Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 7th April 2025. Forward were 356 cattle, 403 sheep and 56 calves.
80 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 394ppk or £3350
6 Stock Bulls sold to 290ppk or £2270
2 Breeding Heifers sold to £1350
42 Young Bulls sold to £2740
95 Store Steers sold to £2460
131 Store Heifers sold to £2590
28 Ewes with Lambs sold to £405
270 Store Hoggs sold to £153
53 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £183
56 Rearing Calves sold to £845
Cast Cattle – On rolls the DfAM Shanghai Transrapid cow trade, something for everyone and a market for all classes as the green status remains absolutely essential for those looking to maximise their returns. This week’s sale average of 262ppk included everything from a dinky Dexter to a quite brilliant Bazadaise. We had better begin with the Bazadaise from Bridge House Farm, Crowle Road; a stunning 11-year-old cow weighing 859kg she sold for 390 pence and a whopping £3350. Two smart OTM heifers led the way per kilo when F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm sold a British Blonde at 394 pence and £2962 whilst E Wilson, White Hills Farm produced a lively Limousin at 392 pence. Two fleshy six-year-old Aberdeen Angus cows from R Bradley & Son, North Crane Row led the native breed lists when they sold at 330ppk and £2582 respectively whilst a varied show of quality amongst the Friesian’s saw tops of 272ppk from W K Wilkinson & Sons, Mains House Farm and £1975 from A R & C Booth, Village Farm. Finally, the stock bulls which were dominated by the indigenous breeds this week with tops of £2270 for an Aberdeen Angus from J E Hugill, Dromonby Grange and 290ppk for a Galloway from P A Thompson, Stanhope Road.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 394 320 310 304 F&JS Gargett. 392 E Wilson. 390 Bridge House Farm. 370 BR Lawson. 364 JR Allan. 354 JN Swinbank. 336 328 GK KN & GJ Hird. 330 318 R Bradley & Son. 328 286 Tarn Bros. 328 300 298 290 JE Hugill. 326 JC Johnson. 308 P Leese. 302 298 292 SH Watson & Son. 300 P Turnbull. 296 284 Reed & Hill. 292 Northfield Farms. 290 J Featherstone. 286 L Howley. 284 276 PT Stephenson & Son. 282 A Rutherford. 280 DL Brown.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3350 Bridge House farm. £2962 £2547 £2284 £2240 F&JS Gargett. £2582 £2541 R Bradley & Son. £2560 BR Lawson. £2465 Reed & Hill. £2452 £2274 £2087 SH Watson & Son. £2399 E Wilson. £2377 P Leese. £2371 £2345 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2370 £2022 PT Stephenson & Son. £2346 DL Brown. £2315 JR Allan. £2262 JC Johnson. £2223 JN Swinbank. £2150 RN Foord & Son. £2023 Tarn Bros. £2011 Northfield Farms. £1975 AR&C Booth. £1960 JE Hugill.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 290 PA Thompson. 272 264 JE Hugill. 248 Kirkbride & Bell. 238 A&AG Moralee.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2270 £1966 JE Hugill. £2037 A&AG Moralee. £2011 Kirkbride & Bell. £1922 PA Thompson.
Store Cattle – It all began with a young bull trade to quite honestly beggar belief as the valiant vendors picked up a community chest card that advanced them directly to ‘Go’ to collect themselves at least another £200 per head. Top of the pops were two tremendous two-year-old British Blonde bulls from G Corner, Rye Close Farm which sold for an amazing £2740 and £2720. A run of smart 13-month-old Limousin’s from J & E M Lawson, Harpington Hill impressed with a best of £2480 whilst perhaps the trade of them all went to a pen of bucket reared British Blue’s out of Friesian’s from J K Gregory, Porch House Farm which sold to a top of £2180 at just 12-months-old. The supersonic store trade stood on as recent high levels were maintained, top of the day was a cracking Limousin heifer from M Gallon, High Crows Farm when she sold for £2590 whilst the top steer was a well grown Hereford from D R Smith, East Roughlea at £2460. Top of the youngsters was a very sweet 9-month-old British Blue heifer from B R Lawson, Buddle House at £2050 followed by yearling steers and heifers from W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm each topping at £1980.
In Calf Heifers – £1350 A Gregg.
Store Bulls £2740 £2720 G Corner. £2480 £2460 £2320 J&EM Lawson. £2180×2 £2160 £1800 J Gregory. £1990×2 £1500 JV Hodgson & Son. £1980 £1700 £1680 £1560 31540 R White. £1900 £1480 P Turnbull. £1860 £1780 A Gregg. £1660×2 GW Chapman. £1660 Northfield Farms. £1600×2 £1550×2 £1500×3 £1400×3 AW Dixon.
Store Steers £2460 £2280 DR Smith. £2300 GH&RG Stobbs. £2300×2 GW&L Marsay. £2140 £2060×2 W&JM Clifford. £2080 £1940 JG Forster & Partners. £2020 JE Hugill. £2000 £1980 JE Holiday & Son. £1980×2 £1860 WA Wardman Ltd. £1980×2 £1970×3 RN Foord & Son. £1980×3 £1880×3 £1860×4 £1850×2 £1810 A&AG Moralee. £1940 I Newton & Son. £1920 G Williamson. £1890 JE Hugill. £1890 Northfield Farms. £1880×3 W Love Ltd. £1860×2 W Emerson. £1850×6 R&W Todd.
