Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 5th March 2026. Forward were 194 cattle and 1671 sheep.
51 Prime Bulls sold to 448ppk or £4161
41 Prime Steers sold to 476ppk or £3448
101 Prime Heifers sold to 494ppk or £3627
1 Cast Cow sold for 296ppk and £2267
1610 Prime Hoggs sold to 455ppk or £230
61 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £274
Prime Bulls (51) – The bull trade was bouncing, heavies in high demand as the bigger the better proved to be the order of the day, two passed £4000 and almost half climbed to 400ppk and beyond. Top per kilo at 448 pence was a cracking 789kg Limousin from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm, four following in the 440’s included another Limousin from Nackshivan plus three British Blondes; one from F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm and a monumental duo from JJ Horn, Bushy Park. Gross values, hold on to your hashbrown’s as the brilliant British Blonde bulls from JJ Horn both sold over £4000, the biggest of the pair at 933kg reached a magnificent £4161. Other big money bulls came from SH Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm with two over £3500 plus the aforementioned Layfield bull at £3534, a fleshy sort from local producers JR Knox & Son at £3527 and a strong Limousin from the far travelled P & E Roger, Templeford, Aberdeenshire at £3566.
Bulls- Top Averages PPK
JJ Horn sold 2 (921kg) Average 443ppk
J Layfield sold 5 (765kg) Average 437ppk
JR Knox & Son sold 2 (792kg) Average 433ppk
F&JS Gargett sold 3 (736kg) Average 428ppk
Bulls- Lead Grossing Top Averages
JJ Horn sold 2 (921kg) Average £4084
SH Watson & Son sold 2 (881kg) Average £3621
JR Knox & Son sold 2 (792kg) Average £3431
LS Staley sold 2 (812kg) Average £3397
Bulls- Top Prices PPK 448 443 438 431 429 J Layfield. 446 441 JJ Horn. 440 430 417 F&JS Gargett. 436 A&D Proctor. 435 431 JR Knox & Son435 402 LS Staley. 430 417 415 408 C Harle & Sons. 426 397 SH Watson & Son. 409 394 390 P&E Roger. 406 R Leiper & Co. 400 391 PM Bradley & Bros. 394 ER&GI Younger.
Lead Grossing Bulls- £4161 £4008 JJ Horn. £3672 £3569 SH Watson & Son. £3566 £3474 £3018 P&E Roger. £3534 £3468 £3292 £3245 £3226 J Layfield. £3527 £3335 JR Knox & Son. £3458 £3336 LS Staley. £3426 A&D Proctor. £3302 £3134 £3027 F&JS Gargett. £3085 R Leiper & Co. £2935 £2750 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2733 PM Bradley & Bros. £2731 £2730 C Harle & Sons.
Clean Cattle (142) – Credit to the vendors as some expertly finished cattle this week arrived from Orkney, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire all the way down through the closer counties to Nottinghamshire to satisfy our keen ringside of buyers. The live ring continues to thoroughly embarrass the lowly deadweight options; a hot heifer trade would be every bit as good on the week to see them average 423ppk and £2628 whilst the steers look ten to twenty pence dearer to level at a terrific 418ppk and an enormous £2924. No doubting the run of the day came from S & JE Andrew, Letter Farm, Loch of Lowes; the Perthshire outfit secured joint top spot in the heifers per kilo at 494 pence with a stunning 633kg Limousin plus top spot in the steers per kilo with a 601kg Limousin at 476 pence. Not finished there the flying Scottish feeders and breeders took top gross valued steer with an 833kg cracker at £3448 and also the top grossing heifer with a fantastic 834kg OTM at a huge £3627. Back to the pence per kilo races, joint top spot at 494 pence went to WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House with a 619kg Limousin heifer on a day which saw the top thirty all reach at least 450 pence and only thirty fail to reach 400ppk. Thirteen heifers and sixteen steers sold over £3000, another twenty-three heifers and nine steers sold between £2800 and £3000. No age limit, no weight cap, no waiting list and many more are needed, sell live and thrive.
Clean- Top Averages PPK
AC Simpson & Son sold 3 (614kg) Average 459ppk
WJ&AS Bowes & Sons sold 4 (601kg) Average 453ppk
S&JE Andrew sold 13 (730kg) Average 445ppk
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (611kg) Average 442ppk
Clean- Lead Grossing Top Averages
S&JE Andrew sold 13 (730kg) Average £3252
CW Paterson sold 5 (782kg) Average £3117
AG Watson & Sons sold 4 (723kg) Average £3054
Messrs WA Fettes sold 8 (710kg) Average £3038
Steers- Top Prices PPK 476 470 462 458 448 439 x2 415 414 S&JE Andrew. 450 440 438 422 408 TN Callender. 448 424 PR&V Barlow. 444 438 414 413 Askwiths. 434 429 420 406 AG Watson & Sons. 423 416 CW Paterson. 418 411 408 WR Thompson. 416 SW Thompson. 402 J Gracey.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3448 £3389 £3279 £3243 £3225 £3210 £3152 £3095 £2860 S&JE Andrew. £3427 £3116 £2908 £2764 AG Watson & Sons. £3294 £3026 £2833 £2819 Askwiths. £3269 £3199 £3069 £3061 £2988 CW Paterson. £2941 £2929 £2807 £2789 TN Callender. £2912 £2730 NE Dyson. £2817 GS Eggleston. £2741 SW Thompson. £2725 WR Thompson.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 494 476 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 494 450 435 S&JE Andrew. 480 446 432 JE Suddes & Son. 476 469 AC Simpson & Son. 473 450 NE Dyson. 473 470 446 441 440 R Hirst. 470 460 456 448 440 x2 438 W Miller. 464 J Gracey. 462 440 435 JV&JA Hodgson. 460 456 TW Clark & Son. 460 457 456 454 432 Messrs WA Fettes. 458 435 B Walker. 456 432 PR&V Barlow & Son. 444 439 TC Walton. 438 A&D Proctor. 433 AC Simpson & Son. 432 SW Thompson.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3627 £3315 £3307 £3127 S&JE Andrew. £3279 £3187 £3176 £3100 £3040 £2877 £2832 £2812 Messrs WA Fettes. £3084 £3057 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £3061 £2912 £2761 £2752 TC Walton. £3034 £2989 £2984 J Gracey. £2979 £2974 NE Dyson. £2969 A&D Proctor. £2960 £2893 AC Simpson & Son. £2950 £2843 £2730 TW Clark & Son. £2854 £2697 JE Suddes & Son. £2764 WR Thompson. £2749 £2739 £2679 JV&JA Hodgson. £2747 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2704 SW Thompson.
