Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store & Breeding Stock on Monday 21st February 2022. Forward were 478 Cattle and 420 Sheep.
87 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 208ppk or £1746
6 Cast Bulls sold to 216ppk or £2129
17 Cows & Calves sold to £1720
54 In Calf Cows sold to £1500
73 Young Bulls sold to £1400
84 Store Steers sold to £1440
140 Store Heifers sold to £1500
367 Store Hoggs sold to £131
53 Feeding Ewes sold to £124
Cast Cattle – Dudley, Eunice and Franklin between them couldn’t go close to creating the turbulence witnessed in our cow ring this week, a colossal trade saw the cattle over the scale average 156 pence per kilo, of those offered half were continental breeds with 19 natives and 27 dairy cows making up the remainder. Top honours went to a stunning 4-year-old Limousin bull from W J & A S Bowes & Sons of Great Stainton when he weighed in at 986kg and sold for a sensational 216 pence and £2129. Some classy females on offer battled all the way to the line, a share of the spoils per kilo between a beautiful British Blue OTM from J Fletcher, Shotton Colliery and an exceptional 5-year-old Limousin cow from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst which both sold for 208 pence. Six vendors shared the next 8 places all between 192ppk and 198ppk, a list which included our top native per kilo a fleshy Hereford from W & R Kemp & Son, St Helens Auckland. Gross values of the highest order this week were more than apparent, with three cows over £1700 it was the formidable Jordon’s of Longhirst’s excellent Limousin’s at £1746 and £1720 which sandwiched a well fed British Blonde cow from W J & A S Bowes & Sons £1740. Topping the native gross values were again the hefty Hereford’s of W & R Kemp & Son whilst the Holstein Friesian vendors enjoyed a marvellous day at the office, the best came from Baysleap Dairy Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall at £1330 and R & A Chapman, Great Ayton with an OTM at a splendid 184 pence per kilo.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 208 J Fletcher. 208 194 J E Jordon & Son. 198 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 198 W R Kemp & Son. 198 192 P J & E S Rogerson. 198 196 186 W I Suddes & Son. 194 178 G Pickering. 188 N & A Hunter. 184 R & A Chapman. 180 170 K & M M Henderson. 180 A B P Wilsons. 172 Ian Potts & Sons Ltd. 172 A Crowder. 172 166 J A & U M Fawcett. 168 J W Muir & Sons. 166 W E & C A Anderson. 166 162 160 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. 164(x2) C & E Gaskin. 164 B Lowson. 164 W Wearmouth & Son. 160 C Binks & Son.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 216 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 214 H S Hutchinson. 180 P J & E S Rogerson. 172 150 F Ward. 170 G H & R G Stobbs.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1746 £1720 J E Jordon & Son. £1740 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1647 £1519 £1332 W I Suddes & Son. £1589 £1407 P J & E S Rogerson. £1410 J Fletcher. £1397 £1394 £1239 C & E Gaskin. £1385 £1347 £1282 W & R Kemp & Son. £1366 £1349 A B P Wilsons. £1362 £1207 K & M M Henderson. £1330 £1315 £1308 £1270 £1232 £1199 £1194 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £1284 £1272 G Pickering. £1260 £1185 A Crowder. £1245 W E & C A Anderson. £1225 W Wearmouth & Son. £1201 J A & U M Fawcett.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross – £2129 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1785 P J & E S Rogerson. £1742 G H & R G Stobbs. £1437 £1348 F Ward. £1031 H S Hutchinson.
Breeding Cattle – Two herd reductions this week boosted the breeding cattle numbers and put on a show offering something for all systems; with the geld cows previously a flyer a fine trade ensued. The cows and calves of J Brown & Sons, Low Farm, Monk Hesledon led the trade as they twice sold Limousin heifers suckling one month old Limousin calves to £1720, plenty of interest in these heifers and cows with young calves was clear to see on the day as the Spring grass is now hopefully just around the corner. The other reduction sale came from B A & C Pearson Ltd, Stainsby Hill Farm, Thornaby as 50 in calf cows joined us, an eclectic mix of largely dairy crossed cows in calf to the Charolais found new homes with ease, the pick of the Pearson pens a 6-year-old Hereford sold for £1060. Leading the in calvers was in fact a handsome British Blue heifer from S C Barron, Maunby when she sold for £1500 with her stablemates £1380, £1300 and £1050 respectively.
Leading Prices
Cows/Heifers & Calves – £1720(x2) £1550 £1380 £1350 £1280(x2) £1180 £1150 £1120 £1100 £1080(x2) J Brown & Sons. £1380 B Williamson. £1250 B A & C Pearson Ltd.
