Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 17th August 2023. Forward were 194 Cattle, 2040 Sheep and 7 Pigs.
79 Prime Bulls sold to 308ppk or £2390
33 Prime Steers sold to 330ppk or £2115
81 Prime Heifers sold to 341ppk or £2044
1 Cast Bull sold for 167ppk and £1858
1499 Prime Lambs sold to 335ppk or £165
541 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £220
7 Prime Pigs sold to 200ppk or £187
Prime Bulls (78) – A noticeably livelier bull trade this week left a sale average of 260 pence per kilo and £1872 per head. Two bulls shared the top price per kilo as wonderful Limousin’s from both S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm and Messrs Renton, High Highlaws each sold for 308ppk, nine other bulls sold over 290ppk with a baker’s dozen in the next bracket 280-289ppk. A remarkable thirty-one bulls sold over £2000, fine efforts from regular sellers A G Watson & Sons and D Richardson & Co plus a hefty Charolais from E Scott all the way from Forfar all fell short of catching the reliable Renton’s who’s superb 816kg British Blue claimed top spot selling for £2390. Nicest of the native breeds on the day were Aberdeen Angus as A G Watson & Sons gain a second mention reaching 250ppk whilst a thumping 41-month-old from W T Morrison, South Bogbain Farm, Keith led the gross valued natives at a superb £2116. A rare foray in to feeding Friesian’s gain an unprecedented third mention in as many sentences for A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange as they claimed the top spot selling for 240ppk and £1557. Below are some of the days hottest pen averages.
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 2 to average 300ppk and £1994
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 8 to average 283ppk and £2078
N White, Marrick sold 9 to average 278ppk and £1925
F W Hodgson & Son, Staindrop sold 3 to average 278ppk and £1845
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 276ppk and £2165
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 9 to average 270ppk and £2022
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 308 296 293 290 285×2 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 308 291 S&J Dent & Son. 294 JK&CE Farming. 293×2 289 285 274 AG Watson & Sons. 291 284×4 278 272 270 N White. 290 289 266 JJ Kemp & Son. 288 GA Mackie. 285 279 271 FW Hodgson & Son. 280 WT Morrison Farms. 280 273 LS Staley. 277 274 273 265 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 275 265 E Scott. 270 264 DH Lawson. 269 260 SH Watson & Son. 259 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 259 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2390 £2268 £2148 £2095 £2045 £1997 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2297 £2250 £2157 £2106 £2002 £1948 AG Watson & Sons. £2290 £2191 £2176 £2173 £2142 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2288 E Scott. £2202 S&J Dent & Son. £2197 £2030 £1951 £1940 JJ Kemp & Son. £2194 £2136 LS Staley. £2181 JK&CE Farming. £2147 WT Morrison Farms. £2095 £2065 £2039 £1948 £1942 N white. £2069 £2009 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 240 AG Watson & Sons. 227 JK&CE Farming. 223 R Hall & Son. 196 191 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1557 AG Watson & Sons. £1524 £1385 JM&S Walton. £1358 R Hall & Son. £1323 JK&CE Farming.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 250 AG Watson & Sons. 248 229 E Scott. 243 225 R Hall & Son. 198 JF Mitchell. 197 184 WT Morrison.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2116 £1954 WT Morrison. £2030 AG Watson & Sons. £1853 JF Mitchell. £1636 £1515 E Scott. £1477 £1458 R Hall & Son.
Clean Cattle (114) – An excellent trade again, well finished cattle every bit as good on the week, arguably even dearer; by no means a fancy show of heifers averaged 293ppk with a tidy offering of steers levelling at 278ppk and the whole shooting match well over £1700 apiece. Top per kilo at 341 pence was a superb 541kg Limousin heifer from regular sellers J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington; joint second place at 338ppk were local producers Messrs Askwith, Crook and the far travelled J & J P Sim of Brechin. A fabulous forty-one heifers and eleven steers sold over 300 pence this week, pick of the steers was a stunning 640kg Limousin from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton at 330 pence with his closest rivals in the 320’s also hailing from the Scorton based feeders. Some grand old gross values as a dozen cattle passed £2000, amazingly ten of the twelve came from the brilliant Barker Farming with heifers to £2044 and steers to £2115, the other two sellers in the £2k club were the aforementioned Messrs Sim and Hodgson. Below are some of the days leading contenders.
Steers
W J Smith & Partners sold 4 to average 304ppk and £1734
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 8 to average 303ppk and £2030
W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby sold 5 to average 303ppk and £1733
Heifers
J & J P Sim, Brechin sold 10 to average 323ppk and £1901
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 4 to average 319ppk and £2022
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 315ppk and £1826
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 313ppk and £1768
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 309ppk and £1632
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 302ppk and £1858
Steers – Top prices ppk 330 328 321 316 289 287×2 280 Barker Farming Partnership. 319 309 304 285 WJ Smith & Partners. 315 313 309 295 285 WA Wardman Ltd. 308 B Walker. 298 GC&KJ White & Son. 285 DL&D Lovegreen. 270 Askwiths. 264 TN Callender.
