Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 31st August 2023. Forward were 157 Cattle, 2334 Sheep and 5 Pigs.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 320ppk or £2683
23 Prime Steers sold to 346ppk or £2055
59 Prime Heifers sold to 363ppk or £2163
1 Stock Bull sold for 197ppk and £2170
1929 Prime Lambs sold to 344ppk or £152
405 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £150
5 Prime Pigs sold to 200ppk or £186
Prime Bulls (74) – The brilliant bull trade is back with a bang; a stunning sale average this week of 280 pence per kilo and a massive £1919 per head. As always, the live ring didn’t discriminate for farm assurance, age or weight yet still we produced fifteen bulls over 300ppk and a mesmerising thirty-nine over £2000. Some wizardry from Westmorland topped the prices per kilo when a fabulous 676kg Limousin from T A Horn, Lower Griseburn sold for 320 pence; three vendors fell just a penny short of our leader as Limousin’s from W J Smith & Partners and A G Watson & Sons along with a British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons all sold at 319ppk. Of the plethora in the £2000 plus club we witnessed two vendors twice breaking £2500 when 800kg plus bulls from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm and A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm rang the bell. The Simpson pen topped at £2683 with the commendable runner up from the Layfield’s just £5 adrift at £2678. Friesian feeders are certainly not exempt from the current price rise, tops this week of 245ppk went to R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall Farm and £1491 to G W Dobson & Son, Wood Close Farm. Below are some of today’s remarkable leading averages.
A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm sold 2 to average 315ppk and £2600
T A Horn, Great Asby sold 2 to average 306ppk and £2017
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Whashton sold 3 to average 301ppk and £2165
JH & M & NW Brown, Darlington sold 4 to average 298ppk and £2092
P Weightman & Sons, Easington sold 3 to average 297ppk and £2144
American Squeeze Crush, Bedale sold 2 to average 296ppk and £2314
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 8 to average 294ppk and £2257
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 320 293 TA Horn. 319 WJ Smith & Partners. 319 312 308 293 291 282 AG Watson & Sons. 319 295 P Weightman & Sons. 318 310 286 284 JH&M&NW Brown. M318 312 AC Simpson & Son. 314 290 283 J Layfield. 303 290 American Squeeze Crush. 302×2 300 GK KN & GJ Hird. 297 E Wilson. 297 290 S&J Dent. 294 285 284 283 G Younger. 294 JJ Horn. 290 286 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 290 284 D Richardson & Co.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2683 £2517 AC Simpson & Son. £2678 £2546 £2196 £2186 J Layfield. £2414 £2405 £2355 £2325 £2191 £2178 £2103 £2089 AG Watson & Sons. £2395 £2191 P Weightman & Sons. £2363 £2350 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2360 £2267 American Squeeze Crush. £2310 JJ Horn. £2233 £2114 £2070 JH&M&NW Brown. £2231 £2165 £2100 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2205 £2148 £2090 £2067 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2163 TA Horn.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 245 R Hall & Son. 232 226 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1491 £1412 GW Dobson & Son. £1470 R Hall & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 273 267 R Hall & Son. 268 J Layfield. 230 JK Gregory.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2109 J Layfield. £1861 £1644 R Hall & Son. £1391 JK Gregory.
Clean Cattle (82) – The clean beef trade has lift off once again, all classes dearer but in particular the butchers shop heifers were very hot property this week. Five in the 350’s worthy of topping any sale were overshadowed by two superstars beyond 360 pence per kilo; an excellent 556kg Limousin from Robin and Imogen Hirst of Neasham went close to the top at 362 pence per kilo however it was John and Nick Hodgson of Summerhouse who claimed the bragging rights with a fabulous 596kg Limousin selling for 363ppk; this superstar was also the top gross value of the day at £2163. Plenty of the best heifers sold over £2000 with the aforementioned Hodgson’s and Hirst’s trading blows at the top end alongside F W Hodgson & Son, Staindrop. Closest to the Hodgson’s of Summerhouse was however a brilliant finished homebred British Blonde from F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm which added up impressively to £2159. By no means a fancy gathering of steers were also very well sold, the stand out performer was a stunning double muscled Limousin from P Brannen, Scartop, Penrith weighing 594kg and selling for 346 pence and £2055. See below some superb averages.
Heifers
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 330ppk and £1997
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 330ppk and £1832
W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby sold 2 to average 326ppk and £1436
T N Callender, Whinney Hill sold 3 to average 324ppk and £1858
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 322ppk and £1972
P & N Tattersall, York sold 3 to average 315ppk and £1813
Steers
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 3 to average 309ppk and £1682
W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby sold 3 to average 309ppk and £1676
Steers – Top prices ppk 346 P Brannen. 334 319 276 WJ Smith & Partners. 328 299×2 WA Wardman Ltd. 315 TN Callender. 281 P&N Tattersall. 272 G Younger. 268 230 JR&B Anderson. 267 T Watson. 264 259 249 248 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 249 240 M Ord.
