Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their Growing Season Show and Sale of Store Cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding Stock. Forward were 458 Cattle and 407 Sheep.
105 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 194ppk or £1620
12 Cull Bulls sold to 204ppk or £2196
2 Cows & Calves sold to £1100
112 Store Steers sold to £1355
169 Store Heifers sold to £1455
56 Young Bulls sold to £1585
64 Store Hoggs sold to £94
18 Feeding Ewes sold to £124
24 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £218
111 Ewes & Lambs sold to £255
Show Cattle – A great day for the excellent cattle from Dimmingdale Farm, Moorsholm and the brilliant breeding expertise of Andy and Ruth Thompson as their renowned Limousin’s left Darlington with a bundle of rosettes this morning. The Champion steer from the Thompson pen expertly picked out by our judge young Elliot Grieves of Stockton went on to sell to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield; the reserve Champion again a fabulous Limousin from another regular supporter H S Hutchinson, White House Farm, Eastgate sold to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop. The best in the bull class came from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm ensuring that all the rosettes went with the Limousin breed today, a great advert ahead of our Limousin Spectacular sales this week on both Thursday and Saturday.
Best Steer
1st A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £1100 to R S Hall & Sons, Driffield (Champion)
2nd A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £1000 to B Elsworth & Sons, Easingwold
3rd A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £1130 to K Norman, Marske-by-the-Sea
Best Heifer
1st H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1160 to M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop (Reserve)
2nd A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £940 to I Marshall & Sons, Ferryhill
3rd A & R Thompson, Moorsholm sold for £940 to I Marshall & Sons, Ferryhill
Best Young Bull
1st D Dixon, Rowley sold for £1205 to R & W Todd, Toft Hill
2nd D Dixon, Rowley sold for £1175 to J H & D Wise, Newton Aycliffe
3rd C G Robinson, Stockton sold for £1165 to A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford
Store Cattle – Away from the yearling cattle which dominated the show some extraordinary values continue to pulse through the whole sector, a very varied show (numbers up 22% on 2020) were bid for freely by the 42 accounts actively represented at ringside. The steers today averaged £990 which is a remarkable 24% rise on the £795 at the corresponding sale in 2020. Heifers were up £108 per head (13%) to £897 whilst a host of dairy bred and smaller bulls pulled the average back to £786 which was still amazingly £38 up on the year. Top price of the day went to the sensational pen of British Blue bulls produced by T L Holmes & Son, White House Farm, Craghead as the showstopping 14 month olds peaked at £1585 and twice more sold beyond £1400. An enjoyable maiden voyage to our new home today for Colin Bell, The Pry, Forest-in-Teesdale as his solitary 27 month old British Blue Heifer sold for £1455. The steer race was a hot one with 31 selling over £1100, of these 10 sold in the £1200’s however the one £1300 plus steer today came from the good home of W A Wardman, Thrushwood Farm, Yearby with a well grown 14 month old Limousin at £1355.
Cows & Calves £1100 DW Ogle. £980 I Kendle.
Store Bulls £1585 £1475 £1405 £1090 TL Holmes & Son. £1290 B Williamson. £1225 £1180 £1165×2 CG Robinson. £1205 £1175 £1115D Dixon. £1120×2 £990 £950 DW Humphrey. £985×2 £900 £860 R White. £905×2 £895 MW Cook & Son. £895 HS Hutchinson. £890 £880×2 JT Layfield & Sons. £800×3 RW Raper & Sons.
Store Steers £1355 £1285 £1190 £1125 £1080 WA Wardman Ltd. £1250×2 £1235 GA&C Jopling. £1230×4 £1060 T Sedgewick & Son. £1220 £1190 £1075 DR Smith. £1180×2 £1115 £1090 A Willey. £1170 WB Rutter & Sons. £1155 £1150 £1110 JR&L Harding. £1135×2 £1110×4 R&W Todd. £1130 W&C Iceton. £1130 £1100 A&R Thompson. £1110 J Robson. £1095 J&EM Lawson. £1090 J Robson. £1090 Forster Hall & Sons. £1090 mF Crawford. £1075 JC Smith.
Store Heifers £1455 C Bell. £1400 £1140 £1020 A&AG Moralee. £1235 £1020 WB Rutter & Sons. £1220×2 £1035 W Chrystal & Partners. £1190 TT Hall & son. £1175 £1085 £1065×2 J Robson. £1165×2 £1035 GA&C Jopling. £1160 HS Hutchinson. £1145 £1140 £1085 £1075 £1070 WA Wardman Ltd. £1105×4 T Sedgewick & Son. £1100 FE Pinkney. £1100 E Wilson. £1090 N Wilson. £1085 £1050×2 DR Smith. £1035 £1010×2 TH Mace & Sons. £1030 Forster Hall & Sons. £1020×2 J&EM Lawson.
