Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Big Bank Holiday’ show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves. Forward were 363 cattle, 1753 sheep and 77 rearing calves.
37 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 340ppk or £2605
1 Stock Bull sod for 236ppk and £2362
26 Cows & Calves sold to £4600
43 Young Bulls sold to £2320
94 Store Steers sold to 2320
134 Store Heifers sold to £2340
30 Breeding Ewes/Rams sold to £280
460 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £218
1263 Store Lambs sold to £150
77 Rearing Calves sold to £1070
Show Cattle – Thanks as always go to our sponsors who are displayed at the ringsides throughout the year. Judging was in the capable hands of Stuart Askwith, Low Mown Meadows, Crook who we thank enormously for his time today and also the Askwith families support throughout the year. The champion rosette went to a lovely 11-month-old Limousin heifer from J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort Farm whilst picking up the reserve was another smart Limousin heifer, this one from B Storey, Byers Green. A full rundown of the show results can be seen below.
Champion:
JN Swinbank, Cold Comfort sold to £2080
Reserve Champion:
B Storey, Byers Green sold to £1920
Class 1 – Continental Steer
1st – F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £1740 to W F Dove & Sons, East House
2nd – N Wilson, Hill House Farn sold for £1900 to E W Grieves, Oakdene
3rd – F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £1740 to W F Dove & Sons, East House
Class 2 – Continental Heifer
1st – J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort sold for £2080 to Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows
2nd – B Storey, Byers Green sold for £1920 to P & E Ellis, Lisern Farm
3rd – B Storey, Byers Green sold for £2100 to P & E Ellis, Lisern Farm
Cast Cattle – A The only section perhaps light on numbers this Bank Holiday was the cows as a lighter show assembled, trade continued in its recent fast form to see a relatively plain show average 244ppk and £1658 per head. Native breeds led the way today as top per kilo was a smart Aberdeen Angus OTM heifer from G & J M Blackburn, Cabin Farm at 340 pence and the top gross value went to a thumping Hereford cow from G Newburn, Clough House at £2605. Continental cows topped from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm at 338ppk or M W Reed, West Biggins at £2243. Flying the Friesian flag was an OTM from A R & C Booth & Sons, Village Farm at 272ppk or a fleshy sort from Stainton Hill Farms which sold over £2000. The one stock bull offered was a strong Simmental from R I Jones, Biggin House which sold for £2362.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 340 G&JM Blackburn. 338 308 AC Simpson & Son. 328 220 MW Reed. 300 288 284 256 AP Greenshields. 294 290 JN Swinbank. 282 RI Jones. 280 264 Tallentire. 272 238 210 AR&C Booth & Sons. 270 J Irvine. 262 DR Smith. 262 250×2 G Newburn. 258 244 R&W Todd. 250 230 Stainton Hill Farms. 225 R&A Chapman.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows – £2605 £2330 £1755 G Newburn. £2315 G&JM Blackburn. £2250 £1945 £1823 £1715 AP Greenshields. £2243 MW Reed. £2093 £1931 JN Swinbank. £2088 £2069 AC Simpson & Son. £2058 RI Jones. £2001 £1825 Stainton Hill Farms. £1941 J Irvine. £1891 £1705 R&W Todd. £1873 £1560 Tallentire. £1787 £1611 AR&C Booth & Sons.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 236 RI Jones.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2365 RI Jones.
Breeding Cattle – All aboard the Aberdeen Angus express as of the twenty-six cows and twenty-eight calves offered only two were something other than Angus. The highlights largely came from the terrific herd reduction of R E Dickson, Stubdale Farm, Loftus which averaged a marvellous £1523 per life and sold to a tremendous top of £4600 for a 6-year-old cow with a 4-month-old bull calf at foot. The Stubdale successes kept on coming with a 4-year-old cow and heifer calf at £3800 followed by an excellent 9-year-old at £3080 with her bull calf at foot.
Breeding Cattle – Cows & Calves:
£4600 £3800 £3080 £3000×2 £2950×3 £2900×6 £2850×3 £2800×2 RE Dickson. £2780 £2620 Belaw Farming. £2180 £1600 JW Richardson. £2180 R Simpson & Sons. £1800 P Leese.
