Junior Farmers Club Show & Sale of Overwintered Cattle

Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their Junior Farmers Club Show & Sale of Overwintered Cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock on Sunday 9^th and Monday 10^th April 2023. Forward were 232 Cattle and 272 Sheep.

48 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 260ppk or £1864
2 Stock Bulls sold to 222ppk or £2246
34 Young Bulls sold to £1590
62 Store Steers sold to £1650
86 Store Store Heifers sold to £1980
200 Store Hoggs sold to £126
62 Feeding Ewes sold to £129
10 Ewes with Lambs sold to £195

Sunday Cattle Show
Sincere thanks to Mr Ian Maughan of New Hall, Hamsterley for his time and expert opinion acting as our judge. Thanks also must go to all of our generous sponsors ensuring a total prize fund this year in excess of £1000. Congratulations go to all our junior farmers who used their guile and knowledge to purchase some excellent beast in our store ring in the latter months of 2022; these marvellous young folk have all subsequently wintered their cattle exceptionally well resulting in a wonderful show this year.
The winner of the show classes was a terrific Parthenais crossed steer from our youngest competitor Josh Burton of West Common Top Farm, Ettersgill which was picked out and purchased from Lindsay Carter, Hinedon Cottage, Woodland back at our October show and sale of suckled calves. Narrowly on the worse end of a friendly sibling rivalry and rounding off a great day for the Burton’s by taking the Reserve Championship was one of Josh’s older sisters Leticia with a terrific white British Blue crossed heifer which was also purchased in October, this one originally hailing from Robin Peart, Mayland Hall, Hamsterley. Undoubtedly the standard in the showmanship and presentation class was high, beating the ‘on song’ Burton’s to this coveted prize was Master Harry Askwith of Low Mown Meadows, Crook with a beautiful black Limousin crossed heifer which was purchased from George Dent, Cockfield and turned out to perfection by the capable young Crook crusader.

Monday Cattle Sale
With the show out of the way it was down to the serious business of cold hard cash, the time had come to prove who had bought wisest in the backend? The forty-three beasts from our next generation pleasingly all achieved a profit, the average gross profit returned a new DfAM record of £430 per head. Well done to all concerned.
Step forward and take a bow Miss Imogen Davies of Lough House Farm, Bolam with her beautiful red roan Limousin crossed heifer which had ‘cow maker’ written all over her; the shrewd buy from R A & S L Wearmouth, Middletown Farm, Long Newton in October for £1020 went on to sell back to the Wearmouth’s (who presumably on seeing her regretted selling her) today for a wonderful £1980. Next in the profit line was our only bull this year as a super Charolais from experienced calf club campaigner Elliot Grieves pocketed him a nice £790 gross profit, in third place was just one of two very successful beast this year from Tara Patchett, Holtby Grange scooping her a £705 profit, no doubt young Tara, as the only person to appear twice in the profit prize list, had shown great skill in her bargain hunting trips to the mart late last year.

Show Results

Class 1 Best Bull

1st Elliot Grieves, Oakdene sold for £1590 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
Originally purchased from J W Richardson

Class 2 Best Steer from a handler 8-14yrs

1st Josh Burton, West Common Top sold for £1650 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
Originally purchased from R L Carter

2nd Josh Burton, West Common Top sold for £1480 to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland
Originally purchased from G W Dent

3rd Jack Sewell, Boyden Close sold for £1160 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
Originally purchased from E Scott & Sons

4th Seth Winspear, Overton Grange sold for £1410 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
Originally purchased from R Brown

Class 3 Best Steer from a handler 16-23yrs

1st Tara Patchett, Holtby Grange sold for £1430 to J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk
Originally purchased from C B Maddison

2nd Abi Hill, Boyden Close sold for £1010 to D Richardson & Co, Melsonby
Originally purchased from Northfield Farms

Class 4

Best Steer from a handler 25-29yrs

1st Joe Teasdale, Folly Farm sold for £1400 to A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford
Originally purchased from P Hutchinson

2nd Robert McAnency, Scow Hall Farm sold for £1290 to D & J Oxtoby, Bishop Burton
Originally purchased from R Peart

3rd Robert McAnency, Scow Hall Farm sold for £1270 to D & J Oxtoby, Bishop Burton
Originally purchased from R Peart

4th James Burns, Coquet Close sold for £1160 to S Oldfield, York
Originally purchased from T Walton

Class 5 Best Heifer from a handler 8-10yrs

1st Imogen Davies, Lough House Farm sold for £1980 to R A & S L Wearmouth, Long Newton
Originally purchased from R A & S L Wearmouth

