Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 12th February 2026. Forward were 294 cattle and 1551 sheep.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 434ppk or £3801
48 Prime Steers sold to 456ppk and £3318
172 Prime Heifers sold to 498ppk and £3375
1437 Prime Hoggs sold to 400ppk or £189
114 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £272
Prime Bulls (74) – A shortage of the superstar suckler bred bulls this week but some nice meat amongst the plentiful R and O+ grades, the best bulls continued at recent strong levels whilst the first dairy crosses would be 10-12ppk dearer on the week to leave a sale average of 372ppk and £2614. Safe to say that some stunners stood out at the top with a trio over 430ppk and a quality quintet beyond £3500. Topping per kilo at 434 pence was a lovely 732kg Limousin from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm; the same good home followed at 432ppk ahead of an incredible British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm at 430ppk. The wonderful Weightman bull was our top gross value on the day, having tipped the scales to 884kg he totted up to a remarkable £3801. More bright news for the British Blondes followed on the gross value list as a pair of thumping bulls weighing over 900kg from JJ Horn, Bushy Park sold for £3729 and £3702. Leading the native bred bulls was the popular Aberdeen Angus, top per kilo at 380 pence was a well-fed sort from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm whilst top price in the lump went back north of the border to E Scott, Linross at £2941. Friesians were in good form, tops went to the Armstrong’s of Middle Moor Farm at 344ppk and to MA & PD Foster, Smithy House Farm at £2328.
Bulls- Top Averages PPK
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (760kg) Average 429ppk
P Weightman & Sons sold 2 (839kg) Average 428ppk
C Harle & Sons sold 3 (671kg) Average 401ppk
JJ Horn sold 2 (938kg) Average 395ppk
Bulls- Top Lead Grossing Averages
JJ Horn sold 2 (938kg) Average £3716
P Weightman & Sons sold 2 (839kg) Average £3595
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (760kg) Average £3263
E Scott sold 8 (780kg) Average £2776
Continental Bulls- Top Prices PPK 434 432 426 425 AC Simpson & Son. 430 427 P Weightman & Sons. 425 W&M Knaggs & Son. 416 412 JR Tiplady. 415 402 386 C Harle & Sons. 404 398 394 386 CH&SE Armstrong. 402 383 E Scott. 402 400 397 395 394 393 P&E Roger. 399 393 JJ Horn. 397 BJ Haigh. 390 JR Knox & Son. 386 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls- £3801 £3390 P Weightman & Sons. £3279 £3702 JJ Horn. £3557 £3344 £3176 £2976 AC Simpson & Son. £3422 £3179 £3045 £2860 £2731 P&E Roger. £2934 £2849 E Scott. £2973 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2827 JR Knox & Son. £2826 £2665 C Harle & Sons. £2808 JA&A Herbert. £2733 £2723 £2714 £2667 JR Tiplady. £2727 CH&SE Armstrong.
Native Bulls- Top Prices PPK 390 380 376 CH&SE Armstrong. 376 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls- £2941 £2864 £2758 £2645 £2620 E Scott. £2731 Mayfield Beef. £2688 R Hall & Son. £2621 P&E Roger.
Clean Cattle (220) – Big numbers forward with cattle from Aberdeenshire to Northamptonshire and most places in-between; as the deadweight play games, the live ring gains, thank you to all vendors and buyers for their continued and invaluable support. Trade remains strong throughout, some of the superstar heifers are arguably dearer with the rest certainly continuing to match recent high levels. Less weight on offer saw the heifers average 412ppk and £2486 with the steers 390ppk and £2470. Forty cattle passed 450ppk, of these four fabulous heifers sold in the 490’s and ten more chipped in beyond 480ppk. With the Calcutta cup looming the expected strong challenge from north of the border came from the consistent WM Fleming, Moss Tower, Kelso who sold cracking heifers to a top of 491ppk, three excellent English sorts however ensured that today’s result in DfAM practically predicts the future at Murrayfield on Saturday. Top price at 498ppk was a wonderful 570kg British Blonde heifer from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam; following at 496ppk came a beautiful 624kg Parthenais from R Hirst, Neasham Grange with the next in line at 494ppk a terrific British Blue from team Low Leam. The top two steers per kilo were a pair of delicious Limousin’s from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows, Crook, each weighing just shy of 700kg they sold for 456ppk and 451ppk. The leading twenty-one clean cattle sold over £3000, none bettered a lovely Leicestershire Limousin as a superb 34-month-old 785kg Limousin from M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm set the pace at £3375. Top of the steers this week was a super sort from F & R Simpson, Square House as the pick from this excellent home, a 794kg Limousin, sold for £3318. Three more selling over £3200 included another Simpson special plus an excellent heifer from the Hirst’s of Neasham and a second strong girl from the charging Chantrell’s of Leicester.