Lead Grossing Steers £2055 P Brannen. £1874 £1762 £1704 £1654 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1853 £1602 £1572 WA Wardman Ltd. £1847 £1722 £1476 WJ Smith & Partners. £1803 £1476 JR&B Anderson & Son. £1801 P&N Tattersall. £1647 TN Callender. £1602 T Watson. £1591 £1576 M Ord & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 363 359 351 347 339 320 319 298 JV&JA Hodgson. 362 357 351 348 334×2 329 325 R Hirst. 357 326 311 F&JS Gargett. 341 319 290 P&N Tattersall. 334 322 309 300 Askwiths. 330 320 TN Callender. 329 FW Hodgson & Son. 328 324 WA Wardman Ltd. 306 SW Bowe. 306 291 LW Martin. 304 292 289 283 WF Hustwit. 300 JR&B Anderson. 288 285 SH Watson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2163 £2115 £2089 £2085 £2057 £2022 £2018 £1914 JV&JA Hodgson. £2159 £2043 £1789 F&JS Gargett. £2125 £1847 £1827 FW Hodgson & Son. £2063 £2046 £2028 £2012 £1833 R Hirst. £1947 £1806 P&N Tattersall. £1939 £1778 £1771 WF Hustwit. £1894 £1737 LW Martin. £1884 £1833 TN Callender. £1877 £1850 Askwiths. £1863 SW Bowe. £1805 £1749 SH Watson & Son.
OTM – Top prices ppk 197 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Lead Grossing OTM £2170 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Prime Lambs (1929) – New auctioneer Oliver Chapman was thankfully available before the transfer window closed and duly hit the ground running with almost 2000 lambs before him today, trade was remarkably similar on the week, the weighed straight sale averaged a healthy 257 pence per kilo. Well bred but more importantly well-fed lambs are at the top of every buyer’s shopping list, lean meat is very hard to place. The Walton family of The Meadow, Hurworth are in some form of late, after three-year-old Oliver led the way last week it was the older generation from the same good farm topping the prices per kilo today with a great pair of 41kg Texel lambs selling for 344 pence. Fourteen phenomenal Aberfield crossed lambs from M & A Gaskin led the gross values, with terrific tops to make marvellous chops the 53kg patiently fed sorts sold for £152 apiece. Mention must go to the Lamb family of Doe Park who finished runner up on both lists topping at 335ppk and £151.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 343 309×2 307 G&E Walton. 335 311 W.K M.M Lamb. 332 WA Wardman Ltd. 321 310 286 F&JS Gargett. 320 305 AS&G Donaldson. 318 283 282 M Pickering. 313 295 J Hird. 312 P Tindale. 311 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 309 290 DR Smith. 307 285 HT Davies & Partners. 304 L D Laws. 291 C K & D Muir Ltd. 291 Anna Herbert. 290 JG Walton & Son. 289 A Crowder. 289 C H & M C Phalp. 287 D & P H Brown. 286 M & A Gaskin. 285 MW Cook & Son. 284 JA&A Herbert. 284 S&S Davies. 282 I Burn & Sons. 282 K J & S S Bell. 281 C Moralee & Sons. 280 F Myers & Sons.
Lead Grossing Lambs £152 £140 £134 M & A Gaskin. £151 £140 W.K M.M Lamb. £150.50 £142 J Hird. £150 £148 £136.50 F&JS Gargett. £149 L D Laws. £145 £136(x2) £132 A Crowder. £144 AS&G Donaldson. £144 D & P H Brown. £142 £136 D R Smith. £141 £136 G&E Walton. £140 £136 M Pickering. £139 £134 K J & S S Bell. £139 £133(x2) W A Wardman Ltd. £136 C H & M C Phalp. £135 £133 £132 C Moralee & Sons. £135 £134 D & P H Brown. £134 J & J R Crowe. £134 Anna Herbert. £134 A & E J Dobinson. £134 £133.50 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £134 PJ&MP Gilhespy.
Cast Ewes & Rams (405) – Ewe trade can often slide heading in to Autumn and there does seem to be much more resistance from the buyers, still the best continental and Suffolk’s can sell well over £120 but far less frequently than in recent times. Top today of £150 went to a terrific Texel ewe from T H Richardson & Son, Low Moor Hill; Mule ewes topped at £98 and the horned sheep had to be fit to get beyond £50.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £150 £143 £130 £128 TH Richardson & Son. £143 £137 £130 £125 ££123 £114 £110 WA Wardman Ltd. £140 J Irvine. £132 £100 JG Walton & Son. £129 £123 £112 I&A Holmes. £113 JE Suddes & Son. £111 J Burns. £108 £98 £88 SM Donaldson. £106 £102J&A Layfield. £100 AS&G Donaldson. £100×2 JG Atkinson. £98 £94 F Ward. £97 TA&J Swinbank.
Prime Pigs (5) – The grand total of prime pigs in DfAM moves to 284 for the year, that is some 120 short of the number of breeding tups we have to offer next Tuesday night. Whilst that might seem totally irrelevant to many of you, I have a hunch that some pig fans might be closet tup fans and I will unashamedly take any opportunity that comes my way to advertise that we have over 400 tups to sell next week. Sale starts at 5pm.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 200 165 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £186 £168 C Weightman.
