Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 4th December 2023. Forward were 232 cattle, 1200 sheep and 7 pigs.
81 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 224ppk or £1812
6 Stock Bulls sold to 212ppk or £1450
4 Cows & Calves sold to £1480
7 Young Bulls sold to £1700
54 Store Steers sold to £1385
77 Store Heifers sold to £1580
1115 Store Lambs sold to £119
85 Feeding Ewes sold to £130
7 Store Pigs sold to £52
Cast Cattle (87) – Another sharp trade albeit perhaps not quite matching last weeks barnstorming returns, a greatly increased age of those in attendance on the week was probably the biggest contributor as the average fell to 160ppk. Still several cattle sold over 200 pence per kilo including a smart Limousin steer from D Barron, Newacres Farm at 224ppk and a tidy Hereford from the far travelled A Waller of Norfolk at 214ppk. A thumping 954kg Limousin cow from Hexhamshire’s R A & B A Ridley & Son ran away with the gross value race when she sold for £1812; plenty of the best fleshed cows amounted to well over £1400 including our two top native breeds, a Hereford from W & R Kemp & Son at £1512 and an Aberdeen Angus from R Bradley & Son at £1503. Friesian cows continue in high demand, this week’s toppers were a four-year-old from Deerness Valley Dairy at 180ppk and a fleshy old girl from W E & C A Anderson which reached £1246. Quite an eclectic mixture in the stock bull standings this week, coming out on top were Hereford’s from the Waller’s of Norfolk at 210 and 212ppk with a best of £1450 whilst well worthy of mention were an excellent Galloway from P Raine, Holwick at an impressive £1435 and a Highlander from M R Ford, Hart Station at £893.
Cast Cows & OTM – Leading PPK – 224 D Barron. 214 206 180 A Waller. 210 W & R Kemp & Son. 200 194 190(x2)182 C & R Metcalf. 198 190 178 R A & B A Ridley & Son. 196 F H Hutchinson. 194 Pear Tree Projects. 186 182 W B Rutter & Sons. 182 180 B & B Kitching & Son. 180 Deerness Valley Dairy. 180 F Fabi. 180 T T Hall & Son.
Stock Bulls – Leading PPK – 212 210 172 152 A Waller. 142 P Raine. 128 M R Ford.
Cast Cows & OTM – Leading Gross – £1812 £1431 £1340 £1317 R A & B A Ridley & Son. £1614 £1407 £1364 £1293 C & R Metcalf. £1522 F H Hutchinson. £1512 £1324 W & R Kemp & Son. £1503 R Bradley & Son. £1420 £1390 B & B Kitching & Son. £1393 £1337 W B Rutter & Sons. £1375 M Barker Farms. £1278 J B Luck & Son. £1275 Tennant. £1262 £1234 A Waller. £1246 W E & C A Anderson.
Stock Bulls – Leading Gross – £1450 £1281 £1172 A Waller. £1435 P Raine. £893 M R Ford.
Store Cattle – The sharp trade continues, particularly the beef bred better shaped beast remain in very high demand. A light show of feeding bulls included a couple of superstars from F Ward, Rogerley Hall, Weardale which achieved remarkable returns of £1700 and £1620. Top of the heifers were more Weardale residents as W Wearmouth & Son of Rose Hill Farm sold a superb 23-month-old Limousin for £1580; a great run from regular selling J H Johnson, White Lea Farm followed closest at £1550 as the better end of the heifers following last Thursday’s incredible trade looked very good to sell today. Top of the steers at £1560 were a hefty pair of British Blue’s from J E Holiday & Son, Woodland House Farm, Witton Park with yet another Weardale vendor H S Hutchinson, White House Farm the best of the rest at £1385.
Cows & Calves – £1480 £1400 £1120 £920 J H Johnson.
Store Bulls- £1700 £1620 F Ward. £950 JS Brougham. £925 £900 £825 F Grieves.
