Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their annual ‘Ladies Day’ Bank Holiday Show & Sale of Ewes & Hoggs with Lambs in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store & Breeding Stock. Forward were 359 Cattle and 1130 Sheep.
201 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £340
217 Ewes & Lambs sold to £320
129 Store Hoggs sold to £144
9 Feeding Ewes sold to £99
78 Cast Cows sold to 234ppk or £1945
4 Cast Bulls sold to 256ppk or £2533
24 Breeding Cattle sold to £2100
21 Young Bulls sold to £1390
149 Store Heifers sold to £1680
83 Store Steers sold to £1480
Ewes, Hoggs & Lambs – If it wasn’t already a Bank Holiday it’s possible that the sheep vendors may well have called one anyway as an absolutely phenomenal trade was apparent throughout. The demand this time last year was high, very high in fact for the younger sheep and whilst the hoggs relatively mirrored last year’s flyer the older ewes were up by a staggering margin, the hoggs with lambs averaged a superb £119 per life whilst the ewes, some rather elderly included, levelled at a brilliant £73.90 per life.
A memorable Darlington debut today was made by D Carr & Son of High Wood Farm, Hexham when their superb run of Texel hoggs and lambs scooped the Championship plus the leading price of the day at a superb £340, in total 20 toppers all suckling singles from High Wood averaged a stunning £151 per life. The familiar quality of Colin and Liz Gaskin, Marwood ensured that the Hexham raiders didn’t have things all their own way as their ongoing dispersal of superb sheep included six of the day’s top eight prices, 2/3 crop continental ewes with twins from the Gaskin’s sold as high as £320 with four pens of the same good homes single suckling hoggs reaching £290. The Mule trade belonged to another debutant Mr David Bainbridge of Cotherstone as twice his pens of excellent hoggs with single Texel sired lambs sold for £270. Mule shearlings with twins peaked at £252 from J D Bousfield, Boldron. Below are the results from the show today which was kindly judged by former DFAM employee the famous Fishburn philanthropist Mr Ian Curry.
Best Pen of 5 Hoggs & Lambs
1st D Carr & Son, Hexham sold for £340 to J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse
2nd D Carr & Son, Hexham sold for £300 to J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse
3rd David Bainbridge, Cotherstone sold for £270 to R W Dalton, Romaldkirk
4th R N Kirkby & Son, Northallerton sold for £230 to R D & D Elders & Son, Bradbury
Best Pen of 5 Ewes & Lambs
1st C & E Gaskin, Marwood sold for £290 to R & K M Teasdale, Helmsley
2nd I Spedding, Wolsingham sold for £205 to W F Dove & Sons, Bishop Middleham
3rd T & R Dent, Rosedale sold for £215 to S Coote, Spennymoor
4th B Williamson, Butterknowle sold for £245 to R & K M Teasdale, Helmsley
Hoggs & Lambs (Continental) – £340 £300 £285 D Carr & Son. £290(x4) £280 C & E Gaskin. £240(x2) £220 £218 £215 C & R Metcalf. £225 £215 £200 G W Dobson & Son. £225 £220 M W Reed.
Hoggs & Lambs (Mule) – £270(x2) David Bainbridge. £240 £225 £222 £220(x2) M W Reed. £230(x2) R N Kirby & Son. £220 G W Dobson & Son. £205 D Alderson.
Shearlings & Lambs (Mule) – £252 £242 J D Bousfield. £245 £230 B Williamson.
Ewes & Lambs – £320 £290 £265 £240 C & E Gaskin. £240(x2) £225 £205 I Spedding. £220 M Radford. £215(x2) £200 T & R Dent. £208 G Barraclough. £205 £200 P Turnbull. £200 S Beeforth.