2nd Ava Tallentire, Carlton Grange sold for £1460 to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland
Originally purchased from A E Newton

3rd Imogen Davies, Lough House Farm sold for £1200 to R Hirst, Neasham
Originally purchased from K Wilson

4th Ava Tallentire, Carlton Grange sold for £1260 to K Tallentire, Cockfield
Originally purchased from K Cator

Class 6 Best Heifer from a handler 12-14yrs

1st Charlie Askwith, Low Mown Meadows sold for £1460 I M Maughan, Hamsterley
Originally purchased from T H Mace & Sons

2nd Seth Winspear, Overton Grange sold for £1375 to R Hirst, Neasham
Originally purchased from T Walton

3rd Callum Dent, Northfield Farms sold for £960 to P & N Tattersall, York
Originally purchased from J Featherstone

4th Callum Dent, Northfield Farms sold for £875 to G & E Walton, Darlington
Originally purchased from J Featherstone

Class 7 Best Heifer from a handler 15-19yrs

1st Leticia Burton, West Common Top sold for £1540 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop
Originally purchased from R Peart

2nd Megan Dowson, West Whorley Hill sold for £1460 to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland
Originally purchased from B Watson

3rd Harry Willey, Broomfield Farm sold for £1600 to R Hirst, Neasham
Originally purchased from Tarn Bros

4th Harry Askwith, Low Mown Meadows sold for £1340 to I M Maughan, Hamsterley
Originally purchased from G W Dent

Class 8 Best Heifer from a handler 20-29yrs

1st Daniel Lynn, Northway sold for £1500 to William Tindale, Shadforth
Originally purchased from S G Horn

2nd Hannah Robinson, Northway sold for £1560 to William Tindale, Shadforth
Originally purchased from R A Patterson & Son

3rd Elliot Grieves, Oakdene sold for £1500 to K Tallentire, Cockfield
Originally purchased from Tarn Bros

4th Tom Barley, Alston House sold for £1100 to R Hirst, Neasham
Originally purchased from C Peckitt & Son

Champion

Josh Burton, West Common Top with his Parthenais X Steer (winner of Class 1)

Reserve Champion

Leticia Burton, West Common Top with her British Blue X Heifer (winner of Class 7)

Showmanship & Presentation Class

1st Harry Askwith, Low Mown Meadows
2nd Josh Burton, West Common Top
3rd Leticia Burton, West Common Top

Leading Gross Profit

Overall Winner – Imogen Davies

Best Bull

1^st – E Grieves, Oakdene returned a £790 profit

Best Steer
1^st – Josh Burton, West Common Top returned a £630 profit
2^nd – Tara Patchett, Holtby Grange returned a £590 profit
3^rd – Will Swinbank, Greystones returned a £495 profit

Best Heifer

1^st – Imogen Davies, Lough House Farm returned a £960 profit
2^nd – Tara Patchett, Holtby Grange returned a £705 profit
3^rd – Jack Barker, Little Ketton returned a £695 profit

Store Cattle – Trade bounces along merrily as we pass Easter and surely soon look forward to the weather improving and the grass appearing. Our young entrepreneurs led the way today as they claimed all the top prices. Elliot Grieves topped the bulls at £1590 with his 14-month-old Charolais, his strongest challenge came from R L Walker, Langleydale who turned out a great run of 13-month-old Limousin crossed bulls to peak at £1570. There is only one Champion so perhaps little surprise that it was indeed Josh Burton’s 14-month-old Pathenais which topped the steers at £1650, his closest challenger at £1580 was a fearsome Fleckvieh steer across from A Barker, Appleby, Cumbria. Best of all the prices today was our aforementioned princess of profit, the stunning 13-month-old Limousin heifer from Imogen Davies, Lough House Farm, Bolam selling for £1980, other heifers sold well however nothing could keep pace with this absolute beauty from Bolam.

Leading Prices
Young Bulls – £1590 Elliot Grieves. £1570 £1535 £1530 £1475(x3) £1440 £1430 £1425 £1340 R L Walker. £1330 £1320(x2) £1160 £1100(x2) £990 R Simpson & Son. £1265 £1110 ££1090(x2) £1000 E Parsons. £925 £920 £875 W S I Anderson. £830(x4) Mayfield Beef Shorthorns.

