Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 5th October 2023. Forward were 198 Cattle, 2181 Sheep and 7 Pigs.
81 Prime Bulls sold to 324ppk or £267517 Prime Steers sold to 325ppk or £2317100 Prime Heifers sold to 354ppk or £24491753 Prime Lambs sold to 330ppk or £151428 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £1707 Prime Pigs/Sows sold to 188ppk or £150
Prime Bulls (81) – The regular local producers were joined this week by a travelling army down from North of the Border, arguably less of the very best bulls at the summit mattered little with trade probably even sharper than last week as the sale today averaged 267ppk and £1904 per head. A dozen bulls sold in the three hundred pence’s, last week’s winners J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange had to settle for second spot today despite reaching 320ppk with a handsome 836kg Limousin as Aberdeenshire raiders Messrs Fettes, Braes of Enzie claimed the win with a superb 733kg Charolais selling for 324 pence per kilo. A brilliant thirty-five sold over £2000 with the top dozen all over £2200. There was however no stopping the Thirsk based Matten’s on the gross value list as they romped home with the top three prices per head, best of the pen their aforementioned Limousin sold for a tremendous £2675. The fine feeding of the Fettes’s was at it again on our native breed leader board when they sold an Aberdeen Angus at £2133 plus a Beef Shorthorn to 284 pence per kilo. Friesian bulls topped today at 229ppk from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall and £1491 from G W Dobson & Son, Wood Close Farm. Below are a sample of the leading consignments.
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 312ppk and £2296J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 306ppk and £2481W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 3 to average 294ppk and £2073N White, Marrick sold 3 to average 291ppk and £2012P J & E S Rogerson, Great Asby sold 4 to average 290ppk and £1804K & A Harker, Worsall sold 2 to average 289ppk and £2234S Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 287ppk and £2043Messrs Fettes Ltd, Aberdeenshire sold 6 to average 284ppk and £2205
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 324 298 271 266 Messrs Fettes Ltd. 320 300×2 JA Matten & Sons. 317 308 LS Staley. 313 305×2 282 277 275 AG Watson & Sons. 307 J Millar. 305 293 276 N White. 300 290×2 283 PJ&ES Rogerson. 297 296 290 WI Suddes & Son. 297 278 S Luck. 295 283 K&A Harker. 290 JE Grieves. 289 JJ Horn. 285 270 LR Welsh & Co. 281 GK KN & GJ Hird. 285 JK&CE Farming. 269 T&DI Allen & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2675 £2385×2 JA Matten & Sons. £2374 £2300 £2273 £2081 Messrs Fettes Ltd. £2360 £2108 K&A Harker. £2300 £2291 LS Staley. £2287 £2284 £2091 £2076 £2064 AG Watson & Sons. £2194 £2143 WI Suddes & Son. £2188 J Millar. £2185 S Luck & Son. £2170 JJ Horn. £2140 £2138 £2024 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2131 £1987 £1919 N White. £2114 £2027 T&DI Allen & Son. £2022 LR Welsh & Co.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 229 R Hall & Son. 228 211 GW Dobson & Son.Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1491 £1434 GW Dobson & Son. £1351 R Hall & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 284 266 Messrs Fettes Ltd. 259 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 253 250 237 235 S Allardyce. 240 JK& CE Farming. 237 JV Hodgson & Son. 222 JE Grieves. 218 JE&B Morgan.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2133 £2067 Messrs Fettes Ltd. £2113 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1903 JV Hodgson & Son. £1798 £1739 £1645 £1578 S Allardyce. £1735 JK&CE Farming. £1566 F Fabi. £1545 JE Grieves. £1440 JE&B Morgan.
Clean Cattle (117) – A good show forward enjoyed a flying trade; the handy weight butchers shop spec remain very easy to sell and some super fed heavyweights produced outstanding returns as the red-hot heifers averaged 307ppk and the super steers 294ppk. Prices per kilo first and it was a win this week for regular sellers J V & J A Hodgson as they topped at 354ppk with an excellent Limousin; a dozen heifers followed between 340 and 349ppk and a staggering 70% of the cattle sold for at least 300 pence per kilo. Top of the steers per kilo was an excellent handy weighted Limousin from Leicestershire’s M & G Chantrell Ltd at 325 pence with Ponteland based P J & M P Gilhespy best of the rest at 323ppk. Gross values now and the marvellous live ring thoroughly proved again that the weight, age and farm assurance penalties enforced by the deadweight system are unfair, unnecessary and utterly underhand at times. The top twenty-three cattle all sold over £2000 but it was a special run down from Messrs Fettes of Buckie, Aberdeenshire which grabbed all the headlines; top of the tree was a magical 30-month-old 881kg British Blue heifer when she realised £2449. The same outstanding home produced 31-month-old Limousin heifers to a top of £2357 and steers the same age to £2317 with their super six clean cattle averaging a mighty £2268. Some super returns are listed below.
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 heifers to average 332ppk and £1936D W Humphrey, Redcar sold 3 heifers to average 331ppk and £1936M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicester sold 10 heifers to average 322ppk and £1660J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 heifers to average 322ppk and £1916R Hirst, Neasham sold 5 heifers to average 321ppk and £1881M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicester sold 11 steers to average 302ppk and £1696Messrs W F Fettes, Buckie sold 5 heifers & 1 steer to average 286ppk and £2268
Steers- Top Prices ppk 325 320 313 307 x2 306 301 300 x2 299 253 M&G Chantrell LTD. 323 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 309 HD Marks. 282 JR&B Anderson & Son. 274 247 WL Robinson & Partners. 273 Messrs Fettes LTD.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2317 Messrs Fettes LTD. £2054 HD Marks. £2028 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2024 £1874 WL Robinson & Partners. £1916 £1848 £1842 £1775 £1730 £1686 £1615 £1608 £1542 £1536 M&G Chantrell LTD. £1663 JR&B Anderson & Son.
