Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held the ‘John Norwood Spedding’ memorial show and sale of suckled calves in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 11th November 2024. Forward were 498 cattle, 1821 sheep and 2 pigs.
68 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 295ppk or £2055
3 Stock Bulls sold to 202ppk or £1694
2 Stirks sold to £510
9 Breeding Cattle sold to £1980
74 Young Bulls sold to £2000
157 Store Steers sold to £1850
187 Store Heifers sold to £1059
1607 Store Lambs sold to £142
214 Feeding Ewes sold to £168
2 Store Pigs sold to £65
Show of Suckled Calves
Sincere thanks as always go to our generous sponsors, as indeed they do to our judge this morning Mr R Mather of Picket How. This year the November suckled calf producers competed for the new John Norwood Spedding memorial trophy which was kindly donated by Ian Spedding of Harelaw Farm, Wolsingham in memory of his late father who was a true Darlington mart stalwart in years gone by. A picture-perfect pair of young steers from the prolific Stones family of Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick claimed the champion and reserve rosettes. Coming out on top was their April 24 born bullock, sired by British Blue stock bull Valley Optical he narrowly got the nod over their February 24 born Limousin which was sired by the same bull as our October calf champion, Hollyberry Red Rum. A full list of our prize winners can be seen below with credit to all but especially to both the Stones and Wilson families who between them claimed all the red rosettes.
Champion – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1420 to T W West, Egremont
Reserve Champion – K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1450 to T W West, Egremont
Best Limousin Steer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1450 to T W West, Egremont
2nd B Lowson, Podge Hole Farm sold for £1370 to T N Callender, Whinney Hill
3rd S G Dent, The Bungalow sold for £1400 to C Moralee & Sons, Durham
Best Any Other Breed Steer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1420 to T W West, Egremont
2nd K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1310 to Askwiths, Crook
3rd P M Beveridge, Leazes Farm sold for £1170 to Askwiths, Crook
Best Limousin Heifer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for £1290 to F W Penrose & Son, Ripon
2nd S G Horn, West Holling Carr sold for £1180 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
3rd A Wilson, Calf Close Farm sold for £1200 to A Bousefield, Teesdale
Best Any Other Breed Heifer
1st A Wilson, Calf Close sold for £1300 to J J Crichton, Egremont
2nd E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange sold for £990 to C Bell, Teesdale
Best Young Bull
1st A Wilson, Calf Close Farm sold for £1370 to E R Hyde & Sons, Wakefield
2nd A Wilson, Calf Close Farm sold for £1410 to E R Hyde & Sons, Wakefield
3rd T & R Quinn & Son, Quarry House sold for £1340 to J H & M Brown, Darlington
Sale of Store Cattle
The brilliant beef trade continues at unprecedented levels, this year’s November sale offered remarkably similar numbers to those seen in 2023 however the averages rose significantly as young bulls were up £118 to average £1180, steers were up £150 to average £1130 and heifers were up £125 to average £1059. Top of the day at a marvellous £2000 was a lovely 12-month-old British Blue bull from Eileen Wilson, White Hills Farm, Scorton; his slightly younger stablemate followed at £1920 with a thumping Limousin from F Ward, Rogerley Hall close behind at £1900. A quartet of excellent Aberdeen Angus from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Hill Cottage Farm led the steer trade when reaching £1850 and heifers sold to £1545 from Messrs Wilkinson & Son of Carrsides Farm, Rushyford. Some super suckled calves enjoyed proceedings and some of the stand out averages for 12 month and under cattle are duly listed below.
E Wilson, Scorton (bulls) 2 average £1960
J C Thwaite & Son, Lartington 2 average £1670
A & R Thompson, Moorsholm 13 average £1353
S G Dent, Cockfield 3 average £1336
E Parsons, Stockton (bulls) 4 average £1312
K O Stones, Marrick 9 average £1264
Leading Prices
Cows & Calves- £1980 £1880 £1320 JD Vipond.
In Calf Cows- £1220 £1050 £1000 Nicholas Clifford.
Stirks- £510 x2 TM Davies.
Store Bulls- £2000 £1920 E Wilson. £1900 £1710 F Ward. £1790 £1680 x2 £1670 D Dixon. £1730 £1690 £1500 T Ducker. £1560 £1310 £1230 £1150 E Parsons. £1410 £1370 £1290 x2 £1110 A Wilson. £1340 £1310 £1270 £1220 £1160 T&R Quinn & Son. £1300 x2 JK Gregory. £1210 x2 £1180 E Scott & Sons. £1200 £1140 x2 £1110 x2 MR Madrell. £1180 £1160 JF Henry. £1120 JW Richardson. £1120 x2 F Grieves. £1110 G Cant.
Store Steers £1850×4 £1690×2 B&B Kitching & Son. £1700 WA Wardman Ltd. £1690 £1650 JC Thwaite & Son. £1650×3 JF Harland. £1640 £1610 GL&M Steel. £1630×5 D Walker. £1530 £1480 £1330 IW Cairns. £1490 £1450 I Oliver. £1450 SG Horn. £1450 £1420 £1320 £1310 KO Stones. £1440×3 JS Foster & Son. £1415 £1400×3 £1320×2 £1280×2 BJS Farms. £1400 £1310 £1300 SG Dent. £1370 £1220 B Lowson. £1350 £1340×8 A&R Thompson. £1330 PM Beveridge. £1300×2 G Cant. £1300 NMG Agri. £1280 J Fletcher. £1260 JJM Lonsdale.