Store Cattle – The supersonic store trade keeps going as confidence amongst the buyers coupled with moderate grain prices ensured that all classes exceed expectations. Numbers and averages way up on the same sale last year as young bulls today average £1556 (+£70 for 34 more sold), store heifers averaged £1676 (+£367 for 43 more sold) store steers averaged £1713 (+£315 for 33 more sold).
A tidy show of young bulls set things off nicely with two vendors sharing the top spot with well-presented 14/15-month-old Limousin bulls at £2320; the folk at the forefront were J C Thwaite & Son, Crag Hill Farm and R L Walker, East Highwood, the Walker pen sold four more between £2200 and £2300 to see them average a marvellous £2260. Top of the store cattle trade was an excellent 16-month-old Limousin heifer from R G Richardson, East Farm when she sold for £2340. Aberdeen Angus steers excelled just behind the sale leader when A E Barker, Whinfell Road sold a 17-month-old at £2320 and B Needham, Woolhouse Farm a 27-month-old at £2310. Delight in the dairy breeds was apparent for the strong Fleckvieh steers of D T & A M Herdman, Village Farm which sold to a high of £2200 whilst of those under 12-months none stood out like the terrific show winning Limousin heifer from J N Swinbank, Cold Comfort which sold for £2080.
Store Bulls £2320 JC Thwaite & Son. £2320 £2300 £2240×2 £2200 RL Walker. £1980×2 WO Grix & Partners. £1880 £1700 £1620×2 Barrs of Broughton. £1760 £1400 WM Bainbridge. £1620 £1560 £1400×2 JJ Kemp & Son. £1510 £1360 £1300 JK Gregory. £1500 £1380 Turner Richardson Farming. £1490 £1340 FJ Forrest. £1470 £1450 J Brown. £1460 JP Campbell. £1300 G Williamson.
Store Steers £2320 £1780 AE Barker. £2310 B Needham. £2300×2 £1980 WO Grix & Partners. £2240 £2200×6 £2100×6 £2060 £1970 ### Herdman. £2140 £1940 DR Smith. £2100×3 D Walker. £2000×2 G Newburn. £1960 P Leese. £1950 F Fabi. £1900×2 N Wilson. £1860 31800×2 £1740×2 £1700×2 F Ward. £1840 £1700 £1680 £1660 GS Bainbridge. £1780 S Linsley. £1780 £1740 P Leese.
Store Heifers £2340 £2220 £2200 £2140 RG Richardson. £2300 £2230 £2200 £2180 £2120 £1960 £1900 £1840 WO Grix & Partners. £2280 Rachel Valks. £2100 £1920 £1860×2 B Storey. £2100 £1900 DR Smith. £2080 B Needham. £2080 £1920 JN Swinbank. £1980 S Linsley. £1960 HE Jewitt. £1940 R Valks. £1940 RE Dickson. £1900 F Ward. £1860×2 I Newton & Son.
Store Sheep – The store lamb trade emulates the prime ring and shows a little resistance in places, thus said, the sale average of £97.86 still looks healthy given the severe lack of grass in large parts of the region. An excellent Beltex lamb from M Radford, Wyville Grange led the way when selling for £150, following at £149 were a fine pair of Texel’s from Luke Turnbull, South Farm as still the top end traded £120 plus throughout the sale. Healthy pens of Mule bred running lambs continue to travel along in three figures and only really the very long-term projects, tups and hill lambs can be bought any noticeable amount under £90.
A mammoth show of feeding ewes descended with buyers aplenty and trade terrific again. Top at £218 were a quartet of thumping Texel’s from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange; the same good home followed at £210 and £202. Plenty of the heavier lowland ewes’ trade £140 and above whilst Mule ewes are comfortably in to three figures provided, they are carrying a little flesh. Horned ewes £30 to £60 dependant on cover and tups to a top of £150.
Store Lambs:
Beltex – £150 M Radford. £146 JE Holliday & son.
