Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Christmas Cracker’ Show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock on Monday 6th December 2021. Forward were 678 Cattle and 1956 Sheep.
162 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 226ppk or £1742
12 Stock Bulls sold to 198ppk or £2049
12 Breeding Cattle sold to £1350
14 Stirks sold to £760
175 Store Steers sold to £1485
218 Store Heifers sold to £1490
85 Young Bulls sold to £1460
1710 Store Lambs sold to £145
246 Feeding Ewes sold to £138
Show Cattle – Sincere thanks go to W E Jameson & Son Feeds of Masham for generously sponsoring today’s sale, a bumper entry was ably judged by Elliot Grieves of Whinney Hill, Stockton whom we also offer our thanks to. The days Champion came from Andrew and Charlotte Newton of Park View, Westgate with a sublime black Limousin crossed heifer, the terrific 14-month-old full of show potential went on to later sell for an impressive £1430 to Ricky Alder of Ponteland. Pushing the champion all the way in the heifer class were fine specimens from both M & P Stead, Greencroft Farm and Messrs Smith and Mason of Thorsgill Farm.
The close call for Greencroft Farm was quickly redeemed in the steer class as they took the red rosette and indeed the reserve championship with a very tidy 11-month-old Limousin steer which went on to sell to D J & H B Walshaw of Pocklington for £1200. Close behind in the steer class and preventing Limousin domination was a shapely 10-month-old British Blue cross from B Lowson of Podge Hole Farm, Hamsterley. The young bulls turned out some remarkable size and quality today, nobody however could prevent the wonderful Limousin’s of D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley taking away all three rosettes with their superb run of Limousin crosses, credit certainly goes to the judge as the prize winners sold for £1450, £1430 and £1410 in exactly the correct order to match up with the tickets.
Store Cattle – A big show with a pleasing 23% increase on the year for our Christamas Cracker sale and a magnificent trade throughout, little doubting that the recent purple patch enjoyed by our beef finishers has them all guns blazing when buying replacements. Top of the sale was a magnificent 14-month-old Limouisin heifer from W A Richardson, Hutton Fields, Hutton Magna which sold for a mesmerising £1490, close behind came a hefty Limousin steer from J & S Foster & Son, West End Farm, Bowes when he sold for £1485. Best of the young bulls this week was a big lad from R Valks, Field House Farm, Howden-le-Wear which sold for £1460; a superb day with no less than 47 cattle selling the top side of £1300. Many vendors are deserved of mention today and the top price column is well worthy of reading below; mention however must go to the superb spring born Limousin steer calves from Andy & Ruth Thompson of Dimmingdale Farm, Moorsholm as the 25 crackers averaged a massive £1171, over £200 up on the same sale last year.
Stirks – £760 £700 £680 £550×2 S.T.E.F Ltd. £730 £430×2 £420×3 £410 G Simpson.
Cows & Calves – £1350 £1320 JJM Lonsdale. £1280 £1200 £900 AS Chapman.
In Calf Cows – £1280 Shaw Fencing. £960 AS Chapman.
Store Bulls – £1460 £1250 R Valks. £1450 31430 £1410 £1320 D Dixon. £1400 £1380 £980 JD Seymour. £1240 £1170 £1100 BA&C Pearson Ltd. £1190 JJ Sanders. £1100 £1070 £940×3 JT Layfield & Sons. £1010 £995 G Calvert & Sons. £1000 WT Hall. £930 £910 £900 £870×2 £860 C Binks & Co. £920×2 £880×3 JA&UM Fawcett. £910 C&M Burnett.
Store Steers – £1485 £1440 JS Foster & Son. £1400×2 £1350 JD&MS Mortimer. £1390 £1325×2 £1265 £1260×2 £1230×2 JH Johnson. £1390 WA Wardman Ltd. £1360×11 D Blake. £1330 Humbleton Farm. £1320×5 TW&C Emerson. £1305 £1250 D&HM Hodgson. £1290 HW&M Alderson & Son. £1240 TT Hall &Y Son. £1210 R Errington & Son. £1200×4 A&R Thompson.
Store Heifers – £1490 £1280 WA Richardson Ltd. £1440 £1345 £1340 £1310 £1270 £1205 WA Wardman Ltd. £1430 £1370×2 £1300 G&A Gibson & Son. £1430 A Newton. £1360 £1205×5 D Blake. £1340 BR Lawson. £1300 £1290 £1145 £1135 A Gregg. £1240 Beck Bread Livestock. £1215×2 WM Bainbridge. £1175 £1170×2 P Moss. £1175×2 JS Wiper. £1160 £1150 AC Walton. £1155×4 TW&C Emerson. £1140 Humbleton Farm.
