Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 6th February 2023. Forward were 302 Cattle and 520 Sheep.
82 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 276ppk or £2202
3 Stock Bulls sold to 208ppk or £2323
4 Stirks sold to £500
8 Breeding Cattle sold to £1950
38 Young Bulls sold to £1500
92 Store Steers sold to £1650
75 Store Heifers sold to £1415
444 Store Hoggs sold to £123
76 Feeding Ewes sold to £122
Cast Cattle – The supersonic cow trade continues, yet again some staggering returns as the beef boom today saw averages of 196ppk and £1397 with a show made up of one quarter dairy cows and one third native breeds. Some luscious Limousin’s led the line as our top four per kilo were all OTM heifers from E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange and selling anywhere between 266 and 276ppk. Top priced older cow per kilo was another Limousin, this one from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm sold for 262ppk; just adrift at 254ppk came an absolute humdinger from Wilsons, Throstlenest Farm whose 867kg Limousin crossed cow added up to a mighty £2202. Three cows sold in the £2100’s including a remarkable 11-year-old from J A Gilson, The Heugh and a pair of quality 8 and 12-year-old cows from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm. A smart OTM Aberdeen Angus heifer from P D Shepherd led the native charge per kilo at 224 pence but little doubt that the superstar of the indigenous breeds this week was an absolute brut of a Beef Shorthorn cow from N & L L Brown & Son, Quarry House Farm when she sold for a stunning £2081. Retiring from the parlour is a profitable pursuit at the moment, nothing could split Messrs Beckwith of Brough Castle and S H Watson & Son, Station Farm, Winston as the two vendors reached 186ppk, it was however the wonder from Winston which blew the competition away when she clocked a massive 937kg over the scale which resulted in an unbelievable gross value of £1742. Final mention must go to the bull of the day, a brilliant 1117kg 8-year-old Limousin from J A Gilson, The Heugh sold for 208ppk and a fantastic £2323.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 276 274 268 266 E Scott & Sons. 262 238 224 218 211 S & J Dent & Son. 254 234 Wilsons. 246 234 226 220 A C Simpson & Son. 240 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 238 J A Gilson. 238 T T Hall & Son. 236 E Wilson. 234 202 C S Robinson. 228 218 B Watson. 224 P D Shepherd. 220 R L Walker. 218 208 D H Lawson. 218 O J Kendall. 216 G Hall. 216 W & R Kemp & Son. 212 204 G K, K N & G J Hird. 204 W Denham.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 208 J A Gilson. 162 R W Dalton. 160 G M Elstob.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2202 £1869 Wilsons. £2168 J A Gilson. £2152 £2145 £1850 £1555 A C Simpson & Son. £2081 N & L L Brown & Son. £2006 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1886 ££1781 £1730 £1704 £1572 S & J Dent & Son. £1742 S H Watson & Son. £1690 £1672 £1502 E Scott & Sons. £1658 T T Hall & Son. £1625 £1588 W Denham. £1621 £1584 D H Lawson. £1617 D & H M Hodgson. £1602 G Hall. £1593 £1561 W & R Kemp & Son. £1593 M Shepherd. £1588 E Wilson. £1574 £1505 Reveley Farms. £1540 P D Shepherd. £1523 B Watson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2323 J A Gilson. £1566 G M Elstob.
Store & Breeding Cattle – The cattle trade thunders ferociously in to February, the farming world may be concerned about spiralling costs of production but thus far the demand for beef keeps things on an upward trajectory. A small number of breeding cattle began proceedings and peaked at £1950 from P R E Marwood, Huller Bush Farm with a tidy Hereford 2nd calver with her young Limousin crossed calf at foot. Bull beef is in short supply so it is unsurprising that the store bull trade looks electric, top of the day went to Eileen Wilson of Scorton with an excellent British Blue crossed British Blonde selling for £1500, in his slipstream were a cracking trio of stretchy British Blonde crosses from W M Bainbridge, Bogg House Farm which look well sold by anybody’s standards at just 10-months-old and averaging £1398. On to the stores, quite frankly they look more exorbitant than ever before; starting at the top and with the successful Willey family of Broomfield Farm, Chopwell who enjoyed a terrific trade, following are the highlights from the Chopwell chargers.
