Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 7th November 2024. Forward were 200 cattle and 1733 sheep.
87 Prime Bulls sold to 354ppk or £2659
18 Prime Steers sold to 367ppk or £2308
91 Prime Heifers sold to 415ppk or £2441
4 Cast Cows sold to 200ppk or £1402
1486 Prime Lambs sold to 427ppk or £190
247 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £270
Prime Bulls (87) – The bull trade hit the bullseye and with a lighter show in both weight and numbers this week the rising price was further amplified to leave a stunning sale average of 299ppk and £1988. A staggering twenty-five bulls sold over 320 pence per kilo, fourteen of these sold in the 330’s with a trio in the 340’s and our sale leader from M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent Farm sold for a wonderful 354ppk. The high-flying bull in question was a 632kg British Blue, best described this week as a real Donald Rump of a bull; following him at 342ppk was a lovely 757kg Limousin from J B Luck & Son, Milestone House with another from East Alwent and also super sort from P I Harker, Worsall Grove Farm next at 340ppk, working down the list these were followed by no less than four at 339ppk from M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm. Top of the gross values was an excellent Limousin from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm weighing 794kg and reaching £2659; three other bulls sold over £2600 including a British Blonde from F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm, another from the Armstrong’s of Middle Moor and a second mention for the great breeding and feeding of J B Luck & Son. On to the native breeds and a successful day for the Aberdeen Angus breed topping at 312ppk from D A & M A M Brown, Agglethorpe and £2366 from C H & S E Armstrong; Friesian feeders too enjoyed this week’s trading selling to marvellous tops of 269ppk and £1923 from M A & P D Foster, Smithy House. See below some of the top pen averages.
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 3 to average 343ppk and £2150
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 330ppk and £2596
P I Harker, Worsall sold 2 to average 334ppk and £2426
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 2 to average 326ppk and £2483
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicester sold 16 to average 326ppk and £1847
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 319ppk and £2501
W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Magna sold 2 to average 311ppk and £2579
J A & M Boyes Ltd, Winston sold 4 to average 311ppk and £2296
Leading Prices
Continental Bulls Per Kilo – 354 340 335 M Robinson & Sons. 342 320 J B Luck & Son. 340 329 P I Harker. 339(x4) 337(x2) 333 332 328 324 322 320 319 318 M & G Chantrell Ltd. 338 335 C H & S E Armstrong. 335 320 F & J S Gargett. 335 314 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 333 D A & M A M Brown. 325 315 L S Staley. 323 Robert Neill & Partners. 314 W A Richardson Ltd.
Native Breed Bulls Per Kilo – 312 303 297 292 274 272 D A & M A M Brown. 309 286 283 C H & S E Armstrong. 287 276 J A & J Herbert.
Friesian Bulls Per Kilo – 269 247 242 M A & P D Foster. 250 R Hall & Son.
Continental Bulls Gross Value – £2659 £2649 £2020 C H & S E Armstrong. £2652 £2314 F & J S Gargett. £2604 £2588 J B Luck & Son. £2599 £2558 W A Richardson Ltd. £2538 £2463 L S Staley. £2465 £2388 P I Harker. £2446 R H Bell & Co. £2381 £2345 £2339 £2119 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £2266 J M Ramsay & Son. £2259 £2220 J K & C E Farming. £2257 £2237 M Robinson & Sons. £2251 £2020 A J Marr & Son. £2091 £2018 D A & M A M Brown. £2018 M & G Chantrell Ltd. £2015 Robert Neill & Partners.
Native Breed Bulls Gross Value – £2366 £1881 £1838 £1760 C H & S E Armstrong. £1891 £1739 £1731 £1693 £1648 £1600 D A & M A M Brown. £1790 £1763 J A & A Herbert. £1529 R Hall & Son.
Friesian Bulls Gross Value – £1923 £1862 £1623 M A & P D Foster. £1482 R Hall & Son.
