Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 18th July 2024. Forward were 192 cattle and 1572 sheep.
60 Prime Bulls sold to 325ppk or £2909
19 Prime Steers sold to 310ppk or £2188
113 Prime Heifers sold to 341ppk or £2181
1 OTM sold for 204ppk and £1152
1421 Prime Lambs sold to 373ppk or £171
151 Cast Sheep sold to £146
Prime Bulls (60) – A sharper bull trade this week saw the whole show average 265ppk and £1920 per head, a brilliant top end mixed with an increased offering of native’s which on the whole had plenty of flesh about them. The top fifteen bulls all sold over 300 pence per kilo, best of the bunch at an impressive 325 pence was a wonderful 726kg British Blue from the Renton family at High Highlaws, Morpeth; a credible second spot at 319 pence went to the Hird’s of Meadow View, Richmond as they and the reliable Renton’s claimed the top five spots between them. On to the gross values and the day brought about fabulous returns for T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall as they produced four of the top five prices with a brilliant best of £2909 for their 973kg British Blue bull; the red-hot Renton’s placed second at £2807 with a Limousin ahead of the remaining three Hall stunners which were each comfortably over £2500. As mentioned, a host of natives were in attendance, tops went to the Hereford breed with G & S Dowson, Whitby at 264ppk and Pockley based I E & A C Teasdale top of the gross valued natives at £1891. Below are a few of the leading lights in the bull ring.
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Richmond sold 3 to average 313ppk and £2128
D H Lawson, Leyburn sold 2 to average 310ppk and £2313
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 5 to average 305ppk and £2460
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 4 to average 302ppk and £2684
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 325 317×2 307 275 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 319 314 309 GK KN & GJ Hird. 314 266 JK&CE Farming. 313 308 DH Lawson. 311 306 299 295 TN&J Hall. 303 299 260 F&JS Gargett. 301 AR Keith. 300 267 DW Humphrey. 268 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 265 261 FS Sturrock. 256 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2909 £2653 £2615 £2560 TN&J Hall. £2807 £2393 £2391 £2359 £2352 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2392 £2193 £2147 F&JS Gargett. £2366 £2260 DH Lawson. £2276 JK&CE Farming. £2169 £2141 £2073 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2159 £2085 £2012 SH Watson & Son. £2149 AR Keith. £2103 DW Humphrey. £2021 CH&SE Armstrong.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 264 259 248 GS Dowson. 256 247 236 229 JA&A Herbert. 255 254 SN Bird & Sons. 233 FS Sturrock & Sons. 230 228 225 222 CH&SE Armstrong. 207 IE&AC Teasdale.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1891 IE&AC Teasdale. £1807 £1648 £1631 £1584 CH&SE Armstrong. £1762 £1686 SN Bird & Sons. £1523 £1450 GS Dowson. £1507 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1482 £1477 £1348 JA&A Herbert.
OTM – Top prices ppk 204 J Murray.
Lead Grossing OTM £1152 J Murray.
Clean Cattle (132) – Trade a touch easier on the week, some stunners in the top tier were levelled by a plainer bottom end leaving the averages harder to read in real terms with heifers at 294ppk and the steers 268ppk. The top fifteen heifers all reached at least 330ppk however just the two toppled 340ppk; second best at exactly 340ppk was a sweet Charolais from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton however pipping her by a penny was a stunning 586kg red Limousin from the regular selling R Hirst, Neasham Grange. A three-way dead heat in the steer standings per kilo this week at 310ppk, all were Limousin’s with two hailing from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House Farm and the other from the Askwith’s of Low Mown Meadows. Seven brides for seven brothers in the gross value races this week as the top septet in both steers and heifers sold over £2000. The Askwith’s won by a whisker in the steers at £2188 with the Marshall pen just adrift at £2180 followed by Ripon’s N E Dyson at £2137. Cumbrian raiders P J & E S Rogerson, Maison Gill topped the heifer gross values with an excellent British Blue at £2181, two Charolais followed as Barker Farming Partnership reached £2101 and N E Dyson picked up another bronze medal at £2059. Below are some of the days top averages.
Heifers
Barker Partnership, Scorton sold 12 to average 329ppk and £1923
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 329ppk and £1806
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 to average 323ppk and £1841
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 316ppk and £1883
R Hirst, Neasham sold 12 to average 316ppk and £1759
Steers
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 3 to average 309ppk and £2140
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 309ppk and £2067
N E Dyson, Ripon sold 3 to average 274ppk and £2094
Steers – Top prices ppk 310×2 308 I Marshall & Sons. 310 309 Askwiths. 309 WA Armstrong. 300 G&JY Marshall. 289 274 261 NE Dyson. 274 JM Smith. 268 WA Wardman Ltd. 236 234 D Walker. 231 225 223 P Metcalfe.
