Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 2nd March 2023. Forward were 190 Cattle, 2335 Sheep and 18 Pigs.
58 Prime Bulls sold to 338ppk or £2725
30 Prime Steers sold to 329ppk or £2324
102 Prime Heifers sold to 335ppk or £2468
1911 Prime Hoggs sold to 357ppk or £158
424 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £270
17 Prime Pigs sold to 130ppk or £100
1 Cast Sow sold for 40ppk and £91
Prime Bulls (58) – Less numbers and on the whole less quality found the bull buyers with their foot pressed hard on the accelerator as this week’s offering averaged 272ppk and £1830. Sixteen bulls sold over 300ppk and seventeen beyond £2000, nobody could catch the wonderful weekly consignment of Limousin bulls from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm as the best from this home rocketed to 338ppk and £2710 with a bigger in the same pen a fantastic £2725. Great bulls from A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford also impressed selling three times in the 320’s whilst our three other high flying vendors selling over £2500 were L S Staley, J J Horn and an unusual foray in to the Limousin world from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall. Friesian trade is flying and a brilliant top price this week of £1821 went to J K Gregory, Hett Village whilst the top price per kilo at 258 pence was reassurance for all that despite their continental crusade the Hall’s of Kilton Hall are still hard to beat with a black and white. Below are some of the top averages.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 320ppk and £2565
J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 to average 320ppk and £2334
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 312ppk and £2468
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 to average 306ppk and £2198
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 4 to average 303ppk and £1779
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 338 324 314 308 AC Simpson & Son. 326 324 321 308 305 AG Watson & Sons. 323 319 JJ Horn. 318 307 LS Staley. 315 300 299×2 WI Suddes & Son. 314 R Hall & Son. 291 285 C Binks & Son. 294 266 TW Clark & Son. 280 254 JK&CE Farming. 268 260 254 JK Gregory. 265 257 EA Martin & Son. 263 WE&CA Anderson. 254 Rigel Pedigree. 250×2 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2725 £2710 £2461 £2361 AC Simpson & Son. £2555 R Hall & Son. £2524 £2413 LS Staley. £2504 £2164 JJ Horn. £2327 £2241 £2223 £2190 £2177 £2030 AG Watson & Sons. £2170 £1938 C Binks & Son. £2013 £1833 TW Clark & Son. £1971 £1930 EA Martin & Son. £1920 £1775 JK&CE Farming. £1911 £1776 £1764 WI Suddes & Son. £1820 £1803 Rigel Pedigree.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 258 251 R Hall & Son. 254 JK Gregory. 246 JK&CE Farming. 235×3 231 230×2 229 225 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1821 JK Gregory. £1661 £1563 R Hall & Son. £1594 JK&CE Farming. £1580 £1435 £1386×2 £1383 £1323 £1280 £1238 JM&S Walton.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 245 224 A Layfield. 235 226 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1545 £1538 A Layfield. £1410 £1358 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (132) – The clean beef gift just keeps on giving, another absolute flyer this week as more than two thirds sold over 300 pence resulting in the heifers averaging a brilliant 302ppk with steers not far adrift at 296ppk. Top price per kilo of 335 pence went to Coxhoe’s Wayne Armstrong with a sweet 577kg Limousin, a further half dozen broke the 330 barrier as another from Wayne’s world was joined by a pair from Robin and Imogen Hirst, Neasham; one from the Heslop’s of Fishburn and a perfect pair both well over 600kg from the consistent Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton. No doubting the top steer per kilo as the super Scorton firm sold a stunning 682kg Limousin for 329 pence, closest behind came a cracker from the Scott’s of Low Leam with the Barker pen turning out the next four on our succesful steer list. Great gross values are a given-on days like these and some twenty-one superstars sold over £2000; a highly commendable effort from the team at Low Leam as they sold steers to £2141 and heifers to £2156 however there was no stopping the Scorton sorcerers who sold all but one of their dozen beast beyond £2000 with top prices of £2324 for a 722kg Limousin steer and a massive £2468 for a 769kg Charolais heifer. Some splendid returns on the list below.
Steers
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 7 to average 317ppk and £2156
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 8 to average 306ppk and £2042
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 2 to average 304ppk and £1986
T N Callender, Stockton sold 2 to average 298ppk and £1909
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 3 to average 297ppk and £1862
Heifers
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 5 to average 322ppk and £2184
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 317ppk and £1881
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 to average 316ppk and £2101
K & J Heslop, Fishburn sold 4 to average 3145ppk and £1798
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 314ppk and £1760
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 to average 313ppk and £1858
P & J H Davison, Morley sold 4 to average 310ppk and £1780
Steers – Top prices ppk 329 322 318×3 313 300 Barker Farming Partnership. 324 316 312 309 308 305×2 275 WJ Scott Ltd. 314 296 JE Suddes & Son. 308 WA Armstrong. 308 294 290 M Robinson & Sons. 303 293 TN Callender. 275 GW&L Marsay.
