Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘New Year Prize Show & Sale’ of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store & breeding stock on Monday 15th January 2023. Forward were 557 cattle and 991 sheep.
138 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 272ppk or £1944
7 Stock Bulls sold to 302ppk or £3587
11 Cows & Calves sold to £3050
3 Stirks sold to £560
57 Young Bulls sold to £1850
133 Store Steers sold to £2300
197 Store Heifers sold to £1920
889 Store Hoggs sold to £136
102 Feeding Ewes sold to £122
Cast Cattle – A good number forward and trade remained excellent as this week’s sale levelled at 172ppk and just over £1100 per head. No better place to start than with a terrific Limousin bull from I E & A C Teasdale, High Farm, Beadlam Rigg which beggared belief when the 5-year-old tipped the scales to 1188kg and sold for a stunning 302 pence and £3587; the pedigree bull named Rachels Paradise benefitted hugely from the green market system as he earned himself a reprieve and duly heads up Weardale to put in another stint as a stock bull. Top priced female per kilo of the day was an excellent Limousin OTM heifer from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm when she sold for 272 pence, the same good home also produced the days leading older cow with a 5-year-old selling at 234ppk and £1944. Native breeds topped at 228ppk and £1662 for a fleshy Aberdeen Angus from Jack Henshaw, Mainsgill Farm whilst a 4-year-old Friesian from Deerness Valley Dairy headed up the dairy cow prices reaching 196ppk and £1397 only beaten by a young heifer from A R & C Booth which sold for 222ppk.
Cast Cows & OTM’s Leading PPK – 272 234 S & J Dent & Son. 258 Leslie Brown. 246 202 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 240 L Claughan. 236 210 W A Wardman Ltd. 228 Jack Henshaw. 226 A Crowder. 224 E R & G I Younger. 222 A R & C Booth. 222 M Shepherd. 216 F & J S Gargett. 216 T F Bothroyd & Son. 208 K O Stones. 206 E Scott & Sons. 206 J A Birkbeck. 200 D & M Lowes. 200 R D Anderson. 198 Angram Livestock. 198 G S Dixon. 198 J Thompson & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 302 I E & A C Teasdale. 208 W K Wilkinson & Sons. 198 A & M J Henshaw. 194 A P Greenshields. 190 160 E R & G I Younger.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1944 £1884 S & J Dent & Son. £1932 A Crowder. £1785 L Claughan. £1768 £1747 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £1662 Jack Henshaw. £1585 £1472 £1433 £1405 M Shepherd. £1582 K O Stones. £1561 A & M J Henshaw. £1545 £1441 £1389 G Cant. £1522 J A Birkbeck. £1455 Angram Livestock. £1451 T F Bothroyd & Son. £1414 I Newton & Son. £1414 D & M Lowes. £1401 F & J S Gargett. £1397 Deerness Valley Dairy. £1388 W A Wardman Ltd.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £3587 I E & A C Teasdale. £1901 A P Greenshields. £1890 W K Wilkinson & Son. £1679 A & M J Henshaw. £1502 £1355 E R & G I Younger.
Show of Store Cattle
Darlington stalwart JK Metcalf kindly took on the judging duties at this year’s January show and sale; credit to all vendors as a tidy offering was placed before him. Coming out on top were infrequent show winners but very regular sellers D G & P D Ayre of Roger Moor Farm with a super sweet September 2022 born Limousin crossed heifer. Reserve Champion went to a shapely 10-month-old British Blue steer from the prolific show team of K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick. A quality show of young bulls was forward and despite a fabulous run from Hughes Brothers Farms it was ultimately a stunning 12-month-old Limousin from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm which claimed the red rosette.
Champion
D G & P D Ayre (Heifer)
Reserve Champion
K O Stones (Steer)
Best Steer
1st K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm sold for £1500 to S Beachell, Driffield
2nd Jack Sewell, Knavesmire Farm sold for £1510 to M Robinson, Staindrop
3rd M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent sold for £1880 to T R Dennis, Hustwaite
Best Heifer
1st D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor sold for £1480 to A J Marr & Son, Gateshead
2nd F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £1510 to J C White & Son, Barnsley
3rd E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange sold for £1250 to R Hirst, Neasham
Best Young Bull
1st D Dixon, Middle Heads sold for £1590 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
2nd Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn Hall sold for £1570 to A S Chapman, Bedale
3rd Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn Hall sold for £1500 to S Beachell, Driffield
Breeding Cattle – An excellent run of cows and calves travelled up from West Yorkshire and the good home of D & J Gawthorpe, Meadow Nook Farm attracted buyers from far and wide. Leading the way at £3050 from the Gawthorpe’s was a super 8-year-old Limousin cow with a strong calf at foot, others from the same run also impressed all selling between £2000 and £3000.
Cows & Calves – £3050 £3000 £2600 £2500 £2450(x2) £2350 £2000 D & J Gawthorpe. £1420 £1250 J B & L M Knight. £1100 W Love Ltd.
Store Cattle Sale – The sub-zero temperature outside was irrelevant as some serious heat was on in the store ring, a barnstorming bull trade saw them average £1116 (+£148 for 28 less sold) with the sensational steers averaging £1197 (+£114 for 16 more sold) and the hot heifers level at £1152 (+£96 for 14 more sold). The sixty-four vendors benefitted from no less than sixty active ringside accounts; the better end E and U grade cattle certainly enjoyed the biggest price hike with some annual vendors enjoying a £150 to £180 lift on the corresponding sale in 2023.
