Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock on Monday 13th June 2022. Forward were 389 Cattle and 51 Sheep.
86 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 244ppk or £1971
3 Stock Bulls sold to 266ppk or £2370
20 Breeding Cattle sold to £1550
34 Young Bulls sold to £1385
111 Store Steers sold to £1350
135 Store Heifers sold to £1445
18 Ewes/Hoggs with Lambs sold to £305
10 Store Sheep sold to £111
Cast Cattle – A nice show offered met a ringside of eager buyers resulting in another absolutely sublime trade, bidding today passed 200 pence on a stunning 25 occasions resulting in a wonderful average of 184 pence per kilo. Right at the top of the tower today was a cracking Limousin OTM heifer from Guisborough based P Foster when she sold for 244ppk; of the older cows one in particular stood out when the good herd of K O Stones, Marrick delivered a fantastic 9-year-old Limousin weighing 880kg and selling for 224ppk and £1971. Over one third of the beast crossing the scale this week were native breeds, of these the shining lights proved to be a Beef Shorthorn cow from M E & T D Tailford, Broomley reaching £1788 whilst OTM’s from P J Glass, South Hetton (Aberdeen Angus) and G A Rogerson & Son, Thropton (Beef Shorthorn) both sold for 226 pence per kilo. Of the 14 Friesian cows offered today none could better the fantastic 30-month-old of R & W Todd, Toft Hill which sold for a staggering 210 pence per kilo and £1272. Just three stock bulls in attendance, one Highland and one Dexter never really stood a chance against a magnificent 891kg 30-month-old Limousin from F Hickson & Sons, Capheaton which reached the extraordinary price of 266 pence per kilo and £2370.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 244 190 P Foster. 238 J & F Hartley & Sons. 236 224 K O Stones. 236 W Swinbank & Sons. 230 220 I M Maughan. 226 214 P J Glass. 226 212 204 198 G A Rogerson & Son. 224 J C Smith. 220 200 G C & J K White & Son. 214 202 J Norman. 210 206 196 D A & M A M Brown. 210 R & W Todd. 208 M E & T D Tailford. 206 C B Taylor & Son. 206 W A Armstrong. 198 A Crowder. 196(x2) 194 Dixon Brothers. 190 K Hall. 190 J H & M & N W Brown.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 266 F Hickson & Sons. 174 158 J W Richardson.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1971 £1628 K O Stones. £1788 M E & T D Tailford. £1744 W Swinbank & Sons. £1692 £1666 £1564 £1532 D A & M A M Brown. £1685 £1407 P Foster. £1636 £1585 £1391 J Norman. £1611 £1597 P J Glass. £1586 K Hall. £1577 C B Taylor & Son. £1568 A Crowder. £1548 £1507 £1459 £1395 Dixon Bros. £1474 J H & M & N W Brown. £1446 W A Armstrong. £1408 J & F Hartley & Sons. £1404 K Hall. £1399 G A Rogerson & Son. £1373 I M Maughan.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2370 F Hickson & Sons. £774 £589 J W Richardson.
Store & Breeding Cattle – The store cattle trade is perhaps easing off the gas as we approach half time in 2022, a larger show this week and whilst finishers remain optimistic in the face of these spiralling feed and production costs an air of caution is becoming more apparent. Preceding the young bulls today were a scattering of cows and calves which peaked at £1550; to the feeding bulls and a very strong showing averaged over £1100 with a super seven selling the top side of £1300; a trio of fleshy 15-month-old Luing bulls from E W Jolly, West Mains of Turin, Forfar impressed at £1305 as did both Simmental and Charolais bulls from regular patron E Parsons, Little Stainton, the top priced bull on the day however came from another marauding Scotch firm as G A Mackie, Drimmie Farm, Angus produced a 14 month old Limousin at £1385. An eclectic show of store beast was offered this week, the short keepers are in short supply and therefore strength and weight appear to be best rewarded. Younger cattle are still a straight price, admittedly no dearer but with the prospect of a winters worth of feeding at £400 per ton there is perhaps little wonder. Top price of the day went to a truly superb Limousin heifer from Hamsterley’s J & F Hartley & Sons when she sold for £1445, a remarkable pen of quality heifers from this good home left with an unbelievable average of £1291. More joy for the prolific Limousin breed with the week’s top priced steer, a fantastic 17-month-old from B Watson, Baal Hill Farm ringing the bell at an impressive £1350 whilst Friesian steers sold to a top of £1240 from R & W Todd, Toft Hill. A large run of over 100 yearling Limousin calves from R Arthur, Hudspeth Farm, Elsdon saw steers average £852.16 a drop of £25.64 on the year however heifers climb £50.50 to level at £842.29.
Cows & Calves – £1550 £1350 Thirn Farms Ltd. £1420 £1400 W M & D H Bussey. £1100 G M Blair & Partners. £1100 £1000 T Ripley & T Ramesar.
Young Bulls – £1385 £1155 G A Mackie. £1315 £1310(x2) £1285 £1175 E Parsons. £1305(x3) £1295(x2) £1200(x4) £1180(x4) £1150 £1100 £975 £960 £870 E W Jolly. £1125 B Watson. £1000(x2) O J Kendall. £830 C B Taylor & Son. £805 K Cator.
Store Steers – £1350 £1135 B Watson. £1240 R & W Todd. £1170 £1050 W B Rutter & Sons. £1095 £1055 J G Wall & Sons. £1095 £990 £910 O & L W Welford. £1080 W C Barker & Son. £1000 F B Wreford & Co. £980(x5) £970 £960(x4) £930(x3) R Arthur. £920 H W & M Alderson & Son.
Store Heifers – £1445 £1290 £1280 £1230 £1210 J & F Hartley & Sons. £1235 £1205(x2) Edwin Wood. £1215 £1085 A P Taylor. £1200 W B Rutter & Sons. £1170 R & W Todd. £1145 £1095(x3) £1070 £1055(x5) High Mains Partnership. £1055(x2) £1015(x2) J G Wall & Sons. £1010(x3) F Hickson & Sons. £1005 D G & P D Ayre.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Perhaps a last hurrah for the sheep trade until the store lambs appear in late July, a tidy offering met good demand for all classes; Texel hoggs with single lambs from J V Hodgson & Son, Piercebridge sold three times to £300 and were only bettered by a strong Suffolk ewe suckling twins from D J L Livestock, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne when she reached £305.
Leading Prices
Hoggs & Lambs – £300(x3) £250(x3) J V Hodgson & Son.
Ewes & Lambs- £305 £270 £210(x2) D J L Livestock. £205 S Dodsworth.
Store Hoggs – £104 £70 R G McNeal. £90 S Dodsworth.
Feeding Ewes – £111 £84 R G McNeal.