Clean Cattle (109) – The marvellous clean beef trade continues to make strides as this week the heifers averaged an excellent 346ppk with the super steers not far adrift at 339ppk. Four pound per kilo has threatened to burst its banks for a few weeks and today it did just that as raiding Roxburghshire family the Fleming’s of Moss Tower, Kelso sold Limousin heifers first to 406ppk and then to an incredible 415ppk. The brilliant border reivers weren’t done there as they sold another to 399ppk and thrice reached 397ppk, five further heifers sold over 390ppk on the day and half a dozen more were away in the 380’s as the top shop sorts look to be as dear as they have ever been. Top of the steers per kilo was another firm from afar as Robert Neill & Partners, Upper Nisbet Farm, Jedburgh led proceedings at 367 pence with an excellent Limousin; regular heifer sellers J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange followed with a steer closely at 365ppk with another from Upper Nisbet and some stunners from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam, West Woodburn not far adrift in the 350’s. Some grand old gross values with the day’s top dozen cattle sold beyond £2300; pick of the steers at £2308 hailed from the Askwith family of Crook however the fabulous Fleming heifers again stole the show with a best of £2441 for a 612kg heifer and an unbelievable average of £2316 on the day, see the top cards from a high-flying pack below.
Heifers
W M Fleming, Kelso sold 9 to average 391ppk and £2316
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 387ppk and £2264
Robert Neill & Partners, Jedburgh sold 2 to average 383ppk and £2237
R Hirst, Neasham sold 8 to average 374ppk and £2063
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 7 to average 363ppk and £2077
J R & B Anderson & Son, Manfield sold 2 to average 362ppk and £2159
P & N Tattersall, York sold 5 to average 360ppk and £1946
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 5 to average 359ppk and £2228
Steers
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 2 to average 354ppk and £2108
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 349ppk and £2183
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 335ppk and £2199
Steers- Top Prices PPK 367 355 Robert Neill & Partners. 365 345 JV&JA Hodgson. 355 350 348 344 WJ Scott LTD. 346 330 M&G Chantrell LTD. 343 Anthony Swinbank. 339 328 Taylor Bros LTD. 339 338 330 Askwiths. 325 RO Gilson.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 415 406 399 397 x3 389 387 363 WM Fleming. 396 395 389 370 WJ Scott LTD. 394 389 388 378 374 361 360 R Hirst. 394 379 JB Luck & Son. 390 377 Robert Neill & Partners. 382 379 374 x2 367 354 JV&JA Hodgson. 376 370 FW Hodgson & Son. 375 367 364 W Swinbank & Sons. 369 364 362 x2 P&N Tattersall. 369 Taylor Bros LTD. 365 357 WF Hustwit. 362 x2 JR&B Anderson & Son. 359 JE Suddes & Son. 358 RO Gilson. 356 M&G Chantrell LTD.
Lead Grossing Steers £2308 £2230 £2059 Askwiths. £2265 £2253 £2172 £2044 WJ Scott Ltd. £2153 £2063 JV&JA Hodgson. £2150 £2122 R Neill & Partners. £1959 RO Gilson. £1922 £1856 Taylor Bros. £1879 A Swinbank & Son. £1742 £1716 £1705 M&G Chantrell Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2441 £2382 £2375 £2369 £2362 £2353 £2243 £2240 £2134 WM Fleming. £2347 £2126 R Neill & Partners. £2345 £2162 FW Hodgson & Son. £2327 £2296 £2236 £2196 WJ Scott Ltd. £2318 £2264 £2261 £2234 W Swinbank & Sons. £2262 JE Suddes & Son. £2255 RO Gilson. £2226 £2133 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2222 £2184 £2153 £2139 £2044 R Hirst. £2178 £2103 JB Luck & Son. £2169 £2139 £2109 £2101 £2069 JV&JA Hodgson. £2168 £2150 JR&B Anderson. £2089 A Swinbank & Son. £2077 Taylor Bros. £2070 P&N Tattersall.
