Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 12th September 2024. Forward were 204 cattle and 1877 sheep.
101 Prime Bulls sold to 339ppk or £2665
35 Prime Steers sold to 342ppk or £2566
66 Prime Heifers sold to 373ppk or £2443
2 Cast Cattle sold to 154ppk or £954
1609 Prime Lambs sold to 374ppk or £161
268 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £242
Prime Bulls (101) – More forward, the best bulls in mesmerising form with four over 330ppk and another half dozen over 320ppk not to mention sixteen over £2400 leaving the whole sale averaging 282ppk and £1991. Top per kilo at 339 pence was a wonderful 622kg Limousin from GK, KN & GJ Hird of Meadow View, Richmond; close behind followed a super sort from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm at 336ppk before more Meadow View magic at 333ppk and a brilliant 797kg Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange at 332ppk. The leading seven all sold over £2500 and despite that exclusive club including four from Messrs W A Fettes, Braes of Enzie the Aberdeenshire firm had to settle for third place with their Charolais at £2590. Second spot went to the super Limousin from the Matten family mentioned above at £2646 whilst our winner on the week was another travelling firm who bulldozed their way over Hadrian’s wall; congratulations go to R M Adam & Son, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar topping at £2665 with their 874kg Limousin. Native breeds topped at 296ppk from DA & MAM Brown, Agglethorpe Hall and an impressive £2127 from P & E Roger, Templeford, Aberdeen whilst Friesians sold to 241ppk thrice and £1923 from MA & PD Foster, Smithy House Farm, Great Smeaton. See below the list of top performers on the week.
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Richmond sold 3 to average 333ppk and £2203
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 321ppk and £2568
J Layfield, Willington sold 5 to average 318ppk and £2318
C Harle & Sons, Durham sold 2 to average 311ppk and £2131
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 310ppk and £2377
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 4 to average 310ppk and £2341
Messrs W A Fettes, Aberdeenshire sold 6 to average 294ppk and £2539
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 339 333 328 GK KN & GJ Hird. 336 328 319×2 295 J Layfield. 332 320 312 JA Matten & Sons. 321 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 320 318 314 290 D Richardson & Co. 315 313 296 293 Messrs WA Fettes. 314 308 C Harle & Sons. 311 309 LS Staley. 310 298 294 290×2 P&E Roger. 307 JK&CE Farming. 305 RM Adam & Son. 300 J Norman. 299 S Luck. 292 290 ER&GI Younger. 291 JA&A Herbert. 288 DH Lawson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2665 RM Adam & Son. £2646 £2585 £2474 JA Matten & Sons. £2590 £2572×2 £2520 £2499 £2484 Messrs WA Fettes. £2492 £220 P&E Roger. £2447 £2308 LS Staley. £2443 £2418 £2345 £2224 £2160 J Layfield. £2435 £2408 £2350 £2172 D Richardson & Co. £2310 £2096 £2090 ER&GI Younger. £2302 S Luck & Son. £2274 JC&P Tallentire. £2269 £2231 £2108 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2267 C Harle & Sons. £2148 £2119 CH&SE Armstrong.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 241×3 MA&PD Foster. 239 220 GW Dobson. 198 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1923 £1783 £1720 MA&PD Foster. £1572 £1471 GW Dobson & Son. £1273 JK&CE Farming.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 296 293 275 DA&MAM Brown. 289 281 265 R Hall & Son. 275 267 264 262 260 259 250 JA&A Herbert. 262 250 238 CH&SE Armstrong. 248 P&E Roger.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2127 P&E Roger. £1849 £1842 £1804 CH&ES Armstrong. £1834 £1774 £1725 R Hall & Son. £1767 £1678 £1666 DA&MAM Brown. £1760 £1754 £1728 £1723 £1717 £1677 £1595 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (101) – Another week setting the bar high as the clean beef trade in Darlington flew once again, some great cattle led to some absolutely astronomical prices today to leave the steers averaging 314ppk and £1974 whilst the apocalyptic heifers all in levelled at 332ppk and £1963. Eight hot heifers sold in the 360’s and could each have topped on an ordinary day, five of these came from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange with two from R Hirst, Neasham Grange and one for M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm however they were all scuppered by a Scottish superstar. So, to our leader per kilo, Christmas show quality came early as a stunning black Limousin cross heifer weighing 622kg from Messrs WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie sold for a terrific 373 pence per kilo. M & G Chantrell Ltd of Flash Farm, Leicestershire ran riot in the steer race per kilo with their smart handy weight Limousin’s topping at 342ppk with others to 339 and 338ppk on a day which saw over half of the bullocks break 320ppk. Moving on to the gross values and further accolades are apparent for the fine feeding of the flying Fettes family who sold three steers over £2300 to a top of £2566 and five heifers over £2300 to a top of £2443. Look below at some insane averages from a remarkable day’s trading.