Cast Cows & OTM – Goodness gracious the cow trade continues in stupendous fashion; the buyer’s eyes were practically watering at ringside today as the sale averages an amazing 189 pence per kilo and £1247.58. Blimey the bulls are dear and that is where we begin, four forward average 225ppk and £2076, the best of them a fantastic 5-year-old British Blue from Hillside Farms sold for a staggering 256ppk and £2533. Top three females of the sale today were all clean heifers as a smart Limousin at 234ppk from J Loveridge, Cliffe was chased hard by sublime Simmental OTM’s from A Willey, Chopwell at 232ppk and 228ppk. Brilliant British Blue’s from S & R E Williamson, Hamsterley were this week’s leading older ladies selling for 226ppk and 224ppk whilst the top native per kilo followed closely as Mayfield Beef Shorthorn’s peaked at 222ppk. Best of the dairy breeds per kilo came from the aforementioned Willey pen with Montbeliarde’s selling to 190ppk and Friesian’s to 188ppk. Best grossing female this week was a belting British Blonde from S Suddes, Tow Law when she reached £1945, top native was a thick meated Hereford from W & R Kemp & Son, Wigdon Walls Farm which sold for £1629 and the biggest valued dairy cow was a hefty Friesian from Little Newsham Farms when she added up very well to £1612.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 234 J Loveridge. 232 228 216 210 190(x3) 188 A Willey. 226 224 S & R E Williamson. 222 C W Jackson. 222 216 212 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 220 206 W T Hall. 220 210 J Dixon. 216 D K Barker. 216 196 D Robson & Sons. 214 200 T W & C Emerson. 212 W I Suddes & Son. 208 F Bainbridge. 196 M Metcalfe. 194 A W Sanderson. 192 J R Dalton. 192 G A Willey. 188 R & W Todd. 188 M W Cook & Son. 188 J P & R Ward. 188 J F Harland. 188 J R Dalton. 188 S Suddes.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 256 246 Hillside Farms. 202 C Binks & Son. 188 G W Chapman.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1945 S Suddes. £1831 £1596 £1591 £1584 £1545 £1402 £1381 £1349 £1330 £1301 A Willey. £1653 £1304 S & R E Williamson. £1629 W & R Kemp & Son. £1612 Little Newsham Farms. £1585 G A Willey. £1511 W I Suddes & Son. £1505 £1401 D Robson & Sons. £1454 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £1429 C W Jackson. £1410 D K Barker. £1405 J R Dalton. £1399 T Harland. £1388 W T Hall. £1358 T W & C Emerson. £1336 M Metcalfe. £1317 J Dixon. £1300 R & W Todd. £1294 J Loveridge.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross – £2533 £2488 Hillside Farms. £1675 G W Chapman. £1611 C Binks & Son.
Breeding & Store Cattle – A mixed medley of breeding cattle began proceedings and sold well in all shapes and sizes before the large crowd which had gathered on the Bank Holiday; leading the way at £2100 was a strong 7-year-old Aberdeen Angus cow with calf at foot from C Leighton, Stockton. The young bulls followed and were once again in high demand, the recent good form of W A Wardman, Yearby once more came to the fore with the top two prices of £1390 and £1380 some way ahead of the pursuing pack. Moving on to the store cattle and an absolutely sensational run of 2-year-old home bred Limousin heifers from C W Jackson, Woodend Farm, Etherley Bank stole the show, the superstar heifers were sold as having recently run with a bull which only aided the bottom line as they averaged a wonderful £1546 with the pick of them selling for an incredible £1680. Leading steer this week went once again to the wonderful Wardman beast as their 14-month-old Limousin sold for £1480. All things considered the beef trade stays very strong as the fast fat trade keeps the short keep feeders pushing forward and the recent rain could well inject more life in to an already sharp grass beast trade.
Cows & Calves £2100 £1900 C Leighton. £1420 £1220 £1000 J Brown & Sons. £1350 £1250 £1150 T Ripley & T Ramesar.
In Calf Heifers £1200 BJ Magraw.
Bulling Heifers £1080 J Brown & Sons.
Breeding Bulls – Charolais £1600 £150 G Scott.
Limousin £1390 £1370 OJ Kendall.
Hereford £1300 J Elliott.
Store Bulls £1390 £1380 WA Wardman Ltd. £1180 £1040 TT Hall & Son. £1060×5 WO Grix & Partners. £990 £890 K James. £980 £875 £845 £840 £795 £770 C Moffett. £765×3 RW Raper & Sons.
Store Steers £1480 £1430 £1410 £1290 £1250 £1170 £1155 WA Wardman Ltd. £1430 £1400 WO Grix & Partners. £1375 £1295 A Willey. £1415 £1300×2 £1190 £1175 WH Brown. £1285×5 £1200×2 D Blake. £1280 £1190×2 £1060×2 D Robson. £1230 £1150 J&MJ Walton. £1210 G Cant. £1175 JJM Lonsddale. £1170 K James. £1130 W Emerson. £1105 x2 JG Wall & Sons. £1090 GH&RG Stobbs. £1070 C&M Burnett. £1065 JE&AJ Pickford. £1060 DR Smith.
Store Heifers £1680 £1600 £1520 £1500×2 £1480 CW Jackson. £1370 £1360 £1320 £1200 WO Grix & Partners. £1360 £1305×2 £1295×2 £1225 £1105×2 £1100 WA Wardman Ltd. £1300 T James. £1290 £1190 TL Anderson. £1225 WH Brown. £1220 JJM Lonsdale. £1220×2 £1080×2 D Blake. £1160 JP&R Ward. £1135×2 £1120 WC Barker & Son. £1110×2 £1090×2 J Norman. £1105 D Robson & Sons. £1100 E Scott & Sons. £1100 DR Smith. £1080 JJ Horn.
