Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Ladies Day’ special sale of Breeding Sheep in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast, Breeding and Store Cattle. Forward were 282 Cattle and 1583 Sheep.
64 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 218ppk or £1644
4 Stock Bulls sold to 218ppk or £2413
62 Store Steers sold to £1425
98 Store Heifers sold to £1290
32 Young Bulls sold to £1600
2 Breeding Bulls sold to £3200
6 Cows & Calves sold to £1850
8 Stirks sold to £360
53 Store Hoggs sold to £130
23 Ewe Hoggs sold to £180
25 Feeding Ewes sold to £140
404 Ewes with Lambs sold to £380
189 Hoggs with Lambs sold to £330
Ewes & Hoggs with Lambs – The great grass shortage of 2021 has certainly taken the edge of the trade for the older ewes, the young ewes and shearlings however were a flying trade, as usual those nursing stronger lambs were leading the way. The mornings show was kindly judged by Mr R Mitchell of Howlet Hall, Morpeth; picked as champions were a wonderful pen of 5 Texel crossed hoggs from C & E Gaskin, Hillingdon Farm, Marwood which were duly bought by the judge for £330 per family and rightly took their place as the day’s top priced hoggs.1st C & E Gaskin, Marwood sold to W B Mitchell, Morpeth for £330 (Champions see 3 pictures attached)
2nd C & E Gaskin, Marwood sold to P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland for £295
3rd G W Dobson & Son, Wingate sold to W H Brown, Richmond for £215
The expert hogg lambers certainly enjoyed the fastest trade of the day, listed below are some of the leading consignors.
C & E Gaskin sold 10 (Continental) to average £156 per life
M W Reed, Frosterley sold 24 (Mule) to average £110 per life
E Carvey, Northallerton sold 11 (Mule) to average £108 per life
G W Dobson, Wingate sold 26 (Mule&Cont) to average £108 per life
C & R Metcalf, Richmond sold 57 (Continental) to average £107 per life
A wonderfully kind donation of a Hogg and lamb to the RVI hospital from the Metcalf family of Park House Farm, Barningham sold three times, she was kindly bought then re-gifted by DFAM directors Paul Gentry and Michael Gilhespy before at the third time of asking finding her way in to the Gilhespy’s pen raising £750.
Top price in the sale today went to a Blue Texel ewe with a striking pure bred tup lamb at foot from young Matthew Collin of Intake Farm, Teesdale when she reached £380, close behind her came some out and out quality Beltex / Texel’s from Northfield Farms, Bowes which were twice in the £300 club, the Northfield consignment of 44 ewes were mostly fully warranted and averaged a very healthy £92 per life. Countless consignors joined the £200 plus club, the top price column today just reiterates the fact that the young ewes are wanted as are those with the oldest and strongest lambs.
Top Prices
Hoggs & Lambs
£750 RVI Hospital. £330 £295 C & E Gaskin. £300 G F Tuer. £250 I Spedding. £245 £235 £230(x2) £225(x2) M W Reed. £240 £235 £220(x2) Robert Hickson. £240 P J Tindale. £235 £230 £215 G W Dobson & Son. £230 £220(x3) C & R Metcalf. £225 E W Grieves. £220 K Raine. £220 R N Kirby & Son. £218 £215(x2) Emma Carvey. £216 £215 W A Armstrong.
Ewes & Lambs
£380 £300 J W & J Collin. £350 £315 £280 £260 £260 £200(x3) Northfield Farms. £260 £245 £235 £225 C & E Gaskin. £255 J Burbury. £245 £230 £200 F Hickson & Sons. £240 £190 M Lindley. £225(x2) Ainsty Farms Direct. £220 £200 I Spedding. £205 £202 G S & S E Wilson. £200 C Slee. £195 £190 G F Tuer. £195 D & J A Teasdale. £190 W Wearmouth & Son. £185 W Emerson.
Ewe Hoggs – £180 £175 G F Tuer. £105 Ainsty Farms Direct. £100 S Dodsworth.
Store Hoggs – £130 £122 £114 £96 R Hall. £129 £105 F J Forrest. £114 T & D I Allen & Son. £92 S Dodsworth.
Feeding Ewes – £140 £139 G F Tuer. £104 £76 C Taylor. £94 T James. £92 R Hall. £85 Bowes Bros.
