonde from Bracken House at 337ppk added up to a stunning £2844 which convincingly claimed the top value; two others followed in the £2500’s with a dozen others between £2200 and £2400. Native breeds were out in force and led by the Aberdeen Angus brigade as R Hall & Son, Brotton led at £1960 whilst T C Walton, Middridge sold to 300ppk. Friesian bulls topped at 241ppk and £1588 from J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge however probably the pick of the pure dairy breeds was a thumping Fleckvieh from C H & S E Armstrong, North Charlton selling at 267ppk and £1962. See below some of the top averages.
K & A Harker, Worsall sold 2 to average 327ppk and £2515
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 5 to average 325ppk and £2232
N White, Marrick sold 3 to average 318ppk and £2267
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 4 to average 306ppk and £2490
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 343 334 329 318 299 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 338 324 295 N White. 337 301 299 287 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 330 325 K&A Harker. 321 307 305×2 301 300 279 278 J Norman. 319 310 297 289 TC Walton. 319 JK&CE Farming. 313 287 R Hall & son. 285 258 JC&P Tallentire. 284 279 272×2 270 267 CH&SE Armstrong. 244 235 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2844 £2496 £2341 £2278 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2589 £2364 £2266 £2082 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2534 £2496 K&A Harker. £2494 JK&CE Farming. £2477 £2185 £2138 N White. £2380 £2268 £2167 TC Walton. £2291 £1908 R Hall & Son. £2196 £2182 £2083 £2060 £2049 £1961 J Norman. £2170 £2122 £2064 £2059 £2053 £1962 CH&SE Armstrong.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 241 JK&CE Farming. 220 216 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1588 JK&CE Farming. £1293 £1234 D Walker.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 300 293 277 TC Walton. 290 R Hall & Son. 288 J Norman. 284 269 267 265 JA&A Herbert. 254 250 238 CH&SE Armstrong. 226 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2311 £2146 £1875 TC Walton. £1960 R Hall & Son. £1871 £1837 £1796 CH&SE Armstrong. £1869 J Norman. £1807 £1757 £1670 £1534 JA&A Herbert. £1215 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (79) – The phenomenon that is the Darlington clean cattle ring of late continues, a higher proportion of R and O grades did nothing to disrupt another onslaught of bidding to see the steers average 312ppk and the heifers an excellent 329ppk. With the top nineteen heifers over 350ppk it was indeed another fabulous day, the top two sold over 380ppk and hailed from two of our most regular sellers. Best of all at 388ppk was a brilliant 602kg Limousin from R Hirst, Neasham Grange; just adrift at 386ppk was a splendid 593kg Limousin from JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange as these two prolific feeders shared between them all of the top ten prices per kilo. Top of the steers per kilo were PJ & MP Gilhespy, West House with an excellent 584kg Limousin; Taylor Bros of Belle Isle followed thrice at 348 and 349ppk. With such extreme prices per kilo the gross values naturally followed, the top half a dozen heifers all sold over £2200 and came from vendors already mentioned above, three from the Hodgson pen, two from the Hirst’s and one for the Gilhespy’s; pick of the heifer pack at £2335 was in fact the same 388 pence aforementioned superstar from Neasham Grange. Despite a light show, one steer in particular grabbed the headlines in the gross value standings, a terrific 30-month-old 743kg British Blue from M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent Farm led the way at £2570.
Steers
Taylor Bros, Richmond sold 4 to average 345ppk and £1955
PJ & MP Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 2 to average 329ppk and £1836
Heifers
R Hirst, Neasham sold 11 to average 359ppk and £2089
T N Callender, Stockton sold 2 to average 357ppk and £2033
JV & JA Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 355ppk and £2106
OS Laws, Northallerton sold 3 to average 354ppk and £1721
PJ & MP Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 5 to average 350ppk and £2031
Steers – Top prices ppk 352 305 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 349 348×2 338 Taylor Bros. 346 TN Callender. 346 M Robinson & Sons. 300 AC Stanwix. 292 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 238 M Ord & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers – £2570 M Robinson & Sons. £2127 TN Callender. £2055 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1967 £1959 £1954 £1941 Taylor Bros. £1921 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1911 AC Stanwix. £1884 M Ord & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 388 379 376 374 371 359 357 341 340×2 R Hirst. 386 378 377×2 365 353 348 344 339×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 365 350 349×2 338 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 360 354 TN Callender. 350 IR Appleton. 345 342 330 325 N White. 344 340 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 331 M Robinson & Sons. 320 318 Rebecca Appleton. 310 D Walker
Lead Grossing Heifers £2335 £2237 £2179 £2162 £2067 £2060 £2028 R Hirst. £2288 £2260 £2216 £2142 £2137 £2089 £2073 £2044 £2028 £2017 £1993 JV&JA Hodgson. £2240 £2156 £2022 £1909 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2152 £1915 TN Callender. £2074 £2019 £2003 £1909 £1894 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2026 N White. £1976 M Robinson & Sons.
No sheep sale was held this week due to the set up for the inaugural North East Live event which is held here on Saturday. Gates open at 8am, tickets are just £5 per head, please follow North East Live on Facebook for further details.
