Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 3rd April 2023. Forward were 296 Cattle and 588 Sheep.
87 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 278ppk or £2219
3 Stock Bulls sold to 248ppk or £2581
3 Cows & Calves sold to £1600
30 Young Bulls sold to £1680
53 Store Steers sold to £1550
117 Store Heifers sold to £1460
441 Store Hoggs sold to £140
52 Store Ewes sold to £145
31 Ewes with Lambs sold to £240
Cast Cattle – On trundles the relentless cow juggernaut with the average this week once again beyond £1300, the returns remain absolutely remarkable, a good top end however few could argue that the bottom end contained several mature ladies which were perhaps not so many months away from a journey in a knacker man’s silver taxi. To the toppers and no less than 36 of the 90 forward sold over 200 pence per kilo helping the sale average 195ppk; up at the very top was a wonderful 5-year-old Limousin cow from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge when she sold for 278ppk and £2179. Beating the Sadberge superstar to the top gross value prize was another thumping Limousin cow, this one from J C Johnson, Trimdon Village added up to £2219. Honourable mention must go this week to some brilliant British Blonde cows from A R Keith, Seaton Burn as they pushed the Limousin leaders all the way when seeing a 4-year-old sell for 260ppk and a hefty 9-year-old impress at £2133. Nicest of the natives this week were Aberdeen Angus as they peaked at £1645 from Broom Mill Farms, Ferryhill and 234ppk from D L & D Lovegreen, Catterick. A quartet of Jersey cows joined the 22 Holstein Friesian’s to make up this week’s dairy offering, unsurprisingly the black and whites reigned supreme with top prices of £1415 from J T Forster & Son, Killerby or an excellent 230ppk achieved by an OTM heifer from G Thompson & Sons, Butterknowle. Final mention goes to the three stock bulls offered which averaged 241ppk and £2372, shining brightest was a great 6-year-old Limousin from K & A Harker, Worsall at 248ppk and £2581.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 278 W & M Knaggs & Son. 260 236 230 A R Keith. 256 250 238 J P & R Ward. 254 J C Johnson. 248 234 230 F Ward. 236 Joshua Knaggs. 234 D L & D Lovegreen. 232 210 A & M J Henshaw. 230 G Thompson & Sons. 226 220 210 T L Holmes & Son. 224 J & E M Lawson. 220 E A & N Thompson. 220 J J Horn. 220 J N Swinbank. 216 C Parker. 216 210 J Bayles. 216 A R & C Booth. 212 A J Hunter. 208 David Harris. 206 202 Broom Mill Farms. 204 I Newton & Son. 202 B & B Kitching & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 248 K & A Harker. 248 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 230 A R Thomas.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2219 J C Johnson. £2179 W & M Knaggs & Son. £2133 £1865 £1833 A R Keith. £1949 Joshua Knaggs. £1929 £1916 £1641 F Ward. £1729 B & B Kitching. £1725 £1587 £1482 J P & R Ward. £1645 £1617 £1587 Broom Mill Farms. £1610 £1405 J N Swinbank. £1588 £1547 £1471 T L Holmes & Son. £1563 J Bayles. £1556 J Parker. £1491 A & M J Henshaw. £1482 A Hollings. £1482 £1409 Jack Henshaw. £1470 I Newton & Son. £1458 J & E M Lawson. £1454 J J Horn. £1415 £1408 J T Forster & Son. £1411 G Thompson & Sons. £1406 David Harris.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2581 K & A Harker. £2369 A R Thomas. £2167 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A show largely made up of grazing beast found trade once again in magical form, trade excellent for all classes. Strength and size dominated the top prices throughout as the short keep types were available in isolated patches throughout the sale; eight of the top eleven steers turned out to be Aberdeen Angus including the top two reaching £1550, a well grown pair of 18-month-olds from R & W Todd, High Toft Hill Farm. By the narrow margin of £10 it was a smart 14-month-old Limousin heifer from D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor Farm when selling for £1450 which prevented another top spot for the Aberdeen Angus; earlier in the sale a strong 2-year-old Beef Shorthorn from Mayfield Beef Shorthorns, Wolsingham had claimed the leading price when he sold for £1680. Mention of the younger and probable grass bound beast is apt for April and perhaps impressing the most today were regular sellers T T Hall & Son, Evenwood selling 10-month-old Aberdeen Angus steers to top at £1285.
Leading Prices
Cows & Calves – £1600(x2) I Newton & Son. £1340 W T Hall.
Young Bulls – £1680 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £1480 G W & L Marsay. £1390 £1370 £1140 £1095 £1000 £935 £930 R White. £1370(x2) £1315 £1220(x2) C G Robinson. £1360 £1340 £1170 £1080 £990 J J Horn. £1290 £1270 £1215 £1070 W B Rutter & Sons. £1165(x2) £1080 £1060(x2) A Gregg. £1060 W T Hall.
Store Steers – £1550(x2) £1390(x2) £1255 R & W Todd. £1540 G L & M Steel. £1430(x2) G E Raw. £1345 D & H M Hodgson. ££1285 T T Halll & Son. £1265(x2) £1245 £1205(x2) A & A G Moralee. £1260 £1205 £1200 T W Brown. £1250 £1220 J N Swinbank. £1225 £1220(x2) C & M Burnett. £1200 G Beadle. £1180 R N Foord & Son. £1150 R A & S L Wearmouth.
Store Heifers – £1460 £1360 D G & P D Ayre. £1450 £1300 M H Hodgson. £1450(x2) £1400 £1380 £1340(x2) £1330 £1210 G H & R G Stobbs. £1440 £1360 £1330 £1210 G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1340 £1265(x2) I R Appleton. £1315 £1260 £1240 J G Wilkinson & Son. £1300 T W Brown. £1290(x4) £1235 W White. £1285(x2) £1260 W H Brown. £1285 £1260 D & H M Hodgson. £1195 R N Foord & Son.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The best store hogg trade of the season as the average soared to beyond £100. The pick of the prices went to a strong run from R A Patterson & Son, Whitehouse Farm, Capheaton; the biggest pair which sold for £140 certainly, if they chose to do so, have the size and scope to navigate the course at Aintree next week with very little difficulty. A great run from E G Bulman, Mile House impressed on the day and included an impressive run of Mule’s which saw a pen of 30 selling for £108. Ewes and lambs continue to trickle forward now and the better weather has improved the trade as E Scott & Sons, Middridge saw this week’s offering up £20 per outfit with Texel’s and twins reaching £240 whilst the Mule’s checked in at £220.
Leading Prices
Store Hoggs
Suffolk – £140 £125 £116 £112 R A Patterson & Son. £117 B Cave. £114 £102 £99 E G Bulman. £104 D Scott.
Continental – £125 £123 R A Patterson & Son. £122 £121 £116 £114 B Cave. £122 £115 £112 J R & A R Wall. £117 £115 £114 £112 £110 £108 £100 E G Bulman. £121 £115 £108 £96 J D Spensley. £112 £97 D Scott.
Mule – £120 B Cave. £108 E G Bulman. £93 G A & C Jopling.
Feeding Ewes
£145 £90 M Radford. £121 £96 £87 D Scott. £116 £99 R A Paterson & Son. £105 £100 L Daley. £80 D Wigham. £80 Hagg Farm.
Ewes & Lambs – £240 £220 E Scott & Sons. £160 £150 C Parker. £150 J Wigham. £135 £125 M Radford.
