Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 29th January 2024. Forward were 380 cattle and 808 sheep.
124 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 286ppk or £2020
6 Stock Bulls sold to 252ppk or £2117
11 Breeding Cattle sold to £1950
32 Young Bulls sold to £1980
70 Store Steers sold to £2080
137 Store Heifers sold to £1780
676 Store Hoggs sold to £162
132 Feeding Ewes sold to £110
Cast Cattle/OTM – The cracking cow trade continues, arguably dearer on the week as today’s varied collective of cows and OTM’s averaged 182ppk and a predominantly young show of bulls levelled at 208ppk lifting the 130 cattle forward to average 184.5ppk and £1220 per head. Bidding passed 200 pence an incredible thirty-one times including a splendid top half a dozen OTM heifers which all made it to at least 280ppk; the top two couldn’t be split at 286ppk when a Limousin from G P Addison, Hayberries Farm joined a British Blue from M W Reed, West Biggins at the summit. Top of the older cows per kilo was a fleshy Limousin from W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm when she sold for 244 pence whilst the top gross value went to an excellent 808kg pure Limousin from W I Suddes & Son, South Farm at an impressive £2020. Leading the native breed charge were a Beef Shorthorn cow from F J Hugill, Throstlenest at 198ppk and an excellent Hereford from R Bradley & Son, North Crane Row at £1703. Super returns were apparent again for the dairy cows with the pick a smart young Holstein Friesian from Stainton Hill Farms, Streatlam reaching 230ppk and £1403; stock bulls topped at £2117 for a 1038kg Aberdeen Angus from J F & J K Haywood & Son, Fell House Farm or 252ppk for a shapely Limousin from Leslie Brown, Westholme Farm.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK- 286 MW Reed. 286 280 GP Addison. 284 280 A Peart. 282 RW Ridley. 250 232 230 208 WI Suddes & Son. 244 226 214 210 202 WA Wardman LTD. 236 EA&N Thompson & Son. 230 Stainton Hill Farms. 228 204 192 J Corner. 218 Angram Livestock LTD. 218 J&EM Lawson. 214 214 196 BA&C Pearson LTD. 212 BR Lawson. 208 192 WB Rutter & Sons. 202 200 198 196 HS Hutchinson. 198 TT Hall & Son. 198 T Coulthard & Son. 198 FJ Hugill. 196 194 R Bradley. 196 P Fawcett. 196 Leslie Brown. 190 RW&H Atkinson.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK- 252 Leslie Brown. 228 192 W Walker & Sons. 224 B Storey. 204 JF&JK Haywood & Son.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross- £2020 £1693 £1660 £1624 WI Suddes & Son. £1876 MW Reed. £1823 £1789 A Peart & Son. £1820 £1816 GP Addison. £1703 £1564 £1429 R Bradley & Son. £1678 £1386 B Storey. £1669 RW Ridley. £1638 £1633 £1593 £1384 £1293 WA Wardman LTD. £1613 T Coulthard & Son. £1583 EA&N Thompson & Son. £1548 £1300 JC Thwaite & Son. £1546 MJ Marley. £1504 £1393 £1380 BA&C Pearson LTD. £1494 HS Hutchinson. £1477 £1433 Leslie Brown. £1460 BR Lawson. £1459 JJ Horn. £1405 WB Rutter & Sons. £1403 Stainton Hill Farms. £1401 J&EM Lawson. £1351 G Simpson. £1347 AP Greenshields. £1330 FJ Hugill. £1312 WM Bainbridge. £1298 J Norman.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross- £2117 JF&JK Hayward & Son. £1849 £1743 W Walker & Sons. £1799 Leslie Brown. £1480 B Storey.
Breeding & Store Cattle – The beef boom shows no signs of letting up as another scintillating trade ensued in the store ring, all shapes, sizes, creeds and colours are in high demand; those waiting for a turn out trade this Spring need surely wait no longer. Some forty ringside accounts shared the 239 feeding cattle between them with a parliament of perplexed potential buyers choosing not to do battle thus leaving empty handed; many more cattle could have sold to vendors benefit. A thumping pure 22-month-old Aberdeen Angus from J V Hodgson & Son, Piercebridge Farm topped the young bulls when he sold for an impressive £1980; another from the same home followed at £1700 whilst top of the under-year bulls went to B A & C Pearson, Stainsby Hill Farm with a tidy Limousin at £1360. Some incredible returns through the steers and heifers this week as the whole show including numerous runs of native and dairy crosses averaged beyond £1200. Top of the pile was an excellent 22-month-old Limousin steer from D W Dresser, Hall Farm at a huge £2080, another from Hall Farm followed at £1880 ahead of B A & C Pearson who twice sold Limousin steers to £1680. Top priced heifer proved to be a lovely 21-month-old Limousin from J D & M S Mortimer, Mayland Farm when she sold for £1780, behind her the Walkers of East High Wood Farm, Langleydale also impressed reaching £1680 and £1660 with their Limousin heifers. Leading the native breed charge were a pair of 13-month-old Aberdeen Angus steers from G & E M Nixon, High Broates selling at £1585 with native heifers reaching a best of £1460 for a 21-month-old Hereford from regular seller A Wilson, Calf Close Farm.