Cast Cattle – A good show of numbers were presented to an eager ring full of buyers, the trade proved dearer on the week as the sale average of 153ppk left vendors more than happy once more. Top of the tree this week was a superb 8 year old British Blue cow from J M & M & C Wise of Manor Farm, Little Stainton when she sold for 194 pence per kilo and £1476; leading the gross values was a remarkable 12 year old Limousin from W Barron, Burnhope when she sold for 192ppk and £1620. No less than 9 cows today sold beyond £1400 with 10 the top side of 180 pence per kilo, included in these remarkable statistics was the day’s top Friesian as a superb OTM from J T Parkin, Shepherds Lodge, Marwood which sold for 184ppk and £1426. The native breeds were again well represented and peaked this week at 166 pence per kilo for an Aberdeen Angus from A B P Wilson’s, Langleydale and £1322 for a South Devon from I Kendle of Foulsham, Norfolk. The bull trade goes from strength to strength, a brut of an Aberdeen Angus from H Gibb & Son, Eachwick impressed realising £1893 whilst a sharp Limousin OTM from R & W Todd, Toft Hill broke the 200 pence barrier, the pick though today undoubtably came from R O Gilson of Park Hall Farm, Byers Green with a fabulous 10 year old Limousin clocking the scale round to 1194kg and selling for 184 pence and £2196.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 194 J M & M & C Wise. 192 W Barron. 192 186 180 P J & E S Rogerson. 188 178 160 R Mortimer. 184 180 160 J T Parkin. 184 176 A D Wood. 182 I & R A Watson. 176 A R Keith. 176 A & A G Moralee. 174 D H Lawson. 174 168 F Ward. 172 S E Chapman. 172 160 T W Clark & Son. 170 J & S E Bainbridge. 168 P M & F M Hill. 166(x2) 160 L W Martin. 166 G K K, N & G J Hird. 166 D H Lawson. 166 160 A Willey. 166 H M Dent. 166 A B P Wilsons. 162 160 W J & F J Hadley. 160 P D & J A Adamski.
Cast Bulls Leading PPK – 204 R & W Todd. 184 R O Gilson. 178 F & J S Gargett. 156 H Gibb & Son. 154 152 W Walker & Sons. 146 L G Harrison & Son.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1620 W Barron. £1554 G G Stevenson & Son. £1476 J M & M & C Wise. £1463 £1418 P J & E S Rogerson. £1451 £1214 F Ward. £1426 £1232 J T Parkin. £1416 £1279 D H Lawson. £1404 J C Smith. £1380 J & S E Bainbridge. £1327 P M & F M Hill. £1326 S E Chapman. £1322 £1228 I Kendle. £1318 H M Dent. £1315 P D & J A Adamski. £1308 £1262 £1261 L W Martin. £1293 A P Greenshields. £1274 A & A G Moralee. £1263 A Willey. £1249 W J & F J Hadley. £1230 G K, K N & G J Hird. £1206 R Mortimer. £1202 J E Holiday & Son. £1193 T W Clark & Son.
Cast Bulls Leading Gross – £2196 R O Gilson. £1893 H Gibb & Son. £1545 F & J S Gargett. £1498 Allison Devereux Farms. £1423 R & W Todd. £1392 S Cornforth. £1366 L G Harrison & Son.
Store & Breeding Sheep – Dearer by a margin, the grass it seems has lift off and not before time. The top price today at £255 went to a single Zwartbles ewe with a ewe lamb at foot from Mrs C Slee of Coverham, further older ewes were also keeping the 200 numbers on the scoreboard busy. A scattering of hoggs were quite rightly led by H S Hutchinson of White House Farm, Eastgate with some sharp Mule’s suckling super Texel lambs as the 10’s with 10’s sold for £218 and £215 per family leaving the Hutchinson’s a very pleasing £108.25 per life average.
Ewes & Lambs £255 £185 £160 £155 C Slee. £245 £195 £175 £150 £138 I Spedding. £240 £188 EW Grieves. £225 £198 £195 £190 £188 £165 I Oliver. £200 GH&RG Stobbs. £168 £165 G&L Wood. £160 £155 £135 T Bowes & Son. £155 £140 £135 JH Johnson.
Hoggs & Lambs £218 £215HS Hutchinson. £210 £160 £155 £145 EW Grieves.
Store Hoggs £94 £93 £88 £84 £80.50 JE Burton.
Feeding Ewes £124 £92×2 A&R Thompson. £89 £70 T Bowes & Son.