Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 11th August 2022. Forward were 140 Cattle and 1657 Sheep.
66 Prime Bulls sold to 300ppk or £2540
12 Prime Steers sold to 303ppk or £1979
62 Prime Heifers sold to 319ppk or £1915
1195 Prime Lambs sold to 305ppk or £155
462 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £145
Prime Bulls (66) – Still the harvest keeps numbers tight, a fantastic trade left the bulls with an astonishing sale average of 250 pence per kilo. A great run of bulls arrived this morning from Morpeth and the good breeding and feeding of Messrs Renton, High Highlaws who set the pace when they twice sold to 300ppk, another from the Morpeth magicians reached 299ppk along with a pair from Rochester & Murray, West Butsfield who were the closest challengers selling in the 290’s. A sweet 16 bulls sold this week over £2000, the aforementioned Renton pen sold a trio over £2200 however our tremendous top pair came from the familiar feeding of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with heavy weight Limousin’s reaching an impressive £2540 and £2453. A nice packet of Hereford bulls from local producers W & R Kemp & Son, Wigdon Walls Farm led the native breeds at 222ppk and £1343 whilst a fast Friesian trade for the few forward was headed by the dependable R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall at 230ppk and £1386. Some of our top performing bull sellers are listed below.
Rochester & Murray, Butsfield sold 3 to average 291ppk and £2081
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 to average 278ppk and £2397
D H Lawson, Leyburn sold 3 to average 271ppk and £2031
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 9 to average 271ppk and £2005
J B Luck, Bowes sold 2 to average 269ppk and £1973
J J Horn, Marske sold 2 to average 267ppk and £1843
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 266ppk and £1935
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 300×2 299 284 272×2 254 248 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 297 290 288 Rochester & Murray. 289 278 270 AC Simpson & Son. 287 Hughes Bros. 286 272 257 253 LR Welsh & Co. 285 JK&CE Farming. 283 EW Grieves. 280 277 258 DH Lawson. 275 261 JJ Horn. 274 265 JB Luck. 265 Lucy Appleton. 257 252 LW Martin. 254 248 IR Appleton. 252 237 TW Clark & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2540 £2453 £2198 AC Simpson & Son. £2340 £2305 £2208 £2147 £2110 £1951 £1890 £1836 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2171 £2041 £2030 Rochester & Murray. £2146 Hughes Bros. £2059 £1960 £1950 £1771 LR Welsh & Co. £2055 £2024 £2014 DH Lawson. £1974 £1972 JB Luck. £1943 JK&CE Farming. £1870 £1816 JJ Horn. £1854 IR Appleton. £1839 Lucy Appleton. £1791 £1641 £1630 TW Clark & Son. £1777 T&DI Allen & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 230 216 210 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1386 £1384 £1257 R Hall & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 222×2 221×2 219 218 213 210 212 W&R Kemp & Son. 208 Renton Highlaws Ltd.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1407 £1343 £1341 £1338 £1311 £1233 £1214 W&R Kemp & Son. £1262 Renton Highlaws Ltd.
Clean Cattle (74) – As with the bulls the numbers were tight due to both heat and harvest, the only thing hotter than the weather is the beef trade as an absolute scorcher ensued today both inside and outside of the ring. Heifers averaged an excellent 283ppk whilst just a dozen steers levelled up at an astonishing 284ppk; the whole show of clean today averaged a terrific £1636.70 per head. Eighteen cattle sold over 300 pence as the butcher’s beast were in high demand, the top two were both superb Limousin heifers from J B Luck, Milestone House, Bowes selling for 319 and 317 pence per kilo; close behind and selling heifers twice for 315ppk was regular top spot visitor R Hirst, Neasham. Topping the steers per kilo at 303 pence was another consistent consignor of quality cattle as J L Marks, Bishopton was the name highest on this week’s podium. Naturally with some high prices per kilo the gross value lists look impressive, some sixteen cattle sold over £1800, the top trio over £1900 and more regular raiders rose to the summit. Top three highest grossing steers this week came from the Askwiths, Crook and peaked at a splendid £1979, a lovely Limousin heifer from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill impressed at £1910 however our top heifer hailed from the exceptionally consistent J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse with a 647kg superstar reaching £1915. Leading averages are listed as usual.
Heifers
J B Luck, Bowes sold 3 to average 311ppk and £1754
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 300ppk and £1689
J L Marks, Bishopton sold 4 to average 300ppk and £1624
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 7 to average 297ppk and £1745
W Ramsay & Sons, Station Town sold 3 to average 296ppk and £1874
E W Grieves, Stockton sold 2 to average 289ppk and £1819
K & J Heslop, Fishburn sold 4 to average 289ppk and £1667
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 8 to average 288ppk and £1790
Steers
J L Marks, Bishopton sold 4 to average 298ppk and £1678
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 4 to average 286ppk and £1614
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 282ppk and £1850
Steers – Top prices ppk 303 299×2 293 JL Marks. 297 286 284 278 WJ Smith & Partners. 290 280 278 Askwiths. 230 JH Johnson.
