Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 11th August 2025. Forward were 256 cattle, 1388 sheep and 115 calves.
53 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 400ppk or £2499
5 Stock Bulls sold to 342ppk or £2883
6 Stirks sold to £900
36 Young Bulls sold to £2300
53 Store Steers sold to £2320
103 Store Heifers sold to £2100
1066 Store Lambs sold to £169
322 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £260
115 Rearing Calves sold to £1060
Cast Cattle – The cows remain a sharp shot, a few more milkers and plainer sorts mixed in this week still averaged a credible 265ppk and £1751 per head. A super smart heifer led the way per kilo, a British Blue from GK, KN & GJ Hird, Meadow View sold for 400 pence. A trio of British Blonde heifers followed between 350ppk and 370ppk from Messrs Horn and Allen just ahead of a Friesian heifer from Deerness Valley Dairy at a remarkable 342ppk. No doubting the top older cow this week as an excellent 11-year-old Limousin from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin led proceedings at 316ppk and £2499. Of the seventeen dairy cattle over the scale today the leader at £1783 was a smart Friesian from Little Newsham Farms whilst the bull trade belonged to a Limousin from G A Rogerson & Son, Thistleton Farm at 340ppk and £2883 and a Beef Shorthorn from Upsall Castle Farms at 342ppk and £2667.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 400 290 GK KN & GJ Hird. 370 350 JJ Horn. 358 T&DI Allen & Son. 342 276 252 Deerness Valley Dairy. 316 278 W&M Knaggs & Son. 304 I Spedding. 302 298 278 JN Swinbank. 296 252 R&W Todd. 292 L Booton. 286 GA Rogerson & Son. 282 266×2 258 Skelton Farming Ltd. 282 260 252 J Bennison. 272 TH Mace & Son. 268 258 Upsall Castle Farms. 260 P Tindale. 248 238 236 Little Newsham Farms. 242 Stainton Hill Farms. 242 240 A Wilson.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2499 £2043 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2384 £1870 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2234 £2089 JJ Horn. £2221 £1795 Upsall Castle Farms. £2163 £1968 £1923 JN Swinbank. £1952 £1843 £1768 Skelton Farming Ltd. £1944 L Booton. £1926 T&DI Allen & Son. £1823 R&W Todd. £1807 TH Mace & Sons. £1783 £1758 £1698 £1637 Little Newsham Farms. £1778 I Spedding. £1765 Stainton Hill Farms. £1758 £1736 £1621 £1501 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1694 G&JM Blackburn. £1679 J Bennison.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 342 Upsall Castle Farms. 340 GA Rogerson & Son. 270 G Bolton. 268 G Hall. 232 W Weightman.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2883 GA Rogerson & Son. £2667 Upsall Castle Farms. £2600 W Weightman. £2071 G Hall. £1309 G Bolton.
Store Cattle – Trade absolutely electric for all classes, arguably the dearest to date? Natives led the way today, top of the steers at £2320 was a terrific 2-year-old Aberdeen Angus steer from R J Bradshaw, Hawthorne Farm. Following at £2200 was another Angus steer, this one a 15-month-old from Forster Hall & Sons, East Butsfield at £2200. Four heifers shared the top female accolade at £2100, a South Devon and a Salers from J P Phelan, Mill Pond Farm joined a Fleckvieh from H M Dent and a Parthenais from J Dent, both of East Farm, Morton Tinmouth. A different Dent did the damage in the bulls, this time R L Dent, Mount Pleasant Farm, Brough led the way with a British Blue at £2300, following at £2220 was T & D I Allen & Son, Chatterley Farm with a shapely 11-month-old British Blue. Numbers are needed to satisfy an ever-growing compliment of buyers at our weekly sales; supply is falling short of demand all across the beef industry.
Stirks £900 £780 £770 £700×2 £670 P Leese.