Store Steers- £1560 x2 £1515 £1455 JE Holliday & Son. £1385 x2 £1200 £1050 HS Hutchinson. £1340 £1300 £1140 £1080 JS Brougham. £1295 £1255 £1205 £1190 £1075 £1070 F Ward. £1220 x2 £1120 x2 Tennant. £1190 N Wilson. £1125 x2 £1030 R&RE Everitt. £1120 £1085 £1055 £1010 £940 I Newton. £1000 £940 B Storey. £960 x2 E Peacock. £950 M&E Webster.
Store Heifers- £1580 £1170 £1100 x2 W Wearmouth & Son. £1550 £1500 £1490 x2 £1425 x2 £1410 x2 £1385 x5 £1270 x2 £1255 £1240 x2 £1195 JH Johnson. £1500 1365 £1280 AC Walton. £1390 £1310 x2 £1190 F Ward. £1370 HS Hutchinson. £1190 L&BM Kidd & Son. £1190 £1155 x3 £1130 x2 J Cowen. £1180 £1150 x4 JM Dent. £1180 £1175 B Storey.
Store Sheep – A few less forward as the wicked weather all of a sudden has many of the store sheep looking soggy and sorry. Trade absolutely fabulous throughout, all shapes and sizes look easily £5 if not £10 dearer on the week with the feeding folk coming out all gun’s blazing. Top of the day were ten Beltex lambs from J E Braithwaite & Sons, Richmond with Texel’s from J R Allen and Blue Texel’s from M Lindley both in close attendance. Oodles of short keep lambs’ top side of £100; good continental running lambs often £80 to £90 and the very long keepers seldom below £70. Mule lambs averaged £79 with a terrific top of £94.50 from G H & R G Stobbs, Wolsingham with a pen of twenty-two. Feeding ewes dearer also on the week, particularly the leaner end which appear nicely ahead of the returns available in the weekly geld ring.
Store Lamb Leading Prices-
Beltex- £119 £107.50 JE Braithwaite & Sons. £110 S Henderson. £95 £86 Raby Home Farm. £92.50 CH Tindale. £85 JE Stobbs. £67 F Stobbs.
Texel- £115 £88 £74 JR Allan. £109 £101 £87 £86 £81 LD Laws. £108 RW&C Spry. £108 JS Wiper. £107 B&J Bainbridge. £105.50 CE Smith. £102 x2 Gillian I’Anson. £101 L Fowler. £100 £92 £90 £88 £86 Ivanhoe Livestock. £91.50 WH Brown. £87.50 HS Hutchinson. £87 £82.50 D Alderson. £87 x2 KA&V Armstrong. £87 R Bell. £87 £66 J&JA Wilkinson. £85.50 £80 JH Johnson. £85 TB Walton. £85 Raby Home Farm. £76 S Straughan. £68 Castlewood Farm.
Continental- £114 x2 M Lindley. £109 £95 S Henderson. £97.50 £87 x2 £84 £81 £60 N&LL Brown & Son. £89 R Bell. £85 F&A Gilchrist. £85 MR Souter. £80 Raby Home Farm. £79 JR Allan.
Suffolk- £109.50 S Henderson. £100.50 L Fowler. £99.50 £76 JH Johnson. £83 D Alderson.
Charollais- £109.50 S Henderson. £96 B&J Bainbridge. £93 CH Tindale. £87 D&M Buck.
Cheviot- £99.50 GH&RG Stobbs. £89.50 MR Souter. £86 WH Brown. £94.50 GH&RG Stobbs. £90 £69.50 D Alderson. £80 WH Brown. £65 S Straughan.
Other- £76 £69 £55 £51 £46 £40 x2 JT Wilson.
Feeding Ewes- £130 £109 Gillian I’Anson. £94 £84 £70 JR Allan. £93 WH Brown. £92 £74 £71 £69 £56 £54 S Henderson. £91 £60 LD Laws. £80 £75 RW&C Spry. £77 £71 £35 AWSM Farms. £65 TB Walton. £62 JT Wilson. £59 D Alderson. £39 GH&RG Stobbs. £35 MG&WD Burton.