Cast Cattle – The beef boom started May on a high with a very two tier show on offer, some of the better cattle helping galvanise the trade and lift the average to 152ppk with a host of ex-parlour princesses who’d perhaps seen better days out for the Bank Holiday sale. Top price per kilo came from G C & K J White of Rigg Farm, Lunedale with a phenomenal Limousin cow, just over 4 years young she sold for 218ppk, a further 7 beast on the day climbed to 200ppk or beyond. Twice terrific cows from M Gallon, High Crows Farm, Wheatley Hill sold beyond £1600 as an 11 year old 800kg Charolais (£1632) was edged out by a fabulous 8 year old Limousin selling for £1644. Bravo today to the bull producers, four forward, all Limousin’s and averaged 193ppk and £1972, the top players went away with some stratospheric figures as a 4 year old from R W Sowerby & Sons, Cumbria sold for 218ppk and £2286 whilst a brut of a 34 month old from C Stafford, Houghton-le-Spring sold for 214ppk and £2413. As always the equal opportunities are here for all to see and we duly mention the retiring milk maids, top’s today for the Holstein Friesians of 180ppk and £1305 from regular supporters G Thompson & Sons, Butterknowle.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 218 G C & K J White & Son. 214 168 A & A G Moralee. 208 W Emerson. 204(x2) M Gallon. 204 178 174 P J & E S Rogerson. 198 I M Maughan. 184 182 C Moffett. 184 164 J P & R Ward. 180 170 G Thompson & Sons. 174 170 J A & U M Fawcett. 168 166 R W Sowerby & Sons. 168 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. 166 W Crystal & Partners.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 218 R W Sowerby & Sons. 214 C Stafford. 194 D Barron. 138 J A & U M Fawcett.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1644 £1632 M Gallon. £1572 £1280 £1254 P J & E S Rogerson. £1514 £1394 C Moffett. £1371 G C & K J White & Son. £1351 T E Marley. £1342 £1226 R W Sowerby & Sons. £1305 £1247 G Thompson & Sons. £1302 I M Maughan. £1290 £1244 T H Mace & Sons. £1172 J A & U M Fawcett. £1170 D W Ogle. £1133 W Emerson. £1120 G & J H Tomlinson & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2413 C Stafford. £2286 R W Sowerby & Sons. £1945 D Barron. £1244 J A & U M Fawcett.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A pair of bobby dazzling bulls kicked of proceeding and both bide in new lodgings this evening, a perfectly presented 2 year old British Blonde from Lucy Corner of Rye Close Farm, Newton Aycliffe sold for £3000 whilst a well-muscled 16 month old Limousin from O J Kendall, Woodyard, Reeth sold for £3200. A tidy run of cows and calves from T E Marley, Tow Law sold well when peaking at £1850 whilst a scattering of 5/6 month old Friesian stirks from G Swinbank & Sons, Sedgefield sold well peaking at £360. The store cattle trade was hot again, not perhaps as hot as we witnessed last week; some buyers perhaps looked last Tuesday at their handywork from the DFAM Monday and wished they’d worn the oven gloves. Topping the sale today a strong Aberdeen Angus steer from G Raw of Toft Hill Hall selling for £1425, a trio of 13 month old British Blue’s from T L Holmes & Son, Craghead chased hard selling for £1375. The leading ladies were also Aberdeen Angus, a pair of overaged heifers from G & J H Tomlinson & Son, Knitsley sold for £1290. Finally to the young bulls and a stand out superstar from C Stafford, Dene House Farm, Houghton-le-Spring as a 19 month old Limousin sold for £1600.
Breeding Bulls – £3200 O J Kendall. £3000 G Corner.
Cows & Calves – £1850 £1750 £1580 £1280 £1200 T E Marley. £720 T James.
Stirks – £360(x4) £245(x4) G Swinbank & Sons.
Store Steers – £1425 £1160 G E Raw. £1375(x3) £1335 T L Holmes & Son. £1345 £1240(x2) J D & M S Mortimer. £1310(x2) G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1285 £1220 £1095 A J Marr & Son. £1225 £1195 £1185 £1160 £1125. G S Bainbridge. £1200 W C Barker & Son. £1130(x6) R & W Todd. £115 D Walker. £1095(x2) J A Hodgson. £1095 G & E M Nixon.
Store Heifers – £1290(x2) G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1285 £1180 £1110 £1030 G Cant. £1200 B Williamson. £1155(x3) A & A G Moralee. £1110 £1100 £1065 £1025 B J S Farms. £1090 A J Marr & Son. £1035 I Newton & Son. £1030 £1010(x2) J W Richardson. £1010 J M Greensit. £1005 J E & B Morgan & Sons. £1000 J M Greensit & Son Ltd. £1000 K Cator. £995 W Wearmouth & Son.
Young Bulls – £1600 C Stafford. £1195 J C Thwaite & Son. £1155(x2) £1095 W B Rutter & Sons. £1120 £1000 D Walker. £1055(x2) £1040 £1000(x2) £990(x2) £955 £935 Barrs of Broughton. £975(x2) £960 D E Stones. £970(x3) £945 £925(x2) M J Hutchinson.