Store Bulls £2300 £1900 RL Dent. £2200 T&DI Allen & Son. £1810 £1750 £1730×3 £1450 Wilkinson & Son. £1780 £1720 £1700 A Wilson. £1720 £1600 £1440 H&P Hutchinson. £1700 £1650 £1560 £1460 £1340×2 JK Gregory. £1610 £1240 £1200 £1100 £1000 RB Farming Ltd. £1370 Duell Partners. £940 Carrs Farm.
Store Steers £2320 £2100×4 £2060 RJ Bradshaw. £2200 £1950×2 Forster Hall & Sons. £2090 £2080 £2060×3 £1960 £1880 K Buckle. £1960 £1830×4 £1790×4 BJS Farms. £1920 G Anderson. £1840 M&J Hodgson. £1800×2 £1760 A Wilson. £1760 I Newton. £1740 £1700 £1620×2 G Bolton. £1600 G&H Johnson & Son. £1600×3 £1590×4 Carrs Farm. £1580 D&HM Hodgson. £1420×2 G&JM Blackburn.
Store Heifers £2100 HM Dent. £2100 £2000 J Dent. £2100×2 £2080 £2060 £2020 £1980×2 £1890 Mill Pond Farm. £2090 K Buckle. £1990×4 WC Barker & Son. £1980 £1940 £1820 I Newton & Son. £1950×2 RJ Bradshaw. £1920 Forster Hall & Sons. £1900×2 £1680 Wilkinson & Son. £1840 £1830×3 £1770×5 BJS Farms. £1830 TT Hall & Son. £1820 £1800 K Buckle. £1820×3 G Anderson. £1800×2 £1790 £1680×2 £1590×2 A Tindale. £1730 £1700×3 A Wilson. £1680×2 G&H Johnson & Son. £1660×2 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Store Sheep – The good ship sheep trade just sailed in to unchartered waters, lambs were in absolutely mesmerising form for all shapes and sizes as this week the sale averaged £114.26. Top call of the day went to a quality quartet of Beltex/Texel lambs from Adam Lowson, Podge Hole Farm at £169. Seven strong sorts (Texel) from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale followed at £166 ahead of five fine Beltex from J E Holliday & Son, Woodland House Farm at £160. Suffolk lambs peaked at £159 from J W Firby, Manor Farm and a monumental Mule trade saw a stunning top of £152 for a pen of nineteen from T E Dobson, Unthank Farm. Small continental and Suffolk running lambs sold consistently £100-£120 whilst the hill breeds remain hot with Cheviots at the head of proceedings with 112 very long-term projects of this breed offered averaging over £85.
T E Dobson sold 35 Mules to average £146.06
J E Holliday & Son sold 15 Beltex to average £144.00
A & R Thompson sold 86 Texel to average £143.09
The ferocious lamb trade was preceded by a fast and furious ewe sale as the feeders averaged a massive £121.17. Top of the pops were a quality quintet from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm at £260 apiece. Following at £240 was the pick of some cracking Blue Texel ewes from C R McLaren, Grindon Grange. Mule ewes sold to a top of £160, Cheviots to £104 and Swaledale’s to £68.
Store Lambs:
Texel – £169 £134 A Lowson. £166 £156 £139×2 £136 A&R Thompson. £157 £135 £126 JW&B Firby. £148 £131 F&A Gilchrist. £146 £145 PJ Anderson & Son. £136 £125 £115 C&I Watson & Sons. £132 RL Carter. £131 £128 P&AR Jopling. £130 £115 JE&AJ Mitchell. £128 £124 GH Lister. £126 N Tiffin. £125 £124 CA&J Kipling. £122 Castlewood Farm. £118 J Curry. £114 A Forster.
Beltex – £160 £136 JE Holliday & Son.
Suffolk – £159 JW&B Firby. £147 RL Carter. £135 JJM Lonsdale. £130 GW Dobson & Son. £127 £116 KT Anderson & Son.
Mule – £152 £139 TE Dobson. £116 JJM Lonsdale.
Continental – £124 R Olley. £121 £120 D Wearmouth. £120 T Dowd-Simpson. £118 A Wilson & J Lawrence. £117 K Cator. £117 JW&B Firby. £114 RL Carter.