Prime Hoggs (1610) – Somebody lit the blue touch paper under the hogg trade, scintillating scenes as trade jumped significantly to see a weighed straight sale average of 371ppk and £176.38 with an SQQ of 396ppk. From the top of Beadlam Rigg, Pockley to the top of the price list went the Rouge crossed hoggs of IE & AC Teasdale, High Farm. Top per kilo, a superb 49kg Routex hogg at 455 pence (£223), top in the lump was a thumping Rouge X Suffolk hogg at 74kg and £230. Following the High Farm heroics were smart Texel hoggs from RL & AR Phillips, Firtrees Farm with 49kg at 455 pence (£223) and 49kg again at 453 pence (£222). Nottinghamshire’s PR Weaver, Little Manor Farm showed an excellent run of Texel hoggs to top at £219.50 as travelled vendors and locals alike enjoyed a super days trading. Away from the mainstream meat breeds and mention must go a really well finished fifty-two Blackface from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm which averaged 374ppk and £180.90 whilst seventy-seven Hill Cheviot, Easycare and Shetland grass fed lightweights from A Tindale, Paradise Farm looked remarkably well sold to average (36kg) 394ppk and £143.25. All hoggs are included in the averages, from some very ordinary sweepings up to the above-mentioned superstars, all are welcome and numbers are needed weekly to fill buyer demand, no weight off on the bridge and no waiting on the docks.
Hoggs Lead Averages PPK
H Haywood & Son Ltd sold 33 (38kg) Average 411ppk
PR & V Barlow & Sons sold 55 (46kg) Average 405ppk
JH & D Wise sold 51 (39kg) Average 403ppk
TA Greensit & Sons sold 40 (44kg) Average 401ppk
Hoggs- Lead Grossing Averages
IE&AC Teasdale sold 27 (56kg) Average £200
JK&CE Farming sold 9 (63kg) Average £199
EA Martin & Son sold 30 (53kg) Average £195
J&A Layfield sold 50 (53kg) Average £194
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 455 IE&AC Teasdale. 454 453 393 RL&AR Phillips. 434 407 404 391 GW Whittington Livestock. 434 413 392 390 PR Weaver. 434 422 416 403 397 TA Greensit & Sons. 433 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 429 402 397 JH&D Wise. 429 JA&B Nappey. 422 402 RH Wilson & Son. 420 417 J&A Layfield. 419 405 402 H Haywood & Son Ltd. 417 CS Robinson. 415 392 EA Martin & Son. 415 414 412 405 PR&V Barlow & Son. 414 C Dawson. 411 Mark Robson. 410 PR Weaver. 409 WKMM Lamb. 408 Jess Stewart. 408 402 400 392 388 x2 Anthony Tindale. 397 x2 WE Frank & Son. 396 GP&A Carter. 394 392 R Herbert. 391 Scott Farming. 388 K&M Elders & Son. 388 W Kirk & Sons. 388 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £230 £223 £217 £216 £213 £199 £190 x2 IE&AC Teasdale. £222 £200 x3 £196 £194 RL&AR Phillips. £219.50 £206 x3 £200 £190 x2 PR Weaver. £209 £203 £199 £193 JK&CE Farming. £207 R Herbert. £205 £200 x2 £192 £191 EA Martin & Son. £205 Scott Farming. £203 £200 £190 D&PH Brown. £202 £200 £197 £196 x2 £190 J&A Layfield. £199 £192 R Wood & Son. £198 GM Blair & Partners. £196 WL Robinson & Partners. £196 x2 A Crowder. £195 Mark Robson. £194 £192 JR Knox & Son. £193 x2 £192 £191 CA Mottram & Sons. £192 RH Wilson & Son. £191 PR&V Barlow & Son. £191 £190.50 C Dawson. £191 £190 TA Greensit & Sons.
Cast Ewes/Rams (61) – Ewes and rams absolutely off the clock to average all in an incredible £197.41. Having read about the Teasdale family’s Rouge in the hoggs the same Beadlam Rigg based firm stole a march on the ewes as well, four pure Rouge ewes led the day at £274 just in front of a pure Tup at £272. Suffolk ewes sold to a top of £250, Mule ewes to £176 and Texel’s to £260 as the good, the bad and the ugly all found todays trade to be an absolute flyer.
Cast Ewes- £274 £272 £266 £250 £242 IE&AC Teasdale. £260 £242 £234 £176 DWT Davies. £252 £230 JR&J Crowe. £240 £160 WKMM Lamb. £236 £196 £192 £186 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £210 £200 £160 C Wise. £188 GM Blair & Partners. £180 £176 JA&B Nappey. £174 £150 D&PH Brown.