Lead Grossing Steers £2188 £1946 Askwiths. £2180 £2123 £2117 I Marshall & Sons. £2137 £2106 £2038 NE Dyson. £1882 JM Smith. £1798 WA Armstrong. £1746 £1702 £1669 P Metcalfe. £1572 G&JY Marshall.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 341 337 333 328 322 318 R Hirst. 340 339 337 331 330×2 329 327 324×2 Barker Farming Partnership. 336 334 319×2 318 JV&JA Hodgson. 334 332 324 JE Suddes & Son. 332 330 327×2 324 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 329×2 321 318 WF Hustwit. 326 324 320 WA Armstrong. 323 WA Wardman Ltd. 321 G&JY Marshall. 319 GH Farms. 317 A Swinbank & Son. 316 Askwiths. 314 PJ&ES Rogerson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2181 £1924 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2101 £2020 £1999 £1969 £1957 £1950 £1907 Barker Farming Partnership. £2059 NE Dyson. £2033 £1990 £1956 £1928 £1920 JV&JA Hodgson. £2022 A Swinbank. £1999 £1981 £1905 CH&SE Armstrong. £1998 £1954 £1934 R Hirst. £1938 £1886 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1892 JE Suddes & Son. £1882 JM Smith. £1877 £1869 £1868 £1865 £1845 WF Hustwit.
Prime Lambs (1421) – The lamb trade holds firm as still numbers remain tighter on the year with the unforgiving Spring still putting things back by three of four weeks. Plenty of lean meat on offer as the grass-fed lambs are now appearing, those from the hopper with weight on their side continue to claim all the top prices. As always, weighed straight today’s sale averaged 311ppk and £134 per head which sits a healthy 45ppk and £22 per head up on this week in both 2022 and 2023. W & M Knaggs & Son of Sadberge produced a terrific run and with it came the top three prices per kilo as a pair of 45kg sold at 373 pence followed by ten 44kg at 363 pence and eight more the same weight at 361 pence. Plenty of vendors followed in the 350’s as the better bred and better fed were in plenty of demand from start to finish. Top of the gross values was a real peeler of a Texel lamb from F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle weighing 50kg and selling for £171, close behind at £170 was an excellent British Rouge from I E & A C Teasdale, Pockley with then four vendors at £168 including the aforementioned Knaggs and Gargett’s plus W K M M Lamb, Cotherstone and W A Wardman, Yearby. Fourteen further pens sold between £160 and £167 with stacks more in the £150’s and high £140’s.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £171 £168 £163 £158 £156 £150 F&JS Gargett. £170 £160 £158 £156 IE&AC Teasdale. £168 £160 £159 W&M Knaggs & Son. £168 WKMM Lamb. £168 WA Wardman LTD. £167 £158 A&R Breeze. £167 £162 £159 Cole Hill Farm LTD. £166 £146 J Hird. £166 £160 £158 £146 C Wise. £164 £154 £152.50 £147 JR Knox & Son. £164 £160 MJ Blacklidge. £162 D&HM Hodgson. £160 £146 P Tindale. £160 GF Whitfield. £160 £159.50 £152 K&PM Lough. £158 £149 D&PH Brown. £158 £147 £146 JV&JA Hodgson. £158 £148 I&A Holmes. £158 F Shield. £157.50 £151 M&A Gaskin. £154 A Jameson. £152 £150 DR Smith. £152 DM McClurg. £152 L&S Barker. £152 Duell Partners. £148 JG Hall. £148 Wytherstone Farm. £148 J Pallister & Sons. £148 P&CM Graham. £146 JA&A Herbert. £146 P Medd & ME Dowson.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 373 363 361 W&M Knaggs & Son. 359 330 C Wise. 359 344 334 333 I&A Holmes. £357 351 347 341 333 JV&JA Hodgson. 356 GP Addison. 356 JR Knox & Son. 356 350 347 346 344 336 328 P Tindale. 355 GF Whitfield. 354 346 342 x2 336 F&JS Gargett. 352 348 P&CM Graham. 350 334 WA Wardman LTD. 348 MJ Blacklidge. 348 347 341 339 337 335 x2 332 326 JA&A Herbert. 348 DR Smith. 348 339 329 A&R Breeze. 347 337 Cole Hill Farm LTD. 347 Bridie Fisk. 345 J Hird. 345 C Wise. 342 WKMM Lamb. 340 J Pallister & Sons. 331 D&PH Brown. 329 F Shield. 328 BR&RI Routledge. 328 C Binks & Son. 328 M&A Gaskin. 328 I Hedley.
Cast Sheep (151) – Again a light show of numbers, trade improved to see them all in average £98 with a below par bottom end thrown in. Top of the day at £146 was a strong Texel ewe from J G Hall, Middlefield Farm, six other vendors sold within £6 of the top. Fit Mule ewes this week sold typically £110 to £120 and the breed averaged £98 as they too appeared easier to sell.
Cast Sheep – £146 £132 J G Hall. £145 £124 £123 Bridie Fisk. £144 £121 D & P H Brown. £142 B R & R I Routledge. £140 C Binks & Son. £140 J R & J Crowe. £134 £132 £131 J A & A Herbert. £130 J Thompson. £130 D & H M Hodgson. £130 J F Henry. £129 Swalebank Farms Ltd. £126 I E & A C Teasdale. £126 £124(x2) B R & R I Routledge. £120 I Hedley.
