Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 4th March 2024. Forward were 337 cattle and 755 sheep.
80 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 320ppk or £2380
3 Stock Bulls sold to 228ppk or £2092
30 Young Bulls sold to £1640
90 Store Steers sold to £1850
134 Store Heifers sold to £1870
669 Store Hoggs sold to £164
86 Store Ewes/Rams sold to £144
Cast Cattle – A stunning top end this week aided averages up to 195ppk and £1308 per head as the cow ring continues its excellent form. Highlights galore, top per kilo at a blistering 320 pence was an excellent OTM Limousin heifer from M F Hall, Woodhill Farm, Ponteland; other OTM heifers from the same home sold to 284ppk with J C Johnson, Beanley Carr in close attendance at 280ppk with a terrific Limousin heifer. Top of the older cows per kilo was a phenomenal British Blonde from A R Keith, New Horton Grange House selling for 262ppk on what turned out to be a memorable day seeing the top twenty-seven beast surpass 200 pence per kilo. On to the gross values and five fantastic cows today sold over £2100; the above-mentioned Limousin OTM heifer from Beanley Carr reached £2150, two bruising British Blonde’s from A R Keith impressed at £2287 and £2306 and yet were twice beaten as W I Suddes & Son, South Farm, Cornsay provided a pair of remarkable Limousin cows. An excellent seven-year-old tipped the scales to 975kg and sold for £2340 however even she couldn’t conquer her ten-year-old stable mate weighing a straight 1000kg and selling for 238ppk and £2380. On to the milk maids and they too were in absolutely sparkling form, a superb OTM Holstein heifer from S H Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm beggared belief weighing 836kg and selling for 228 pence and £1906, following in the Friesian race at 218ppk were G Thompson & Son, Softley Farm with the wonderful Watson’s second string close behind at 216ppk. Best of the bulls at 228ppk were local producers E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange with their eight-year-old Limousin and G Beadle, Primrose Hill Farm at £2092 also with a Limousin, a five-year-old.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 320 284 262 M F Hall. 280 222 J C Johnson. 262 238 A R Keith. 258 F Hare & Sons. 240 238 222 W I Suddes & Son. 230 216 S & J Dent & Son. 228 216 S H Watson & Son. 228 G W Dent. 226 D & P H Brown. 222 T Coulthard & Son. 218 J A & U M Fawcett. 218 G Thompson & Sons. 218 A J Marr & Son. 212 R E Dickson. 210 K O Stones.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 228 E Scott & Sons. 220 G Beadle. 212 E A & N Thompson & Son.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2380 £2340 £1414 W I Suddes & Son. £2306 £2287 A R Keith. £2150 £1627 J C Johnson. £1993 T Coulthard & Son. £1906 £1630 £1521 S H Watson & Son. £1878 £1804 £1601 M F Hall. £1751 G W Dent. £1713 K O Stones. £1633 F Hare & Sons. £1614 £1453 £1414 R G & H E Thompson. £1557 £1481 S & J Dent & Son. £1507 J V Hodgson & Son. £1488 J F Harland. £1430 B & R Dixon. £1403 D & P H Brown.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2092 G Beadle. £1995 E Scott & Sons. £1558 E A & N Thompson.
Store Cattle – No respite for the beef buyers as once again there was no place to hide for those attempting to fill yards, another very sharp trade throughout. Young bulls topped twice at £1640 with a smart British Blue from Sheffield based T Ducker, Coppice House Farm matched by a strong Beef Shorthorn from M R Souter, Bail Hill, Marwood. A good day in the store cattle for D W Dresser, Hall Farm, Greatham as they topped both the steers and the heifers with their 21-month-old Limousin crosses; steers sold to £1850 and heifers to £1870. Beef Shorthorn’s led the way in this week’s indigenous breeds as steers sold to £1570 from first time vendors S & P Brogden, Brough and heifers topped at £1460 from W Denham, Dent Gate; also impressing in the natives were Aberdeen Angus steers at 15-month-old from G & E M Nixon, Bowes which thrice sold over £1500.
Store Bulls- £1640 £1400 £1240 £1235 T Ducker. £1640 MR Souter. £1540 £1370 £1020 £1000 C Dawson. £1535 £1445 £1375 £1280 £1240 £1160 WM Bainbridge. £1410 £1340 £1250 £1220 £1150 £1100 £1020 RL Dent. £1250 £950 £910 JD Teasdale. £1060 JD Bentley & Son.
