Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 20th April 2023. Forward were 175 Cattle, 1520 Sheep and 3 Pigs.
45 Prime Bulls sold to 350ppk or £2824
22 Prime Steers sold to 328ppk or £2378
108 Prime Heifers sold to 350ppk or £2624
33 New Season Lambs sold to 340ppk or £170
1010 Prime Hoggs sold to 400ppk or £176
476 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £300
3 Prime Pigs sold to 120ppk or £138
Prime Bulls (45) – Less forward but the relentless appetite for bull beef continues, not really any hangover apparent following last week’s record prices as another very solid trade occurred, a varied offering ranging from diddy Dexter’s to some classy continentals averaged 286ppk and £2051. Good bulls at the top end excelled, none more so than T A Horn, Lower Griseburn, Appleby-in-Westmorland who on just their third visit to Darlington topped the sale with an excellent 767kg Limousin which sold for 350ppk. Seven other vendors sold bulls beyond 300ppk with the podium places going to a British Blonde from J J Horn, Marske at 344ppk and a Limousin from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge at 348ppk. Half of the bulls forward sold over £2000 with the leading eight all above £2500; top of the tree was the aforementioned 821kg British Blonde from J J Horn, Bushy Park, Marske returning a tremendous gross value of £2824. A whole host of Limousin bulls followed our on-song Blonde with K & A Harker, Worsall £2799 and L S Staley, Marwood £2756 finding themselves the two best of the rest. Friesian feeders were again in good form, none more so than the reliable R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall, Brotton who twice reached 255ppk with the pick of the pair at 701kg amounting nicely to £1787.
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 2 to average 337ppk and £2433
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 322ppk and £2630
K & A Harker, Worsall sold 2 to average 314ppk and £2740
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 4 to average 301ppk and £2431
I R Appleton, Elwick sold 2 to average 296ppk and £2104
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 350 TA Horn. 348 327 W&M Knaggs & Son. 344 JJ Horn. 337 307 LS Staley. 337 A&D Proctor. 333 300 293 281 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 329 300 K&A Harker. 314 278 IR Appleton. 305 286 274 273 254 TF Bothroyd & Son. 294 278 JK&CE Farming. 290 278 J Richmond. 289 277 RW Welford & Sons. 284 270 JK Gregory. 282 274 JR Knox & Son. 279 276 GH Farms Ltd. 275×2 264 259 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2824 JJ Horn. £2799 £2682 K&A Harker. £2756 £2505 LS Staley. £2684 TA Horn. £2680 £2388 £2337 £2317 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2611 A&D Proctor. £2453 £2413 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2326 £2218 J Richmond. £2282 £1985 RW Welford & Sons. £2263 £2093 £1864 £1727 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2238 £1971 IR Appleton. £2148 £2011 JR Knox & Son. £1999 £1884 JK&CE Farming. £1908 £1779 JA&A Herbert. £1876 £1855 GH Farms Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 255x2R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1787 £1524 R Hall & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 268 R Hall & Son. 248 W&R Kemp & Son. 245 238 JK Gregory.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2182 W&R Kemp & Son. £2001 R Hall & Son. £1563 £1518 JK Gregory.
Clean Cattle (130) – Nothing like the quality we applauded last time of asking with a greatly increased number of dairy bred beast today, trade whilst perhaps not quite living up to the flyer of last week looks every bit as good as anything else seen in recent times. Averages for heifers 291ppk and steers 280ppk with the whole show levelling at £1740 look tidy given the influx of R and O grades offered today. The run of the day undoubtedly came from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House, Bishop Middleham with a patiently and perfectly fed quality consignment. The Hope House heroics produced our top two heifers and also our top two steers per kilo with a quality run of Limousin’s peaking at 350ppk (588kg heifer) and 328ppk (704kg steer). Another belter from the brilliant Marshall’s proved to be our top gross valued steer when he checked in at £2378 with his stable mates completing our top valued bullock medal winners. Some excellent heifer values were apparent with regular sellers Messrs Suddes, Hirst and Hodgson along with the magnificent Marshall’s all well over £2000 however something special waited in the wings; an absolutely stunning red roan Limousin crossed heifer from J L Marks, Gilly Flatts, Bishopton tipped the scales to 772kg and sold for 340ppk and a brilliant £2624. See below some of the day’s top averages.
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 Heifers to average 334ppk and £2038
J E Jordon & Son, Morpeth sold 3 Heifers to average 332ppk and £1887
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 Heifers to average 332ppk and £1887
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 4 Heifers to average 326ppk and £1822
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 Heifers to average 322ppk and £1938
R Hirst, Neasham sold 17 Heifers to average 319ppk and £1819
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 3 Steers to average 317ppk and £2306
Steers – Top prices ppk 328 318 306 I Marshall & Sons. 311 JE Suddes & Son. 299 LR Welsh & Co. 298 RO Gilson. 298 291 285×2 284 275 261 257 253 249 JR Raine & Sons. 280 FJ Young & Partners. 270 AJ Marr & Son. 259 253 M Ord & Sons. 245 T Watson. 241 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Steers £2378 £2309 £2230 I Marshall & Sons. £2097 £2059 £2043 £1979 £1955 £1868 £1854 £1727 £1661 JR Raine & Sons. £2087 LR Welsh & Co. £1875 JE Suddes & Son. £1856 RO Gilson. £1746 AJ Marr & Sons. £1722 FJ Young & Partners. £1554 M Ord. £1499 GS Dowson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 350 345 323 320 I Marshall & Sons. 344 339 317 JE Jordon & Son. 342 340 327 300 WJ Smith & Partners. 340 JL Marks. 340 316 308 305 300 JV&JA Hodgson. 339 333 330 329 328 325 322 321 319 316 315 314 R Hirst. 336 329 JB Luck & Son. 334×2 324 JE Suddes & Son. 329 AJ Marr & Son. 312 310 302 WF Hustwit. 311 301 A Swinbank. 310 306 305 TW Clark & Son. 308 305 RO Gilson. 305 LR Welsh & Co. 301 GH Farms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2624 JL Marks. £2170 £2077 £1917 JE Suddes & Son. £2152 £2072 £2006 £1999 £1918 £1893 £1860 £1833 R Hirst. £2072 £2051 £2026 £2023 £2022 £1948 £1928 £1872 JV&JA Hodgson. £2063 £2058 £2044 £1989 I Marshall & Sons. £2012 A Swinbank. £2011 £1985 TW Clark & Son. £1982WJ Smith & Partners. £1970 RO Gilson. £1940 £1882 £1849 £1823 £1822 WF Hustwit. £1932 31867 £1864 JE Jordon & Son. £1918 £1855 JB Luck & Son.
