Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held a special sale of breeding cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle and store stock on Monday 2nd June 2025. Forward were 403 cattle, 55 sheep, 53 calves and 1 pig.
3 Bulling Heifers sold to £3500
43 Cows/Heifers & Calves sold to £3850
5 In Calf Cows sold to £1250
1 Breeding Bull sold for £3200
70 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 384ppk or £2853
3 Stock Bulls sold to 362ppk or £3591
12 Stirks sold to £810
27 Young Bulls sold to £2480
48 Store Steers sold to £2060
93 Store Heifers sold to £2560
55 Store Sheep sold to £194
53 Rearing Calves sold to £880
1 Store Pig sold for £75
Breeding Cattle – A varied but plentiful offering of breeders assembled and despite the slow grass growth a buoyant trade ensued for all classes. Top of the day at £3850 was an excellent 7-year-old Hereford cow with a 2-month-old Charolais bull calf at foot from J Sisterton, Newlands Haugh. The cracking run from Newlands Haugh followed twice at £3800 with Charolais heifers suckling Hereford heifer calves whilst the pick of a tidy run of Limousin heifers and calves from Foley Brothers, Mirlaw House joined in and sold to top at £3800. A couple of pedigree Limousin bulling heifers from T & D M Bell, Westfield Farm attracted plenty of suitors and impressed when selling at £3500 and £3200 whilst a proven Limousin stock bull from J B & L M Knight, White Hurworth maintained the momentum when he sold for £3200. Bidding surpassed £3000 on twenty-two occasions as the breeding beast prices comply with the remarkable returns we have enjoyed all year.
Leading Prices
Bulling Heifers – £3500 £3200 T & D M Bell.
Heifers/Cows & Calves – £3850 £3800(x2) £3400(x2) £2900 £2800(x2) £2400 J Sisterton. £3800 £3400(x3) £3300 £3100 £2800 Foley Brothers. £3600 £3500 R B Watson. £3500 £3200 £2600 Anthony Tindale. £3200 £3000(x2) £2800 G Beadle. £3050 J B & L M Knight. £2500(x2) R Brown. £2500 £2400 E Scott & Sons.
Breeding Bull – £3200 J B & L M Knight.
In Calf Cows – £1250(x2) £1000 £980 £920 F & A Gilchrist.
Cast Cattle – Trade continues in decent form to see the averages maintain recent levels at 255ppk and £1632 per head. Top per kilo at 384 pence was an excellent British Blue OTM heifer from A Peart & Son, Woodcroft Farm, the same good home sold another at 346ppk with the two separated by our top cow of the day from Bridge House Farm at 358ppk. The Bridge House beauty duly took the accolade of top priced cow in the lump when she tipped the scales to 797kg which amounted her to £2853. Hereford cows from R Bradley & Son, North Crane Row topped the native breeds this week when they peaked at 292ppk and £2448 whilst a leaner show of milk cows topped at 280ppk for Stainton Hill Farms Holstein heifer and £1422 from J T Forster & Son, Killerby Farm. Three stock bulls this week all well sold with a British Blue from B R Lawson, Buddle House coming out on top when trading at 362ppk and £3591.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 384 346 270 A Peart & Son. 358 272 Bridge House Farm. 336 296 318 W I Suddes & Son. 332 E W Grieves. 322 T T Hall & Son. 322 318 J Dixon. 310 272 264 J P & R Ward. 300 R Hutchinson. 300 268 N Edmondson. 300 T N Callender. 292 288 284 270 R Bradley & Son. 282 Rose A Farms. 282 270 C & R Metcalf. 282 Taylor Bros. 280 Stainton Hill Farms. 270 R W Dalton. 270 C Everitt.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 362 B R Lawson. 340 A J Marr & Son. 292 A Harland.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2853 £1857 Bridge House Farm. £2472 £2254 £2086 W I Suddes & Son. £2448 £2319 £2257 £2140 £2071 R Bradley & Son. £2328 R Hutchinson. £2289 T N Callender. £2214 £2096 A Peart & Son. £2192 J Dixon. £2163 T T Hall & Son. £2103 £1999 Rose A Farms. £2051 E W Grieves. £1976 £1883 C & R Metcalf. £1951 £1914 N Edmondson. £1894 Messrs Heathcote. £1860 C Everitt.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3591 B R Lawson. £3304 A J Marr & Son. £2838 A Harland.
Store Cattle – With the deadweight outlets for finished beef applying the handbrake just lately the store ring remains in good form however not quite as ferocious as we may have witnessed in recent times. Thus said, no vendors are too disappointed as a competitive return for all breeds and sizes remains apparent at ringside. Topping the day at £2560 was a tremendous 2-year-old Limousin heifer from B Watson, Baal Hill Farm. Following next at £2480 was the best of the young bulls this week, a brilliant 14-month-old Beef Shorthorn from J & E M Lawson, Harpington Hill; this good home sold bulls over £2000 on four occasions. A pair of strong Aberdeen Angus heifers from G Newburn, Clough House Farm impressed at £2120 as did two dairy crossed Simmental heifers from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides at £2080. Top of the steers at £2060 was a well grown 14-month-old Limousin from J S Foster & Son, West End Farm with a quality quartet of Aberdeen Angus from G A & C Jopling, Eastgate House snapping at his heels reaching £2040.