Clean- Top Averages PPK
W Miller sold 9 (559kg) Average 466ppk
R Hirst sold 11 (644kg) Average 461ppk
WM Fleming sold 7 (569kg) Average 459ppk
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (617kg) Average 459ppk
Clean- Top Lead Grossing Averages
F&R Simpson sold 4 (774kg) Average £3226
R Hirst sold 11 (644kg) Average £2974
SH Watson & Son sold 2 (657kg) Average £2907
AJ Dickie sold 4 (746kg) Average £2904
Steers- Top Prices PPK 456 451 Askwiths. 444 400 JM Smith. 438 x2 424 WJ Scott Ltd. 433 JR&B Anderson & Son. 432 426 406 402 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 428 418 414 407 F&R Simpson. 412 J Davis. 407 AJ Dickie. 405 TJ Dennis. 402 DL&D Lovegreen.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3318 £3248 £3174 £3162 F&R Simpson. £3164 £3134 Askwiths. £3113 £3093 £2681 AJ Dickie. £3026 £2917 £2654 WJ Scott Ltd. £2997 TJ Dennis. £2673 £2584 £2468 £2439 JM Smith. £2658 £2590 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2593 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2568 J Davis. £2477 JB Bell & Son. £2443 FJ Young & Partners.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 498 494 468 452 448 WJ Scott Ltd. 496 480 480 474 468 x2 466 445 R Hirst. 491 489 480 460 WM Fleming. 486 484 480 478 468 454 450 448 x2 W Miller. 484 452 PJ&ES Rogerson. 480 456 452 x2 JE Suddes & Son. 480 475 460 448 JV&JA Hodgson. 478 B Walker. 473 456 449 Robert Neill & Partners. 470 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 466 JM&S Walton. 459 450 F&JS Gargett. 458 TJ Dennis. 447 SH Watson & Son. 446 WA Richardson Ltd. 445 A&MJ Henshaw.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3375 £3217 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £3220 £3095 £3088 £3081 £3013 £2977 £2976 £2904 £2851 £2759 £2751 R Hirst. £3155 £2860 £2777 £2708 A&MJ Henshaw. £3096 £2850 £2838 £2803 WJ Scott Ltd. £3082 £2983 £2704 JE Suddes & Son. £3067 TJ Dennis. £3008 £2807 SH Watson & Son. £2979 £2939 WA Richardson Ltd. £2942 £2883 £2744 JV&JA Hodgson. £2921 £2916 £2730 TW Clark & Son. £2921 £2797 £2793 WM Fleming. £2891 £2809 Robert Neill & Partners. £2820 B Walker. £2785 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £2736 £2734 W Miller. £2730 JM&S Walton. £2729 AJ Dickie. £2727 F&JS Gargett. £2715 PJ&ES Rogerson.
Prime Hoggs (1437) – The rejuvenated hogg trade continues, a shade less than last week but given the seriously sodden offering the weighed straight sale averages of 319ppk and £151.87 (SQQ 335ppk) looked pleasing enough. Top per kilo at 400 pence (£176) was a smart 44kg Beltex hogg from WKMM Lamb, Doe Park; following next were a tidy trio of 42kg Beltex from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill before a smart quartet from TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth. On to the gross values and £170 plus remains readily available for the biggest and the best. Leicestershire led the way when a cracking Beltex tup lamb from DR & RL Burns, Lodge Farm sold for the day’s best of £189, the motoring Midland based firm also followed next at £184 with JK & CE Farming, Blue House farm chasing at £181.
Leading Averages
DR & RL Burns (63kg) £186.50
J Stevenson (62kg) £172.00
JK & CE Farming (56kg) £167.00
CA Mottram & Sons (53kg) £166.32
JR Knox & Son (55kg) £165.63
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 400 373 367 348 344 WKMM Lamb. 388 363 W Ramsay & Sons. 382 360 x2 352 TA Greensit & Sons. 381 366 365 343 JH&D Wise. 375 347 RO Gilson. 374 R Tiplady & Son. 373 J Pallister & Sons. 365 x2 P Langstaff. 357 350 347 GW Whittington Livestock. 353 345 G Sedgewick. 346 340 P Hutchinson. 344 341 C Dawson. 343 H Haywood & Son Ltd. 342 x2 Andrew Davenport.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £189 £184 DR&RL Burns. £181 JK&CE Farming. £176 £168 £165 JH&D Wise. £176 £168 WKMM Lamb. £175 Andrew Davenport. £173.50 £171 £163.50 GW Whittington Livestock. £172 Jacob Stevenson. £171 £170 £167 £164 x2 J&A Layfield. £171 £167 G Sedgewick. £170 W Ramsay & Sons. £170 £169.50 £169 £166.50 £165 CA Mottram & Sons. £170 £165 R Wood & Son. £170 £165 JR Knox & Son. £169 £166 RO Gilson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (114) – A light show, trade simply sensational to average all in a brilliant £153.03. Burns night is celebrated on 25th January but there is no doubt that today was Burns day in DfAM; following their top spot in the hoggs a cracking run of Texel ewes from DR & RL Burns topped proceedings reaching £272 on three occasions, the same great home followed at £240 and averaged £212 (16 sold) on a day which saw the heavy lowland ewes sailing to £200 and beyond time and time again. A fine trio from D & PH Brown, Cordilleras Farm led the Mule ewe prices when they sold for £166.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £272 x3 £240 £210 £150 DR&RL Burns. £234 Jacob Stevenson. £222 £140 WKMM Lamb. £218 £200 I&A Holmes. £216 D Newman. £210 £206 £166 D&PH Brown. £200 JC Simpson. £198 £150 J&A Layfield. £194 Alison Devereux. £194 RO Gilson. £190 £150 G Hall. £150 JK&CE Farming. £150 Anna Herbert.