Goats – £120 A Wilson & J Lawrence.
Feeding Ewes:
Continental – £260 £215 £164 £160 A&R Thompson. £180 £158 £148 £132 JD Brannen. £172 JJM Lonsdale. £152 C&I Watson & Sons. £135 £122 £120 JV Hodgson & Son. £135 AG Williamson. £132 S Richardson. £130 P&AR Jopling. £128 W Coatsworth.
Blue Texel – £240 £225 £195 £190 CR McLaren.
Texel – £185 £154 £136 C Harle & Sons. £170 £145 £127 LF&HC Wood. £140 PA Stacey.
Mule – £160 S Richardson. £156 B&L Robson. £150 J&S Thompson. £140 AG Williamson. £126 LF&HC Wood.
BFL – £142 RL Carter.
Charollais – £140 LF&HC Wood.
Rearing Calves – An increased offering averaged a wonderful £582.35; it must be said that a far stronger top end distorted these figures however make no mistake the trade was very lively throughout. Top call on the day of £1060 went to a super pair of April/May born Charolais bull calves from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm. A run of March born British Blue calves from D & J Taylforth, Laypool Farm came forward strong as all seven steers sold in to four figures and heifers topped at £940 from this home. Baby calves look the best sold with bulls frequently £600 plus and heifers £500 plus as the calf trade follows the store ring next door and produces some absolutely remarkable returns.
Steer Calves
7 British Blue average £1005
2 Friesian average £405
Bull Calves
2 Charolais average £1060
1 Hereford average £660
6 Inra 95 average £628
11 British Blue average £602
5 Limousin average £584
2 Simmental average £572
23 Aberdeen Angus average £537
1 Brown Swiss average £360
8 Friesian average £336
Heifer Calves
13 British Blue average £658
3 Hereford average £613
2 Montbeliarde average £590
3 Fleckvieh average £573
6 Simmental average £568
7 Inra 95 average £527
4 Limousin average £525
6 Aberdeen Angus average £463
2 AOB average £412
1 Brown Swiss average £370
Leading Prices
British Blue Steers – £1020(x2) £1000(x5) D & J Taylforth.
Friesian Steers – £430 £380 Durrant Agricultural Services.
Charolais Bulls – £1060(x2) A Wilson.
Hereford Bull – £660 A Wilson & J Lawrence.
Inra 95 Bulls – £720 £640 £620 J & A Stevenson & Sons. £660 £580 £550 Kitchings of Summerfield.
British Blue Bulls – £780 N & A D Brass & Son. £700 £630 £615 £580 £540 O Ramsay. £600(x3) H Gibb & Son.
Limousin Bulls – £720 £630 £540 O Ramsay. £540 C N Bentley.
Simmental Bulls – £660 J E & M P Else.
Aberdeen Angus Bulls – £685(x2) £650(x3) £615(x3) N & A D Brass & Son. £625 R Tookey & Son. £585 J T Forster & Son.
Brown Swiss Bull – £360 J E & M P Else.
Friesian Bulls – £530 £370 £340(x2) R Tookey & Son. £290 J L Miles & Sons.
British Blue Heifers – £940 £880(x2) D & J Taylforth. £735(x2) £640 £530 O Ramsay. £680 £550(x2) C N Bentley.
Hereford Heifers – £700 £600 £540 A Wilson & J Lawrence.
Montbeliarde Heifers – £680 £500 J E & M P Else.
Fleckvieh Heifers – £650(x2) J E & M P Else.
Simmental Heifers – £680(x3) £500(x2) J E & M P Else.
Inra 95 Heifers – £570 £550 £530 £510 £500 Kitchings of Summerfield. £520 £510 J & A Stevenson & Sons.
Limousin Heifers – £670 C N Bentley. £590 £540 O Ramsay.
Aberdeen Angus Heifers – £530 £520 £500 N & A D Brass & Son.
Brown Swiss Heifer – £370 J E & M P Else.