Cast Cows – Following last weeks power cut a strong show was to be expected and indeed big numbers were in attendance, a super sale average of 136 pence per kilo was indeed testament to the current hunger for beef within the industry; all the more impressive as no less than 50 native breeds and 23 milkers are included in this statistic. Certainly, those vendors with thick meat are having a treat, none more so than our sale topper a brilliant 42-month-old British Blue from G Coates, Rainscar Farm, Stainforth which sold for a mighty 226 pence per kilo and £1742. Eight others chipped in beyond 200 pence per kilo whilst an impressive half dozen returned gross values over £1400. Top priced native breeds both hailed from afar as a sizeable South Devon from I Kendle, Foulsham, Norfolk at £1330 and a lovely Lincoln Red from S E Proctor of Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire which sold for 188 pence per kilo set the bar high. Top of the dairy breeds this week was a fleshy 8 year old Holstein Friesian from J J Horn, Bushy Park which sold for 152 pence per kilo and £1123; finally to the stock bulls and leading the way was a tremendous 4 year old British Blue from J L Marks, Bishopton at £2049 and a superb Limousin from G C & K J White & Son, Lunedale which reached a mighty 198 pence per kilo.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 226 WA Wardman Ltd. 222 JT&M Atkinson. 222 160 GC&KJ White & Son. 220 170 G Coates. 212 198 162 DK Barker. 206 200 JR Dalton. 202 168 WA Richardson Ltd. 200 BR Lawson. 194 G Nelton. 188 SE Proctor. 188 160 158 Newbiggin Farms Ltd. 180 DA Gill. 178 T&DI Allen & Son. 178 168 DF&EJ Nicholson. 172 JE Jordon & Son. 170 MR Moss. 168 HS Hutchinson. 160 JW Teward & Sons. 160 W Swinbank & Sons. 158 J&MJ Walton. 156 ME&T Tailford. 156 RW Dalton.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1742 £1266 G Coates. £1607 £1526 £1351 DK Barker. £1602 WA Wardman Ltd. £1480 £1222 MR Moss. £1414 £1302 WA Richardson Ltd. £1372 £1283 DF&EJ Nicholson. £1330 I Kendle. £1327 GC&KJ White & Son. £1310 £1268 ME&T Tailford. £1279 JE Jordon & Son. £1278 JR Dalton. £1240 £1171 Newbiggin Farms Ltd. £1238 JT&M Atkinson. £1214 AP Greenshields. £1207 RW Dalton. £1184 SE Proctor. £1182 BR Lawson. £1160 S Blake. £1152 J Mitchell & Son.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 198 GC&KJ White & Son. 188 JL Marks. 158 138 W Walker & Sons. 148 DJ Harrison. 128 Newbiggin Farms Ltd. 122 WA Richardson Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2049 JL Marks. £1570 Nwebiggin Farms Ltd. £1382 GC&KJ White & Son. £1330 DJ Harrison. £1163 M Shepherd. £1057 S Blake. £1012 WA Richardson Ltd.
Store Sheep – Wow, simply amazing scenes, store sheep vendors today tripped over a four leafed clover and landed firmly at the end of the rainbow. Top of the sale a scintillating £145 which was paid for 5 beautiful Beltex from J & D Gibson of Penny Hill Farm, 17 other lambs sold between £130 and £140 with literally hundreds selling at £110 plus. Over 150 Mules sold twice to £107, Scotch Blackface topped at £95 whilst 155 Swaledales included sold to £78. An all in sale average of £97 for the varied quality on offer was absolutely astonishing. Feeding ewes also on the up, if it hadn’t been for the lambs grabbing our attention the headline could easily have read ‘Mutton Monday’.
Leading Prices – Store Lambs
Beltex – £145 £134 J & D Gibson. £137 £118.50 R W Dalton. £122 M Stobbs. £119 £116 J D Murfin.
Texel – £138 £127 H & P Hutchinson. £135 £123 W Weightman. £133 B & L Robson. £127 £120 P J Anderson & Son. £124 W Love Ltd. £124 J A Scott. £119 R G McNeal. £118 A & R Thompson. £117 R W Dalton. £112 Tom Bell. £112 J M Sayer. £112(x2) L D Laws. £112 M Whorlton. £112 R W & C Spry. £112 F Shield.
Suffolk – £129 £119 G W Dobson & Son. £120 J A Scott. £119 W R Wilson & Partners.
Charollais – £119 R R C Andrew. £117 H & P Hutchinson.
Feeding Ewes – £138 £113 £103 J A Scott. £130 £99 D Rutter. £121 £105 S J Love. £112 W J Readshaw. £109 R R C Andrew. £109 £108 £96 C Harle & Sons. £108 R W & C Spry. £104 K Sayer. £101 G H & R G Stobbs. £97 P J Anderson & Son.
