Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of store and breeding stock in conjunction with their fortnightly fodder sale on Monday 3rd February 2025. Forward were 266 cattle, 416 sheep and 826 bales of fodder.
72 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 372ppk or £2676
3 Stock Bulls sold to 328ppk or £3148
9 Breeding Cattle sold to £2020
22 Young Bulls sold to £2360
60 Store Steers sold to £2290
100 Store Heifers sold to £2620
395 Store Hoggs sold to £175
21 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £222
826 Bales of Fodder sold to £40
Charity Auction – Following well documented recent events which have shaken the rural community in our region a very generous donation was made today by Dot’s Café of a meal voucher, twenty-five Easter eggs and a cuddly Giant Panda all to be sold in aid of Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team. On behalf of Dot’s Café and everyone here at Darlington Mart we would like to thank all the buyers who continually purchased and regifted the prize which eventually raised an astonishing £3020 for this very worthwhile charity. Dot’s Café are still selling raffle tickets for a draw which will take place next Monday and have a bucket for collections; thank you so much to everyone who has donated thus far.
Cast Cattle – The geld ring remains in wonderful order to this week see a relatively plain show still average 253ppk and £1634 per head. A superb British Blue heifer from N & N Foster, Birch Bush led the way per kilo when she sold for 372 pence (£2484); an Aberdeen Angus OTM heifer from Messrs Tallentire followed at 332ppk (£2164) ahead of our top older cow a smart Limousin from P M Hill, Old Hall Farm at 322ppk (£2051). Top gross valued cow was a thumping 10-year-old Limousin from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm weighing 869kg and realising £2676 (308ppk). Eighteen dairy cows amongst todays averages enjoyed themselves again, the Holstein Friesian’s averaged 224ppk and £1467 with tops of an excellent £1944 from J & G Clark, Fleetshot Farm and 284ppk from S R Crossland & E J Boby, Spring End Farm. A trio of stock bulls this week were led by a 35-month-old Aberdeen Angus from M W Bainbridge & Sons, Buckshott Farm at 328ppk and a big lump of a Stabiliser from C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall weighing 1071kg and reaching the day’s top price of £3148.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 372 N & N Foster. 332 Tallentire. 322 258 P M Hill. 318 274 G Beadle. 316 T & D I Allen & Son. 310 262 A Rothwell. 308 J F Henry. 308 302 290 288 274 J Layfield. 298 C & R Metcalf. 290 A Rothwell. 290 268 262 A & D Heyes. 284 280 S R Crossland & E J Boby. 276 258 C Harle & Sons. 264 258 F Ward. 258 Stainton Hill Farms.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 328M W Bainbridge & Sons. 294 C Harle & Sons. 266 D & P H Brown.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2676 £2431 £2111 £1997 J Layfield. £2484 N & N Foster. £2164 Tallentire. £2118 £1849 C Harle & Sons. £2051 £1842 P M Hill. £2009 T & D I Allen & Son. £1944 J & G Clark. £1931 C & R Metcalf. £1930 £1887 Edwin Wood. £1885 £1859 A & D Heyes. £1884 £1865 D W Humphrey. £1874 G Calvert & Sons. £1872 J F Henry. £1816 J N Swinbank. £1797 S R Crossland & E J Boby. £1795 G Beadle. £1769 F Ward. £1753 N & A D Brass & Son. £1748 A Rothwell.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3148 C Harle & Sons. £2604 D & P H Brown. £1863 M W Bainbridge & Sons.
Store & Breeding Cattle – The March cattle trade came in like a lion and frankly there are no signs whatsoever that it will go out like a lamb; once again the trade proved staggeringly good for all shapes and sizes. Top call of the day in the bull section went to a cracking British Blonde from T W Brown & Sons, Brokes Farm when selling at £2360, his stable mate followed at the top of the bull prices selling for £2240. Four phenomenal two-year-old Limousin heifers from W A Dinsdale & Son, Harkerside Place Farm set the ring alight when they sold to average £2502 with a best shot of a wonderful £2620, sitting atop of the steers came a pair of strong Aberdeen Angus from Woodbrae Farm at £2290 apiece with a smart Limousin from I W Cairns, Pesspool Hall next in line at £2240. More good news for the sellers of under year cattle as £1500 to £1800 remains common place and this week’s top went to a superb 11-month-old Limousin steer from I Newton & Son, Gibbet Hill Farm at £1920.