Charolais steers to £1650; Longhorn steers to £1565; Montbeliarde steers to £1455; Holstein steers to £1295; Longhorn heifers to £1325; Charolais heifers to £1310 and perhaps most importantly Cledwyn the Brahman steer sold for £1490.
High praise must also go to a superb Limousin crossed steer from D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor which sold for £1610, great sorts also from J D & M S Mortimer, Mayland Farm and L & B M Kidd & Son, Strathmore Arms Farm asold over £1500 along with the cross border raiding Pickford family from Marchcleugh Farm, Jedburgh. Six strong Holstein Friesian steers from R & W Todd, Toft Hill are also most deserving of mention as they sold for an impressive £1290. At the very top of a red-hot heifer trade was an excellent Limousin from I W Cairns, Pespool Hall Farm, Haswell at £1415 behind her followed a super British Blue from G Beadle, Primrose Hill with the aforementioned Willey’s completing our top three. Quantities are needed every week, don’t wait for spring, the trade is incredible now.
Stirks – £500 £460 £450 W Love Ltd. £410 G W Dobson & Son.
In Calf Cows – £1040 £980 £800 £700 R A Pickering & Son.
Cows & Calves – £1950 £1780 P R E Marwood.
Young Bulls – £1500 E Wilson. £1445 £1375(x2) W M Bainbridge. £1345 £1335 £1300 £1255 £1210 £1120 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. £1250 £1205 £1070 G M Elstob. £1170 G Cant. £850(x3) £840 £800(x2) £770(x2) T & R Quinn. £795 £780(x2) £760(x3) A W Sanderson. £755(x2) R W Raper & Sons.
Store Steers – £1650 £1565 £1395(x2) G A Willey. £1610 £1300 D G & P D Ayre. £1575 J E & A J Pickford. £1570 £1550 £1450 J D & M S Mortimer. £1550 £1355 £1350(x2) L & B M Kidd & Son. £1490 £1455 £1300(x4) £1295 A Willey. £1385 I W Cains. £1370 £1340 £1285 S J Love. £1290(x6) R & W Todd. £1280(x2) G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1275(x2) F Crawford.
Store Heifers – £1415 £1140 £1125(x2) I W Cairns. £1350 £1135 G Beadle. £1325 £1310 G A Willey. £1280 £1110(x3) B J S Farms. £1280 £1140 Leslie Brown. £1255 £1225 £1155 £1100 J G Wilkinson & Son. £1245 A Willey. £1220 £1215 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1195 £1135(x2) J R & J Crowe. £1100 L Claughan. £1080 P T Stephenson & Son.
Store Sheep – A better show by and large and an extra buyer or two in attendance saw the store hoggs dearer despite the current quicksand engulfing the finished goods across the nation. The top 10 lots (57 hoggs) all sold over £100, top of this impressive tree were a quartet of strong Suffolk’s from J G & E M Welford, Staithes which sold for a whopping £123 apiece. Of the long keep hoggs it was a standout performance and therefore a most lucrative maiden trip through our store ring for the superb Beltex of T & H Agri, Ebberston when they sold pens of 8 twice for £108. A mixed bag of feeding ewes looked every bit as dear as the cast trade last Thursday, a heavy Texel sold best at £122 which rounded of a good day for the Welford’s of Staithes.
Store Hoggs
Suffolk – £123 109 J G & E M Welford. £111 £76 W A Stephenson. £72 G H & R G Stobbs.
Texel – £114 J G & E M Welford. £106 £100 £88 £71 F Hickson & Sons. £100 W A Stephenson. £99 £95 G P Addison. £81 A P & E Procter. £78 £73 G Bolton. £74 G H & R G Stobbs. £73 J H Johnson. ££73 A Newton. £72 C E Smith. £70 K Buckle.
Beltex – £108(x2) £100 £85 T & H Agri.
Aberfield – £94 £82 A B P Wilsons.
Cheviot – £86 T & H Agri. £71 G H & R G Stobbs.
BFL – £74 C G Barraclough.
Feeding Ewes – £122 £89 £85 J G & E M Welford. £87 £77 A Lowson. £78 £65 D & J A Teasdale. £76 F Hickson & Sons. £75 £61 P & S Wood. £74 A B P Wilsons. £70 £68 J H Johnson. £62 A P & E Procter. £60 C G Barraclough. £55 M & E Burrell.
