Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their second show and sale of hoggs and lambs in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 20th May 2024. Forward were 280 cattle and 792 sheep.
57 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 266ppk or £2096
2 Stock Bulls sold to 178ppk or £1829
27 Young Bulls sold to £1610
70 Store Steers sold to £1550
124 Store Heifers sold to £1460
168 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £355
129 Ewes & Lambs sold to £305
90 Store Hoggs sold to £188
57 Feeding Ewes sold to £148
Cast Cattle – Dearer on the week to average 185ppk and an impressive £1235 per head, a good show of continental cows averaged £1350 with the fourteen Friesians levelling at £1103. Top of the day were some terrific pure Limousin’s from W I Suddes & Son, South Farm, Cornsay; the renowned breeders sold an OTM heifer for 266 pence per kilo, another OTM heifer at £2094 and a remarkable 14-year-old cow at a marvellous £2096. Friesian cows were led by a fleshy sort from C N & P Penk, Pitfield Farm when she sold for 188 pence per kilo and £1413 whilst A & J E Smith, Healey Home Farm also reached 188 pence but had to settle for a couple of quid less with theirs weighing one kilogram lighter. Just a couple of stock bulls were topped at 178ppk and £1829 with a 5-year-old Simmental from M Shepherd, Fulthorpe Farm.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 266 238 220 W I Suddes & Son. 248 C & V Harrison. 244 224 A & R Thompson. 236 Northfield Farms. 230 196 194 D & M Lowes. 222 218 F W Robinson & Son. 212 198 P A Evans. 218 E Parsons. 216 206 W J Smith & Partners. 216 J N Swinbank. 210 198 L W Martin. 200 M Shepherd. 198 M G & W D Burton. 198 J Richmond.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 178 M Shepherd. 130 W S I Anderson.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2096 £2094 £1768 W I Suddes & Son. £1684 L W Martin. £1675 Northfield Farms. £1651 J Richmond. £1640 M Shepherd. £1568 J N Swinbank. £1512 W J Smith & Partners. £1470 C & V Harrison. £1418 £1417 F W Robinson & Son. £1413 C N & P Penk. £1411 A & J E Smith. £1403 P A Evans. £1391 £1385 D & M Lowes. £1385 J King.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1829 M Shepherd. £919 W S I Anderson.
Store Cattle – Trade perhaps a shade less on the week although harder to gauge with a mixed offering of quality forward. A pair of fantastic yearling Limousin bulls from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm topped proceedings when they sold for £1610 apiece. Top of the steers proved to be an excellent 20-month-old Aberdeen Angus from A Gregg, Low House Farm at £1550, three Limousin’s and three Hereford’s followed in the steer standings between £1400 and £1470. Top priced heifer on the day was a 26-month-old British Blue from F W Robinson & Son, Greenfield Farm, Lincolnshire when she sold at £1460; impressive Limousin’s from both I W Cairns, Pespool Hall and W & J Herbert, Woodwell House completed the line up of leading ladies.
Store Bulls £1610×2 £1540 £1530 £1490 £1370 S&J Dent & Son. £1440×2 £1300×4 £1280 £1130 RL Walker. £1230×2 £1160 £1120×2 MJ Hutchinson. £940 £930 D&G Spry. £890 CG Barraclough. £790 £690 F&A Gilchrist.
Store Steers £1550 £1400 £1330 £1270 £1155 A Gregg. £1470 IW Cairns. £1430×3 £1285 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1420 £1180 TE Dobson. £1390 £1360×2 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1390 £1310×3 £1170 G&EM Nixon. £1350 £1270×2 £1260 £1110×3 RJ Bradshaw. £1330 D&JA Teasdale. £1200 £1140 £1100 WO Grix & Partners. £1190 MJ Hutchinson. £1190 DG&PD Ayre. £1180 JD Teasdale. £1170 S&P Brogden. £1150×2 TT Hall & Son. £1135 AN Greenwell. £1105×3 Forster Hall & sons.
