Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their Mid-March Extravaganza Show and Sale of Store Cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock on Monday 15th March 2021. Forward were 476 Cattle and 176 Sheep.
91 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 226ppk or £1554
5 Cast Bulls sold to 174ppk or £1883
5 In Calf Heifers sold to £1300
2 Cows & Calves sold to £2000
92 Young Bulls sold to £1235
121 Store Steers sold to £1700
159 Store Heifers sold to £1450
135 Store Hoggs sold to £130
16 Feeding Ewes sold to £131
10 Ewes & Lambs sold to £222
Store Cattle – The feeding cattle trade continues in absolutely magical fashion, trade truly has to be seen to be believed, not all bidders become buyers in the present boiling cauldron which is the store cattle ring, over 50 active accounts were represented at ringside resulting in an absolutely mesmerising return for all vendors in attendance. The mornings show was kindly judged by David Leedham of Leicestershire who picked out as Champion a perfectly presented 9 month old all black British Blue crossed steer from the ‘hard to beat’ Stones family of Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick; sired by the herds prolific Lune Valley Forrester the super steer comes out of one of the best cows on Nun Cote Nook with her previous two seasons producing high priced show worthy heifers, today steer sold to the judge for £1700. The reserve Champion today came from another family of terrific supporters here at DFAM; the Harle Family of Brandon Hall in fact turned out all three heifers in the rosettes with the judges choice a superb 14 month old topping their pen at £1350, the famous five Limousin’s in the Harle pen levelled up at a magnificent £1258. An excellent show of young bulls today were a credit to all concerned, the show winner came from J R & M Richardson, Etherley House with a superb 11 month old Limousin, he sold for an impressive £1185 with a notable nine from Etherley averaging £1119.
Away from the show cattle several vendors had the buyers in fierce competition with one another, mention must first go to the wonderful annual consignment of calves from W A Richardson of Hutton Magna, this good homes 35 bulls peaked at £1235 and averaged £1066 which is up an amazing £131 on the year, the Hutton Magna heifers then had much to prove and they did it in style as the 34 of them averaged an outstanding £1023 which is up a breath-taking £187 on 2020. Far too many vendors enjoyed success today to mention them all individually however impressive returns for a lovely quartet of strong heifers from G & A Gibson, High Etherley averaged £1365 and five outstanding strong Aberdeen Angus steers from J B & G E Hayward & Family, Sheffield saw them average a whopping £1274, the Walton family of Brass Castle Farm are never far away as their impressive run averaged £1277 and of the younger beast Messrs Wilson of Throstlenest Farm produced 15 lovely Limousin’s to average £1155. Final mention goes to the top priced heifer on the day a beautiful 2 year old Limousin from G W Dent of Cockfield which reached the dizzy heights of £1450, a great day with all classes simply astonishingly dear, the steers levelled at £1013 (+£104) the heifers £1006 (+£176) and the young bulls £962 (+£134).
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 226 214 170 168 164 158 High Harbour Farms. 222 JD Bentley & Son. 200 AJ Lloyd Ltd. 198 172 R Mortimer. 190×2 180 170 WI Suddes & Son. 186 156 GW Dent. 180 M Barker Farms. 178 158 KO Stones. 172 RJ Welford. 172 150 N Swinbank. 170 G Thompson & Sons. 168 AR&C Booth. 166 M Radford. 162 Little Newsham Farms. 162 J&C Barker. 160 158 JM Ramsay & Son. 154 P&PJ Sayer. 152 JT&M Atkinson. 152 T&R Quinn & Son. 150 KW&SM Catten.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1554 £1506 £1483 WI Suddes & Son. £1465 £1395 R Mortimer. £1436 M Barker Farms. £1369 £1014 High Harbour Farms. £1367 £1065 JD Bentley & Son. £1345 AJ Lloyd Ltd. £1331 £1214 JM Ramsay & Son. £1297 A Willey. £1216 GW Dent. £1215 £1160 £1136 Reveley Farms. £1195 RJ Welford. £1176 £1109 KO Stones. £1171 N Swinbank. £1127 Little Newsham Farms. £1116 £1052 G Swinbank & Sons. £1090 GS Bainbridge. £1082 J&C Barker. £1061 WT Hall.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 174 168 W Walker & Sons. 154 TH Kilby & Son. 136 Starfitts Farm. 120 W Emerson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £1883 TH Kilby & Son. £1391 Starfitts Farm. £1212 £1165 W Walker & Sons. £1095 W Emerson.