Lead Grossing Steers £2115 £2112 £2092 £2057 £2024 £2013 £1942 £1888 Barker Farming Partnership. £1893 £1861 £1815 £1721 WA Wardman Ltd. £1887 TN Callender. £1804 £1792 £1741 £1598 WJ Smith & Partners. £1776 £1612 Askwiths. £1767 B Walker. £1734 GC&KJ White & Son. £1684 DL&D Lovegreen.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 341 329 321 319 307 306 303 299 297 JV&JA Hodgson. 338 Askwiths. 338 337 332 330 329 325 318×2 309 306 J&JP Sim. 335 320 315 308 Barker Farming Partnership. 334 325 318 316 315 311 304 300 R Hirst. 328 306 303 JH&M&NW Brown. 328 313 308 299 295 WF Hustwit. 324v TN Callender. 320 317 B Walker. 315 303 299 A&MJ Henshaw. 293 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2044 £2028 £2010 £2008 Barker Farming Partnership. £2016 £1958 £1936 £1906 £1887 £1875 £1850 £1844 £1838 JV&JA Hodgson. £2010 £1977 £1968 £1952 £1949 £1897 31885 J&JP Sim. £1940 £1917 £1901 £1829 A&MJ Henshaw. £1938 £1937 £1874 £1864 WF Hustwit. £1927 WE&CA Anderson. £1889 £1820 B Walker. £1860 E Scott. £1850 A Swinbank & Son. £1796 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Prime Lambs (1499) – Best shapes and heavy weights continue in good form, a leaner bottom end harder to shift with some lambs easily worth more in the store ring; this week’s weighed straight sale average returned at 268ppk. Top price per kilo at 335 pence was a superb Texel lamb from P Cockburn, Heighington weighing 48kg and reaching £161, just a penny adrift at 334ppk (49kg & £164) were a fine pair of Beltex from G & E Walton, Hurworth. The Hurworth duo were bridesmaids again in the gross value standings when a cracking 53kg Texel from I Burn & Sons, Stamfordham pipped them at the post selling for £165. Plenty of lambs North of £140 and heaps in the £130’s but make no mistake we are at that time of year when the coin lies in the loin, thick tops make better chops.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 335 P Cockburn. 334 302 297 295 G&E Walton. 333 311×2 291 I Burn & Sons. 330 300 292 HT Davies & Partners. 329 306 K&PM Lough. 328 320 302 F&JS Gargett. 327 317 307 Whittington. 318 309 W.K M.M Lamb. 314 WA Dinsdale & Son. 313 D&JA Teasdale. 312 309 297 PJ Tindale. 311 300 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 309 F Stobbs. 307 JE Stobbs & Son. 304 A&R Breeze. 301 D&PH Brown. 300×3 297 295 292×2 JA&A Herbert. 300 Ivan Walker. 297 HM&JS Hutchinson. 297 295 BR&R Routledge. 296 293 D Barron. 292 DG&PD Ayre.
Lead Grossing Lambs £165 £160 £137 I Burn & Sons. £164 £133 G&E Walton. £161 £130 P Cockburn. £157 JE Stobbs & Son. £157 £155 £150 £130 D&PH Brown. £157 £144 D Barron. £151.50 £138 K&PM Lough. £150 K Liversedge. £148 £141 £133 F&JS Gargett. £146 JC Thwaite & Son. £145 £136 C Moralee & Sons. £144 JK Gill & Son. £143 £141 Whittington. £140 £136 W.K M.M Lamb. £140 HM&JS Hutchinson. £140 JE Cruddas. £139 CA&JG Skidmore. £138 £131 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £138×2 MJ Blacklidge. £138 Forster Hall & Son. £138 £135 Ivan Walker.
Cast Ewes & Rams (541) – Ewes full of flesh continue to rumble along very nicely indeed, in similar fashion to the lambs some of the leaner types if they are healthy and straight could make every bit as much through the store ring. Top of the tree was an excellent Beltex ewe from T N Callender, Ox Eye Farm when she sold for £220, next in line with a smart pair of Texel’s at just seven and nine years of age were the ‘keen as mustard’ young Davies sisters from Houghton Grange claiming £200 apiece for their good ewes. Tups topped at £170 for a fit trio of Texels’ shown by Messrs Cruddas, Esh whilst the top fifty Mule ewes all passed £100; Blackface sold to £80 with Swaledale’s to a top of £70 on the day.
Leading Gross Cast Sheep – £220 £180 £170 £150 £122 £115 TN Callender. £200 S&S Davies. £180 £119 MR Madrell. £170 £140 £120 £117 £116 E Cruddas & Son. £152 £136 £125 £124 J&A Layfield. £150 £121 M Navazi. £134 £130 £122 £106 G Thompson & Sons. £130 JE Stobbs & Son. £130 £110 M Toas. £127 £111 IR Appleton. £125 x2 GW Whittington Livestock. £125 £114 £110 JA&A Herbert. £124 William Tindale. £120 DG&PD Ayre. £120 HT Davies & Partners. £120 SM Donaldson. £116 G Gall. £115 £102 D&PH Brown. £112 GF Whitfield. £110 L&S Barker. £109 A&R Breeze. £108 S Beeforth. £106 x2 J&MJ Walton. £104 WA Stephenson. £103 GP&A Carter.
Prime Pigs (7) – Pig prices soaring. The Lionesses will hopefully win on Sunday as I’ve already ordered my bar snacks to watch the match, on this pig trade the pork scratchings could prove to be a rather significant investment. Good luck ladies.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 200 185 170 150×2 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £187 £180 £177 £144 £138 C Weightman.
