Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 20th November 2023. Forward were 330 cattle and 2525 sheep.
108 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 262ppk or £1794
4 Stock Bulls sold to 226ppk or £2079
1 Cow & Calf sold for £740
33 Young Bulls sold to £1080
111 Store Steers sold to £1540
72 Store Heifers sold to £1530
2388 Store Lambs sold to £131
137 Feeding Ewes sold to £114
Cast Cattle – The processing beef continues to creep up as once again a slightly sharper cow trade was apparent, this week’s sale averages returned at 162ppk and £1067. Top price per kilo at 262 pence was an excellent British Blue OTM heifer from B R Lawson, Buddle House Farm; three other OTM heifers followed at 250ppk as a pair of Stabilsers from Skelton Farming, Stanghow were joined by a Limousin from K B & S Roche, Fylingdales. Top older cows per kilo were both excellent Limousin’s hailing from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge and also from N Wilson, Witton-le-Wear each selling for 230ppk. Both the Knaggs and the Wilson’s gain mention again when we come to the gross value list with the Sadberge firm impressing at £1691 but the Witton-le-Wear wonder out in front at an excellent £1794; J N Swinbank, Neasham and Skelton Farming complete the top quartet of cows and all beyond £1600. Friesian cows topped at £1195 from R & A Chapman, Easby or a pleasing 198ppk from Cowclose Farm, Darlington. Best of the bulls by some margin was an excellent four-year-old British Blue from B R Lawson, Buddle House Farm, Whashton when he sold for 226ppk and £2079.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 262 220 BR Lawson. 250×2 242 240 236 234 232 224 Skelton Farming Ltd. 250 KB&S Roche. 230 N Wilson. 230 216 W&M Knaggs & Son. 224 JN Swinbank. 222 202 W Lodge & Sons. 220 N Edmondson. 204 190 182 WR Thompson. 198 186 Cowclose Farm. 190 WB Rutter & Sons. 186 J&MJ Walton. 186 170 Tarn Bros. 186 JC Cleasby. 180 166 DJ Mallon. 178 TN Callender. 178 PD Shepherd. 176 GK KN & GJ Hird. 176 N Edmondson.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1794 N Wilson. £1691 £1527 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1655 JN Swinbank. £1652 £1403 £1370 £1316 £1298 Skelton Farming Ltd. £1533 £1423 W Lodge & Sons. £1510 KB&S Roche. £1502 £1452 N Edmondson. £1465 J&MJ Walton. £1465 £1393 BR Lawson. £1417 £1330 WR Thompson. £1367 PD Shepherd. £1362 £1315 DJ Mallon. £1247 TW Hutchinson. £1228 TH Mace & Sons. £1225 £1191 Tarn Bros. £1220 J Curry. £1217 GK KN & GJ Hird.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 226 BR Lawson. 176 OM Wearmouth & Son. 144 R Summerson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2079 BR Lawson. £1846 R Summerson & Sons. £1756 OM Wearmouth & Son.
Store Cattle – Young bulls kicked things off and remain easy to sell, far fewer strong bulls forward this week were topped by a smart Limousin from W M Bainbridge, Bogg House Farm at £1080, the same home also sold Limousin bulls to £1000 and at the same price came the best of a run of ten-month-old Simmental’s up from W P Livestock, Suffolk. A marginally easier trade perhaps for the store cattle, top prices featured the Aberdeen Angus breed heavily as G & E M Nixon, Bowes sold steers twice to £1540 and B & B Kitching & Son, Great Stainton produced a pair of heifers at £1530. An excellent Limousin steer from J Thompson & Sons, Tow Law claimed the joint top spot selling for £1540 whilst A C Walton, Yiewesly Drive produced the top continental heifer at £1490.
Store Bulls £1080 £1000 WM Bainbridge. £1000 £960×3 £920 £900×2 WP Livestock. £880 £785 G Cant. £830 JB&JA Fenwick. £800 £760 £720 £710×2 C Bell. £800 £730 £705×2 AW Sanderson. £780 C Hall.
