Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘New Year Prize Show & Sale’ of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle and store stock and their fortnightly sale of fodder on Monday 20th January 2025. Forward were 656 cattle, 1144 sheep, 11 pigs and 400 lots of fodder.
117 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 324ppk or £2380
3 Stock Bulls sold to 310ppk or £3428
58 Young Bulls sold to £1890
207 Store Steers sold to £2200
271 Store Heifers sold to £2150
967 Store Hoggs sold to £160
177 Feeding Ewes sold to £176
11 Store Pigs sold to £130
400 Lots of Fodder sold to £42
Show Cattle – An excellent show assembled before our judge Mr William Miller, High Aketon who kindly made the trip across from Wigton, Cumbria and certainly carried out his duties most expertly. The champion rosette went to regular supporters R A & S Wearmouth, Middletown Farm, Long Newton with a beautiful 10-month-old Limousin crossed heifer; the super sort from Middletown was turned out to perfection which gained her the nod just ahead of a smashing 9-month-old British Blue heifer from James Bailey of Ivanhoe Livestock, Abbotts Close Farm, Sutton. The full show results are listed below and are duly followed by a comprehensive sale report as this stunning beef trade continues.
Champion – RA & S Wearmouth, Middletown sold to Ethan Miller, Wigton for £2000
Reserve – Ivanhoe Livestock, Abbotts Close sold to W Miller, Wigton for £1610
Limousin Heifer
1st – RA & S Wearmouth, Middletown sold to Ethan Miller, Wigton for £2000
2nd – TW West, Picket Howe sold to J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery for £2150
3rd – HW & M Alderson, Howgill Grange sold to B Elsworth & Sons, Raskelf for £1880
British Blue Heifer
1st – Ivanhoe Livestock, Abbotts Close sold to W Miller, Wigton for £1610
2nd – TW West, Picket Howe sold to GG Stevenson & Son, Saltburn for £1940
Limousin Steer
1st – RA & S Wearmouth, Middletown sold to WR Thompson, Etherley for £1840
2nd – KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold to S Beachell, Driffield for £1820
3rd – TW West, Picket Howe sold to MF Hall, Ponteland for £2160
British Blue Steer
1st – KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold to S Beachell, Driffield for £1780
Store Cattle – The cattle trade continues to boldly go where no cattle trade has ever gone before; the numbers speak for themselves as what looked a flying trade at this sale last year was absolutely blown to smithereens. These increases are absolutely staggering, a huge thank you to all vendors and buyers who all played their part in a memorable day at the Darlington ringside. The young bulls today average £1315 (+£199 for 1 more sold) whilst the store steers levelled at £1638 (+£441 for 74 more sold) and the store heifers averaged £1515 (+£363 for 74 more sold).
Young bulls kicked off proceedings and produced an unbelievable trade, the top dozen were all Limousin’s and all aged 8-12 months and all sold over £1800. Several Cumbrian consignors crossed the Pennines today and success was had by them all, perhaps none more so than R & S Purdham, Low Boonwood Farm, Gosforth who topped the section at £1890 and sold six brilliant April/May born 2024 stunners to average a mind-blowing £1816. Credit must also go to the regular selling JA & UM Fawcett, Manor House, Marske as they pushed the Purdham’s all the way selling a dozen Limousin’s of a similar age to a top of £1860 and an average of £1765.
The steer and heifer trade defied gravity as bidding surpassed £1800 a record smashing eighty-seven times, of these an amazing twenty-six sold for at least £2000. Top of the day were a thumping pair of Aberdeen Angus steers from Rose A Farms Ltd, Tow Law when the 19-month-old’s sold for £2200 each; behind these a sensational run of cattle from T W West, Picket Howe continued the Cumbrian success as they sold 20-month-old Limousin heifers to £2150 and steers to £2160. A fine day was also had by the 15-month-old Aberdeen Angus crosses of D & M Lowes, Wilson House, Barningham as they featured high on the leader boards selling steers to £2080 and heifers to £2040. A good offering of under year cattle were also in attendance and with turning out just around the corner they too look remarkably well sold as the 8-12-month types with shape and style sold regularly in the £1600 and £1700’s with the special sorts over £1800.