Store Heifers £2590 £2300 £1980 M Gallon. £2380 £2130 £1860 JR Allan. £2310 £2200 JE Holiday & Son. £2180 £1960 £1950 £1900×2 W Walker & Sons. £2180 GH&RG Stobbs. £2060 W&JM Clifford. £2050 £1940 BR Lawson. £2020 £2000 DR Smith. £1980×3 £1920×5 £1880×4 GE Beadle. £1980 JG Forster & Partners. £1980×2 £1950 £1940 £1920 £1900 £1860 £1840 WA Wardman Ltd. £1980 RN Foord & Son. £1950×2 £1890 J Dent. £1900 JJ Horn.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The big light in the sky is encouraging lambs to thrive and buyers to arrive as what already looked a sharp trade improved again on the week. Top call of £405 went to five Texel ewes suckling twins from E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange; the same good home sold others at £402 and then a strong pen of thirteen Mule ewes with twins at £375.
The store hoggs might be at the eleventh hour but a better show of quality this week ramped up the trade and the average to an excellent £122.53 per head. Sixteen strong Texel hoggs from A Martin & Co, Brandon House Farm set the pace when they sold for £153 per head, the same fold followed with fourteen at £146. Also selling at £146 were ten Suffolk hoggs, the top pen from J Wood, Roxby who also sold continentals to £139 plus Cheviot’s and Mules at £128 and Blackface at £124. Top of the Mule hoggs this week were seven strong sorts from E G Bulman at £132 followed by N B & R Hird, Gillfield at £129, the Hird run also sold our top Swaledale hoggs at £81.
Forty-five feeding ewes remained a sharp shot to average all in £107.70, top of the day went to M Radford, Wyville Grange at £183 followed by J E Holliday & Son, Woodland House at £180 and R A Patterson & Son, White House at £170.
Store Hoggs-
Texel- £153 £146 A Martin. £133 £123 JJ Horn. £126 £100 R Peart. £125 NB&R Hird. £123 ABP Wilsons.
Suffolk- £146 £129 J Wood. £115 GH&RG Stobbs.
Continental- £139 £135 £132 J Wood. £136 Dorothy Watson. £128 £100 EG Bullman. £122 £116 G Bolton. £119 NB&R Hird. £100 EMS Engineering Consultants LTD.
Mule- £132 £121 EG Bullman. £129 NB&R Hird. £128 J Wood. £87 GH&RG Stobbs.
Beltex- £129 ABP Wilsons. £128 £86 JE Holliday & Son.
Cheviot- £128 J Wood.
Blackfaced- £124 £100 J Wood.
Blue Faced Leicester- £118 £80 R Peart.
Swaledale- £81 NB&R Hird.
Ewes & Lambs- £405 £402 £375 E Scott & Sons. £350 £280 RA Patterson & Son. £280 M Radford.
Feeding Ewes- £183 £76 M Radford. £180 £168 £130 £78 JE Holliday & Son. £170 RA Patterson & Son. £160 £128 £86 JD&MS Mortimer. £150 Dorothy Watson. £150 £136 A Martin. £140 £78 EG Bulman. £128 x2 £106 K Sayer. £124 £78 R Peart. £112 £100 £78 JR Mann. £108 £78 H Ward. £105 Kelly. £88 RG&CS Wise.
Rearing Calves – The calf average (£543.75) has jumped faster than a Willie Mullins Grand National runner to increase by a remarkable £136 on just two weeks ago. Top call of £845 went to a superb January born British Blue bull calf from H M Dent, East Farm. Following just one bid behind at £840 was another British Blue bull, this one was February born from Miresdale Dairy Holding Ltd, Lowfield Farm. Aberdeen Angus bull calves sold over £800 on four occasions from J L Miles & Sons, Little Bridge Farm to top twice at £820 for the excellent run of February born calves. Less heifer calves than usual and largely younger in age, top of the day was another British Blue from Miresdale when she sold for £695.
3x Parthenais Bulls average £743
13 Aberdeen Angus Bulls average £698
7 British Blue Bulls average £677
11 Hereford Bulls average £505
6 Friesian Bulls average £272
7 British Blue Heifers average £505
8 Hereford Heifers average £411
1 Friesian Heifer average £380
Bull Calves-
British Blue- £845 £810 HM Dent. £840 £690 Miresdale Dairy Holding LTD. £540 £510 £505 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Aberdeen Angus- £820 x2 £810 £805 JL Miles & Sons. £800 £765 x2 Miresdale Dairy Holding LTD. £660 R Tookey & Son. £600 x2 £595 x2 M&RK McKenzie.
Parthenais- £760 £750 £720 HM Dent.
Hereford- £585 £570 x3 £565 John Archer. £450 x6 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Friesian- £375 £230 x2 Deerness Valley Dairy. £360 M&RK McKenzie. £220 x2 G Beadle.
Heifer Calves-
British Blue- £695 £680 Miresdale Dairy Holding LTD. £500 x2 £480 £340 x2 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Hereford- £480 £460 x2 £450 £430 John Archer. £360 x2 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Friesian- £380 R Tookey & Son.