Best Steer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm sold for £1700 to D M Leedham, Leicester (CHAMPION)
2nd H Walton & Son, Brass Castle Farm sold for £1310 to I Armitage, Oswaldkirk
3rd R A & S L Wearmouth, Middletown Farm sold for £1070 to F W Walton, Hurworth
Best Heifer
1st C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall sold for £1350 to A Tindale, Shadforth (RES. CHAMPION)
2nd C Harle & Sons sold for £1180 to I Armitage, Oswaldkirk
3rd C Harle & Sons sold for £1240 to I Armitage, Oswaldkirk
Best Young Bull
1st J R & M Richardson, High Etherley sold for £1185 to A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford
2nd W A Richardson, Hutton Fields sold for £1235 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
3rd High Hedley Hope, Tow Law sold for £940 to G Lount, Hull
Cows & Calves £2000 A Willey. £1600 RC Raper & Daughters.
In Calf Heifers £1300×2 £1280×2 High Hedley Hope Farm Ltd.
Store Bulls £1235×2 £1205 £1165×6 £1140×2 £1120 £1105×2 £1075×3 £1065×2 £1045 £1030×3 WA Richardson Ltd. £1230X2 £1045×3 £1025×3 Starfitts Farm. £1185 £1145×4 £1080×2 £1075×2 JR&M Richardson. £1100×2 MH&J Walker & Son. £1095 Wilsons. £1045 J Walshaw & Son. £970 £925×2 £910 E Wilson. £970 Armin. £940 High Hedley Hope.
Store Steers £1700 £1160 KO Stones. £1450 TT Hall & Son. £1440 AF Smith. £1390 £1260 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1380 £1310 £1210×2 H Walton & Son. £1340×2 £1230×3 JB&GE Hayward & Family. £1300 £1230 £1180 £1110 J&EM Lawson. £1245×3 WC Barker & Son. £1240×2 £1210 £1170 Wilsons. £1210 £1180×2 £1180 N Gardner. £1180 WB Rutter & Sons. £1175 RN Foord & Son. £1160 JC Johnson. £1150 £1130 A Willey. £1120 DG&PD Ayre. £1110 £1100 RA&SL Wearmouth.
Store Heifers £1450 GW Dent. £1410 £1390 £1350 £1310 G&A Gibson & Son. £1380 £1280 £1240 £1180 C Harle & Sons. £1370 W Wearmouth & Son. £1340×2 Wilsons. £1280 £1240 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1270×2 £1200×2 High Hedley Hope Farm Ltd. £1260 £1190 JS Wiper. £1250 £1160 £1180 £1170 WB Rutter & Sons. £1240×2 £1230 £1220 WA Richardson Ltd. £1220 A Willey. £1200×3 N Gardner. £1180 £1140 £1135×2 RN Foord. £1180 £1155 £1110 DG&PD Ayre. £1170 JC Smith.
Cast Cattle – Another belting cow trade, by no means a fancy show averaged a more than pleasing 144ppk with buyers for all classes keen and willing to step on. Top price per kilo was a lovely British Blonde OTM from High Harbour Farms, Lincolnshire reaching 226 pence per kilo closely followed by another just beyond 30 months, a British Blue from J D Bentley & Son, Kelton at 222ppk; top of the older cows per kilo was a terrific 8 year old Limousin from A J Lloyd Ltd, Norwich at 200 pence whilst all three of our top grossing cows hailed from the prolific W I Suddes & Son of South Farm, Cornsay as their trio of wonderful 7 year old Limousin’s sold between £1483 and £1554. The dairy cows were again well sold as an OTM from G Thompson & Sons of Butterknowle led the pack at 170 pence per kilo and an exceptional 7 year old from Reveley Farms, Lingdale barged her way up the leader board to an impressive £1215. The stock bulls were led per kilo by a pair of OTM’s from W Walker & Sons, Newton Aycliffe however the story of the day was the end of the road for renowned Limousin bull ‘Gunnerfleet Eros’ consigned by T H Kilby & Son, Thorp Arch; granted the brilliant bull could not quite match his original 24,000 guinea price tag however Eros tipped the scales to 1223kg and sold for a wonderful 154ppk and £1883.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The store and breeding sheep trade enters that limbo period where the store hogg sellers are few and far between and the ewes and lambs are waiting in the wings, the light show however did not detract from buyers attention as anything and everything sold to exceptional levels. Top of the store hoggs were a top trio of lovely Texels from S J Love of Wolsingham whilst the scattering of Ewes and Lambs topped at £222 from W S I Anderson, Dalton Grange.
Store Hoggs £130 £122 £115 £114 £104 £100 £85 £81 SJ Love. £110 J&JA Wilkinson. £110 S Thompson & Son. £106 £79 P Kirk. £104.50 E Walsh. £104 £97 £95 £94 JC Close. £91 £70 RW Ridley. £90 £80 JH Johnson. £84 £73 GA Scott.
Ewes & Lambs £222 £200 £172 £162 £155 £152 WSI Anderson.
Feeding Ewes £131 £83 J&JA Wilkinson. £124 £68 £65 RW Ridley. £108 M Lindley. £96 WSI Anderson. £79 GA Scott. £79 S Thompson & Son. £77 T&R Dent.