In Calf Heifers/Cows – ££1500 £1380 £1300 £1050 S C Barron. £1060 £1000(x2) £960 £940(x3) £920 £900 £880(x5) £860(x2) £840(x6) £800(x3) £780(x8) £760(x3) B A & C Pearson Ltd.
Store Cattle – A fine show of feeding beast were once again an absolute snorter of a trade; the inputs may be high for the calf producers but currently the extraordinary values at sale time will surely keep the beef calf wheels turning. Of late our prime bull ring has been in terrific form, the superb returns today then could, or should, perhaps be expected? Leading the way were a super pair of 10-month-old Charolais bulls bred out of pedigree Salers cows from Allison Devereux Farms, Firtree at a pleasing £1400 apiece; our top 40 feeding bulls today were all £1050 and above with only two of the forty aged beyond 12 months. The store cattle trade followed suit, a great day for many with all breeds and creeds in high demand. Top price today went to G Beadle of Primrose Hill Farm, Winston with a huge 22-month-old British Blonde heifer which sold for £1500, in the impressive chasing pack at £1450 came M Gascoigne of Miln House Farm, Frosterley with a superb 21-month-old Limousin crossed heifer, twice her terrific stablemates sold for £1440 as the excellent pen sat high on our leader board. Right in the mix for medals this week was a great run of strength from I W Cairns, Pesspool Hall Farm, Haswell with our joint top priced steer at £1440; the 22-month-old Limousin on his second visit to Darlington was certainly impressive and puts a handy £760 increase in value to his name. Leading the charge of native breeds today was the incredibly consistent J H Johnson, White Lea Farm with a superb 22-month-old Aberdeen Angus steer which sold for £1400, of the yearling cattle few impressed more than the impeccable run of 11-month-old Limousin calves from F Ward, Rogerley Hall as the 17 super sorts (9xHeif 8xSteer) peaked at £1300 and averaged £1144.
Leading Prices
Young Bulls – £1400(x2) £1385(x2) £1360(x4) £1250(x3) £1220(x2) £1105 £1095(x5) £1050(x3) Allison Devereux Farms. £1365 £1335 £1220 £1165 £1130 £1120(x2) £1075 M R Madrell. £1265 £1230 £1190 £1185 B & B Kitching. £1185(x2) £1080(x3) E Parsons. £1090 W S I Anderson.
Store Steers – £1440 £1350 M Gascoigne. £1440 £1370 £1360 I W Cairns. £1400 £1390(x2) £1200 J H Johnson. £1390 £1150(x2) A P & E Procter. £1350 £1220 £1125 A Willey. £1230 £1090 G Beadle. £1165(x3) J F Harland. £1130(x2) £1100(x3) £1090 £1070 F Ward. £1085(x2) £1060 £1050 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1080 W B Rutter & Sons.
Store Heifers – £1500 £1110 £1100(x2) G Beadle. £1450 £1440 £1280 M Gascoigne. £1410 I Newton & Son. £1350 £1210 E Parsons. £1305 A P & E Procter. £1300(x2) £1190 £1150(x3) ABP Wilsons. £1300 £1260 £1250 £1230 £1210(x2) £1200 £1130 F Ward. £1290(x2) £1260(x2) £1190(x2) W H Brown. £1250 J H Johnson. £1195(x2) £1130(x2) £1110 J G Wilkinson & Son. £1190 N Basey & Son. £1170 G A Willey. £1130 M J Hutchinson.
Store Sheep – On we march, the Spartan spirit of the store hogg buyers remains strong; will they return in a few months’ time carrying their shield or carried upon it? A blistering average of £95 with a sublime 185 hoggs selling over £100. Top of the shop this week were the excellent Texel’s from Wilson’s, Throstlenest, Hollinside when they sold three times over £125 with their best a sensational single reaching £131.
Leading Prices
Store Hoggs – £131 £129 £126 Wilsons. £121 £117 £109 £103 C H Tindale. £120(x2) £119 £107 J Hird. £120 £106 J P & R Ward. £115 £103 C H & M C Phalp. £115 T & R Dent. £109 £106 E W Grieves. £106 A Naisbitt. £102 P Armstrong. £101 W Wearmouth & Son. £99 £97 A Tunstall. £95 S J Love.
Feeding Ewes – £124 £97 £90 A & R Thompson. £117 £100 £95 Wilsons. £101 £89 £78 C Harle & Sons.
