Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their fortnightly sale of rearing calves in conjunction with the weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 18th November 2024. Forward were 374 cattle, 1860 sheep and 93 calves.
104 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 290ppk or £2354
6 Stock Bulls sold to 302ppk or £2361
27 Stirks sold to £1040
4 Cows & Calves sold to £2350
27 Young Bulls sold to £1490
89 Store Steers sold to £1810
113 Store Heifers sold to £1940
1576 Store Lambs sold to £148
284 Feeding Ewes sold to £140
93 Rearing Calves sold to £570
Cast Cattle – An absolutely excellent trade as the bouncing beef prices continue to defy gravity; this week all in the cattle over the scale averaged 195ppk and £1323. Topping the cows per kilo at 290 pence was a cracking 44-month-old Limousin from Cumbrian vendors G & A Crayston, Thornholme; following her at 282ppk was a smart 6-year-old British Blue cow from H E Jewitt, Lodge Farm with an OTM heifer from D & B Harding, Thornhill next at 280ppk. Top of the gross valued cows was a well fed 5-year-old Limousin from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm which tipped the scales to 847kg and sold for 278ppk amounting to a wonderful £2354. A tidy offering of bulls this week saw some extreme prices in the higher echelons, two smart Limousin’s proved the most successful as L D Laws, High Village Farm sold at 256ppk and £2242 whilst A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm reached 246ppk and an impressive £2361. Twenty-one dairy cows were included in today’s sale and they were somewhat of a united nations with imports aplenty, the top two were both Holstein Freisians from Messrs T G & K Fisher, The Glebe and both originated in Denmark with an OTM heifer selling at 218ppk and a fleshy older cow to £1555.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 290 G&A Crayston. 282 200 HE Jewitt. 280 D&B Harding. 278 242 234 226 210 J Layfield. 260 DA Gill. 260 200 C Harle & Sons. 250 224 196 WR Thompson. 246 212 A Davison. 242 218 DJ Mallon. 238 TW Clark & Son. 230 GW Dobson & Son. 228 212 208×2 S&J Dent & Son. 220 206 200 192 RA Patterson & Son. 218×2 194 192 Messrs TG&K Fisher. 216 J&EM Lawson. 212 AN Greenwell. 210 AC Simpson & Son. 210 Pear Tree Projects Ltd. 200 A&W TA AP & J Heathcote. 200 MS Foord.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2354 £1930 £1731 £1667 £1570 J Layfield. £1914 HE Jewitt. £1909 £1543 DJ Mallon. £1899 £1689 £1535 £1472 S&J Dent & Son. £1885 G&A Crayston. £1851 TW Clark & Son. £1747 £1610 WR Thompson. £1715 AN Greenwell. £1672 MJ Marley. £1650 J&EM Lawson. £1629 AC Simpson & Son. £1564 GW Dobson & Son. £1557 £1405 A Davison. £1555 £1490 £1446 £1432 £1425 £1413 Messrs TG&K Fisher. £1520 A&W TA AP E & J Heathcote. £1515 RA Patterson & Son. £1498 D&B Harding. £1475 JC&P Tallentire. £1466 C Harle & Son. £1463 TH Mace & Sons.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 256 LD Laws. 246 AC Simpson & Son. 182 JW Richardson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2361 AC Simpson & Son. £2242 LD Laws. £2082 JW Richardson. £1684 MR Souter.
Store Cattle – The store cattle business continues to climb steeply and today it certainly found yet another gear, absolutely scintillating scenes and without doubt the best trade yet, the smart sorts remain furious, the short keepers continue to fly and the plainer end look to be the dearest of them all. A red-hot heifer from M J Marley, Holywell Farm set the bar the highest when the outstanding 21-month-old Limousin sold for an incredible £1940; next in the heifer race was a lovely 17-month-old Simmental from E Parsons, Newstead Farm at £1760. A trio of thumping Aberdeen Angus topped the steers from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Hill Farm when they sold for £1810 apiece whilst I W Cairns of Pesspool Hall followed closely with strong continentals at £1730 and £1700. Eight of the top ten young bulls were native breeds this week, top of the pile was an excellent sort from Mayfield Beef Shorthorn’s at £1490; Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm followed at £1470 ahead of a great run of Aberdeen Angus from E Taylor & Son, Wallish Walls with a best of £1460. Earlier in the sale a scattering of cows and calves peaked at £2350 for an excellent 9-year-old Limousin with a bull calf at foot from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm and a larger entry of stirks peaked at £1040 for a 6-month-old Charolais bull from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm.
Cows & Calves £2350 £2000 WM Ramsay & Sons. £1090 Pear Tree Projects Ltd. £1020 DW Ewin.
Stirks £1040 £870 £810 £790×5 £580 A wilson. £800 £710×3 £620 £610 £510×4 South East Farms. £760 £600 £550×2 TM Davies.
Store Bulls £1490 £1080 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £1470 £1190×2 £1170×2 £1040 Wilkinson & Son. £1460 £1360×3 £1280 E Taylor & Son. £1290 HE Jewitt. £1290 TR Heslop & Son. £1200×2 £1090×2 Bars of Broughton. £1090×2 £1070 JK Gregory. £1000 GW&L Marsay.
Store Steers £1810×3 £1660 £1580 B&B Kitching & Son. £1730 £1700 £1570×2 IW Cairns. £1590 £1580 E Peacock. £1550×2 GH&RG Stobbs. £1540 £1390 GL&M Steel. £1540 W&JM Clifford. £1500×2 £1450×3 D Walker. £1470×4 £1300 R Valks. £1460 £1360×2 J&S Thompson. £1410×3 W&JM Clifford. £1450 £1370 £1320×2 K sayer. £1390 £1290×2 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £1390 Northfield Farms. £1300 I Newton & Son.