Beginning with the young bulls, an absolutely furious trade was apparent for all classes, top of the day proved to be a strong Limousin from D Dixon, Middle Heads Farm, Rowley at a whopping £1850; five machines from Middle Heads on the day averaged a Kronenbourg worthy £1664. Just behind the leading bull at £1790 followed a shapely 11-month-old Limousin from Hughes Bros Farms, Sockburn Hall; the Dixon and Hughes pens traded blows and between them claimed all of the top dozen places on the bull leader board.
Top of the steers at an almost preposterous £2300 was a wonderful 28-month-old British Blue from M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent Farm; top native breed steer on the day was a 26-month-old Aberdeen Angus from G L & M Steel, Bunker Hill Farm at £1600, the leading steers born in 2023 were our 1st and 2nd prize winners from K O Stones, Marrick at £1500 who was just pipped by a smart red roan coloured British Blue cross from young Jack Sewell of BJS Farms which sold at £1510.
Heifer trade looks arguably the hottest of them all, some remarkable returns throughout saw M Robinson & Sons again come out on top; this time with a smart 22-month-old Limousin at £1920. The same firm followed in joint second place; both were Limousin’s at £1840 with P R E Marwood of East Bluestone the other successful seller. Top of the yearling heifers came from an absolutely stunning run produced by F Ward, Rogerley Hall, an absolute beauty selling for £1470.
Leading Prices
Stirks – £560 £390(x2) J B & L M Knight.
Young Bulls – £1850 £1760 £1590(x2) £1530 D Dixon. £1790 £1570 £1500 £1450(x2) £1410 £1400 Hughes Bros Farms. £1390 D & J Gawthorpe. £1370 £1310 £1275 J & P Armstrong. £1190(x2) C Moffett. £1190(x2) £1090 R A Patterson & Son. £1120(x2) £1115(x3) R J & R Greenbank. £1080(x2) Wilkinson & Son. £1080 R Valks.
Store Steers – £2300 £1880 £1820 £1680 £1490 M Robinson & Sons. £1690 £1600 £1590 G L & M Steel. £1510 Jack Sewell. £1500 K O Stones. £1470 G Scott. £1465 £1350 B Needham. £1450 £1400 £1380(x3) F Ward. £1440 £1415 £1400(x2) I W Cairns. £1410 M E & T D Tailford. £1400 £1350 W Emerson. £1390 £1360 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1390 T T Hall & Son. £1350 W Love Ltd.
Store Heifers – £1920 £1840 £1650 £1400 M Robinson & Sons. £1840 P R E Marwood. £1710 £1660 £1620 £1590 £1530 S & J Dent & Son. £1540 H J & K Millar. £1530 £1380 J R & J Crowe. £1510 £1480 £1470(x3) £1460 £1440(x4) £1380 F Ward. £1490 £1420(x3) Wilkinson & Son. £1480 £1400 D G & P D Ayre. £1480 £1440 L Claughan. £1460 £1420 £1410 £1400 J Thompson & Sons. £1400 J S Wiper. £1390 W B Rutter & Sons. £1390 C & M Burnett. £1380 I W Cairns.
Store Sheep – The store sheep juggernaut rolls along nicely as once again the buyers appeared in numbers with an insatiable appetite for all types. Top of the day was a thumping Texel lamb from D & H M Hodgson, Dyke Nook Farm; close behind came some cracking continentals from J & P Armstrong, Sherburn Tower Farm with both D R Smith, East Roughlea and J G Atkinson, Staindale Grange also selling over £120. The Suffolk lambs forward averaged a massive £107 with a best of £116.50 from M G & W D Burton, Bowfield Farm whilst Mule’s topped at £100 from A Wilson, Calf Close with other highlights including Cheviots to £87, Blackface to £65 and Swaledales to £62. Feeding ewes remain a tidy trade also; this week’s best came from D & J A Teasdale, Folly Farm with a Texel ewe at £122.
Store Hoggs
Continental – £136 £118 £117 D & H M Hodgson. £122 £115 J & P Armstrong. £121 £115 D R Smith. £120 £119.50 J G Atkinson. £119 £114.50 £113 A Wilson. £117 £112 J G & E M Welford. £115.50 G Potts. £115 J D & M S Mortimer. £115 K O Stones.
Suffolk – £116.50 £104 £100 M G & W D Burton. £114 D R Smith. £98 Wolsingham Park Farms.
Mule – £100 A Wilson. £85 J D Bousfield. £84 G H & R G Stobbs. £80 M G & W D Burton.
Cheviot – £87 £80 K O Stones.
Swale/Blackface – £65 D Wearmouth. £62 Wolsingham Park Farms.
Herdwick – £40 A Wilson.
Feeding Ewes
£122 D & J A Teasdale. £105 £84 K & R E Robson. £99 £80 £72 B Lowson. £99 £80 M T & J Burney. £93 D G & P D Ayre. £90 D & M Lowes. £90 R L Carter. £80 J G & E M Welford. £80 D Wearmouth. £78 £76 £71 K Cator. £77 M Collingwood.
