Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 18th December 2023. Forward were 172 cattle and 662 sheep.
55 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 286ppk or £1710
6 Stock Bulls sold to 216ppk or £2019
24 Young Bulls sold to £1280
25 Store Steers sold to £1600
62 Store Heifers sold to £1460
562 Store Lambs sold to £112
100 Feeding Ewes sold to £137
Cast Cattle – The year’s cow trade ended with a wow trade as the final offering for 2023 sold incredibly well to average 179ppk and £1231. Top per kilo at a whopping 286 pence was a smart Limousin OTM heifer from B R Lawson, Buddle House Farm, Whashton; the same good home followed at 244ppk with another OTM ahead of our top senior cow, a superb Limousin from T W Hutchinson, Bail Hill Farm, Teesdale at 238ppk. Other vendors enjoying the Christmas price boom were first time vendors F W Robinson & Son, Greenfield Farm, Lincolnshire with British Blue’s to top at 234ppk and regular selling T W Clark & Son, Frankland Farm, Durham topping at 228ppk. Top native per kilo was a four-year-old Beef Shorthorn from G A Rogerson, Thistleton Farm at 208ppk whereas dairy cows topped at 158ppk for a Holstein Friesian from G M Blair & Partners, Upleatham. The year ended alright for Neil White of Barf House, Marrick topping the gross valued females at £1710 with a Simmental cow, close behind came the excellent Limousin from T W Hutchinson at £1706 with a well-fed British Blonde from E W Grieves, Oakdene next in line at £1683. Top gross valued native bred cow was a fleshy Aberdeen Angus from A & A G Moralee, Lowfield Farm at £1644 with W M Allison & Son, Dunhouse Quarry next in the native line at £1453 with a tremendous Beef Shorthorn cow. Five native’s and a Friesian made up the stock bull show, the pick of them brought more success for the Beef Shorthorn’s of Dunhouse Quarry when selling for 216ppk and £2019.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 286 244 216 B R Lawson. 238 T W Hutchinson. 234 218 180 170 F W Robinson & Son. 228 184 T W Clark & Son. 220 E W Grieves. 210 186 C & R Metcalf. 208 196 194 G A Rogerson & Son. 202 184 W B Rutter & Sons. 200 192 N White. 188 186 184 B & B Kitching & Son. 186 170 R Bradley & Son. 184 182 176 A & A G Moralee. 178 B Watson. 178 174 G M Blair & Partners. 176 R Valks. 170 J B Fletcher. 170 S Jackson.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 216 W M Allison & Son Ltd. 192 G A Rogerson & Son. 170 G A & C Jopling. 168 R W Raper & Sons. 156 R W & H Atkinson. 152 P D & J A Adamski.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1710 £1394 N White. £1706 T W Hutchinson. £1683 E W Grieves. £1644 A & A G Moralee. £1527 £1414 £1268 B R Lawson. £1511 £1453 £1434(x2) F W Robinson & Son. £1453 W M Allison & Son Ltd. £1420 W & R Kemp & Son. £1406 £1313 T W Clark & Son. £1402 £1394 £1319 B & B Kitching & Son. £1372 £1366 R Bradley & Son. £1320 S Jackson. £1319 W B Rutter & Sons. £1315 £1294 G M Blair & Partners. £1276 C & R Metcalf.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2019 W M Allison & Son Ltd. £1825 G A & C Jopling. £1790 P D & J A Adamski. £1269 R W & H Atkinson. £1218 R W Raper & Sons. £1006 G A Rogerson & Son.
Store Cattle – The super stores left 2023 on a high as trade proved excellent for all classes, a far from fancy show saw the steers average £1170 and heifers £1102 and undoubtedly left our vendors with much to look forward to in 2024. Topping the day at £1600 was a 29-month-old Limousin steer from G W & L Marsay, Wolviston; the same home also churned out the second top priced steer just a fiver behind and the day’s top priced heifer a 28-month-old Limousin at £1460. The young bulls too proved easy to sell, leading the way at £1280 was a 13-month-old British Blue from local dairy farmers Messrs Wilkinson & Sons, Carrsides Farm.
Store Bulls £1280 £1160×2 £1150×2 £1060×4 £1000×2 £930×2 Wilkinson & Son. £980 Barrs of Broughton. £930×2 J Curry. £730 JT Forster & Son. £700×2 S Waggott. £615 T&C Smith.
Store Steers £1600 £1595 GW&L Marsay. £1400 £1265 £1230×2 KM&S Sayer. £1375 £1090 £1025×3 G Bolton. £1330 £1285 £1060 JS Foster. £1320 WB Rutter & Sons. £1310×2 L Claughan. £1120 £940×2 M Gallon. £1090 £910×2 TH Mace & Sons. £970 JJM Lonsdale.
Store Heifers £1460 GW&L Marsay. £1430 AC Walton. £1425 £1385 £1295 £1240 SJ Love. £1425 JS Foster & Son. £1410 £1300 £1180 GL&M Steel. £1400 L Claughan. £1380×2 £1230 WB Rutter & Sons. £1375 £1320 £1270 £1150 £1100 E Parsons. £1360×3 £1260 £1185 £1090 KM&S Sayer. £1255 £1245×2 £1210 JR&J Crowe. £1165×3 £1155×3 AR Marshall. £1110 Barrs of Broughton. £1110 Northfield Farms. £1090 £980 JJM Lonsdale.
Store Sheep – The store lamb trade signed off the year in good form, the smallest long-term projects looked particularly well sold this week. Top of the day were a pair of small but perfectly formed Beltex lambs from M Dawson, Newsham Hall which sold for £112; strong Texel’s from both D W T Davies, Denton Grange and C Orton, Windlestone Grange both topped at £110. Cheviots reached a high of £85.50 from J & J Clark & Sons, Bowlees whilst Mule lambs sold to a top of £81 from N M Peacock, Thirsk.
Store Lamb Leading Prices
Beltex – £112 £99 M Dawson. £92 £91(x2) £87 £84.50 M Maddrell.
Texel – £110 £104 D W T Davies. £110 £107 C Orton. £102 F R & A L Lyth. £101 J Thompson. £100 J Kelly. £95 Beckwith. £94.50 J S Wiper. £94 K & R E Robson. £93 A Newton. £91 N M Peacock. £90 A Wilson.
Continental – £107 £85 J G Atkinson. £98 £89.50 £89 D E Stones. £91 A Wilson. £87 M Dawson.
Cheviot – £85.50 £68 J & J Clark & Son.
Mule – £81 £70 N M Peacock. £77.50 D Rutter. £75.50 B Bell. £75 G A & C Jopling.
Feeding Ewes
£137 J G Atkinson. £90 £80 £79 D Rutter. £89 £63 T B Walton. £88 £84 £75 C Orton. £65 J R & P Ward. £63 A Newton.