Store Heifers £1460 FW Robinson & Son. £1430 £1380 IW Cairns. £1390×2 W&J Herbert. £1360 PM Beveridge. £1290 £1160 A&PA Jopling. £1290 £1200 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1290 £1180 D&M Lowes. £1280×2 GE Raw. £1240 £1200 IW Cairns. £1230 £1180 JS Wiper. £1220×2 £1190×2 S&J Dent & Son. £1210×4 R Errington & Son. £1190 WB Rutter & Sons. £1180×2 G&EM Nixon. £1180×2 £1170 £1100 F Hickson & Sons. £1170 DG&PD Ayre. £1165 MJ Hutchinson. £1160 £1120 £1110 DM McClurg. £1155 B Lowson. £1150×2 RG Swinbank.
Hoggs & Lambs – Many thanks to our judge Tommy Smith of Barnard Castle for standing in at late notice to place an excellent show of hoggs and lambs. The Champion pen came from D Carr & Son, Highwood Farm, Hexham (see photo) with five brilliant Texel crosses suckling single lambs, they went on to sell for the days top price of £355 and were bought by the judge on behalf of G B Howsam, Lincolnshire. Generally speaking, the hogg and lamb trade appeared easier than we witnessed a fortnight ago with orders perhaps now beginning to fill themselves up, the Texel hoggs and lambs averaged £140 per life whilst the Mule’s led by a super pen of Blackface bred hoggs from P Turnbull, Kildale at £270 averaged out at £122 per life.
Best Pen of Continental Hoggs & Lambs
1st D Carr & Son, Hexham sold for £355 to G B Howsam, Lincs
2nd A Tunstall, Bowes sold for £280 to B R & R I Routledge, Walworth
3rd D Carr & Son, Hexham sold for £270 to Wardell & Foster, Thirsk
Best Pen of Mule Hoggs & Lambs
1st R N Kirby & Son, Northallerton (unsold)
2nd P Turnbull, Kildale sold for £252 to C Brown, Thirsk
3rd H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £255 to R Coward, York
Leading Prices
Continental – £355 £270 £265 D Carr & Son. £288 £285 F Johnson. £280 £250 A Tunstall. £265 T W Thompson. £250 I Spedding.
Mule – £270 £252(x2) £248 P Turnbull. £255(x2) £245 £235 H S Hutchinson. £255 T W Thompson. £235 £232(x2) £228 M W Reed & Sons.
Ewes & Lambs – In contrast to the hogg and lamb trade the older ewes looked as dear as ever, ewes with strong twins often £90 to £100 per life with the singles seeing pen after pen reach £100 and beyond. Top of the day at £305 were top Texel’s with twins from T W Brown & Sons, Brokes Farm; following closely were ewes of the same description from B R Lawson, Buddle House along with another pen from Brokes.
Leading Prices
£305 £300 £290 £250 £240(x2) £235(x2) T W Brown & Sons. £300 £278 £230 B R Lawson. £295 £285 £265 K F Raine. £285 C Longstaff. £280 £275 W & C Iceton. £265 £245 I Hedley. £250 C G Barraclough. £240 J H Johnson.
Store & Feeding Sheep – The store hoggs and feeding ewes remain very easy to move, tops this week went to I Spedding, Wolsingham with Texel hoggs away to £188 and £182 whilst the ewes peaked at £148 from A & R Thompson, Moorsholm.
Store Hoggs – £188 £182 £150 I Spedding. £178 170 P Elliot. £168 £142 £134 £119 D Alderson. £151 G Bolton. £146 T & C Smith. £140 I Hedley. £123 A & R Thompson.
Feeding Ewes – £148 £106 A & R Thompson. £142(x2) S Straughan. £135 G Bolton. £116 £112 R G McNeal. £112 D Alderson. £106 I Spedding. £104 D G & P D Ayre.