Cows In Calf – £1750 £1600 £1520 £1400 £1380 Broom Mill Farms.
Cow & Calf – £2020 Leslie Brown. £1680 H S Hutchinson.
Young Bulls – £2360 £2240 T W Brown & Son. £1480 £1470(x3) £1380 £1340(x2) £1310(x3) R E Dickson. £1290 C & J C Stephenson. £1250(x5) D G & G M Robinson. £1120 G Calvert & Sons. £950(x3) A W Sanderson.
Store Steers £2290×2 Woodbrae Farm. £2240 £1860 £1760 IW Cairns. £1960 £1760×3 £1570×3 BJS Farms. £1920 I Newton. £1760×2 £1670 £1580×3 £1560 Messrs Shepherd. £1760×2 £1700 £1620 JR Todd. £1760 £1740 £1710 £1620×2 £1590 HS Hutchinson. £1720 £1660×2 B Watson. £1710×2 £1700×4 £1610×2 Robinson Farming. £1700 £1490 G Williamson. £1680 £1600 £1590 £1330×2 W Emerson. £1640×2 TT Hall & Son. £1480 J&JW Kenney. £1440 HW&M Alderson & Son.
Store Heifers £2620 £2560 £2420 £2410 WA Dinsdale & Son. £2000 £1950×4 £1910×2 Wilkinson & Son. £1930 £1910×2 JS Wiper. £1920 £1880 £1680 £1640×2 E Parsons. £1780×2 £1650×2 JW Golding. £1880 £1740×4 £1670×2 £1620 BJS Farms. £1740×2 £1520 Messrs Shepherd. £1700 £1470 I Newton & Son. £1640×2 £1480×2 G&C Norminton. £1500 B Watson. £1480 £1460 £1430 G Cant. £1460×2 IW Cairns. £1430 C&M Burnett. £1400 W Emerson.
Store Sheep – The numbers are dwindling now as is appropriate for March, trade continues in excellent form to see a very mixed offering still average over £110. A superb Beltex hogg from A & B Herworth, Crake Scar Farm topped the day at £175, half a dozen cracking hoggs from J Waters, Chilton followed at £160 with plenty of the best shaped and stronger sorts still nicely beyond £140. Hill gotten hoggs are in demand, Herdwick’s hit the heights of £130 from N Wilson, Hill House Farm with Swaledale’s selling to £95 from K Sayer, Scotland Farm. Feeding ewes in very short supply and with that came an unbelievable trade to see them average £143; top of the day at £222 was a strong Texel tup from P Suddes, West Newbiggin.
Store Hoggs
Beltex – £175 A & B Herworth. £160 J Waters. £112 J E Braithwaite & Sons.
Texel – £155 £142 £123 P Suddes. £147 £135 L F & H C Wood. £136 D M McClurg. £130 £124.50 £116 W H Brown. £127 £126 £122 £120 J E Holliday & Son. £123 R Bell. £114 J Cooke-Hurle.
Other Continental – £150 £130 B Cave. £149 £135 £134 £128 £108 E G Bulman. £143 T B Walton. £134 J Waters. £132 £124 £109 I Newton & Son. £130 £112 G Thompson & Sons. £120 L Fowler. £112 P Armstrong.
Suffolk – £132 D M McClurg. £100 A & B Herworth.
Herdwick – £130 N Wilson. £90 J & R A Speed.
Mule – £107 R Bell. £97 K Sayer.
Swaledale – £95 K Sayer. £90 R Bell.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £222 £144 P Suddes. £196 £162 T B Walton. £178 £172 J E Braithwaite & Sons. £178 B Cave. £176 L F & H C Wood.
Fodder – The straw trade remains absolutely excellent however with the promise of Spring fast approaching the grass fodder prices appeared marginally easier; all this said some 600 bales of the 826 offered changed hands on the day. Top call was for some six string Heston bales of wheat straw which sold for £40 each; following at £34 were some superb round bales of barley straw whilst the top price for baled grass was £30 per round bale haylage.