Bulling Heifer – £1080 J & J W Kenney.
Cows & Calves – £1950 J & J W Kenney. £1450 £1180 £1100 £1050 T Hodges.
Young Bulls- £1980 £1700 JV Hodgson & Son. £1360 £1330 £1190 BA&C Pearson LTD. £1340 J Walker. £1310 E Wilson. £965 £960 £955 £905 E Scott & Sons. £835 x2 £830 RW Raper & Sons. £770 MK Verity. £710 x5 RG&RG Findlay. £665 x4 £660 x7 JT Forster & Son.
Store Steers- £2080 £1880 £1480 DW Dresser. £1680 x2 BA&C Pearson LTD. £1590 £1520 £1480 RL Dent. £1585 x2 £1485 x2 G&EM Nixon. £1570 £1550 £1520 £1450 £1430 M Chambers. £1490 £1380 GL&M Steel. £1410 x2 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1400 £1395 x2 £1380 £1280 HS Hutchinson. £1340 DR Smith. £1340 £1260 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1335 x2 JR&L Harding. £1310 x2 G Bolton. £1250 RL Walker. £1250 JR&LJ Chapman. £1250 £1240 £1180 B Watson. £1175 £1110 K Sayer.
Store Heifers- 1780 £1540 £1530 JD&MS Mortimer. £1680 £1660 £1540 x2 RL Walker. £1590 £1530 £1490 £1400 £1395 £1380 M Chambers. £1530 BA&C Pearson LTD. £1500 RW Dresser. £1490 £1445 RL Dent. £1470 £1365 x3 E Parsons. £1460 A Wilson. £1455 £1430 £1370 JR&J Crowe. £1425 £1350 x2 DR Smith. £1400 HS Hutchinson. £1390 Leslie Brown. £1390 £1340 DM McClurg. £1380 x4 G&EM Nixon. £1370 Wilkinson & Son. £1360 WB Rutter & Sons. £1350 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1340 I Oliver.
Store Sheep – The supersonic store hogg trade goes from strength to strength, a real Noah’s Ark on display this week appeared very well sold to average £94 per head. Top of the shop at a massive £162 were a fabulous pair of Suffolk hoggs from T H Robson & Son, Stoney Flatt Farm. Fifty-five other hoggs sold £130 to £140 as the short keepers look miraculous and the healthy longer-term projects need to be seen to be believed. Feeding ewe trade also excellent, similar to the lambs if they are straight and healthy the sky is the limit.
Store Hogg Leading Prices
Suffolk- £162 TH Robson & Sons. £139 PJ Anderson & Son. £130 DR Smith. £99 B&L Robson. £95 D Alderson. £94 LJ Daley.
Texel- £140 134 PJ Anderson & son. £134 £130 J Hird. £129 £115 W Weightman. £127 £115 x2 DR Smith. £126 £103 £100 £97 M&G Hodgson. £104 £95 P Kirk. £100 R Bell. £97 £73 Chris Spence. £97 £96 £95 GS Dixon. £95.50 W Love LTD. £95 M&E Burrell. £94 £93 D Alderson. £90 £85 HS Hutchinson. £83 £73.50 TB Walton. £80 £73 GA&C Jopling.
Continental- £131 £100 P&J Martin. £130 £116 W Weightman. £121 D Alderson. £116 £100 T&AE Miller. £107 £95 £84 £82 LJ Daley. £106 £95 W Wearmouth & Son. £96 £80 S Harnby. £95 £93 £86 JP&R Ward. £93 £92 £87 £79 £70 P Kirk. £93 R Bell. £90 W Love LTD. £88.50 L Fowler. £84.50 RRC Andrew.
Mule- £109 £99 £70 W Wearmouth & Son. £101 R Bell. £95 GS Dixon. £93 D Alderson. £88 HS Hutchinson. £85 K Sayer. £76 GA&C Jopling.
Beltex- £108 GS Dixon.
Scottish Black Face- £105 DR Smith.
Swale- £66 W Wearmouth & Son. £41 K Sayer. £32 R Bell.
Other- £69 RRC Andrew. £59 P Falls.
Store Ewes- £110 £100 £89 £85 JM Smith. £110 £85 S Harnby. £102 RRC Andrew. £99 £79 K Sayer. £95 £69 M&E Burrell. £95 £94 £78 £73 £61 JC&A Hutchinson. £94.50 £89 £56 JP&R Ward. £60 NOT Temple.
