Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their fortnightly sale of rearing calves in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 7th October 2024. Forward were 393 cattle, 1917 sheep and 49 calves.
119 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 268ppk or £1980
8 Stock Bulls sold to 260ppk or £1973
7 Breeding Cattle sold to £1660
32 Young Bulls sold to £1460
109 Store Steers sold to £1800
118 Store Heifers sold to £1570
1668 Store Lambs sold to £135
249 Feeding Ewes sold to £124
49 Rearing Calves sold to £580
Cast Cattle – Forward in numbers as the back-end looms, trade marginally easier however still very respectable to average 176ppk and £1160 per head. Fleshy cows would be no less however some harder weathered types just took the shine of the recent bonanza; top of the day was a wonderful 4-year-old Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm when she set the pace selling for 268ppk and £1980. Other impressive returns went to a hefty Charolais cow from D K Barker, Little Ketton at £1908 and two Aberdeen Angus producers as Y Kettle, Brydale Farm reached £1842 and E A & N Thompson & Son, Bromley Green sold a heifer at 262ppk. Of the dairy breeds a young Holstein from Sayer & Tallentire, Town Farm sold well at 208ppk and £1408.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 268 236 228 224 AC Simpson & Son. 262 250 EA&N Thompson & Son. 258 232 222 220 GK KN & GJ Hird. 238 222 204 GC&KJ White & Son. 236 224 210 200 DK Barker. 230 226 218 D Harris. 228 Tallentire. 226 194 ER&GI Younger. 224×2 222 214 210 196 194 192×3 190 A&R Thompson. 208 JD & IW Sayer & Tallentire. 202 194 Y Kettle. 198 SG Hall. 196 D Harris. 190 188 JP&R Ward. 190 188 B Watson. 188 C&M Burnett. 188 J&O Harrison. 188 JJ Horn. 188 JF Southgate & Partners.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1980 £1735 £1666 £1563 AC Simpson & Son. £1908 £1838 £1635 £1618 DK Barker. £1842 £1674 Y Kettle. £1758 £1516 £1407 GC&KJ White & Son. £1632 £1351 JP&R Ward. £1617 £1496 GK KN & GJ Hird. £1582 Tallentire. £1493 £1410 EAQ&N Thompson & Son. £1415 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. £1408 JD & IW Sayer & Tallentire. £1406 JF Southgate & Partners. £1392 £1291 ER&GI Younger. £1374 £1367 £1345 £1308 A&R Thompson. £1364 J&O Harrison & Sons. £1338 JJ Horn.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 260 D Harris. 186 G Bolton. 168 C&N Waters. 168 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £1619 D Harris. £1597 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1105 AC&MS Spalding.
Store Cattle – On the whole a plainer show with a weather-beaten bottom end, still trade continues in excellent fashion for all classes. A superstar stood out at the top as T W Brown & Son, Brokes Farm produced an excellent 21-month-old British Blonde steer to top the day at £1800; twelve of the next fifteen high prices in the steer section were either Aberdeen Angus of Hereford. Nothing could split the top two heifers as a Limousin from Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn Hall and a British Blue from N Wilson, Hill House Farm tied at the top on £1570. Young bulls remain in high demand, top spot at £1460 was twice achieved by J K Gregory, Porch House Farm with both a Limousin and a British Blue.
Cows & Calves £1660 £1180 I Newton & Son.
In Calf Cows £1150 D Smith.
Store Bulls £1460×2 £1280×3 JK Gregory. £1300 £1295 £1200 £1160 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. £1040 £870×2 JT Forster & Son. £950 £790×4 A wilson. £760 D Smith. £740×5 SG Hall.
Store Steers £1800 £1490 £1470 £1440 TW Brown & Sons. £1580×3 £1560×4 £1520×3 £1510×3 £1490 £1450 £1430 K Metcalfe. £1570×4 MH Hodgson. £1550 £1250 £1210D&HM Hodgson. £1510×2 B&L Robson. £1460×2 £1290×2 N&AD Brass & Son. £1460×2 £1130×2 AJ Hunter. £1440×4 £1430×4 JH&C Ltd Oulton. £1300 DR Smith. £1230×2 SJ Bainbridge. £1200×3 £1180 £1160 D Walker.
