Opening Sale of Breeding Sheep – Weekly Cast Cattle & Store Stock

24th July 2023

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Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their opening sale of breeding sheep in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 24th July 2023. Forward were 221 Cattle and 484 Sheep.

61 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 236ppk or £1817
4 Stock Bulls sold to 218ppk or £2144
35 Young Bulls sold to £1540
51 Store Steers sold to £1425
70 Store Heifers sold to £1440
121 Breeding Ewes & Shearlings sold to £230
305 Store Lambs sold to £130
58 Feeding Ewes sold to £88

Cast Cattle – The cow trade is certainly easier however the live ring’s gentle braking remains much preferable to the yank on the handbrake administered by some deadweight firms out there. This week’s sale averaged 165ppk and £1146 per head. Top price per kilo went to an excellent Aberdeen Angus OTM heifer from ABP Wilsons, Langleydale when she sold for 236 pence; the top cow of the day per kilo was a fantastic 12-year-old Limousin from W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay which sold for 212 pence. The corkers from Cornsay Limousin’s were again at the top on our gross value cow list when a 10-year-old reached £1817, top native gross value went to Mayfield Beef Shorthorns, Wolsingham reaching £1673. Stainton Hill Farms of Streatlam sold the pick of the milking cows this week when their Holstein Friesian sold for 154ppk and £1230. Top of the stock bulls per kilo was an excellent British Blonde OTM from J J Horn, Marske which sold for 218 pence (£2005) however the gross values belonged to a thumping Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear weighing 1072kg and selling for £2144 (200ppk).

Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 236 188 186 166 ABP Wilsons. 212 208 W I Suddes & Son. 212 W Wearmouth & Son. 210 188 D K Barker. 202 188 T N Callender. 196 A & M J Henshaw. 186 178 170 G C & K J White & Son. 180 176 W M Reed & Sons. 180 D E Stones. 178 F Ward. 178 G A & C Jopling. 172 P Foster. 170 M Dowson. 170 168 L Claughan. 168 R I & M J Murray. 168 R A & S L Wearmouth. 168 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 166 M Gallon. 166 R N Armstrong. 166 Jack Henshaw.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 218 J J Horn. 200 A C Simpson & Son. 160 R White. 144 R A & S Darling Farms.

Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1817 £1653 W I Suddes & Son. £1673 £1527 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £1626 £1490 £1452 A B P Wilsons. £1573 £1482 D K Barker. £1494 £1199 T N Callender. £1386 M Gallon. £1367 W Wearmouth & Son. £1309 A & M J Henshaw. £1278 R A & S L Wearmouth. £1254 F Ward. £1254 £1174 L Claughan. £1235 G C & K J White & Son. £1230 Stainton Hill Farms. £1229 W M Reed & Sons. £1196 M Dowson. £1159 D E Stones. £1135 J R Wesson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2144 A C Simpson & Son. £2005 J J Horn. £1677 R A & S Darling Farms. £1403 R White.

Store Cattle – The feeding beast remain a fine trade, the better bred and short keepers if anything look dearer perhaps than they have in recent weeks. A superb 10-month-old Limousin from F Hickson & Sons, Homilton Farm, Capheaton led the young bull prices when he sold for £1540, a great pen from Homilton dominated the bull trade with the seven top spots on the day. Top of the steers today was regular seller D R Smith, East Roughlea with a strong Limousin selling for £1425, leading the heifers were an excellent pair of 13 and 15-month-old British Blue crosses from local dairy farmers Wilkinson &Son, Rushyford which sold for £1440 apiece.

Store Bulls £1540 £1490×2 £1480×2 £1460 £1390 £1180 F Hickson & Sons. £1300 £895 £820 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £910 £795×2 £785×2 Northfield Farms. £875 £780 JD Teasdale. £830 £780 TT Hall & Son.

Store Steers £1425 DR Smith. £1405 R Hall. £1240 W&C Iceton. £1220 WH Brown. £1150 £1120 WB Rutter & Sons. £1145 £1125 £1085×2 £960 K Sayer. £1110 £1040 £1020×2 £975 I Newton & Son. £1105 £920 T James. £1100 £1000 £870×2 GW Chapman. £1045×2 £900 JE&S Ward. £1000 £990 R&W Todd. £930 £885×2 I Spedding.

Store Heifers £1440×2 £1340×2 £1330×2 £1285×2 £1265×2 Wilkinson & Son. £1330 £1305 £1265 £1255 WH Brown. £1305 £1270 £1190 £1170 £1155 £1100 DR Smith. £1210×2 £1050 £960 R&W Todd. £1190 £1055×2 W&C Iceton. £1155 £990 T James. £1150 £1130 WB Rutter & Sons. £1100 £1080×2 £1000 TW&G Corner. £1005×2 GA Swinbank. £960×2 £920 MJ Hutchinson. £950×2 £915×2 I Spedding. £950×3 £915×3 JT Forster & Son.

Breeding Sheep – The breeders got away to a fast start with a full complement of buyers on the hunt for replacements. The sale topped twice at £230 as half a dozen Cheviot Mule shearlings from Medd & Dowson, West Whorley Hill were matched by six super Beltex shearlings from C A & J G Skidmore, Needless Hall. Next in line were our top pen of Texel’s from C M & T F Seymour, Dromonby Fram at £225 just ahead of further good Beltex shearlings from the Skidmore run and also Ivan Walker, Boggle Beck Farm. The shearlings sold today averaged a tremendous £207.

Shearling Ewes – £230 P Medd & M Dowson. £230 £220(x2) £200 C A & J G Skidmore. £225 £210 £185 C M & T F Seymour. £215 £200(x2) Ivan Walker. £192 £185 £180 E W Grieves.

Breeding Ewes – £100 68 £60 J P Richardson.

Store Lambs – An absolutely excellent store lamb trade for all classes, top of the tree was a superb eight Texels from S Pyebourne, Wolsingham selling for £130, the same good home sold Suffolk’s to £124 with last week’s leader J Armstrong, Blackhall Mill not far adrift with Texel’s to £117. The annual early consignment of late born genuine hill bred lambs from Rosedale’s Peter and Adam Richardson excelled with the 179 little gems averaging very close to £70.

£130 £124 £113 £107 S Pyebourne. £117 £96 £81.50 £81 J Armstrong. £98 J S Wiper. £96 £81 D & M Buck. £81 £76.50 J P Richardson. £75 Adam Richardson. £73 J Wigham.

Feeding Ewes – £88 £83 £50 £47 C Harle & Sons. £87 £52 J P Richardson. £57 Adam Richardson.