Store Steers £1650 £1480 J Burton. £1580 £1350 A Barker. £1520 A Willey. £1470 J Barker. £1430 £1340 W swinbank. £1430 T Patchett. £1420 £1350 £1300 £1280 WO Grix & Partners. £1410 SA Winspear. £1400 JD Teasdale. £1380 £1360 £1320 J Thompson & Sons. £1365×2 RN Foord. £1330 £1120 £1100 RL Dent. £1310 E Patchett. £1290 £1270 R McAnency. £1210 £1150 W Wearmouth & Son. £1180 £1175 £1075 TW Brown. £1160 £1005 J Burns. £1160 J Sewell. £1150 £1110 WB Rutter & Sons. £1105 TT Hall & Son. £1070 K Wilson. £1015×2 BJS Farms.

Store Heifers £1980 £1200 I Davies. £1600 H Willey. £1590 J Thompson & Sons. £1560 H Robinson. £1540 L Burton. £1530 J Barker. £1530 T Patchett. £1500 D Lynn. £1500 E Grieves. £1460 M Dowson. £1460 £1260 A Tallentire. £1460 C Askwith. £1455 £1450 E Jackson. £1450 RL Dent. £1420 E Swinbank. £1380 I Jackson. £1375 SA Winspear. £1370 £1275 E Parsons. £1355 AE Barker. £1355 £1320 £1230 D&CA Henry. £1340 H Askwith. £1305 £1230×4 RN Foord & Son. £1260×2 £1245 £1235×2 DR Smith. £1200×2 £1140 WO Grix & Partners. £1150 WB Rutter & Sons. £1145 K Wilson.

Cast Cattle (50) – Not so many about this Bank Holiday Monday however trade equal to anything seen anywhere, some good fit continental cows at the top end were complimented by fifteen fresh milkers, fourteen fine natives and also a handful of very plain senior citizens; the whole kit and caboodle averaged a terrific 199ppk and £1321. A superb run of Limousin cows from J W Porter & Sons, Low Oxnop, Gunnerside rightly led the way when they twice sold to 260 pence per kilo and the pick of these pair a cracking 6-year-old also led the gross values selling for £1864. An excellent Beef Shorthorn (also 6-years-old) from T A & J Swinbank, Brafferton led the native charge when she sold for £1732 whilst the best price per kilo at 214 pence was a 7-year-old Aberdeen Angus from G E Raw, Toft Hill. A fleshy run of Beef Shorthorn cows from W Denham, Langleydale also impressed amongst the indigenous breeds selling to tops of 212ppk and £1666. Friesian trade remains superb, the best of those hanging up her clusters this week was a fleshy 8-year-old from Little Newsham Farms which sold for 194ppk and £1569. Final mention to our two stock bulls, both Limousin’s weighing over 1000kg and both over £2200, winning by a whisker was an excellent 11-year-old from T W Clark & Son, Durham at 222ppk and £2246.

Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 260(x2) 242 234 222 212 J W Porter & Sons. 232 J Dixon. 230 E A & N Thompson & Son. 228 J Thompson & Sons. 228 226 218 214 G Bolton. 224 David Harris. 214 G E Raw. 212 208 204 W Denham. 208 E Peacock. 202 R N Foord & Son. 202 T W Clark & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 222 T W Clark & Son. 216 M Shepherd.

Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1864 £1734 £1652 £1565 £1380 £1267 J W Porter & Sons. £1732 £1575 T A & J Swinbank. £1710 J Thompson & Sons. £1707 J Dixon. £1666 £1643 £1546 £1415 W Denham. £1587 E A & N Thompson & Son. £1571 £1530 M Shepherd. £1569 £1426 Little Newsham Farms. £1534 David Harris. £1529 T W Clark & Son. £1485 G E Raw. £1397 R N Foord & Son. £1325 M Ord & Sons. £1293 W R Barron.

Store & Breeding Sheep – Store hogg trade even at the twelfth hour remains excellent, the pick this week were a superb trio of Texel’s from J R Spink, Heighington which sold for £126. Best of the Mule hoggs were a strong pen of twenty-nine from Northallerton’s E G Bulman which sold for £115. Mule ewes with twins from D W Ewin, Woodland were our only Bank Holiday breeders and they peaked at £195 per family.

Store Hoggs
Continental – £126 £104 J R Spink. £124 £104 £102 J R & A R Wall. £124 £123 J Hird. £124 £122 J Thompson & Sons. £120 T & C Smith. £111 D Alderson. £104 E G Bulman. £98 J D Teasdale.
Blue Faced Leicester – £120 E G Bulman. £106 D Alderson.
Mule – £115 £99 £90 E G Bulman. £112 W Wearmouth & Son.

Feeding Ewes/Rams
£129 £119 £110 £103 £89 E G Bulman. £112 £94 T & C Smith. £104 £87 D Alderson. £100 £91 £90 A & R Thompson.

Ewes & Lambs
£195(x2) £190 £185 £145 D W Ewin.