New Season Lambs (33) – A scattering of springers sold well given their mixed origins, hardly a Texel or Beltex in sight and still an average of £135 per head was achieved. Top prices went to East Mellwaters Farm at 340ppk and W A Wardman Ltd who reached £170.
Spring Lambs – Top prices ppk 340 327 East Mellwaters. 334 298 285 WA Wardman Ltd. 328 307 PK&HC Dowson. 319 312 Mortar Pit Farm. 293 AR Breeze.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs £170 £137 £120 WA Wardman Ltd. £150 3131 Mortar Pit Farm. £138 £126 PK&HC Dowson. £136 £131 East Mellwaters. £135 AR Breeze.
Prime Hoggs (1010) – It always seemed unlikely that the trade this week could realistically hurdle the high bar set seven days ago, it certainly did its best to hang on to the coattails of it however as a pretty average show of quality saw trade stay strong. As always weighed 100% straight today’s hoggs averaged 287ppk with an SQQ average of 303ppk. It was a super day’s trading for C A & J G Skidmore of Needless Hall Farm, Toronto as they their Beltex hoggs led the prices per kilo and pounds per head when they sold 39kg hoggs at 400ppk and 45kg at £176. A run of super heavy Texels from Nottinghamshire’s P R Weaver ran the closest race when selling for £175 and £168 twice. The hill breeds were again well represented with Cheviots to £137 from W Burton, Ettersgill; Blackface to £120 from P Turnbull, Commondale and Swaledales to £107 from J J M Lonsdale, Rookhope whilst the pick of today’s Mule hoggs came from J L Gill & Son, Appleton Wiske at £130.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 400 391 359 322 CA&JG Skidmore. 361 351 340 320 T H Richardson & Son. 345 JL Gill & Son. 344 341 333×2 331 326 321 319 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 342 333 TN Callender. 338 306 TK Smith & Sons. 334 331 324 N&MJ Parkin. 331 329 313 PR&V Barlow & Son. 331 327 325 GE Raw. 330 WH Brown. 325 308 AS&G Donaldson. 325 314 A Crowder. 324 315 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 322 A Graham. 322 GF Whitfield. 321 W Kirk & Sons. 320 Josh Burton. 318 315 CM Cameron. 317 K&MM Henderson. 316 306 JH&D Wise. 314 PR Weaver.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £176 £158 £156 £154 CA&JG Skidmore. £175 £168×2 £167 £166 £158 PR Weaver. £167 £162 N&MJ Parkin. £167 £160 K&MM Henderson. £165×2 £160 £159 £152×2 AC Simpson & Son. £163 £160 £156 I Kirk. £160 £155 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £160 Josh Burton. £159 JL Gill & Son. £159 TW Clark & Son. £159 R Wade & Son. £156×2 P Bisby. £156 £154 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £155 WR Thompson. £155 C Dawson. £155 £154 WA Richardson Ltd. £154 A Crowder.
Cast Ewes & Rams (476) – The ewes bound along nicely, in contrast to the hoggs they look perhaps even a shade dearer on the week. The Nottinghamshire consignors sent up the aces in today’s pack with excellent Texel’s from P R Weaver reaching a credible £220 and £200 however even they could get nowhere near a superstar from P R & V Barlow & Son which flew all the way to £300. Mule ewe trade topped at £130 with Cheviots to £119 and Swaledales £79, best of the tup trade was had by a hefty lad from Fishburn philosopher Ian Curry at a pleasing £172.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £300 PR&V Barlow & Son. £220 £200 £168 £150 £145 £140×2 PR Weaver. £178 £134 WM Reed & Sons. £175 £155 £150 £140 £132 WA Wardman Ltd. £172 I Curry. £170 £142 £140 JV&JA Hodgson. £170×2 £156 £155 AS&G Donaldson. £164 R Valks. £155 TH Richardson & Son. £155 I Kirk. £150 JA Gilson. £150 GE Raw. £150 JK&CE Farming. £146 W Kirk & Sons. £143 C Dawson. £142 £140 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £140 S Coote. £140 IR Appleton. £140 K&MM Henderson. £140 JL Gill & Son. £140 C&M Burnett.
Prime Pigs (3) – Just the three industrious little pork choppy chaps today, one carrying straw, one wood and the smartest had bricks with him!
Pigs – Top prices ppk 120 110 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £138 £121 £83 C Weightman.