Prime Lambs (1486) – Lambs on the up, incomparable to the prices of just a few days ago, the bargain basement sparklers reported early in the week have now fizzled out to frankly look sadder than Kamela Harris; read on to see how the real showstopping firework displays happened much closer to the weekend. Todays weighed straight sale all in averaged 325ppk with an SQQ of 329ppk which equates to an excellent £151.53 per head. Last years Christmas champions W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm, Station Town led the prices per kilo with a smart pair of 37kg Beltex lambs at 427 pence, plenty of others climbed above 350ppk including the Ramsay’s again at 395ppk, T N Callender, Ox Eye Farm at 386ppk, R Atkinson, Scorton at 383ppk and AWSM Farms at 380ppk. A thumping 61kg Charollais lamb from A Bloomfield, Aeolian House led the gross values at £190, the reliable Ramsay’s followed twice in the £180’s and a further seventeen sells (95 lambs) sold in the £170’s. As with the cattle, some of the day’s top runs are listed below.
K A Luke, Toft Hill sold 8 @ £170.25 (50kg)
W Ramsay & Sons, Station Town sold 21 @ £169.19 (46kg)
D M Tiplady, Boldron sold 42 @ £167.00 (52kg)
D & P H Brown, Aldbrough-St-John sold 12 @ £166.50 (54kg)
T Duckitt, Goole sold 27 @ £166.30 (52kg)
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 90 @ £166.21 (52kg)
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 178 @ £162.86 (46kg)
AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna sold 145 @ £150.67 (44kg)
Eight further vendors who averaged £160 to £165
A Bloomfield, Middleton-St-George
R W & R Henry, Worsall
R O Gilson, Byers Green
M & A Gaskin, Marwood
W Denham, Langleydale
T N Callender, Whinney Hill
J Milbank & Sons, Dalton
J C Thwaite, Lartington
Lambs – Top prices ppk 427 395 360 344×2 343 W Ramsay & Sons. 386 347 344 TN Callender. 383 375 363 357 342×2 340 337 R Atkinson. 380 366 350 346 345 338 335 334×2 AWSM Farms. 370 348 OS Laws. 360 A Bloomfield. 360 343 M&A Gaskin. 356 343 PJ Tindale. 352 D&PH Brown. 352 335 KA Luke. 350 JA&A Herbert. 348 336 R Errington & Son. 342 AW Sanderson. 340 J Hird. 340 JG Hall. 340 R Tookey & Son. 340×2 Askwiths. 338 JC Thwaite & Son. 337 Beckwith. 335 W Tindale. 334 W Denham.
Lead Grossing Lambs £190 £167 £166 A Bloomfield. £182×2 £172×2 £169 £166 W Ramsay & Sons. £176 £175 £168 £166 I Marshall & Sons. £176 DM Tiplady. £175 PJ Tindale. £174 £171 £169 £166×2 T Duckitt. £174 £172 TN Callender. £172 £170 £169 RO Gilson. £171×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £171 £168.50 £167 R Atkinson. £171 AWSM Farms. £171×2 £169 K Luke. £170 £166 £165 TW Clark & Son. £169 £165 J Milbank & Sons. £168.50 J Scheer. £168×5 D&PH Brown. £168 £167 W Denham. £167 J Hird. £166 £165 RW&R Henry. £166 JC Thwaite & Son.
Cast Ewes/Rams (247) – Following the rocketing lamb trade a little resistance crept in to some of the ewe buyer’s thoughts, the best end continentals remain very easily sold however things looked harder work to a degree amongst the Mule ewes. Top of the day were a fantastic pair of pure Texel ewes from D Chapman, Mill View which sold for a marvellous £270 per head. Following at £246 was a superb Texel from P J Tindale, Preston Tilery with the Ramsay’s continuing their good day and also selling over £200. Top of the Mules at £124 was a monster from D & P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm whilst we saw Cheviots to £122, Zwartbles to £114, Swaledale’s to £66 and Herdwicks to £60. The whole sale averaged £95.33.
Lead Grossing Ewes- £270 £120 D Chapman. £246 £122 PJ Tindale. £221 W Ramsay & Sons. £192 £149 £136 £130 x2 £100 WA Wardman LTD. £192 £188 £148 £132 £117 M&A Gaskin. £172 £124 D&PH Brown. £150 £130 W Denham. £140 £101 JC Thwaite & Son. £140 £129 K&PM Lough. £137 £111 £100 WR Thompson. £130 JK&CE Farming. £128 £103 D&J Hunnam & Son. £124 RI Jones. £123 D&G Spry. £120 x2 Beckwith. £114 £110 EW Holmes. £104 I Marshall & Sons.
