Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 23rd November 2023. Forward were 253 cattle, 2093 sheep and 11 pigs.
126 Prime Bulls sold to 320ppk or £2643
15 Prime Steers sold to 317ppk or £2004
112 Prime Heifers sold to 355ppk or £2110
1577 Prime Lambs sold to 319ppk or £162
516 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
11 Prime Pigs sold to 170ppk or £132
Prime Bulls (126) – More forward, trade improved again as buyers came out all gun’s blazing, a larger percentage of dairy and native bred bulls included left similar sale averages on the week of 251ppk and £1826 but in real terms trade improved for all classes. The best beef bred bulls look a flyer with twenty-one over 300 pence and a staggering forty-seven over £2000. Two vendors shared the top spot per kilo at 320 pence as a British Blue from the team at Renton Highlaws, Morpeth matched a stunning Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk. More joy for the Matten’s followed just a whisker behind at 319ppk as did the pick of a great pen from A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear. Four bulls sold over £2500, three of these hailed from the magic Matten’s with a top of £2643, credit goes to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn who were the day’s other vendors with a gross value over two and a half thousand. As mentioned more native breeds were in attendance, the pick of them by some margin was a superb Aberdeen Angus bull from J Layfield, Willington selling for an excellent 309ppk and £2407. Dairy bull feeders also enjoyed a price lift, the black and whites peaked at 234ppk from regular sellers R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall or an impressive £1636 from cross Pennine raiders J M Stuart & Son, Preston. See below some of the day’s highest flyers.
J A Matten & Son, Thirsk sold 3 to average 317ppk and £2587
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 5 to average 307ppk and £2078
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 4 to average 301ppk and £1986
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 297ppk and £2268
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 to average 297ppk and £2255
J Layfield, Willington sold 5 to average 291ppk and £2299
A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn sold 5 to average 288ppk and £2148
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 320 319 315 JA Matten & Sons. 319 300 290 283 AC Simpson & Son. 316 312 305 284 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 312 302 301 290 TN&J Hall. 311 302 300 292 AS&SM Kemp. 309 K&A Harker. 308 299 285 JB Luck & Son. 306 303 280 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 303 286 JH&M&NW Brown. 299 287 WA Richardson Ltd. 295 289 J Layfield. 295 AG Watson & Sons. 290 282 LS Staley. 278 276 TW Clark & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2643 £2598 £2520 JA Matten & Sons. £2556 £2366 £2325 £2312 AS&SM Kemp. £2451 £2363 £2223 AC Simpson & Son. £2400 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2380 £2221 £2163 JB Luck & Son. £2347 £2217 £2167 £2065 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2311 £2245 £2194 J Layfield. £2369 £2227 LS Staley. £2234 £2142 K&A Harker. £2180 £2134 AG Watson & Sons. £2148 G&A Taylor. £2137 TN&J Hall. £2104 £2090 JH&M&NW Brown.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 234 R Hall & Son. 214 212 210 209 202 200 199 190 189 188 JM Stuart & Son. 210 JC&P Tallentire. 185 SH Watson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1636 £1614 £1594 £1506×2 £1366 £1351 £1347 £1332 £1300 JM Stuart & Son. £1553 JK&CE Farming. £1542 £1460 R Hall & son. £1335 SH Watson & son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 309 295 J Layfield. 288 JH&M&NW Brown. 249 W&R Kemp & Son. 240 239 236 P&E Rogerson. 234 224 R Hall & Son. 216 JK&CE Farming. 210 Lupton. 184 JM Stuart & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2407 £2339 J Layfield. £1978 JH&M&NW Brown. £1665 £1600 £1503 P&E Rogerson. £1598 R Hall & Son. £1558 W&R Kemp & Son. £1381 JM Stuart & Son. £1299 Lupton.
Clean Cattle (127) – Another terrific trade, Darlington was way out in front of other centres at the back end of last week and no slip at all was evident in this week’s returns as the heifers averaged 314ppk and the steers 283ppk. An excellent day’s trading as anything full of flesh looks to be currently enjoying a pre-Christmas boost, well over two thirds of the cattle sold beyond 300 pence per kilo and the top fifteen heifers all sold at 340ppk or above. Pick of them all at 355ppk was a stunning 590kg Limousin heifer from R Hirst, Neasham Grange; the pick of a fine run from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange followed closest at 353ppk with another expertly finished Hirst heifer in close attendance at 350ppk. Top steer per kilo came from Northumberland’s W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam weighing 610kg and selling for 317 pence with H D Marks, Gilly Flatts the best of the rest at 310ppk. Some excellent gross values again as the best end continue to add up nicely, top steer at £2004 came from A Crowder, Butsfield Burn Farm however some ten heifers sold for more money, a 630kg Limousin from W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell led the way at £2110 with the red-hot Hirst’s, the reliable Renton’s and the Bowe’s of Bedale all in close attendance.
