Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 16th June 2025. Forward were 222 cattle, 39 sheep and 55 calves.
72 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 344ppk or £2500
6 Stock Bulls sold to 345ppk or £4019
7 Cows & Calves sold to £2700
15 Young bulls sold to £1570
60 Store Steers sold to £2470
54 Store Heifers sold to £2270
39 Feeding Ewes/Hoggs sold to £130
55 Rearing Calves sold to £795
Cast Cattle – A diverse range of breeds attended this week, buyers for all types were ringside as the green market once again suited the feeders and the wholesalers alike. Trade appeared sharp, the averages of 252ppk and £1709 per head only tells half of the story as you will read below, a show which at times resembled Noah’s Ark. A brilliant bull is the only place to begin this week, credit must go to W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm with a sensational 5-year-old 1165kg Limousin which sold for a stunning 345ppk and £4019. Staying with the bulls and twice more prices surpassed £3000 as good Limousin’s from both C & J M Kearton, Museum View and H W & M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange both put in strong performances. Top of the females per kilo at 344 pence was an excellent British Blue OTM from G C & K J White & Son, Rigg Farm’ following closest were two Limousin OTM heifers from E Scott & Sons (331ppk) and Messrs Hird (328ppk) just ahead of out top older cow per kilo which was another super sort from the Scott’s of Low Leam at 324ppk. Top gross values amongst the continental cows saw our terrific leading ten sell over £2000, best of them all at £2500 was a fleshy 839kg Limousin from M Gallon, High Crows Farm. Competition was fierce in the native breeds, impressing was a Longhorn OTM steer from G A Willey, Broomfield Farm at 326ppk and £1942 plus an impressive run of Belted Galloway cows from G A & R J Lambert, Holme Wood which topped at 286ppk and £1987. Last but not least are the dairy breeds, the Fleckvieh flew highest selling to 294ppk and £1990 from G A Willey whilst Friesian’s sold to 216ppk twice from Sayer & Tallentire, Town Farm and M L Farming, Park House with the latter top gross value at £1831, final mention goes to the Jerseys of K Thompson, Softley Farm which topped at 175ppk and £936.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 344 316 316 G C & K J White & Son. 331 E Scott & Sons. 328 292 282 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 326 294 286 G A Willey. 324 284 W J Scott Ltd. 312 270 A Willey. 306 298 M Gallon. 295 290 270 C & R Metcalf. 290 J Dixon. 286 H G Lynas & Son. 286 274 G A & R J Lambert. 282 E R & G I Younger. 279 R N Foord & Son. 278 Taylor Bros. 274 M Shepherd. 268 N White. 268 P Leese. 266 M Shepherd.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 345 W J Scott Ltd. 330 C & J M Kearton. 301 H W & M Alderson & Son. 274 E A & N Thompson & Son. 218 C Dawson. 202 J A Hodgson.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2500 £2187 M Gallon. £2387 £1936 W J Scott Ltd. £2309 £2288 £2100 C & R Metcalf. £2198 £1999 R N Foord & Son. £2107 G C & K J White & Son. £2024 E Scott & Sons. £2005 £1979 £1879 GK, KN & GJ Hird. £1990 £1942 G A Willey. £1987 £1972 G A & R J Lambert. £1951 E R & G I Younger. £1945 £1898 M Shepherd. £1924 P Leese. £1919 A Kelly. £1831 M L Farming. £1827 N White. £1811 S Iceton.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £4019 W J Scott Ltd. £3445 C & J M Kearton. £3003 H W & M Alderson & Son. £2498 E A & N Thompson & Son. £2298 J A Hodgson. £2060 C Dawson.
Store & Breeding Cattle – The store cattle trade remains absolutely extraordinary for mid-June, the demand for all classes remains very, very strong indeed. Top of the day at £2470 was a tidy 2-year-old Aberdeen Angus steer from R J Bradshaw, Hawthorne Farm, the same good home followed with another the same at £2430 and a Hereford at £2360 plus our top heifer, a British Blue, selling for £2270. The native breeds and dairy crosses ran riot claiming many of the top accolades, a smart run from the Willey’s of Broomfield Farm, Chopwell were certainly amongst those benefitting as they sold Longhorn’s to £2140 and a pair of Montbeliarde’s at £2110. Suckler bred yearlings are few and far between in June, those available continue to enjoy themselves immensely, none more so this week than Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn Hall with tremendous 11-12-month-old Limousin heifers ringing the bell at £1900 and £1940. Earlier in the day a variable mix of bulls also sold well to top at £1570 for a dairy bred 12-month-old British Blue from J K Gregory, Porch House Farm whilst a scattering of cows and calves also found new pastures with ease to top at £2700 from P Sobota, White House Farm with a 10-year-old Limousin with a bull calf at foot.