Some superb leading averages amongst the steers and heifers are listed below:
Rose A Farms Ltd, Tow Law sold 4 to average £2070
D & M Lowes, Barningham sold 12 to average £2027
T W West, Egremont sold 20 to average £1977
C H & M C Phalp, Great Ayton sold 8 to average £1872
J S Wiper, Toft Hill sold 3 to average £1840
R W Dods & Son, Piercebridge sold 2 to average £1810
G E & M Nixon, Bowes sold 3 to average £1800
A P & E Procter, Kirkby Stephen sold 12 to average £1792
A & A G Moralee, Willington sold 6 to average £1791
W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby sold 6 to average £1775
R L Dent, Brough sold 13 to average £1736
F Ward, Frosterley sold 30 to average £1724
Young Bulls – £1890 £1860 £1800(x2) £1790 £1760 R & S Purdham. £1860 £1840(x3) £1830(x2) £1800 £1790(x2) £1780(x2) £1200 J A & UM Fawcett. £1740 £1600 £1540 £1450 £1350 D L Brown. £1680 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £1660 OJ Kendall. £1270(x2) GM Elstob. £1160(x8) SN Bird & Sons. £1100(x3) Wilkinson & Son. £1100(x2) Juaul Farms.
Store Steers- £2200 x2 £2000 £1880 Rose A Farms LTD. £2160 £2060 x2 £2040 £2010 £2000 x3 £1970 x2 £1920 TW West. £2080 x6 £1990 D&M Lowes. £2000 x3 £1800 CH&MC Phalp. £1980 WB Rutter & Sons. £1940 IW Cairns. £1920 £1900 £1880 x2 £1840 x2 £1790 £1760 X2 AP&E Procter. £1920 x3 RL Dent. £1870 £1860 £1810 x2 £1780 £1780 x2 £1760 F Ward. £1840 x2 £1780 JC Hope & Son. £1840 £1790 x2 £1760 £1750 RA&SL Wearmouth. £1830 WA Wardman LTD. £1820 £1810 £1780 KO Stones. £1800 x3 G&EM Nixon. £1800 JF Harland. £1760 x5 BJS Farms. £1730 Robert Dent.
Store Heifers- £2150 £2010 £1970 £1950 £1940 £1860 x2 £1810 £1800 TW West. £2040 £1980 x3 £1880 D&M Lowes. £2030 £1870 £1770 £1740 A&AG Moralee. £2000 RA&SL Wearmouth. £2000 £1830 £1820 WA Wardman LTD. £1920 £1800 x2 JS Wiper. £1880 HW&M Alderson & Son. £1870 £1750 RW Dods & Son. £1870 A&AG Moralee. £1830 £1740 £1740 x2 RL Dent. £1830 x2 £1820 x2 £1780 £1760 £1750 £1740 x2 F Ward. £1820 GW Dobson & Son. £1800 x3 £1780 CH&MC Phalp. £1800 PD Shepherd Farm. £1800 GW&L Marsay. £1770 £1740 x3 £1710 x4 JC Hope & Son. £1740 x2 £1710 x4 BJS Farms. £1740 £1710 GL&M Steel. 1740 Robert Dent. £1720 Wilkinson & Son. £1710 G Beadle. £1700 C Harle & Sons.
Cast Cattle – With the store cattle flying it should be noted that the geld ring is arguably even hotter, the colossal sale averages this week of 227ppk and an enormous £1505 per head are some 55 pence per kilo and £405 per head up on the corresponding week last year. Top per kilo were two superb OTM heifers from DA & MAM Brown, Agglethorpe Hall; an excellent Aberdeen Angus and a brilliant British Blonde shared the spoils. Seven other OTM heifers followed over 300ppk, top older cow of the day was a smart British Blonde from F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm at 280ppk. Top gross valued female was a wonderful 46-month-old British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm when she sold at £2380, a brilliant baker’s dozen of females followed her in the £2000 plus club. On to the stock bulls next and one of those wow moments for the geld ring; a majestic 5-year-old Limousin bull from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm tipped the scales to 1106kg and sold for 310 pence which added him up to a remarkable £3428. Twenty-five out and out dairy cows are included in the averages above, the pick of them hailed from A Sowray & Sons, Bowes Green Farm and sold for 214ppk and £1628.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 324(x2) 316 312 262 DA & MAM Brown. 316 294 288 G Beadle. 316 274 S & J Dent & Son. 310 262 P Weightman & Sons. 308 296(x2) C Harle & Sons. 300 G & A Crayston. 280 276 F & JS Gargett. 278 J C Smith. 276 246 R L Walker. 276 E Wilson. 272 A & AG Moralee. 272 264 262 256 R & S Purdham. 270 LW Martin. 268 JS Foster & Son. 266 Angram Livestock Ltd. 254 PD & JA Adamski. 246 J C Thwaite & Son. 246 MW Reed.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 310 W Ramsay & Sons. 282 WF & DM Metcalfe. 230 DJ Harrison.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £2380 £2174 P Weightman & Sons. £2243 £2151 £2025 £1991 £1888 £1768 DA & MAM Brown. £2160 G & A Crayston. £2152 J S Foster & Son. £2149 Angram Livestock Ltd. £2146 £2103 £1829 R L Walker. £2098 £1986 S & J Dent & Son. £2091 £1854 SA & JS Gargett. £2083 K Hall. £2056 £1904 £1893 R & S Purdham. £1959 E Wilson. £1950 PD & JA Adamski. £1938 LW Martin. £1902 £1863 G Beadle. £1887 J C Smith. £1728 A & A G Moralee.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3428 W Ramsay & Sons. £2831 WF & DM Metcalfe. £1722 DJ Harrison.