Lead Grossing Steers £2324 £2243 £2222 £2133 £2111 £2100 £1956 Barker Farming Partnership. £2141 £2122 £2059 £2055 £2008 £1987 £1984 £1976 WJ Scott Ltd. £2006 £1965 JE Suddes & Son. £1978 £1840 TN Callender. £1971 WA Armstrong. £1931 £1838 £1818 M Robinson & Sons. £1701 Askwiths.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 335 334 319 318 314×2 313 312 WA Armstrong. 334 333 328 327 317 R Hirst. 333 314×2 K&J Heslop. 330×2 328 321 Barker Farming Partnership. 329 315×2 313 310 JV&JA Hodgson. 327 326 314 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 326 322 317 J Layfield. 325 F&JS Gargett. 325 316 JE Suddes & Son. 325 315 WJ Smith & Partners. 323 320 WJ Scott Ltd. 323 310 WI Suddes & Son. 318 P&JH Davison. 317 Askwiths. 314 P&JH Davison. 313 JJ Kemp & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2468 £2217 £2158 £2019 Barker Farming Partnership. £2156 £2134 £2012 WJ Scott Ltd. £2044 JE Suddes & Son. £1977 £1934 £1906 £1899 £1897 £1893 £1890 £1884 £1872 JV&JA Hodgson. £1970 £1925 WI Suddes & Son. £1937 £1924 £1857 £1847 JJ Kemp & Son. £1933 F&JS Gargett. £1932 £1917 £1892 WA Armstrong. £1929 £1905 £1894 £1823 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1914 £1896 K&J Heslop. £1877 WR Thompson. £1858 £1854 J Layfield. £1843 £1823 R Hirst. £1825 Askwiths. £1823 £1806 P&JH Davison.
Prime Hoggs (1911) – Handy weights and extreme shapes much dearer; a lot of Mule bred and also heavy sheep forward left a weighed absolutely straight sale averaging 226ppk with an SQQ average of 241ppk. Top price per kilo went to a pair of 42kg Beltex from W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby at 357 pence, closest challenger were the excellent Beltex crossed Texel’s of A S Whitfield, High Castledene with Rouge lambs from Ian & Ailsa Teasdale, Pockley also in the top price per kilo mix. The brilliant Beltex of William Wardman went close to doing the double when peaking at £157 however were pipped by a pound by a classy pair of Texel hoggs right out of the very heart of Hexham country and the fine feeding of Richard Ridley, Dipton Foot. Swaledale hoggs topped at £90 from R Nattrass & Sons, Daddry Shield whilst Scottish Blackface sold over £100 from Commondale’s L W Martin.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 357 352 327 308 WA Wardman Ltd. 352 324 297 295 285 281 277 255 249 AS Whitfield. 339 268 265 IE&A Teasdale. 329 266 JH&D Wise. 311 300 250 RG&G Rutter. 303 275 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 295 JK&CE Farming. 291 AE Newton. 278 P Armstrong. 277 JR Knox & Son. 274 268 TH Richardson & Son. 270 256 255 250 J&A Layfield. 268 EA Martin & Son. 268 JK&CE Farming. 262 GF Whitfield. 261 DA Burn. 261 KA&V Armstrong. 260 247 R Errington & Son. 256 A Layfield. 254 252PR&V Barlow & Son. 254 Wytherstone Farm. 252 M&RJ Hall. 252 J Waters.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £158 £146 £132 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £157 £155 £150 £148 WA Wardman Ltd. £148 £146 £138 £134 £130 £125 £124 £122×2 AS Whitfield. £140 £135×2 £134 £132 £131 £130×2 £129 £126 £125 £124 AC Simpson & Son. £139 £126 IE&A Teasdale. £138 £137 RG&G Rutter. £138 £135 £126 £125×2 J&A Layfield. £137 TH Richardson & Son. £137 £130×2 EA Martin & Son. £135 JH&D Wise. £134 AE Newton. £129 TK Smith & Sons. £127 £125 Wytherstone Farm. £126 D&PH Brown. £125 £124 JR Knox & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (424) – The trade for the best ewes is beginning to boil, bidding surpassed £200 on seven occasions largely thanks to some absolutely incredible Texel’s from Nottinghamshire’s Phil Weaver. The outstanding ewes from this good home saw a perfect pair top at £270 with others at £240 and £220, another marauding Midlander Peter Barlow joined in at £230 whilst T H Richardson & Son, Low Moor Hill and W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby held the local challenge up the highest at £200. Mule ewes sold comfortably over £100 if heavy enough and fit horned ewes sold to a best of £68 from the Wilson’s of Calf Close, Easington.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £270 £240 £220 £200 £175 £160 £150×2 £130 £120 PR Weaver. £230 £180 £140 £110 £108 PR Weaver. £200 £150×2 TH Richardson & Son. £200 £170 £165 £145 £130×2 £128 £110×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £160 £138 £110 £105 JR&M Richardson. £155 £150 £135 JC Simpson. £140 A Wilson. £128 £113 JH Johnson. £126 £108 M&RJ Hall. £125 £110 DR Smith. £120 D&PH Brown. £118 J Atkinson. £112 R Errington & Son. £110 I Marshall & Sons. £110×2 £108 Allison Devereux. £105 £100 A Tindale.
Pigs (18) – After a three week hiatus one could be forgiven for thinking that we had given the selling of pigs up for Lent; oh ye of little faith, this week we were practically inundated with our little pink pals. It was almost Pigmageddon revisited.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 130 120 J Mitchell & Son. 130 120 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £100 £97 C Weightman. £98 £92 J Mitchell & Son.