Store Heifers £1545 £1480 £1385×2 £1345×2 Wilkinson & Son. £1485 £1470 £1390 £1360×3 I Oliver. £1450 M Madrell. £1390 £1330 AC Walton. £1380×4 A&R Thompson. £1380 IW Cairns. £1330×2 £1195×2 KW MJ & SW Ward. £1330×2 £1320×2 E Scott & Sons. £1325×2 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1300 £1250 £1200 A Wilson. £1290 KO Stones. £1290 £1175×2 Juaul Farms. £1270×4 £1265×3 BJS Farms. £1270 JS Foster & Son. £1245×3 P Curry. £1210 NMG Agri. £1210 JA Armstrong. £1180 SG Horn. £1180 JJM Lonsdale.
Cast Cattle – Cows dearer on the week to average 180ppk and £1151 per head, something for everyone as a tidy top end was levelled up by some elderly and very lean cows further down the pecking order. Top per kilo at 296 pence was a smart Limousin OTM heifer from D & J Hunnam & Son, Rise Slowly Farm; she was followed by the days leading older cow, a wonderful 6-year-old British Blue cross from H S Hutchinson, White House Farm, Eastgate which sold for a marvellous 280ppk and £2055. Friesian cows with flesh were in fine form, pick of the day were two meaty (4- & 5-year-old) sorts from S H Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm at 192ppk and £1812 and also 214ppk and £1592 whilst OTM Friesian heifers peaked at 266ppk and £1760 from R & A Chapman, Easby Grange. The Chapman consignment also found themselves top of the bulls per kilo with a Friesian OTM at 202ppk whilst F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold a Limousin to £1694.
Cast Cows OTM Leading PPK – 296 D & J Hunnam & Son. 280 H S Hutchinson. 266 R & A Chapman. 248 216 J R & B Anderson & Son. 242 218 R G Richardson. 234 J W & B Firby. 230 W A Wardman Ltd. 228 J B Nicholson. 220 208 200(x2) C Harle & Sons. 218 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 218 F M R Gibson & Son. 214 A Bousfield. 214 S H Watson & Sons. 210 G P Dobinson. 208 E R & G I Younger. 204 Deerness Valley Dairy. 200 K O Stones.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 202 R & A Chapman. 190 F Ward. 186 A & J E Smith.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2055 H S Hutchinson. £1850 D & J Hunnam & Son. £1812 £1592 S H Watson & Son. £1760 R & A Chapman. £1703 £1425 R G Richardson. £1694 £1628 £1506 £1493 C Harle & Sons. £1619 £1426 G P Dobinson. £1577 J B Nicholson. £1456 E R & G I Younger. £1440 K O Stones. £1438 F Ward. £1423 T Ducker. £1418 A Bousfield. £1412 J R & B Anderson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1694 F Ward. £1472 R & A Chapman. £1258 A & J E Smith.
Store Sheep – The lambs are getting smaller and the trade is getting bigger, they therefore hang on to their three-figure average once again. A thumping Texel cross lamb from D & H M Hodgson, Dyke Nook Farm led the way at £142, following closest were eight Texel’s from K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook at £137 with a further fifty lambs selling in the £130’s and stacks more of the stronger sorts over £120. Cheviot lambs averaged a stunning £105 to a top of £128 whereas Beltex peaked at £132, Suffolks topped at £124, Scotch Half Bred’s at £123, Mules sold to £101 and Easycare’s to £97. Feeding ewes remain in big form, this week saw Texel top at £168, Mule at £120, Cheviot at £86 and horned ewes £51.
Leading Prices – Store Lambs
Continental – £142 £130(x2) D & H M Hodgson. £130 116 T J Herron. £127 K O Stones. £126 £110 G S Dixon. £126 D Alderson. £124 D W T Davies. £121 A W Sanderson. £121 J H Johnson. £119 £110 J R & J Crowe. £118 £116 £109 T T Hall & Son. £111 J Jopling. £110 H M & J S Hutchinson. £109 B Kennedy.
Texel – £137 K O Stones. £135 £126(x2) £124 £122 T J Herron. ££134.50 £129.50 £128 £127(x2) £126 C A & J Kipling. £131 J Atkinson. £130 £125 I R Appleton. £128 C & J C Stephenson. £127 A Newton. £126 £120 L D Laws. £124 J & R A Speed.
Beltex – £132 K O Stones. £131 C A & J Kipling. £130 £120 M R Cass. £128 £120 £115 £105.50 £101 Adam Lowson.
Cheviot – £128 £110 £106 K O Stones. £118 £99 £98 C H & M C Phalp.
Suffolk – £124 £110 £106 T J Herron. £118 D Alderson. £112 £108(x2) F & A Gilchrist.
Scoth Half Bred – £123 Rebecca Appleton.
Mule £101 £98 £93 £91 S Tuck. £100 D Rutter. £98 A & R Thompson. £96 Rebecca Appleton. £94.50 C & J C Stephenson.
Easycare – £97 £90 Kelvin Thompson.
Feeding Ewes
Continental – £168 R Wharton & L Nelson. £166 £155 £139 £111 £110 T J Herron. £156 £117 G W Dobson & Son. £138 R R C Andrew. £102 J Atkinson.
Mule – £120 £98 A & B Herworth. £109 G W Dobson & Son. £101 P Kirk. £90 K Cator. £90 S Tuck.
Cheviot – £86 Rebecca Appleton.
Blackface – £51 Rebecca Appleton.
Swaledale – £51 Petch Farms. £46 M & G Hodgson. £30 D Alderson.