Cows & Calves – £2700 £2600 £2300 £2150 £1680 £1600 Patricia Sobota. £1750 A W Sanderson.
Store Bulls £1570 £1540 £1310 JK Gregory. £1440 £1360 £1290 ER&GI Younger. £1370 J&S Thompson. £1340 £1300 £1200 TT Hall & Son. £1130 AN Green. £980 I Spedding. £960 £910 K Cator.
Store Steers £2470 £2430 £2360 £2230 £2080 £1940×2 RJ Bradshaw. £2300 £2160 £2130 GS Bainbridge. £2160 £2110×2 £2060 F Crawford. £2150 £2130 £2110 £2080 £2010 MVN&D Cutler. £2140 GA Willey. £2110×3 £1880 £1740 A Willey. £1900 £1580 GL&M Steel. £1860 K Cator. £1820 £1780 £1690×3 W&C Iceton. £1750 31460 £1440 £1410×3 K Sayer. £1660 31400 HW&M Alderson & Son. £1500 GN&V Bayles. £1460 TH Mace & Sons.
Store Heifers £2270 £2060×2 £1840 RJ Bradshaw. £1970 £1810 GS Bainbridge. £1960 GA Willey. £1940 £1910×2 £1810 JS Wiper. £1940 £1900 £1840 £1530 Hughes Bros. £1810 £1730 £1400 K Sayer. £1800 JR&M Richardson. £1770 £1460 TH Mace & Sons. £1760 A Willey. £1720 GA Willey. £1690 J&S Thompson. £1540 £1440 G Williamson. £1540×2 C Bewley. £1400×3 R Wood & Son. £1400×2 CN Bentley.
Rearing Calves – Trade for bull calves remains strong, the heifers look less money compared to recent high levels, all included this week the calves levelled at £475.91. Top of the day at £795 was an excellent 2-month-old British Blue bull calf from H M Dent, East Farm, the same good home followed closely with others of the same description selling for £780 and £770 with the pick of a tidy run from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law also impressing at £775. Heifers were harder work in general, bucking that trend somewhat at a pleasing £650 was a smart Limousin from C N Bentley, The Gables, the other top heifers hailed from Deerness Valley Dairy (British Blue £640) and R W Raper & Sons (Aberdeen Angus £630).
Averages
1 Montbéliarde Bull average £710
1 Parthenais Bull average £710
15 British Blue Bulls average £682
1 Beef Shorthorn Bull average £670
2 Hereford Bulls average £665
5 Limousin Bulls average £472
7 Aberdeen Angus Bulls average £328
6 Holstein Bulls average £146
1 Jersey Bull average £110
5 British Blue Heifers average £564
3 Limousin Heifers average £420
5 Aberdeen Angus Heifers average £372
2 Other Breed Heifers average £80
Bull Calves:
British Blue – £795 £780 £770 £755 £740 HM Dent. £770 £755 £720×2 £690×2 £680 £640 Deerness Valley Dairy. £420 ML farming. £305 CN Bentley.
Belgian Blue – £775 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Limousin – £720 £650 £500 £280 £210 CN Bentley.
Parthenais – £710 HM Dent.
Montbéliard – £710 HM Dent.
Hereford – £700 £630 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Shorthorn – £670 J Parker.
Angus – £670 £450 £390 Deerness Valley Dairy. £340 £200 £170 RW Raper & Sons.
Friesian – £200 £170 ML Farming. £170×2 £150 RW Raper & Sons.
Jersey – £110 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Heifer Calves:
Limousin – £650 £310 £300 Bentley.
British Blue – £640 £620×2 £490 Deerness Valley Dairy. £450 ML Farming.
Angus – £630 RW Raper & Sons. £320×2 £300 £290 ML Farming.