Lead Grossing Steers £1979 £1806 £1764 Askwiths. £1743 £1733 £1677 £1558 JL Marks. £1713 £1610 £1567 £1564 WJ Smith & Partners. £1359 JH Johnson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 319 317 299 JB Luck. 315×2 309 301 300 299×2 296 289 285 R Hirst. 314 308 299 298 295 287 281 WA Armstrong. 313 302 299 286 JL Marks. 310 298 291 JM Ramsay & Son. 308 306 299 296 JV&JA Hodgson. 302 M Robinson & Sons. 301 299 289 W Ramsay & Sons. 300 296 290 K&J Heslop. 291 289 EW Grieves. 285 JR&M Richardson. 281 261 253 RW&R Henry. 273 Askwiths.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1915 £1892 £1884 £1823 £1817 £1782 £1736 JV&JA Hodgson. £1910 £1887 W Ramsay & Sons. £1862 £1814 £1796 £1789 £1716 WA Armstrong. £1846 £1792 EW Grieves. £1826 W Ramsay & Sons. £1823 £1740 £1722 £1719 £1702 R Hirst. £1822 £1821 JB Luck. £1774 K&J Heslop. £1752 W Barron. £1740 £1699 JL Marks. £1727 JR&M Richardson. £1711 JM Ramsay & Son. £1638 £1636 £1618 K&J Heslop.
Prime Lambs (1195) – No match for last week’s flyer but a solid enough day at the lamb ring as the sale averaged 253ppk and £110.58 which is £9.50 ahead of the same week last year. Vendors note that weight is your mate as the big lambs are by far the easiest to sell, creep feed is expensive but the real coin lies firmly in the loin with fed lambs the ones ringing the bell. Fabulous pens of 45kg Texel lambs from W B Mitchell & Sons, Howlett Hall topped the sale per kilo when they sold beyond 300 pence, an unusual day when the top 8 pens per kilo all weighed 45kg and beyond. Top price per head at £155 were half a dozen hefty 53kg Texel’s from M Pickering, Linden Cottage, Richmond; as with the pence per kilo the weight rose to the top on our gross value list as the leading 150 lambs all tipped the scales to at least 45kg.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 305 304 291 285 276 273 272 269 WB Mitchell & Sons. 297 286 270 JJ Horn. 295 292 268 M Pickering. 293 284 276 265 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 291 C Wise. 287 M Barley. 286 280 K&PM Lough. 284 WR Thompson. 280×2 265×2 264 JD Brannen. 280 269 267 265 263 JA&A Herbert. 278 266 D&JA Teasdale. 276 262 BR&R Routledge. 273 CH Tindale. 268 W.K M.M Lamb. 267 C&V Harrison. 266 P Foster. 266 265 RG Richardson. 265 MW Cook & Son. 263 D Barron.
Lead Grossing Lambs £155 £145 £129 M Pickering. £146.50 £145 £137.50 £137×2 £134.50 £120×2 WB Mitchell & Sons. £145 WA Dinsdale. £143×2 £138 JJ Horn. £140 £128 £117.50 JA&A Herbert. £139.50 £126 £120×2 WR Thompson. £137 £118.50 D Barron. £133 £123.50 I Burn & Sons. £132 £116.50 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £131 £116 C Wise. £131 £129 £120 C&V Harrison. £130 £126 D&PH Brown. £129 £127 W.K M.M Lamb. £128 £124 J Hird. £125.50 £122 £120 M Blacklidge. £121 A&H Livestock.
Cast Ewes & Rams (462) – We appear to have reached that time of year when the ewe trade fluctuates somewhat, whilst some pens appear as easily sold as ever others are certainly better value for money. A leaner show of ewes overall today averaged £85 throughout and a good show of tups levelled at £106. Top price went twice to pairs of Texel tups from C Whitfield, High Castledene at £145; J and E Boocock of Moorsholm topped the continental ewes at £140 and the Mules at £114 with the highlight of the high ground ewes undoubtedly a pen of 29 hill Cheviot’s off the top of ‘Chop Yat’ from S Beeforth, High Crookleith selling for £82 apiece.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £145×2 £130 C Whitfield. £140 £130 £120 £114 J Boocock. £138 £120 M Navazi. £136 £120 TN Callender. £135 WR Thompson. £130 £99 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £128 £118×2 £110 JJ Horn. £127 £108 C Wise. £124 £118 D&G Spry. £120 £118 £116 AWSM Farms. £118 £110×2 £97 RA Patterson & Son. £118 JA&A Herbert. £117 ACM Spalding. £112 K&PM Lough. £112×2 MW Cook & Son. £110 AJ&KM Foster. £110 WB Rutter & Sons. £106 MJ Blacklidge.