Texel – £149 £130 £120 L Turnbull. £140 J Knight. £131 M Hogg. £131 £114 A Hughes. £130 J&KA McLaughlin. £130 £125 S Carmen. £130 £120×2 £115 £114 S Coote. £130 £120 JW&B Firby. £122 T Walton. £120 K Sayer. £118 LF&HC Wood. £117 JD Heavisides. £116 T Walton. £116 T&D Muir. £114 J&JA Wilkinson. £114 A spence. £113 £111 J Jopling. £111 IR Appleton. £110 M Radford. £109 TE Dobson. £108 K Sayer. £108 LF&HS Wood.
Continental – £124 D&M Lowes. £123 A Swinbank. £120×2 £116×2 £110 A Lowson. £118 JE Holiday & Son. £117 JD Heavisides. £115 £114 D Wearmouth.
Suffolk – £120 JE Holiday & Son. £112 J&KA McLaughlin. £109 £108 L Daley.
Feeding Ewes:
Texel – £218 £210 £202 £162 £160 £148 JV&JA Hodgson. £176 L Turnbull. £172 D&M Lowes. £170 D Wearmouth. £170 £162 Ivanhoe Livestock. £150 M Hogg. £150 3124 JA&A Herbert. £150 N&LL Brown & Son. £140 £126 JW&B Firby. £132 P&AR Jopling. £126 JD&MS Mortimer. £118 JD Brannen.
Beltex – £172 Ivanhoe Livestock. £170 D&M Lowes.
Continental – £170 M Keegan. £164 £160 £120 JV&JA Hodgson. £162 SC Brown. £152 £136 A Lowson. £150 Ivanhoe Livestock. £148 £137 £136 JA&A Herbert. £140 T Allanson & Son. £138 L Daley. £130 C Harle & Sons.
Mule – £128 JA&A Herbert. £126 S Richardson. £118 l Daley.
Cheviot – £120 J&KA McLaughlin.
Breeding Sheep:
Continental – £280 £220 H Foster. £250 £200×2 £175×2 £170 D&M Lowes.
Mule – £215 AG Williamson.
Stirks/Rearing Calves – Thanks must go to the buyers and vendors for their patience on what was a busy day all round thus delaying the start time, thanks also go to all the staff at DfAM who worked tirelessly in humid conditions all day to keep things moving. A strong show of calves met an eager ringside of buyers to see trade sharper and a remarkable all in average of £619 per head. A fantastic 5-month-old British Blue bull from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm led the way when he sold for £1070; the same good run followed with another pair of British Blue’s at £1035. Native breeds shone bright in the heifers as Durrant Agricultural Services, Inhams Cottage sold a Beef Shorthorn at £830 and G T & M Tweddle, Springwell Farm sold a trio of Aberdeen Angus at £800.
7 Aberdeen Angus Steers averaged £752
17 British Blue Bulls averaged £820
4 Limousin Bulls averaged £690
8 Inra 95 Bulls averaged £683
2 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £670
11 Charolais Bulls averaged £405
6 Friesian Bulls averaged £240
1 Beef Shorthorn Heifer averaged £830
6 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £686
13 British Blue Heifers averaged £556
1 Limousin Heifer averaged £420
1 Friesian Heifer averaged £400
Bull Stirks:
British Blue – £1070 £1035×2 £960×2 £910 £900×2 A Wilson
Limousin – £870 A Wilson.
Bull Calves:
Inra 95 £860 £805 £770 £490 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £670×2 £640 £560 ML Farming.
British Blue – £800×3 £760 HM Dent. £790 £590 £360 W Ramsay. £720 A Wilson. £550 CN Bentley.
Limousin – £790 W Ramsay. £590 R Appleton. £510 CN Bentley.
Angus – £680 £660 TD Goldie & Son.
Charolais – £440×2 £425 £420×2 £410 £400 £380×3 3360 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Friesian – £260×5 SJ Kellett & Son. £140 TD Goldie & Son.
Steer Calves:
Angus – £790 £760×3 £740×2 £720 GT&M Tweddle.
Heifer Calves:
Shorthorn £830 Durrant Agriculture Services.
Angus – £800×3 £740 £610 GT&M Tweddle. £370 CN Bentley.
British Blue £770×2 £570 £560 £370 W Ramsay. £770×2 £550 £420×2 O Ramsay. £440 JV&JA Hodgson. £440 Sykes Produce Ltd. £390 A Wilson.
Limousin – £420 CN Bentley.
Friesian – £400 ML Farming.