Heifers- Top Prices ppk- 354 349 341 340 330 325 317 315 JV&JA Hodgson. 348 346 344 341 325 WA Armstrong. 347 333 DW Humphrey. 346 GKKN&GJ Hird. 346 339 331 R Hirst. 345 N White. 341 332 326 B Walker. 336 333 327 326 324 323 319 317 M&G Chantrell LTD. 323 321 320 319 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 322 JR&B Anderson & Son. 322 321 318 WI Suddes & Son. 319 316 JE Suddes & Son. 319 RW Sowerby & Sons. 317 P&JH Davison. 316 A Easton. 316 Messrs Fettes LTD. 315 DW Humphrey.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2449 £2357 £2262 £2227 £1995 Messrs Fettes LTD. £2145 £1992 £1982 £1943 £1940 £1921 £1920 £1891 £1884 JV&JA Hodgson. £2123 A Easton. £2105 £1970 B Walker. £2098 £2044 £2027 £2013 JE Suddes & Son. £2084 £2017 £1873 R Hirst. £2068 £1941 DW Humphrey. £2065 HD Marks. £2062 £2024 £1842 AC Simpson & Son. £2025 £2009 £1970 £1872 WI Suddes & Son. £1972 £1962 £1898 £1895 £1846 WA Armstrong. £1943 S Luck & Son. £1910 £1897 £1865 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1896 GKKN&GJ Hird. £1878 £1871 RW Sowerby & Sons. £1863 FW Hodgson & Son. £1860 P&JH Davison.
Prime Lambs (1753) – Probably a touch dearer with a slightly plainer show forward, the weighed straight sale average returned an SQQ of 253 pence per kilo, all in 250ppk. Once again, those utilising troughs and feed hoppers enjoyed a sharp trade, the lean grass-fed lambs continue to experience the Autumn blues and once again we saw many lambs’ worth more through the Monday store ring. Some fine feeders found their way to the top of the leader board this week; top per kilo at 330 pence were a quality quintet of 43kg Beltex lambs from F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm; regular sellers H T Davies and Partners and also J A & A Herbert both came within a whisker of the top. Few feed them like the Gaskin’s of Holdsworth Farm and not for the first time their Aberfield crossed lambs led the way weighing 51kg and selling for £151; T H Richardson & Son, Low Moor Hill fell just £1 short of the top with plenty of well fed and well-bred lambs in a tight chasing pack between £135 and £150. Suffolk’s topped at £140 for 49kg from M C & M D Sparke, Hexham whilst the thicker meat Mule lambs traded typically £100 to £110.
Top prices ppk 330 309 300 293 F&JS Gargett. 327 285 267 HT Davies & Partners. 326 JA&A Herbert. 315 304 298 296 M&A Gaskin. 309 292 I Burn & Sons. 304 JG Hall. 302 270×2 JJ Horn. 300 294 TH Richardson & Sons. 300 293 288 JR&M Richardson. 295 MJ Blacklidge. 295 290 M Barley. 292 276 BR&R Routledge. 288 287 AWSM Farms. 285 266 MC&M Sparke. 282 T&R Quinn & Son. 282 273 GF Whitfield. 277 274 D&PH Brown. 277 272 266 D&J Hunnam & Son. 277 273 J Hird. 276 J Thompson. 276 B Needham.
Lead Grossing Lambs £151 £149×2 £139 M&A Gaskin. £150 £147 £140 TH Richardson & Son. £149 JG Hall. £144.50 £125 D&PH Brown. £142 £136 £135 £129 F&JS Gargett. £141 £135 £130 £125 JR&M Richardson. £140 MC&M Sparke. £139 MJ Blacklidge. £138 £130 £126 AWSM Farms. £137.50 HT Davies & Partners. £136 £131 I Burn & Sons. £136 JJ Horn. £136×3 D&J Hunnam & Son. £134 JA&A Herbert. £134 £133 J Hird. £130 T&R Quinn & Son. £130 J Thompson. £130 £125 G&EA Herdman. £129 £125 G&JH Tomlinson & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (428) – A few less on offer, noticeably less of the very plain ewes found a sharper trade bringing about a sale average of £93. Three excellent pure Texel’s from Wolsingham’s Ian Spedding topped the sale at £170 with the same breed reaching at least £150 from three other vendors. Suffolk ewes topped at £140, Blue Faced Leicester’s £118 and the best of the Mule’s £98.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £170 £130 I Spedding. £154 J Hird. £150 £135 £116 W Tindale. £150 JC Thwaite & Son. £144 £126×2 £114 D&HM Hodgson. £140 £130 £120 £116×2 PJ Tindale. £140 £121 £110 E Cruddas & Son. £130 N Race. £130 JL Alderson. £128×2 G Thompson & Sons. £126 £110 S Dodsworth. £125.50 £120 D&PH Brown. £124 £118 A&PA Jopling. £120 £112 IM Maughan. £120 £119×2 £118 JR&M Richardson. £120 £116 JM&S Walton. £120×2 MC&M Sparke. £119 HT Davies & Partners.
Prime Pigs (7) – Thankfully no fat bacon this week just a handful of tidy pork pigs, probably just as well as the fat bacon seemingly belongs in the 1950’s and wasn’t such a hit on the sales counter.
Pigs – top prices ppk 188 155 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £150 £122 J Mitchell & Son.
Sows ppk – 70 J Mitchell & Son.
Sows Gross Value – £148 J Mitchell & Son.