Stirks – £810(x2) £780(x) £770(x2) £690 £670(x2) £660 W Ramsay. £780 £760 O Ramsay.
Store Bulls £2480 £2300 £2200 £2000 J&EM Lawson. £1840×3 £1760 £1660 Wilkinson & Son. £1670 £1660 £1600 £1480 RL Dent. £1540 £1440 £1120 C Dawson. £1520×3 £1500 £1260×2 C Dawson. £1380 TT Hall & Son. £1320 £1260 A&AG Moralee. £1100×2 G Williamson.
Store Steers £2060 JS Foster & Son. £2040×4 GA&C Jopling. £1920 £1900×2 GW&L Marsay. £1880 £1580 S Linsley. £1880 R&RE Everitt. £1810 £1480 G Newburn. £1780×2 DG&PD Ayre. £1680 AP&E Procter. £1620×2 CB Parsons. £1560×2 £1410×2 JP&R Ward. £1480×2 MW Bainbridge & Sons. £1430×4 A&AG Moralee. £1410 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1410 E Taylor & Son.
Store Heifers £2560 £1980 £1820 B Watson. £2120×2 G Newburn. £2080×2 £1980 £1960×3 Wilkinson & Son. £1980 PT Stephenson & Son. £1980 £1870×2 JS Foster. £1960 £1620×2 GA Mackie. £1940 RW Daltton. £1940 £1780 AP&E Procter. £1900 JP&R Ward. £1880 £1810 £1770 £1720 MVN&D Cutler. £1860 £1800×2 £1600 S Linsley. £1810 E Taylor & Son. £1800 FB Wreford & Co. £1780 Heathcote. £1780 £1680×4 GA&C Jopling. £1620 £1620×2 E Parsons.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Numbers low as is expected in the June store ring, only seven weeks to go until the opening sale of store lambs. Trade for all classes excellent with demand outstripping supply. Top call of the day was £194 for a Texel tup from J R Mann, High Goosepool Farm. Top of the feeding ewes at £180 were a trio of strong Texels from M & A Gaskin, Holdsworth Farm and the same good home topped the store hoggs at £162. Just two ewes and lambs offered were both Greyface Dartmoor’s from V Waite, Pounteys Close which both had twins at foot and sold for £145 and £135 respectively.
Leading Prices
Ewes & Lambs – £145 £135 V Waite.
Store Hoggs – £162 £148 M & A Gaskin. £148 W Marley. £114 S J Love.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £194 £188 £158 £156 £146 J R Mann. £180 £172 £166 £160 M & A Gaskin. £165 £160 £152 £148 £132 S J Love. £128 J D Heavisides.
Rearing Calves – A nice offering of calves sold to achieve an exceptional average of £591.70; plenty of life in the trade for the younger end with the strong calves ready for weaning are maintaining good levels without perhaps hitting the recently seen extortionate levels. Top of the tree were a pair of 1-month-old suckler bred Limousin heifer calves from W Love Ltd, Sandy Carr Farm when they sold for £880 and £830. Leading the line for the dairy bred calves were a great pen from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm as they sold British Blue bulls to £810, Charolais bulls to £765 and both British Blue and Charolais heifers to £660. Plenty of young continental sired calves less than a month old traded £550 to £650. Native breeds were again well represented and topped at £700 for a superb 2-month-old Aberdeen Angus bull calf from G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm.
3 Charolais Bulls averaged £755
13 British Blue Bulls averaged £702
8 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £605
1 Inra 95 Bull averaged £600
3 Hereford Bulls averaged £563
3 Friesian Bulls averaged £323
1 Charolais Heifer averaged £660
5 Limousin Heifers averaged £639
3 British Blue Heifers averaged £593
2 Inra 95 Heifers averaged £560
1 Hereford Heifer averaged £460
5 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £408
Top Prices
British Blue Bulls – £810 £760 £730 Wilkinson & Son. £750 G Thompson & Sons. £720 K Thompson. £715 £680 £650(x2) H Gibb & Son. £710 £690 £670 £600 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Charolais Bulls – £765 £750(x2) Wilkinson & Son.
Aberdeen Angus Bulls – £700 £680(x2) £670 G Thompson & Sons. £560(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy.
Limousin Bulls – £650 F & A Gilchrist. £590 £555 £500 Brenjulin Farms.
Hereford Bulls – £610 £570 £510 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Inra 95 Bull – £600 J & A Stevenson & Son.
Friesian Bulls – £340 £300 Deerness Valley Dairy. £300 G Thompson & Sons.
Limousin Heifers – £880 £830 W Love Ltd. £675 F & A Gilchrist. £410 £400 Brenjulin Farms.
Charolais Heifer – £660 Wilkinson & Son.
British Blue Heifers – £660 Wilkinson & Sons. £610 £510 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Inra 95 Heifers – £625 £495 J & A Stevenson & Son.
Hereford Heifer – £460 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Aberdeen Angus Heifers – £450 £440 £430(x2) Deerness Valley Dairy.
