Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Bank Holiday Monday 26th May 2025. Forward were 261 cattle and 187 sheep.
51 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 366ppk or £2783
2 Stock Bulls sold to 342ppk or £2797
3 Breeding Cattle sold to £1700
43 Young Bulls sold to £1920
46 Store Steers sold to £2290
116 Store Heifers sold to £2580
42 Ewes/Hoggs & Lambs sold to £310
24 Store Hoggs sold to £137
64 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £212
Cast Cattle – Numbers reduced slightly due to the public holiday however trade was completely unaffected to see them all in average 264ppk and £1743 per head. Top per kilo at 366 pence was a tidy Limousin heifer from F Hickson & Sons, Homilton Farm, following closely were a run of excellently fed Limousin cows from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm with a 4-year-old at 362ppk and the day’s best gross price of £2783 plus a 5-year-old at 344ppk and a smart 37-month-old at £2740. A fleshy 50-month-old cow from Mayfield Beef Shorthorns, Wolsingham led the native breed charge this week when she sold at 302ppk and £2271 whilst a thumping Hereford from R Bradley & Son, North Crane Row sold for £2627. The Friesian fraternity were led by a cracking heifer from A R & C Booth & Sons Ltd, Village Farm which sold at 304ppk and £1900. Just two Limousins in the stock bull line up this week saw A F Smith, Stocks Home House sell at 342ppk and £2599 and R Simpson & Sons, Temperance Farm sell at 314ppk and £2797.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 366 268 F Hickson & Sons. 362 344 340 276 J Layfield. 308 282 276 J A & U M Fawcett. 308 288 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 304 T & C Smith. 304 A R & C Booth & Sons Ltd. 302 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 296(x2) 282 Taylor Bros. 296 290 R Bradley & Son. 288 J & S Thompson. 282 268(x2) B Cave. 280 R W Ridley. 268 H W & M Alderson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 342 A F Smith. 314 R Simpson & Sons.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2783 £2740 £2600 £2025 J Layfield. £2627 £2222 R Bradley & Son. £2547 £2188 £2048 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £2271 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £2152 T & C Smith. £2089 £1851 F Hickson & Sons. £2021 £1951 Taylor Bros. £2016 £1841 £1784 £1768 B Cave. £1992 J A & U M Fawcett. £1900 £1830 £1807 A R & C Booth & Sons Ltd. £1897 H W & M Alderson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2797 R Simpson & Sons. £2599 A F Smith.
Store Cattle – A buoyant brethren of Bank Holiday buyers ensured that the bustling DfAM store trade bucked the trend elsewhere and was noticeably dearer on the week. A tidy offering of young bulls ensured a fast start, the top two were Limousins which hailed from the late Keith Norman, Windy Hill Farm and sold for £1920. The next eleven all selling between £1700 and £1860 included Limousins, British Blues and Aberdeen Angus with the youngest of them just a baby at 9 months from J A & U M Fawcett, Manor House. The steers and heifers were in fantastic form, top of them all at £2580 was a stunning 19-month-old Limousin heifer from N Wilson, Hill House Farm. Following at £2300 came another heifer, this one the pick of a super run shown by H S Hutchinson, White House Farm whilst the top steers were a great quartet of Aberdeen Angus from Keith Norman Farms, Windy Hill at £2290. Plenty of the strong cattle remain comfortably over £2000 with those bound for grass £1500 to £1900 time and time again as the store trade rallies and rises to sign the month of May off in style.
Breeding Cow – £1520 Duell Partners.
Cow & Calf – £1700 A Swinbank.
Young Bulls – £1920(x2) K Norman Farms. £1860 T James. £1860 £1780 D Dixon. £1820 £1700(x2) £1620 A Gregg. £1800 £1700(x4) £1600 J A & U M Fawcett. £1680(x2) £1620(x2) £1580 E Parsons. £1500 £1320 £1300 £1200 £1180 £1080 J & C L Hickson. £1310 £1080(x3) J P & R Ward.
Store Steers – £2290(x4) £2060 £2040 £2020 £1980 £1940(x3) £1860(x3) £1780 K Norman Farms. £2100 £1880 J S Foster & Son. £2060 B Cave. £1980(x2) £1890(x2) P T Stephenson & Son. £1980 £1750(x2) £1720 N Gallon. £1960 G & E M Nixon. £1950(x3) D Walker. £1840 N Wilson.
Store Heifers – £2580 N Wilson. £2300 H S Hutchinson. £2230 C Hird & Son. £2200 £1900 J S Foster & Son. £2180 £2000 £1980 J S Wiper. £2080 £1960 £1900 £1850(x2) £1830 J C Thwaite & Son. £2070 £1800(x3) G & E M Nixon. £2000 R W Todd. £1980 D Walker. £1930 £1830 B Watson. £1900 B Cave. £1860 N Wilson. £1820(x3) E Parsons. £1820(x2) Sundown Livestock. £1820 M Gallon. £1800 T James.
Store Sheep – Numbers begin to dry up as the breeding and feeding sheep June drought is upon us. Trade for the feeding ewes and hoggs remains absolutely remarkable with an abundance of orders in attendance weekly; top this week at £212 was a strong Texel tup from F Hickson & Sons, Homilton Farm. The Homilton team also sold a Charollais tup at £190 which was followed by Texel ewes from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale at £172 and at £170 along with Texels from Adam Lowson, Podge Hole at £170. Mule ewes topped at £150 whilst horned ewes sold regularly over £100. Top of the feeding hoggs were three strong sorts from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm which sold for £137, the Hickson’s of Homilton followed in the hogg standings with Blue Faced Leicester and Texels to £130.
Store Hoggs – £137 £87 £78 A Wilson. £130(x2) £107 £88 F Hickson & Sons.
Feeding Rams/Ewes – £212 £190 £156 £145 £140 £125 F Hickson & Sons. £172 £170 £162 £160 £150(x2) £142 £126 £123 A & R Thompson. £170 Adam Lowson. £168 £142 L J Daley. £154 £110 A Wilson. £152 £123 £108 B & J Bainbridge. £148 W Burton. £140 J & J Clark.
Breeding Sheep – A delightful Dutch Spotted ewe from I Hedley, 35 Bartlemere topped the breeding sheep trade this week when she sold with her single Texel crossed lamb at £310. Ewe and lamb trade remains easier in general with the grass shortage taking hold. Hoggs and lambs topped for a Mule with twins from J R & J A Wharton, Segbushwell at £270 and a strong pen suckling singles from R G Johnson & Son, Summerfield Farm selling at £255.
Ewes & Lambs – £310 £240 I Hedley. £285 £245 T T Hall & Son. £260 £252 £222 G S Dixon.
Hoggs & Lambs – £270 £230 £195 J R & J A Wharton. £255 R G Johnson & Son. £225 I Hedley. £190(x2) L J Daley.
