Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 16th February 2023. Forward were 239 Cattle and 2351 Sheep.
57 Prime Bulls sold to 328ppk or £2661
30 Prime Steers sold to 324ppk or £2231
152 Prime Heifers sold to 339ppk or £2382
2029 Prime Hoggs sold to 323ppk or £155
322 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (57) – Bull trade remains excellent, best end suckler bred bulls equal to last week’s great trade whilst the dairy breeds and crosses look even firmer, the sale averaged £1830 per head and 269ppk. The top price per kilo of 328 pence went to T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall, Carlisle with a superb 741kg British Blue; next in line at 324ppk was a smart Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with yet another Cumbrian challenger P J & E S Rogerson, Maison Gill completing our top three. Two super bulls sold over £2600 this week, our runner up was another from the superb pen of Messrs Simpson, McNeil Farm however it proved to be a brilliant British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm, Easington which claimed the bragging rights when at 22-months-old and 934kg he amassed a value of £2661. A superb Aberdeen Angus from A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford led the native breed bulls today when he impressed at 280ppk and £2226 whilst a very fast Friesian trade was headed by J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge at 249ppk and also G W Dobson & Son, Wood Close Farm at £1679. Below sit some of our day’s top averages.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 to average 316ppk and £2398
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 6 to average 315ppk and £2137
P J & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 4 to average 306ppk and £2116
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 to average 290ppk and £2104
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 318 315 314 313 304 TN&J Hall. 324 317 310 AC Simpson & Son. 319 317 305 284 PJ&ES Rogerson. 311 306 288 281×2 AG Watson & Sons. 303 270 268 262 TW Clark & Son. 288 277 265 258 GH Farms Ltd. 287 282 270 259 JK&CE Farming. 285 P Weightman & Sons. 268 R Hall & Son. 256 249 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 240 Lupton. 240 235 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2661 P Weightman & Sons. £2625 £2466 £2102 AC Simpson & Son. £2430 £2362 £2228 £2068 £1896 £1805 TN&J Hall. £2306 £2114 £2107 £1936 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2251 £2136 £2079 £1986 £1946 AG Watson & Sons. £2168 R Hall & Son. £2045 £2020 £1957 £1881 TW Clark & Son. £2017 £1993 £1984 £1774 JK&CE Farming. £1804 JE&B Morgan & Son. £1718 £1693 GH Farms Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 249 JK&CE Farming. 244 227 R Hall & Son. 229×2 J Pallister & Sons. 227 217 GW Dobson & Son. 222 205 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 218 285 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1679 £1589 GW Dobson & Son. £1629 £1546 R Hall & Son. £1606 JK&CE Farming. £1545 £1532 J Pallister & Sons. £1414 £1215 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1249 £1063 JA&A Herbert.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 280 AG Watson & Sons. 257 247 D Walker. 248 247 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 235 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 234 Lupton.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2226 AG Watson & Sons. £1943 £1666 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1870 £1435 D Walker. £1677 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £1614 Lupton.
Clean Cattle (182) – Quantity up but overall quality down this week, trade arguably a smidgen less on last week’s barnstormer but still remaining very good as the steers averaged 287ppk, heifers 289ppk with them all levelling up at £1709. Over seventy cattle sold in the 300’s with an impressive nineteen beyond £2000; best of all per kilo at 339 pence underlining a great day for the Cumbrian crusaders T N & J Hall of Ainstable Hall was a sweet 541kg Limousin heifer, just adrift at 336ppk came regular seller Brian Walker, Birch Springs with Sadberge based W & M Knaggs & Son at 335ppk completing the heifer top three. Leading the steer section per kilo was again a Limousin, this one a terrific 614kg example from the consistent Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton selling for 324 pence; just tuppence separated four vendors in the steer race battling for the silver and bronze medals. Some grand old gross values this week saw the team from Low Leam of W J Scott Ltd top the steers at £2231 with a brilliant homebred 759kg British Blue just ahead of Barker Farming Partnership and G C & J C Pullan, Tunstall. The best however was yet to come as a sensational 32-month-old Limousin heifer once again from Barker Farming tipped the scales to 842kg and realised a wonderful £2382, the super run from Scorton saw them sell our top four gross valued heifers which is indeed a great achievement with 148 other heifers for company. As is customary a list of the leading averages follows.
Steers
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 6 to average 310ppk and £2043
G C & J C Pullan, Richmond sold 3 to average 300ppk and £1936
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 7 to average 296ppk and £2020
J B & N Harrison & Sons, Lanchester sold 2 to average 293ppk and £2062
Heifers
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 4 to average 327ppk and £1864
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 323ppk and £1801
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 314ppk and £1837
A & D Proctor, Swarland sold 2 to average 313ppk and £1732
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 2 to average 313ppk and £1716
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 4 to average 310ppk and £2186
Steers – Top prices ppk 324 315 308 306×3 Barker Farming Partnership. 316 299 298×2 296 294 274 WJ Scott Ltd. 315 P&N Tattersall. 314 293×2 GC&JC Pullan. 311 Askwiths. 305 284 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 286 274 JE Suddes & Son. 286 EW Grieves. 280 277 DK Barker.