Store Sheep – Catch me if you can say’s the hogg trade as the quality naturally drops the trade improves to see them still average a cracking £119.11 per head. Top of the pops at £160 twice were pens of five Beltex crosses from A & B Herworth, Crake Scar Farm; plenty of the other strong hoggs followed in the £140’s and £150’s whilst both Mule’s and Cheviots sold in to the £130’s and horned hoggs reached over £100. Feeding ewe trade remains very strong, up again on a what was a sharp shot seven days ago, to see them all in average £110; top at £176 were a hefty pair from K Mowbray, Coatham Lane Cottage whilst Mule ewes topped at £170 from RA Patterson, White House Farm and Swaledale’s sold to £90 from RL Carter, Hinedon Cottage.
Store Hoggs
Beltex – £160(x2) A & B Herworth. £153 £150 £148 £145 £143 £142 £131 £122 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £140 J & D Gibson.
Texel – £159 J Butterfield & Son. £152 J Waters. £148 £138 A Pennell. £147 £138 W Weightman. £146 £136 B Bell. £145(x2) D R Smith. £141 A Martin & Co. £141 C & N Waters. £140 £130 Adam Lowson. £140 L D Laws. £140 £138 T B Walton. £138 A Toward. £134 G H Lister. £130 I Newton & Son.
Suffolk – £152 £124 A & B Herworth. £148 I Newton & Son. £144 D R Smith. £136 RA Patterson & Son. £134 £130 P Kirk. £130 R A Patterson & Son. £130 G H Lister. £110 JJM Lonsdale.
Continental – £144 £139 A Pennell. £141 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £134 £133 £130 £124 £121 £118 Beckwith. £135 £134 £127 £124 £117 A Wilson. £132 B Bell. £128 R B Watson. £121 £117 P Kirk. £114 S Thompson & Son.
Mule – £133 DR Smith. £132 Beckwith. £129 B Bell. £118 JJM Lonsdale. £105 A Wilson. £98 GH & RG Stobbs.
Cheviot – £132 V Wilson. £122 B Bell. £104 KO Stones.
Blackface – £104 MW Cook & Sons.
Swaledale – £70 JJM Lonsdale. £70 RK & S Ridley.
Feeding Ewes
Continental/Suffolk – £176 £138 £132 K Mowbray. £170 T B Walton. £163 RA Patterson & Son. £162(x2) C & N Waters. £158 N Back. £148 J & D Gibson. £142 £140 Adam Lowson. £118 RI Jones. £112 R B Watson. £103 J V Hodgson & Son.
Mule – £170 R A Patterson & Son. £165 P Foster. £149 T B Walton. £138 JJM Lonsdale. £132 L & BM Kidd & Son. £130 £98 K Mowbray. £114 DE Stones. £110 RB Watson.
Blue Face Leicester – £156 R L Carter.
Swaledale – £90 £73 £68 R L Carter. £80 £74 £60 RB Watson. £73 JJM Lonsdale.
Fodder – Plenty of life in the fodder and bedding trade. Top of the day at £42 per bale were fifty excellent 4.5ft round bales of barley straw; a large quantity of six string quadrant bales of wheat straw followed at £35 apiece. Some 200 tonnes of fodder beet changed hands between £30 and £34 per ton; 4ft round bales of haylage sold at £26 each.
Pigs – It’s been a while since our porky pals made the market report, trade absolutely dandy with store pigs to £120 and a sow with piglets to £130. The lack of pigs lately got me looking back through the archives to see exactly when it was that we last sold some, this has proved difficult as two thieves recently stole my pig calendar; the officer dealing with the case assures me they have now apprehended them and that they will each get six months.
Store Pigs – £120 £80 £75 C Weightman.
Sows – £105 J Snowball.
Sow & Piglets – £130 J Snowball.
