Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 10th June 2024. Forward were 288 cattle, 93 sheep and 22 pigs.
81 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 310ppk or £1801
22 Cast Bulls sold to 250ppk or £2137
27 Breeding Cattle sold to £1980
20 Young Bulls sold to £1580
55 Store Steers sold to £1850
83 Store Heifers sold to £1405
29 Ewes & Lambs sold to £285
27 Feeding Ewes/Hoggs sold to £196
22 Store Pigs sold to £150
Cast Cattle – The fast trade of last week continued, less weight in general and also less dairy breeds saw the average per kilo rise to 189 pence with the whole sale levelling just pennies below £1200 apiece. Top female on the day was an excellent Limousin OTM heifer from B R Lawson, Buddle House Farm, Whashton which sold for an impressive 310ppk and £1801. Well fleshed Aberdeen Angus OTM heifers from D A & M A M Brown, Agglethorpe Hall impressed selling separately to 308ppk and £1715. Of the cows beyond four years old, it was a successful day for the Limousin breed as R Simpson & Sons, Temperance Farm topped at £1712 and both C & R Metcalf, Park House and Angram Livestock, Ripon reached 226ppk. A marvellous Montbeliarde OTM heifer from J E Holiday & Son, Woodland House Farm topped the milk maids when she sold for 228ppk and £1470. An unprecedented twenty-two bulls came forward this week, it must be said that youth was on their side with all barring three of them between 30 and 48 months of age. Top of the day per kilo was a smart 33-month-old British Blue cross from T N Hodgson & Sons, Bottom House Farm reaching 250 pence whilst the top gross value went to a hefty 1201kg Aberdeen Angus from P Prudom & Son, Northfield Farm at £2137.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 310 298 286 B R Lawson. 308 268 236 224 D A & M A M Brown. 232 208 J Corner. 230 200 C Harle & Sons. 230 W Love Ltd. 228 J E Holliday & Son. 226 212 C & R Metcalf. 226 Angram Livestock Ld. 220 C N Whitaker. 218 210 Skelton Farming Ltd. 216 198 S & J Dent & Son. 216 198 R Simpson & Sons. 210 J A & U M Fawcett. 204 W Barron. 202 D & H M Hodgson. 198 N & A Hunter. 198 K & M Sayer.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 250 T N Hodgson & Sons. 238 J A & U M Fawcett. 230 228 210 204 194(x3) 192 190(x2) 188 186(x3) 180 178 176(x2) A Waller. 190 F & J S Gargett. 178 P Prudom & Son Ltd.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £1801 £1686 £1395 B R Lawson. £1715 £1666 £1637 £1608 D A & M A M Brown. £1712 R Simpson & Sons. £1636 £1391 C N Whitaker. £1629 B Storey. £1615 £1579 C & R Metcalf. £1575 S B Hooper. £1513 W Barron. £1506 £1465 £1414 C Dawson. £1487 F & J S Gargett. £1486 N Wilson. £1478 J A & U M Fawcett. £1470 J E Holliday & Son. £1464 Angram Livestock Ltd. £1453 N & A Hunter. £1417 H G Lynas & Son. £1400 C Harle & Sons. £1396 W Love Ltd. £1394 S & J Dent & Son.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross – £2137 P Prudom & Son Ltd. £1614 £1580 £1419 £1363 £1354 £1263 £1221 £1172 £1121 1052 £1030 A Waller. £1601 J A & U M Fawcett. £1540 T N Hodgson & Sons. £1470 F & J S Gargett.
Breeding Cattle – The cows and calves keep on coming and the trade remains buoyant as the grass growth continues nicely. Top this week was a seven-year-old Stabiliser cow with her pure-bred bull calf at foot from P Prudom & Son Ltd, Northfield Farm, Mickleby which sold for £1980; the same good home dominated the top price column selling twice more in to the £1900’s and thrice in the £1800’s.
Breeding Cow – £1100 A Waller.
Cows & Calves – £1980 £1920(x2) £1880(x2) £1820 £1720 £1650 P Prudom & Son. £1620 £1320 £1380 £1120 C N Whitaker. £1550 J E & S Ward.
Store Cattle – The feeding firms remain keen to source cattle at a time of year when traditionally numbers tighten. Beginning with the bulls and it was a successful sale day for the Limousin’s of D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley who claimed the top four prices including a high of £1580. A run of Charolais steers from T N Hodgson & Sons, Bottom House Farm, Darlington ran away with the top half dozen prices in the store cattle section, the pick of them reached a mighty £1850. Herefords topped the heifers on the day with a smart dairy crossed sort from the regular selling G W & M Singleton & Sons, Farlington Grange. Plenty of life remains apparent for all classes, the short keep beast are frequently £1300 plus whilst the suckler bred yearlings traded more often than not £1000-£1300.
Young bulls – £1580 £1500(x2) £1340 D Dixon. £1290(x2) £1280 £1130 £1070 J K Gregory. £1200 £1080(x3) £910 Wilkinson & Son. £1025 £1010 £920 £850 W S I Anderson. £1025 C & I Watson & Sons.
Store Steers – £1850 £1830 £1680(x2) £1580(x2) £1450 T N Hodgson & Sons. £1485(x2) £1195 D Walker. £1450(x2) I Oliver. £1445(x3) £1375 £1265(x2) £1240 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1440 £1310(x2) £1295 £1290 A Gregg. £1295 R & W Todd. £1280 £1220 £1215 M Gallon. £1195 W B Rutter & Sons.
Store Heifers – £1405 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1380 £1230 £1210 M D N & V Cutler. £1305(x2) £1200 Wilkinson & Son. £1295(x2 I Oliver. £1270 J R & L Harding. £1240 B Watson. £1235 £1220 £1215 G T & M A Wearmouth. £1225 S & J Dent & Son. £1225 C T Gibson. £1220 J B Hutchinson. £1210 Wilsons. £1195(x2) I Oliver. £1195(x2) W B Rutter & Sons. £1190(x4) B J S Farms.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The breeding sheep season nears the end just six weeks before we begin again with the opening sale of store lambs. Only ninety-three head forward today across all sections which is exactly ninety-three more than were offered this week last year. Beginning with a handful of feeding hoggs and ewes which sold to rates every bit as good as witnessed in the Thursday prime ring; a pair of Texel hoggs from J H Johnson, White Lea Farm sold for £160 whilst an excellent Beltex ewe from Francesca Stobbs rang the bell when selling for £196, plenty of budding buyers for the feeding ewes at the ringside every Monday. The ewes and lambs offered today averaged an excellent £95.41 per life, top of the day were continental ewes with twins from J H Johnson, White Lea at £285 whilst super sorts suckling singles from F Watson, Beacon Hill led the prices per life when selling at £235 for the family.
Feeding Hoggs – £160 J H Johnson. £139 G H Lister.
Feeding Ewes – £196 £136 £100 F Stobbs. £147 £78 R W Dalton. £130 £98 £79 G H Lister. £83 A Morton. £69 M W Reed.
Ewes & Lambs – £285 £230 J H Johnson. £264 £200 £190 £150 F Stobbs. £250 £235 F Watson. £200 £182 £170 C G Barraclough. £200 £135 A Morton.
Store Pigs – Good pigs can find new digs, the rarer breeds fit nobody’s needs. Here endeth the lesson.
Leading Prices – £150 £120 C Weightman. £105 Clervaux Trust Ltd. £42 £40 £20 A Brown.
