Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 30th January 2023. Forward were 383 Cattle and 456 Sheep.
78 Cast Cows and OTM sold to 282ppk or £2303
6 Stock Bulls sold to 242ppk or £2292
5 Cows & Calves sold to £2600
19 In Calf Cows sold to £1750
4 Stirks sold to £580
21 Young Bulls sold to £1550
122 Store Steers sold to £1570
123 Store Heifers sold to £1535
419 Store Hoggs sold to £102
37 Feeding Ewes sold to £86
Cast Cattle – Off the chart, never have they looked dearer as an absolutely colossal cow trade totally destroyed its already impressive personal best. For the first time ever the sale average went beyond 200 pence per kilo which equated to a beyond belief average of £1359 per head. Top price per kilo went to a wonderful Limousin OTM from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm when she sold for 282 pence, not just the young cattle in demand as older cows from the same good home peaked at 262ppk on a day which saw 38 of the 84 offered reach at least 200 pence. Leading gross valued cow was a spell-binding £2303 when A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm produced a sensational 914kg 5-year-old Limousin, other exceptional cows from M R Moss, D H Lawson and A P Greenshields also sold beyond £2000. To the delightful dairy trade now and success for Reveley Farms, Lingdale with a fleshy Holstein reaching £1676, mention also must go to both F S Sturrock & Sons and also Little Newsham Farms who each sold milk cows over £1600. Best dairy breeds per kilo hailed from G Bolton, Chester-le-Street with Dairy Shorthorn’s to 212ppk and Fleckveih’s to 204ppk. Final mention must go to a barnstorming bull trade, top per kilo at 242ppk an excellent 5-year-old Limousin from M R Moss, High Laithe Farm whilst the top gross value at £2292 went to an impressive Beef Shorthorn from W Denham, Dent Gate Farm.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 282 262 258 236 212 198 A & R Thompson. 260 246(x2) 224 Hughes Bros Farms. 252 238 232 226 A C Simpson & Son. 246 D H Lawson. 246 200 198 Little Newsham Farms. 246 Swainston & Peart. 242 M Robinson & Sons. 242 232 224 D K Barker. 228 G Beadle. 228 M R Moss. 228 P Dent. 228 M Hogarth. 214 W Emerson. 214 A P Greenshields. 212 204 198 G Bolton. 210 I Newton & Son. 206 T C Walton. 202 F S Sturrock & Sons. 202 G Scott.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 242 M R Moss. 238 A & R Thompson. 218 192 I & R A Watson. 206 W Denham. 200 T C Walton.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2303 £1827 £1812 £1742 A C Simpson & Son. £2216 M R Moss. £2098 D H Lawson. £2000 A P Greenshields. £1895 £1749 £1637 D K Barker. £1834 £1684 £1607 £1538 £1382 A & R Thompson. £1825 £1822 Hughes Bros Farms. £1724 T C Walton. £1719 £1648 Little Newsham Farms. £1676 £1534 Reveley Farms. £1664 £1454 F S Sturrock & Sons. £1589 M Hoggarth. £1477 I Newton & Son. £1470 M E & T D Tailford. £1443 P Dent.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2292 W Denham. £2142 A & R Thompson. £1902 T C Walton. £1727 M R Moss. £1312 £1046 I & R A Watson.
Breeding Cattle – A good offering of breeders this week predominantly from the herd dispersal of Peter Dent, Moory Lea Farm were met by a bustling ring full of buyers, genuine cattle mixed with plentiful buyers proved to be the perfect storm for an excellent trade. It was an outstandingt 8-year-old British Blue cow which impressed the most from the Moory Lea run selling for £1750, she like her compatriots was due to the Parthenais bull over the coming months. Three already calved cows with youngsters in tow from Moory Lea peaked at £1850 however it was another outgoing Teesdale producer who led the trade when a strong 5-year-old Aberdeen Angus cow with Limousin calf at foot from P R E Marwood, Huller Bush sold for £2600.
In Calf Cows – £1750 £1650(x2) £1460 £1380 £1250 £1220 £1200 £1180 £1100(x2) £1060 £980 £940 £900(x2) £880 P Dent. £1300 W M & D H Bussey. £1300 R N Armstrong.
Cows & Calves – £2600 P R E Marwood. £1850 £1750 £1620 P Dent. £1400 W M & D H Bussey.
Store Cattle – The galloping store trade shows no signs of letting up as yet again trade proved exceptional. Beginning with the young bulls and right at the top placed a strong 19-month-old Aberdeen Angus from J W & B Firby, Brafferton when he sold for £1550; a superb packet of 11-month-old Limousin’s from F Hickson & Sons, Capheaton enjoyed perhaps the hottest bull trade of the day when they sold either side of £1500. Of the sixteen steers selling over £1400 today just two were the popular Limousin breed as ten Montbeliardes from Chopwell’s A Willey were joined by an Aberdeen Angus from A & A G Moralee, Willington; best of all however were a trio of strong Hereford’s from Whitehall Farm, Rowley as they topped at £1570. Heifer trade remains hotter than a Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper, none bettered an excellent well grown Limousin from Messrs Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm which sold for £1535.
Stirks – £580 £520 £440(x2) S Suddes.
Young Bulls – £1550 £1520 J W & B Firby. £1535 £1525 £1490 £1485 £1285 F Hickson & Sons. £1060 G Scott. £1060 £1050(x2) £950 £890 £870 R White. £900 £860 £815 A & D Heyes.
Store Steers – £1570 £1550 £1510 £1290 Whitehall Farm. £1500 £1440(x4) £1410(x5) £1360 £1330 £1290(x2) A Willey. £1415 J S Foster & Son. £1415 £1380(x2) £1345 A & A G Moralee. £1405 F Ward. £1355(x2) J Phelan. £1340 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1300 W & C Iceton. £1280(x2) £1260(x2) W B Rutter & Sons. £1270 W H Brown.
Store Heifers – £1535 £1360 £1270(x2) Wilkinson & Son. £1500 £1395 £1290 Hill Top Farms. £1425 £1340(x2) £1230 F Ward. £1410 Whitehall Farm. £1360 £1275(x2) T & D I Allen & Son. £1360 £1245 J R & J Crowe. £1300(x2) £1220 W H Brown. £1290 R Watson. £1270 £1240 J S Foster & Son. £1265 P Dent. £1255 W & C Iceton. £1230 W Emerson.
Store Sheep – The store hogg trade trundles along, with the influx of imports leaving little exciting news for the finishers at this stage it is safe to say that no fires are being lit in the store ring. Best hoggs and biggest hoggs are still selling well, the top 90 sold over £90 today but just the one reached three figures; the plaudits go back North to F Hickson & Sons, Capheaton who turned out our top Texel at £102 and followed him home with a pen of 21 reaching £98.
Store Hoggs – £102 £98 £86 £85 F Hickson & Sons. £96 £75(x2) J E Braithwaite & Sons. £93 £91.50 £90 S J Love. £93 £91.50 £78 N Medd & Son. £90 G H Lister. £87 £86 £79 £76 B & J Bainbridge. £83 £82 D & H M Hodgson. £81 T B Walton. £80 D & G Spry.
Feeding Ewes – £86 £76 £70 £63 C Taylor. £80 F Hickson & Sons. £74 £64 £52 B & J Bainbridge. £70(x2) £56 D & G Spry. £60 D Alderson. £59 G H Lister. £56 N Medd & Son. £50(x2) T B Walton.