Heifers
JV & JA Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 11 to average 349ppk and £2040
Messrs WA Fettes, Buckie sold 6 to average347ppk and £2335
R Hirst, Neasham sold 13 to average 345ppk and £1942
N E Dyson, Masham sold 3 to average 343ppk and £2121
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 6 to average 342ppk and £1831
Steers
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 14 to average 325ppk and £1908
P & N Tattersall, York sold 2 to average 317ppk and £1923
Taylor Bros, Richmond sold 4 to average 314ppk and £1800
GG Stevenson & Son, Saltburn sold 4 to average 311ppk and £2061
Messrs WA Fettes, Buckie sold 3 to average 296ppk and £2438
Steers – Top prices ppk 342 339 338 333 330 329 328 327×2 324 322 319 307 300 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 335 308 293 288 A&MJ Chantrell Ltd. 330 322 309 299 Taylor Bros. 324 310 P&N Tattersall. 324 TN Callender. 324 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 322 318 310 298 GG Stevenson & Son. 320 NE Dyson. 298 297 295 Messrs WA Fettes.
Lead Grossing Steers £2566 £2433 £2315 Messrs WA Fettes. £2143 £2098 £2031 £1972 GG Stevenson & Son. £2109 £2078 £2062 £2050 £1987 £1874×2 £1867 £1841 £1837 £1818 £1816 £1779 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2080 £1980 £1964 £1936 A&MJ Henshaw. £2073 NE Dyson. £2028 TN Callender. £2025 P&N Tattersall. £1931 PJ&MP Gilhespy.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 373 349×3 346 324 Messrs WA Fettes. 369 364 352 349 348 347 344×2 343 339 R Hirst. 368×2 367 365 364 355 337 335 334x2JV&JA Hodgson. 365 352 347 338 327 323 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 355 345 338 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 349 TN Callender. 347 344 339 NE Dyson. 335 318 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 334 323 P&N Tattersall. 333 321 320 319 WF Hustwit. 329 R Appleton. 320 318 J&EM Lawson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2443 £2394 £2324 £2320 £2303 £2228 Messrs WA Fettes. £2323 RM Adam & Son. £2216 £2190 £2174 £2090 £2087 £2040 JV&JA Hodgson. £2200 £2144 £2019 NE Dyson. £2158 £2007 £1923 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2131 £1891 £1847 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2125 £2073 £2031 £2014 £1996 £1981 R Hirst. £2085 £2060 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2083 WF Hustwit. £2055 TN Callender. £2024 £1921 P&N Tattersall.
Prime Lambs (1609) – Trade very similar with prices rallying well given some of the doom and gloom reported in places over previous days, the weighed straight average was down slightly on paper to 284ppk and £131.29 however a mixed show in general would be every bit of five or ten pence poorer than last week’s offering. A pair of Dutch Spotted and Blue Texel lambs led the way from Humbleton Farms, Darlington when the tidy 43kg sorts sold for £161 and 374ppk; a two-way tie occurred for second place pence per kilo between P J Tindale, Preston Tilery and D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor Farm with Double O Commercials up from Lincolnshire also in the reckoning. Gross values for the smarter heavy lambs were often £150 to £160 as thirty-nine pens fell in to this bracket, five vendors who made it to £160 were B & J Bainbridge, A C Simpson & Son, A Crowder, D & P H Brown and G W Whittington Livestock.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 374 Humbleton Farm. 337 332 300 PJ Tindale. 337 DG&PD Ayre. 335 327 322 320 313 308 O Chapman. 331 306 D&HM Hodgson. 326 311×2 304 300 JV&JA Hodgson. 320 318 317 311 310 304 298 AWSM Farms. 317 304 K&PM Lough. 313 B&J Bainbridge. 312 306 W&M Knaggs & Son. 306 WR Thompson. 306 M&A Gaskin. 306 JR&J Crowe. 306 298 Anna Herbert. 304 JM&S Walton. 302 JD Brannen. 300 RG McNeal. 300 D&PH Brown. 300 298×2 JC Thwaite & Son. 300 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Lambs £161 Humbleton Farm. £160 £148 B&J Bainbridge. £160×2 £155×3 £150×3 AC Simpson & Son. £160 £154 £150 A Crowder. £160 £150 £149 D&PH Brown. £160 £152 Whittington. £157×2 £156×2 £153 £152×2 AWSM Farms. £156 D&HM Hodgson. £156 £155 WR Thompson. £155 £150 Anna Herbert. £154 £151 O Chapman. £152 £147 M&A Gaskin. £150 JV&JA Hodgson. £150 W&M Knaggs & Son. £150 PJ Tindale. £150×2 £149×2 £148×2 JC Thwaite & Son. £150 J Hird. £150 JA&A Herbert. 150 N Edmondson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (268) – Some resistance continues to creep in to the ewe trade however it remains most respectable for September to average £88.73. Top of the day was a wonderful pure Texel from M Dent, Mowbray House, Frosterley when selling for £242, behind her the heavy continental ewes are typically now selling between £120 and £150. Mule ewes can still climb nicely in to three figures if they are heavy enough and topped at £118 from W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm whereas hill ewe trade topped at £75 for Blackface and £64 for Herdwick’s.
£242 £172 M Dent. £182 £100 £92 WH Brown. £150 R Thompson. £140 £133 £120 W Kirk & Sons. £135 £110 JV&JA Hodgson. £130 x2 £124 £103 £90 G Thompson & Sons. £127 £121 £94 AWSM Farms. £124 £104 JK Gill & Son. £124 R Wharton & L Nelson. £121 M&A Gaskin. £120 £100 x2 JD Brannen. £118 £93 WR Thompson. £107 £106 £92 A Crowder. £106 JC Thwaite & Son. £100 JW&DW Laing. £96 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £90 A Kelly. £85 AW Sanderson. £84 S Thompson & Son.