Store Steers £1540×2 £1280×2 G&EM Nixon. £1540 £1490 £1470 J Thompson & Sons. £1500 B&B Kitching & Son. £1500 CL Clark. £1460×2 £1340×2 GL&M Steel. £1450×2 £1440 £1430×2 £1400×2 £1390×3 £1360 £1350×2 JH Johnson. £1340×2 £1185×2 TW&C Emerson. £1300 JC Cleasby. £1300 I Newton & Son. £1285×2 £1185×2 £1135×2 FB Wreford & Co. £1280×2 D Alderson. £1210 JC Thwaite & Son. £1160 DR Smith. £1130×2 GT&MA Wearmouth.
Store Heifers £1530×2 £1380 £1370 £1280×4 £1200×4 £1055×4 B&B Kitching & Son. £1490 £1280 £1200 AC Walton. £1440 CL Clark. £1430 D Alderson. £1380 £1185 £1130 DR Smith. £1300 £1190 £1160 £1110 WB Rutter & Sons. £1285 £1240 £1205×3 E Parsons. £1280 £1200 CL Clark. £1220×2 AJ Lawson. £1090 D&JA Teasdale.
Store Sheep – Another excellent quantity, no doubting that the weather is now taking its toll yet the sharp trade remains as the whole kit and caboodle averaged beyond £85. Five phenomenal Texel lambs from W & J Herbert, Woodwell House Farm led the way selling for £131 per head whilst a quintet from P J Anderson & Son, Wolsingham followed closest at £128. Beltex lambs from G W Dent, Cockfield and A J Addison, Romaldkirk also sold in the £120’s on the day. The smaller running lambs continue to ring the bell and always look the dearest with many things pointing to a shortage of lamb come Spring 2024.
Leading Prices – Store Lambs
Texel – £131 £106 W & J Herbert. £128 £109 P J Anderson. £118 £106.50 £105.50 C E Smith. £117 £109.50 £106 J R & J Crowe. £116 £107 £104 W Love Ltd. £114 £101 G Thompson & Son. £107 D E Stones. £106.50 T James. £106 L F & H C Wood. £103 D G & P D Ayre.
Beltex – £126 £120 £112 £110 £109 £106 £101 £100 £93 G W Dent. £121 £103 A J Addison. £117 J Waters. £111 T James. £110 A P & E Procter. £110 £93 M W Cook & Son. £108 J E Braithwaite & Son. £105 D G & P D Ayre. £101 S Beeforth. £93 G P Addison.
Cheviot – £111 £100 £89 S Beeforth. £86 £79 £77 J & J Clark & Sons. £83.50 W & C Iceton. £77 K O Stones. £77 W Burton.
Continental – £108 £100 K Cator. £106 A P & E Procter. £100 £93 L D Laws. £96 A Bloomfield. £96 C Longstaff. £95 A F Smith. £89 M W Cook & Son. £86 T B Walton.
Suffolk – £100 L D Laws. £99 £93 £90.50 M J Hutchinson. £90 K Mowbray. £90 S Beeforth. £89 K O Stones. £86 F & A Gilchrist. £84 A P & E Procter. £83 I W Cairns.
Hampshire – £98.50 K O Stones.
Mule – £79 £70 A P & E Procter. £79 D Clarke. £75 S Harrison. £73.50 G S Dixon. £73 S Beeforth. £70 J R Allan.
Blackface – £60 M W Cook & Son. £56 K Buckle.
Feeding Ewes
Texel – £114 W&C Iceton. £95 £59 J Waters. £89 £67 AR Moody. £80 JD&MS Mortimer. £78 LD Laws. £76 Petch Farms. £74 IW Cairns.
Continental £79 £40 DG&PD Ayre. £44 TB Walton.
Mule £73 A Newton. £72 LF&HC Wood. £69 £60 £47 Petch Farms. £65 L Fowler. £59 AF Smith. £55 JD&MS Mortimer. £37 IW Cairns.
Suffolk £62 JH Johnson.
Swale £32 GH&RG Stobbs.