Lead Grossing Steers £2231 £2124 £2098 £2035 £1924 £1879 £1850 WJ Scott Ltd. £2145 £2086 £2038 £2004 £1993 £1989 Barker Farming Partnership. £2125 £2015 £1667 GC&JC Pullan. £2095 £2028 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £1969 £1901 DK Barker. £1893 £1776 JE Suddes & Son. £1831 Askwiths. £1820 P&N Tattersall. £1570 EW Grieves. £1540 A&MJ Henshaw.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 339 333 321 318 TN&J Hall. 336 315 B Walker. 335 W&M Knaggs & Son. 333 332 318 317 312 WA Armstrong. 330 325 314 Barker Farming Partnership. 330 JH&M&NW Brown. 328 322 320 JE Suddes & Son. 328 318 316 JV&JA Hodgson. 324 K&A Harker. 324 312 AJ Marr & Son. 323 313 M Robinson & Sons. 323 321 317 316 314 311 R Hirst. 319 T&DI Allen & Son. 317 F&JS Gargett. 315 308 CW Gray. 314 N White. 314 312 A&D Proctor. 314 DK Barker. 312 306 S&J Dent & Son. 311 TN Callender.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2382 £2158 £2132 £2072 Barker Farming Partnership. £2032 £1845 £1833 TN&J Hall. £2013 £2009 £1938 £1930×2 £1928 £1919 JV&JA Hodgson. £1979 £1967 £1955 £1862 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1962 PI Harker. £1942 B Walker. £1934 AJ Marr. £1934 DK Barker. £1933 F&JS Gargett. £1928 £1914 £1892 WA Armstrong. £1928 £1880 £1870 £1854 CW Gray. £1919 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1909 S&J Dent & Son. £1876 £1838 JE Suddes & Son. £1872 P&N Tattersall. £1869 K&A Harker.
Prime Hoggs (2029) – Trade a touch easier, on paper down seven pence per kilo from a week ago however almost 200 Swaledale and Blackface hoggs in this week’s mix somewhat distort that figure; as always weighed 100% straight today’s sale then levelled up at 235ppk. Broadly speaking it was the 42-46kg hoggs proving the easiest to move and this was never more apparent than when selling a great run of Beltex crossed hoggs from Ponteland’s Michael and Jamie Gilhespy; the father and son team ran away with the leading three prices per kilo today reaching a top price of 323 pence. Two separate caravan park proprietors chased the Gilhespy’s closest as Beltex from the Lamb’s of Doe Park, Cotherstone and British Rouge from the Teasdale’s of Beadlam Rigg, Pockley each turned out some great sheep. Retribution came quickly for Mark Simpson of McNeil Farm after a near miss at topping the bulls earlier when his heavyweight hoggs quite simply couldn’t be beat, the powerhouses sold to a top of £155; best of the rest were the on-song Gilhespy’s and marauding Midlander P R Weaver of Newark.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 323 304×2 288 265 262 261 251 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 300 W.K M.M Lamb. 297 269 262 255 IE&A Teasdale. 295 258 257 TH Richardson & Son. 288 260 P&CM Graham. 287 273 262 DR Wise Ltd. 275 269 WA Wardman Ltd. 275 270 SC Brown. 274 256 254×2 G Thompson & Sons. 269 WE Frank & Son. 266 R Errington & Son. 264 PR Weaver. 263 255 JL Gill & Son. 263 255 AS Whitfield. 262 WH Brown. 262 JK&CE Farming. 258 W Kirk & Sons. 253 J Thompson & Sons. 253 J Waters.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £155 £145 £139 £138 £136 £134 £133.50 £133 £132×2 £131 £136×2 £130×2 £127.50 AC Simpson & Son. £140 £136 £134 £127 £123 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £140 £122.50 £121 PR Weaver. £132 JR Knox & Son. £131.50 £131 G Thompson & Sons. £131 £126.50 J&A Layfield. £130 £129 £125 TH Richardson. £130×2 P&CM Graham. £129 WA Wardman Ltd. £128 K Hall. £126 DR Wise Ltd. £126 WB Mitchell & Sons. £126 £120 AS Whitfield. £126 W Denham. £125 IE&A Teasdale. £124 R Wood & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (322) – Some heavy ewes this week and trade again creeping upwards as the average rose to £90, best of all some incredible ladies from Lealholm were a quintet of exceptional pure Texel ewes from F R & A L Lyth, Mount Pleasant Farm, they duly reached £200. Over forty Mule ewes sold over £100 which included a hefty pair from D M McClurg, North Bitchburn at £118 with ten from K Hall, West Butsfield just £2 behind. Super Swaledale’s from N White, Marrick led the horned sheep trade at £66.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £200 x2 FR&AL Lyth. £140 £110 RE&L Frank. £140 R Wood & Son. £140 £128 x2 £106 WA Wardman LTD. £140 JL Gill & Son. £138 £125 £120 £94 WB Mitchell & Sons. £138 £112 D&PH Brown. £130 JC&A Hutchinson. £130 W Denham. £124 £118 £90 DM McClurg. £120 £114 £110 £92 £90 PR&V Barlow & Sons. £120 x2 £92 WH Brown. £120 £115 K Hall. £120 £102 £91 N White. £118 £102 £85 G Sedgewick. £110 £104 £95 RO Gilson. £106 RD&D Elders & Son. £105 £100 £94 GP&A Carter. £104 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £104 £90 R Errington & Son. £102 JR Knox & Son. £100 £90 GC&JC Pullan. £96 DW Robinson. £96 FW Hodgson & Son. £95 £90 MW Cook & Son. £94 GH&RG Stobbs. £90 TW Clark & Son.