Store Heifers- £1870 £1760 £1550 DW Dresser. £1630 x2 £1460 £1400 T Metcalfe & Son. £1460 £1400 £1360 £1180 W Denham. £1450 £1340 £1330 £1290 LW Martin. £1440 x2 D Walker. £1420 x4 G&EM Nixon. £1410 £1340 GL&M Steel. £1380 £1340 JS Wiper. £1340 I Newton & Son. £1340 GW&L Marsay. £1325 £1300 W&J Herbert. £1310 £1190 JJ Horn. £1305 £1295 £1205 x2 PT Stephenson & Son. £1300 £1195 £1185 E Scott & Sons. £1300 £1260 HS Hutchinson. £1290 MJ Hutchinson. £1260 £1230 NB&R Hird. £1240 £1240 JR&L Harding. £1240 AR Marshall. £1240 D&PH Brown. £1170 £1160 JS Wiper.
Store Steers- £1850 DW Dresser. £1670 £1260 C&N Waters. £1570 S&P Brogden. £1570 x4 £1500 x2 D Walker. £1540 £1520 x3 G&EM Nixon. £1465 x2 £1220 x2 WB Rutter & Sons. £1450 £1350 GW&L Marsay. £1420 x2 £1405 x2 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1400 W&J Herbert. £1390 x4 £1180 A Gregg. £1370 £1340 x2 JC Thwaite & Son. £1300 £1270 £1270 £1140 Wilsons. £1270 x2 £1240 HS Hutchinson. £1265 x2 MJ Hutchinson. £1260 NB&R Hird. £1230 £1170 x2 C&M Burnett. £1215 £1190 T Coulthard & Son. £1170 JR&L Harding. £1125 J&EM Lawson.
Store Sheep – The supersonic sheep trade rolls along mercilessly, another tremendous sale across all sections to see hoggs average £115.87. Top pen of the day proved to be eleven excellent Beltex bred hoggs from F Hare & Sons, Trees Farm, Brignall reaching £164; the next eleven Brignall beauties followed at £152 with single hoggs from both A & B Herworth (£156) and P & J Carr (£160) finding themselves the filling in the Hare sandwich. An outstanding run of Lleyn bred hoggs from Raby Home Farm, Staindrop topped at £149 for a pen of twenty with the 149 from this good home averaging a marvellous £133. Mule hoggs topped at £140, Cheviot Mule’s £126 and Swaledale’s £106 as all classes remain in huge demand. Feeding ewes and rams were also easily sold topping at £144 from P J Anderson & Son, Wolsingham.
Store Hoggs Leading Prices
Continental- £160 £122 P&J Carr. £156 A&B Herworth. £142 AP&E Procter. £136 S Plews. £136 JP Campbell. £128 £123 £70 DA Gill. £117 £104 A Donkin. £110 WH Brown. £100 D&M Lowes. £98 W Marley. £91 GW Dobson & Son. £80 P Armstrong.
Mule- £140 £112 P Turnbull. £140 £126 £110 Colne Valley Beef. £135 L Fowler. £119 DA Gill. £110 £88 £70 AP&E Procter. £102 R Bell. £100 KM&S Sayer. £84 GH&RG Stobbs.
Texel- £164 £152 F Hare. £149 £148 x2 £147 £139 £137 £136 £120 £104 £100 Raby Home Farm. £148 A&B Herworth. £144 N Armstrong. £138 £111 KA&V Armstrong. £136 P&J Carr. £136 W Marley. £132 £96 S Plews. £131 C Longstaff. £120 £102 WH Brown. £115 L Fowler. £110 £103 R Bell. £105 £103 GH&RG Stobbs. £100 P Turnbull. £98 £90 TB Walton.
Suffolk- £141 £138 A&B Herworth. £131 CH Tindale. £126 DA Gill. £98 L Fowler.
Beltex- £135 N&MJ Parkin. £125 L Fowler. £109 £96 CH Tindale.
Cheviot- £126 £116 S Hallam. £124 £119 WH Brown. £111 M Souter.
Swale- £106 £89 WH Brown. £97 KM&S Sayer. £88 A Teward & GP Watson. £87 W Coatsworth. £56 R Bell.
Teeswater- £129 T Addison.
Ewes & Rams- £144 £113 PJ Anderson. £138 £112 £99 P&AR Jopling. £130 LJ Thompson. £127 £102 £95 £78 £70 £63 WH Brown. £118 £90 Pear Tree Project. £112 £56 D&G Spry. £110 £104 £90 £70 D&M Lowes. £108 MR Souter. £105 £93 K&AV Armstrong £100 £91 KM&S Sayer. £99 £58 S Plews. £94 £63 GW Dobson & Son. £88 R Bell. £84 £79 C Longstaff. £80 £64 DA Gill. £74 TB Walton.
