Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock alongside their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 4th November 2024. Forward were 355 cattle, 62 calves and 1485 sheep consisting of…
113 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 276ppk or £1840
19 Cast Bulls sold to 258ppk or £2530
18 Breeding Cattle sold to £2100
37 Young Bulls sold to £1580
78 Store Steers sold to £1630
84 Store Heifers sold to £1680
6 Stirks sold to £760
62 Rearing Calves sold to £550
1134 Store Lambs sold to £140
351 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £140
Cast Cattle – The bag of trick or treaters goodies had been well and truly shaken up this week with no less than twenty different breeds on offer which included thirty-six natives and forty-six pure dairy breeds; all included the trade looked excellent to see the sale average 163ppk and £1051 per head. Top per kilo at 276 pence was an excellent Beef Shorthorn OTM heifer from Upsall Castle Farms; other females impressing per kilo included further native breed OTM’s at 254ppk and 246ppk whilst the top older cow per kilo was a wonderful 13-year-old Limousin from C W Jackson, Woodend Farm at 220ppk. The Beef Shorthorn success story continued on to the gross value lists as top female of the day was a super sort from J E & M Lawson, Harpington Hill at £1840 with Upsall Castle Farms following at £1774. On to the bulls and as with the cows it was an eclectic mix offered, pick of them all was a stunning 981kg Limousin from J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm which sold for 258ppk and £2530. As mentioned there was dairy cows aplenty this week, the younger end and the fleshy sorts sold extremely well with top spots of 220ppk from A R & C Booth, Village Farm with a Holstein heifer and £1585 for a thick fleshed girl from T G & K Fisher, The Glebe, Huntersgill.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 276 188 184 178×2 Upsall Castle Farms. 254 D Harris. 246 J&EM Lawson. 220 AR&C Booth. 220 208 CW Jackson. 218 RJ Hare. 212 R Tookey & Son. 210 B&JD Beadle. 206 J Mitchell & Son. 204 JC Hope & Son. 200 194 M Shaw. 200 198 196 190×2 184 178 174×2 Messrs TG&K Fisher. 192 S&H Hodgson. 190×2 172 A Wilson. 188 WM Bainbridge. 178 RE Dickson. 176 PM Hill. 172 T Walton.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1840 J&EM Lawson. £1774 £1519 £1335 £1331 £1302 Upsall Castle Farms. £1643 £1468 CW Jackson. £1585 £1479 £1472 £1468 £1439 £1398×2 £1343 £1330 £1308 Messrs TG&K Fisher. £1542 A Wilson. £1539 B&JD Beadle. £1476 M Shaw. £1413 J Mitchell & Son. £1409 JC Hope & Son. £1380 S&H Hodgson. £1375 RE Dickson. £1368 WN Bainbridge. £1287 AR&C Booth. £1195 RA&SL Wearmouth.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 258 JC Thwaite & Son. 240 Upsall Castle Farms. 208 JT Forster & Son. 174 A Robinson. 162 Pear Tree Projects. 162 GL&M Steel. 160 P Prudom & Son Ltd. 156 R Hutchinson. 152 JC Hope & Son. 150 Raby Home Farm.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2530 JC Thwaite & Son. £2294 JT Forster & Son. £2052 Upsall Castle Farms. £1688 GL&M Steel. £1627 P Prudom & Son Ltd. £1462 Raby Home Farm. £1443 Pear Tree Projects Ltd. £1366 R Hutchinson. £1345 JC Hope & Son. £1179 A Robinson.
OTM 202 198 A Davison. 200 180 178 160 K O’Hare. 174 168 DE Stones.
Lead Grossing OTM £1121 £1059 A Davison. £915 £898 £896 £883 K O’Hare. £732 DE Stones.
Breeding Cattle – An excellent dispersal of quality Aberdeen Angus from J W & B Firby, Manor Farm, Brafferton attracted a rinside full of buyers and in doing so earned some impressive returns. A five-year-old cow with heifer calf at foot proved to be the pick at £2100 whilst the next six outfits followed closely between £1900 and £2000.
Breeding Cattle – Cows & Calves £2100 £2000×2 £1920×2 £1900 £1720 JW&B Firby. £1980 JH Johnson.
Breeding Bull – £1820 JW&B Firby.
Bulling Heifer – £1000 JW&B Firby.
Store Cattle – Trade in DfAM once again made a bold statement with returns proving to be outstanding for all types, terrific to see on a normal weekly sale harbour no less than thirty-six active ringside accounts in operation. Credit must be given to all vendors for consigning very saleable animals for our buyers, thus making the auction a pleasure to conduct. Leading the sale averages was a consignment from Rose A Farms, Low Houselop at £1625 closely followed by B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Cottage Farm with a fine run of Aberdeen Angus heifers at £1550. Todays sale also included a wonderful run of thirty pure bred Beef Shorthorn steers which averages £1016 per head with an average age of eight months from Upsall Castle Frams. Young bulls peaked at £1580 from regular seller E Parsons, Newstead with an excellent pair of November/December 2023 born Charolais. The next sale is our Special Backend show and sale of suckled calves next Monday 11th November where some fantastic beast are already entered. All enquiries are most welcome to John Wharton or any of the team, entries will close at 12 noon on Wednesday 6th November.
Store Bulls £1580×2 £1500 £1490 E Parsons. £1480 £1440 £1110 £1070 £1040 £970 RA Patterson & Son. £1180 Upsall Castle Farms. £1080 N&A Hunter. £1070 £1040×3 £1000×5 £930×6 DE Stones. £990 CW Jackson. £940 Raby Home Farm. £920×2 P Leese.