Store Heifers £1940 MJ Marley. £1760 £1550 £1510×2 £1450 E Parsons. £1600 £1550 HG Lynas. £1580×2 £1460 JS Wiper. £1540 £1480 £1350 J Dent. £1540×2 £1360 JC Thwaite. £1490 £1430 £1410 AC Walton. £1470 £1430×2 £1410 Wilkinson & Son. £1460 £1430 £1380 £1270×2 Northfield Farms. £1450×3 JF Harland. £1450 JS Lynas. £1430 £1330 £1250 K Sayer. £1390 £1320 £1290 £1280 S Townend. £1360 J&S Thompson. £1360 Barrs of Broughton. £1320 £1270 KW MJ&SW Ward.
Store Sheep – Another week in the sheep trade and another marvellous three figure average as the buyers remain both confident and keen for all shapes and sizes. Topping the day at a huge £148 were three excellent Beltex lambs from A W Dixon, West Heddon Farm; next in line at £144 was a fine Texel from W Love Ltd, Sandy Carr Farm ahead of four Charollais from West Heddon at £141 and then came eight Texel’s from first time vendor P Carter, Overend Farm, Rosedale at £137. Mule lambs appeared in larger volume and didn’t disappoint as the breed averaged £90 to a top of £115 whilst long keep Swaledale and Blackface lambs sold typically £40 to £50. An eclectic mix of feeding ewes all looked well sold on the week topping at £140 from K Hall, Riding Hills Farm whilst Mule ewes sold to a top of £110 from C H & M C Phalp, Aireyholme Farm.
Store Lambs:
Beltex – £148 £136 £130 £114 AW Dixon. £131 £128 £127 £126 £113 J&D Gibson. £120 £114 B Lowson.
Texel – £144 £124 £121 £120.50 W Love Ltd. £137 £132 £131 P Carter. £136 £129 AW Dixon. £132 CA&J Kipling. £132 £126 £123 T Walton. £131 T&HA Barrass. £131 £121 CE Smith. £125 £117 DE stones. £122 GH&RG Stobbs. £120 C&JC Stephenson. £119 £114 J&RA Speed. £117 D Alderson. £114 J Thompson. £114 T&A Walton.
Charollais – £141 AW Dixon.
Continental £134 £128 £120 £116 D wearmouth. £127 £122 CA&J Kipling. £125.50 £116 £115 A Tunstall. £125 J&S Thompson. £117 G Parsons. £116 D wearmouth.
Mule – £115 MG&WD Burton.
Feeding Ewes:
Texel – £140 K Hall. £128 CE Smith. £119 M Radford.
Continental – £138 £130×2 £119 £118 £116 £107 £95 CH&MC Phalp. £96 K Buckle. £95 CE Smith. £90 WB Rutter & Sons
Suffolk – £133 CE Smith. £78 TT Hall & Son.
Cheviot – £130 RRC Andrew. £105 CH&MC Phalp.
Mule – £110 CH&MC Phalp. £107 W Love Ltd. £107 T&A Walton. £106 WB Rutter & Sons. £101 £91 TT Hall & Son. £89 M Radford. £89 D Rutter. £89 CG Barraclough. £83 RA Patterson & Son. £80 CH&MC Phalp. £78 J Burns. £77 P&S Wood.
Charollais – £98 RRC Andrew.
Swale – £78 GH&RG Stobbs. £74 TT Hall & Son.
Jacob – £64 K Buckle.
Rearing Calves – Darlington Marts calf trade saw a bigger rise this week, with a sale average of £379. A bigger show of calves forward today, with 93 selling through the ring and very much in demand.
Top Bull calf of today goes to Wilsons of Calf Close Farm, with a cracking British Blue making £550. In the heifer section, top price went to a British Blue from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides, making £570. Finally, top priced Steer calf went to Wilsons of Calf Close Farm, making £530 with a Simmental.
Heifer Calves:
British Blue – £570 £510 £500 Wilkinson & Son. £465 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £330 £310 £285×2 CN Bentley.
Simmental – £435 £320 A Wilson. £410 £340 JL Miles & Sons.
Angus – £400×2 £380×2 £355×2 £350×2 £340×2 £330×2 £295×4 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £290 £280 H Gibb & Son. £280 £270 JL Miles & Sons.
Inra £390 £370 Kitchings of Summerfield.
Limousin – £265 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Bull Calves:
British Blue – £550 A Wilson. £540 £530 £525 £510 £500×2 £490 Wilkinson & Son. £380 £370 £365 H Gibb & Son.
Angus – £470 £440 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £380 £365 £360×2 JL Miles & Sons. £370 £345 £315 H Gibb & Son. £260 Kitchings 0f Summerfield.
Simmental – £430 JL Miles & Sons. £420 Wilkinson & Sons. £310 CN Bentley.
Inra £410×2 £400 £395 Kitchings of Summerfield.
Limousin- £370×2 CN Bentley. £325 £320 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Friesian – £260×2 CN Bentley. £190 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Steer Calves:
Simmental – £530 A Wilson. £485 CN Bentley.
Angus – £478×2 £465×2 £405 £400×2 £380×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
British Blue – £410 £380 CN Bentley.
Friesian – £370×2 £270×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Limousin – £320 CN Bentley.
