Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 8th May 2023. Forward were 326 cattle and 914 sheep.
68 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 276ppk or £2165
3 Stock Bulls sold to 228ppk or £2964
1 Stirk sold for £320
2 Cows & Calves sold to £1950
41 Young Bulls sold to £1650
71 Store Steers sold to £1610
138 Store Heifers sold to £1530
33 Hoggs with Lambs sold to £260
252 Ewes with Lambs sold to £270
123 Store Hoggs sold to £142
60 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £128
Cast Cattle – A good show of cows continued their recent fine form as the sale averaged a wonderful 203ppk and £1343. The coronation Bank Holiday didn’t disappoint as some classy cows plus an outstanding stock bull returned some stunning numbers at the top of today’s tree. An excellent thirty-two cows sold over 200ppk, right at the top reaching 276ppk was a fabulous 6-year-old Limousin from J T & M Atkinson, Mickleton, her closest rival a brilliant British Blue from G C & K J White & Son, Lunedale which sold for 270ppk. Top gross value was another Limousin, a fleshy 895kg cow from S & J Dent & Son, Darlington selling for £2165 with a cracking pair from W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn also selling beyond £2000. Aberdeen Angus ruled the native’s this week topping at 248ppk from A & A G Moralee, Willington and £1748 from P D Shepherd, High Coniscliffe. Friesian trade remains fantastic, this week’s honours go to Stainton Hill Farms, Streatlam who twice reached 216ppk and J T Parkin, Marwood with a thick fleshed cow selling for £1611. Last but in no way least is news of a bouncing bull trade, a magnificent 10-year-old British Blonde from the top team at Low Leam Farm, West Woodburn of Messrs W J Scott Ltd clocked the scale round to a fearsome 1300kg and sold for 228 pence per kilo and a stunning £2964.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 276 J T & M Atkinson. 270 242 G C & K J White & Son. 260 D & M Lowes. 248 200 A & A G Moralee. 242 228 220 S & J Dent & Son. 240 218 214 W J Smith & Partners. 238 230 W J Scott Ltd. 238 220 G & E A Herdman. 238 208 C Harle & Sons. 230 212 210 208 204 D & M Lowes. 228 202 F Ward. 216(x2) Stainton Hill Farms. 214 P D Shepherd. 208 R N Armstrong. 208 202 T W Clark & Son. 200 E A Martin & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 228 W J Scott Ltd. 184 F Ward. 184 Leslie Brown.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2165 £1843 £1431 S & J Dent & Son. £2132 £2017 W J Scott Ltd. £1813 J T & M Atkinson. £1786 £1643 £1407 £1338 D & M Lowes. £1748 P D Shepherd. £1704 £1697 £1558 W J Smith & Partners. £1611 £1557 £1404 J T Parkin. £1561 £1409 G & E A Herdman. £1525 £1431 C Harle & Sons. £1506 £1450 F Ward. £1495 Little Newsham Farms. £1493 G C & K J White & Son. £1462 R N Armstrong. £1434 £1412 £1364 T W Clark & Son. £1346 A R & C Booth.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2964 W J Scott Ltd. £2005 Leslie Brown. £1435 F Ward.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A couple of cows with claves kicked off proceedings, the pick of them a bonnie 7-year-old Beef Shorthorn from P Turnbull, Kildale sold for £1950. The feeding cattle trade remains hot, blowing their competitors away in the young bulls were a quality quartet of 12-month-old Limousin’s from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley when the awesome foursome sold between £1580 and £1650. The clean stores remain a flyer, if anything a touch firmer on what was already an excellent return. Limousin’s from K & J Heslop, Bridge House Farm, Fishburn topped both the steers and heifers when selling for £1610 and £1530 respectively; a fair proportion of native breeds saw Aberdeen Angus sell to £1440 from R & W Todd, Toft Hill and £1400 from H F Ryle & Son, Chester-le-Street whilst the best of the Herfords came from D R Smith of Ferryhill with steers to £1290 and heifers £1305.
Leading Prices
Cows & Calves – £1950 P Turnbull. £1300 Juaul Farms.
Stirks – £320 R Valks.