Store Steers £1630 £1620 Rose A Farms Ltd. £1580 £1520 £1510 £1420 £1150 £1070 J Mitchell & Son. £1550 R Potts. £1530 £1520 D&HM Hodgson. £1500×2 £1370 JS Foster. £1480×3 A Gregg. £1470 N&A Hunter. £1440 R Errington & Son. £1400 GH&RG Stobbs. £1400 CW Jackson. £1370 £1300×2 J Davies. £1360×3 J Walton. £1320 P Leese. £1310 £1260 £1230 £1180 I Newton & Son. £1270 DG&PD Ayre. £1260 TT Hall & Son.
Store Heifers £1680 £1560 £1440 £1380 J Corner. £1570×3 £1530×3 B&B Kitching & Son. £1540 £1470 £1410 JS Wiper. £1520 £1500 £1470 £1390 LW Martin. £1510 R Potts. £1450 GH&RG Stobbs. £1400 £1340×2 £1310×2 AJ Lawson. £1400 £1390 £1360 £1330 AC Walton. £1390 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £1360 JS Foster & Son. £1360 £1350 £1300 J Mitchell & Son. £1350×2 R Errington & Son. £1350 A Gregg. £1340 £1330 £1320 E Parsons. £1260 £1250 T James. £1240×3 J Davis.
Store Sheep – Better reading than the budget for the farming fraternity as the fireworks appeared a day early, store lamb trade lit the blue touch paper and stood well clear; all classes up another gear (if not two) as the winter feeders and spring finishers came forward all guns blazing. The sale average of £102 tells only some of the story as a very moderate bottom end appeared as is typical for the time of year. Top of the tree at £140 were eleven smart Texel lambs from R G Richardson, East Farm; plenty followed in the £130’s with even the long term projects capable of the £120’s if they were well bred and healthy sorts. Mule lambs sold to £117 for a delightful dozen from T E Dobson, Unthank Farm with Suffolk’s to £118.50, Hill Cheviots to £68 and Swaledales to £46. Feeding ewe trade also in good order with three figures comfortably achievable for the stronger and fleshier types. The feeding sheep lifted off this week last year and it looked every bit today like history is repeating itself.
Store Lambs:
Texel – £140 £129 RG Richardson. £139 £133.50 £126 £110 M Collingwood. £135 £131 £125 £121 £112 W Love Ltd. £133 £128 £125 £121 LD Laws. £132×2 £111 Alderslade & Mulley. £132 £120 J&RA Speed. £128.50 £111 A Tunstall. £126.50 TE Dobson. £124 GE Raw. £120 GD&AF Adamson. £119 £110 C Longstaff. £117 £113 £112 W&J Herbert. £118.50 £113.50 P&S Wood. £115.50 £113 £111 £110.50 DE Stones. £115.50 D&G Spry. £112 IR Appleton. £112 GE Raw. £110 WB Rutter & Sons.
Beltex – £129 CH Tindale. £126 W&J Herbert.
Continental – £125 £110×2 W Wearmouth & Son. £120 RA Patterson & Son.
Suffolk – £118.50 AJ Lawson. £114 T James. £114 IR Appleton.
Mule – £117 TE Dobson.
Feeding Ewes:
Mule – £140 £125 A&B Herworth. £96 GP&A Carter. £82 GH&RG Stobbs. £81 D Alderson. £80 C Longstaff. £79 S Richardson. £74 Petch Farms.
Texel – £123 Petch Farms. £111 £95 £74 C Harle & Sons. £110 RG Richardson. £93 GP&A Carter. £80 B&J Bainbridge. £76 GN&V Bayles.
Blue Face Leicester – £118 C Longstaff. £108 D Alderson.
Suffolk £108 – TE Dobson. £107 WH Brown. £96 M Collingwood.
Continental – £108 S Richardson. £98 £90 £74 T&AE Miller. £88 A Naisbitt.
Swale – £68 Petch Farms. £66 J Heavisides.
Zwarbtles – £59 EW Holmes.
Store Tups £122 P Armstrong. £113 T&AE Miller.
Calves- Another mixed show of calves through the ring, saw the calf trade average a respectable £316. Top price of the day goes to Baysleap Dairy Farm LTD, with a cracking British Blue Steer calf which sold for £550, this home also had Angus Steers to £530 and Angus Heifers to £390. A Wilson, Calf Close, sold a British Blue Heifer for £480. G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm, topped at £475 with an Angus Bull, £425 with an Angus Heifer and £470 with a British Blue Bull. Inra 95 Bulls topped at £400 from J&A Stevenson & Son, Blue House Farm, whilst Friesian Bulls topped at £380 from R Tookey & Son, South Side.
British Blue Steers- £550 x2 Baysleap Dairy Farm LTD.
Angus Steers- £530 Baysleap Dairy Farm LTD. £405 x3 £290 OS Laws.
Angus Bulls- £475 £435 £425 G Thompson & Sons. £335 x2 M&RK McKenzie.
British Blue Bulls- £470 G Thompson & Sons. £370 JT Forster & Son.
Inra 95 Bulls- £400 £360 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Friesian Bulls- £380 x2 £325 £250 £200 R Tookey & Son. £245 £170 G Thompson & Sons.
British Blue Heifers- £480 A Wilson. £350 £345 G Thompson & Sons.
Angus Heifers- £425 G Thompson & Sons. £390 x3 £370 x2 £335 x3 £330 x2 £320 x2 £310 x2 Baysleap Dairy Farm LTD.
Bull Stirks- £720 £670 x3 A Wilson.
Heifer Stirks- £760 £750 A Wilson.