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 heifers to average 337ppk and £1947
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 heifers to average 337ppk and £1910
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 6 heifers to average 331ppk and £1798
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 5 heifers to average 327ppk and £1885
S W Bowe, Bedale sold 3 heifers to average 325ppk and £1953
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 heifers to average 323ppk and £1891
P J & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 5 heifers to average 323ppk and £1888
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 heifers to average 323ppk and £1838
A Crowder Butsfield sold 2 heifers to average 323ppk and £1713
Steers – Top prices ppk 317 268 WJ Scott Ltd. 310 284 280 HD Marks. 298 275 A Crowder. 297 285 WJ Smith & Partners. 296 286 270 RO Gilson. 284 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 270 AJ Marr & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2004 £1975 A Crowder. £1933 £1916 WJ Scott Ltd. £1882 £1822 £1716 RO Gilson. £1757 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1675 £1653 WJ Smith & Partners. £1655 AJ Marr & Son. £1652 £1522 HD Marks.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2110 £1986 £1905 £1895 £1845 £1833 W Swinbank & Sons. £2094 £1988 £1945 £1931 £1913 £1912 £1898 £1862 R Hirst. £2080 £2034 £1939 Renton Highlaws LTD. £2063 £2057 SW Bowe. £2050 £1987 £1943 £1808 JB Luck & Son. £2046 £1802 TN&J Hall. £2043 £1921 £1877 £1837 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2043 £1975 £1829 WJ Scott LTD. £1949 £1945 £1912 £1877 £1840 £1820 £1808 £1804 JV&JA Hodgson. £1934 £1903 £1888 £1859 £1843 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1885 £1874 £1793 WF Hustwit. £1850 RO Gilson. £1848 WJ Smith & Partners. £1840 HD Marks.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK- 355 350 347 346 344 336 329 327 320 318 R Hirst. 353 348 338 336 334 320 JV&JA Hodgson. 344 340 334 x2 JB Luck & Son. 341 340 x2 330 321 317 TN&J Hall. 340 329 325 WJ Scott LTD. 340 336 319 PJ&ES Rogerson. 339 327 WF Hustwit. 339 317 SW Bowe. 338 335 328 322 W Swinbank & Sons. 334 HD Marks. 333 A Crowder. 332 331 328 324×2 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 330 327 Barker Farming Partnership. 325 Renton Highlaws. 330 WJ Smith & Partners.
Prime Lambs (1577) – The lamb trade trundles on nicely through November, today’s weighed straight sale average of 260ppk followed the national trend and is just slightly easier than last week, keeping the glass half full it remains ahead of the price this time last year. Top of the prices per kilo was long standing Darlington customer Charles Hedley of Burn Farm, Willington with an excellent 47kg Texel selling for 319ppk, plenty of the best bred (and fed) lambs remain nicely over 300ppk. Top gross value at £162 went to a brilliant pair of 59kg Texel lambs from Hamsterley based J & A Layfield, close behind came from a different vendor bearing the same surname, this time a 52kg Texel from J Layfield, Willington sold for £160 with T & M Darling & Son, Hartlepool just adrift with four Texel’s at £159.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 319 CJM Hedley. 311 277 R Errington & Son. 307 J Layfield. 304 283 277 276 AWSM Farms. 302 280 W Denham. 302 279 276 275 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 300 295 288 282 LD Laws. 300 JH&D Wise. 294 TM Darling & Son. 292 FW Hodgson. 291 281 M&A Gaskin. 288 283 274 J&A Layfield. 287 280 275 W Tindale. 286 276 JK&CE Farming. 285 JM&S Walton. 283 278 W Denham. 283 J&HM Jenkins. 282 278 276 MW&M Skidmore. 281 277 JA&B Nappey. 280 JG Hall.
Lead Grossing Lambs £162 £153 £152 £150 £141 £137 £135×2 J&A Layfield. £160 £150 £149 £141 £140×3 J Layfield. £159 £148 TM Darling & Son. £155 £135.50 D&PH Brown. £150 CJM Hedley. £150 £136 £135 LD Laws. £149 M&A Gaskin. £145.50×2 £141.50 £140×3 RO Gilson. £142 W Denham. £140 R Errington & Son. £140 WL Robinson & Partners. £140 £135 AG Laws. £139.50 £136 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £138 JK&CE Farming. £136×2 AWSM Farms. £136 £135 £133 I Marshall & Sons. £135 I Milbank & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (516) – The ewe trade was firmer with the sale averaging £87.66. Two vendors topped with excellent Texel ewes at £160 as Ian Kirk, Woodside Farm, Nottinghamshire shared the spoils with Keith Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm, Marrick. The classy Nottinghamshire run featured heavily in the top prices with Suffolk’s to £128, Cheviot Mule ewes to £100 and also the top pen of Mule’s, seventeen strong sorts at £90. The Mule ewes probably enjoyed the biggest lift on the week as over 200 of them averaged £72, fewer horned ewes this week but the better fleshed Swaledale’s in and around £40.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £160 £150 £130×2 £128×2 Ian Kirk. £160 £122 £110 £107 KO Stones. £156 W Denham. £154 £130 M smith. £132 WE Frank & son. £130 £114 JA&A Herbert. £125 £110 GC&JC Pullan. £124 R Errington & Son. £122 S Thompson & Son. £122 J Waters. £121 £120 £117 £110 AC Simpson & Son. £120×2 £116 RG&G Rutter. £118 £100×2 W Tindale. £116 £110 M Madrell. £115 JR Mann. £114×2 £112 IM Maughan.
Prime Pigs (11) – The pig trade and the report are down in the dumps at the moment. Trade slipping on the one hand and on the other hand we have had a complaint that last week’s write up was somewhat sub-standard. Apologies Cathleen, please don’t stop after the sheep, you make up 50% of our pig report readership.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 170 140×2 120 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £132 £127 £85 C Weightman.