Young Bulls – £1650 £1590(x2) £1580 D Dixon. £1555(x2) £1365 £1345 £970 R L Walker. £1280 £1180 C Dennis. £1200 £1175 £M R Madrell. £1105(x2) £1100 W R Barron. £1070(x3) £990(x3) R N Foord & Son. £990 £960(x2) £910 W O Alderson. £960 £940 £900 W S I Anderson.
Store Steers – £1610 £1510 £1460 £1340 K & J Heslop. £1460(x2) £1190 D & M Lowes. £1440 £1360 S Bolton. £1440 R & W Todd. £1415 £1210 D Robson & Sons. £1400 £1200(x2) H F Ryle & Son. £1360 D & M Hodgson. £1360 £1260 W & J Herbert. £1290 D R Smith. £1280 D M McClurg. £1260 £1255 W B Rutter & Sons. £1260 G E Raw. £1255 R Errington & Son. £1250 £1180(x2) Forster Hall & Sons. £1250 A P & E Procter. £1200 G Bolton. £1200(x2) G W & M Singleton & Sons.
Store Heifers – £1530 £1470 £1435 £1410 £1315 £1210 K&J Heslop. £1410 £1290 £1250 D&M Lowes. £1305 £1260 £1245 £1205 £1185 DR Smith. £1305 £1240×3 WH Brown. £1265 £1250 R Errington & Son. £1260 BJS Farms. £1250 £1190×2 MV.N&D Cutler. £1235×2 JJ Horn. £1200 £1165×2 PD Shepherd. £1195 WB Rutter & Sons. £1185×2 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1185×2 Forster Hall & Sons. £1170 DM McClurg. £1170 JR&L Harding. £1165 J&S Thompson. £1165 £1160×2 £1140×5 BJS Farms.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Last week’s hot hogg and lamb trade was repeated if not bettered, as for the ewes and lambs, they look infinitely dearer as the warmer weather is now providing that priceless green stuff. Top of the pile for the second week running were Blue Texels, on this occasion Elliot Grieves of Oakdene, Whinney Hill was the benefactor as his outfits with twins both sold for £270. A handful of hoggs and lambs peaked at £260 for Mule’s with singles from M W Reed, Frosterley with the closest rival another Weardale native with a packet of quality Mule’s Messrs H S Hutchinson, Eastgate. Older Mule ewes which look destined for end-of-life care come the Autumn enjoyed the biggest price rise on the week as they regularly sold at £70 to £80 per life.
Store sheep don’t stop as remarkable numbers appeared again for the time of year, the trade hasn’t eased in the slightest, a thumping Texel cross Kerry Hill hogg from P A Thompson, Wolsingham led the trade at £142 with pens of pure Kerry’s from the same good home in close attendance twice selling in the £130’s. Top of the older feeding sheep was a heavy cross bred tup from D & J A Teasdale, Folly Farm when he sold for £128.
Store Hoggs £142 £134 £130 PA Thompson. £124 £120×2 £112 £92 £84 £80 £79 £70 LJ Daley. £123 £98 £80 £68 GH&RG Stobbs. £118 C Harle & Sons. £76 D&JA Teasdale.
Feeding Ewes £128 D&JA Teasdale. £112 £84 £56 C Harle & Sons. £112 £65 £55 HG Spensley & Son. £110 PA Thompson. £98 J Wigham. £86×2 GH&RG Stobbs. £70 JD Teasdale. £70 K Raine. £67 S Beeforth.
Ewes & Lambs £270 Elliott Grieves. £260 £250×2 £210×2 £200 Northfield Farms. £260 K Borrowdale & A Wearmouth. £250 £225 £215×2 £200 TW Brown. £240 £215 J Wigham. £240 £225 JR&L Harding. £230 £215 D&M Buck. £220 W Burton. £220 £205 G Williamson. £220 £215 CH&MC Phalp. £210 L&BM Kidd & Son. £205 £200 CG Barraclough. £205 K Raine. £205 £200 W Brass & Sons.
Shearlings & Lambs £270 Elliott Grieves. £200 £180 £160 JR&L Harding. £170 £165 JD Teasdale.
Hoggs & Lambs £260 £250 £160 MW Reed. £250 £240 HS Hutchinson. £210 GW Dobson & Son.