Store Heifers £1570 £1510 £1380 £1340 £1330 £1230 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. £1570 N Wilson. £1390 £1260 £1180 £1100 C Henderson. £1350 £1110×2 C Siswick. £1340 £1300 £1230 JS Wiper. £1330 £1250 N Basey & Son. £1300×3 £1290 DR Smith. £1280×4 £1200 £1180 B&L Robson. £1230 K Cator. £1200 WT Hall. £1200 A Swinbank. £1160×3 £1100×3 JH&C Ltd Oulton. £1140×2 N&AD Brass & Son.
Store Sheep – Dearer the lambs go again as a much poorer show of quality saw the average rise to £96.62; given the bottom end the lambs would easily be £5-£10 up on the week. Pick of the pack was a thumping Charollais lamb from B Cave, Whitehall Farm when selling for £135; next in line were ten tremendous Texel’s from M Hogg, The Brae at £123.50 followed by an onslaught of stronger lambs beyond £110. Away from the lowland breeds bidding proved fast for all breeds with Cheviot’s to £106, Mules to £99 and Blackface to £87. Feeding ewe trade remains competitive through the green certified Monday ring, those with flesh remain comfortably in to three figures.
Store Lambs:
Continental £135 £117 £114 £110 £107 £105 B Cave. £118 £109 £104 IW Cairns. £117 £110 £109 £106 RA Patterson & Son. £112 £109 £105 £104 K Mowbray. £109 £106.50 £105.50 B Lowson. £109 D&G Spry. £105 £104 LJ Daley. £104 JW&GP Furness.
Texel £123.50 M Hogg. £118 £115 P&S Wood. £116 £107 JR&J Crowe. £116 PW Logistics Ltd. £114 £106 L&BM Kidd & Son. £112 S Beeforth. £110.50 £107.50 LF&HC Wood. £110 £105GH Lister. £109 £105 D&G Spry. £107.50 £107 JD&MS Mortimer. £105 WB Rutter & Sons. £104 JG Atkinson. £104 P Douglas.
Suffolk £114 RA Patterson & Son. £107.50 GW Dobson & Son. £107.50 K Mowbray. £105.50 WM Bainbridge. £105.50 LJ Daley.
Cheviot £106 S&D Ferrie.
Feeding Ewes:
Texel £124 AF Smith. £122 £106 £96 IW Cairns. £100 JD&MS Mortimer. £72 A Spence. £70 JH Johnson.
Mule £110 JH Johnson. £99 JD&MS Mortimer. £97 RA Patterson & Son. £92 K Sayer. £89 JH Johnson. £81 IW Cairns. £69 T Walton.
Continental £110 £91 £88 £76 T Walton. £106 PW Logistics Ltd. £106 B Cave. £105 £87 D&G Spry. £100 AF Smith. £100 IW Cairns. £79 AF Smith.
Zwarbtles £91 D&G Spry.
Cheviot £88 S&D Ferrie. £68 A Spence.
Rearing Calves – A younger and arguably plainer show of calves than witnessed at recent sales, trade largely similar however difficult to compare with a shortage of continentals included. Top of the day was a sharp 3-month-old Limousin bull from J Fletcher, East Murton Farm when he sold for £580, British Blue’s topped at £500 from G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm with Charolais to £490 from P Foster, Guisborough and Aberdeen Angus to a top of £450 from Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Bull Calves:
Limousin £580 J Fletcher.
British Blue £500 £495 £490 £455 G Thompson & Sons. £480 £440 Miresdale Dairy Holding Ltd. £315 JT Forster & Son.
Angus £450 £440 £395 £390 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £405 £400×2 £380 G Thompson & Sons. £345 M&RK McKenzie. £320 Kitchings of Summerfield. £245 JT Forster & Son.
Charolais £490 P Foster.
Inra £490 £430 J&A Stevenson & Sons. £385 £360 £355 Kitchings of Summerfield.
Friesian £280 M&RK McKenzie. £140 JT Forster & Son.
Brown Swiss £210 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Ayrshire £200 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Heifer Calves:
£380 Miresdale Dairy Holding Ltd.
Angus £370 £330 £320 G Thompson & Sons. £300×2 £290×2 £285×2 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £280 M&RK McKenzie. £220 Kitchings of Summerfield.
Inra £355 £350 £330 £300 Kitchings of Summerfield.
