Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 14th December 2023. Forward were 197 cattle, 2746 sheep and 13 pigs.
85 Prime Bulls sold to 332ppk or £2740
22 Prime Steers sold to 329ppk or £2338
100 Prime Heifers sold to 349ppk or £2132
1924 Prime Lambs sold to 322ppk or £160
822 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £218
13 Prime Pigs sold to 180ppk or £140
Prime Bulls (85) – The bouncing bull trade bundles its way mercilessly towards Christmas with prices remaining sharp, not quite the high quality of last week’s show mattered little as all classes remained in high demand leaving a sale average of 275ppk and £1959 per head. Sixteen bulls sold over 300 pence per kilo, the top two came from an excellent run produced by A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange with a 775kg British Blue reaching 332ppk and a 671kg Limousin at 328ppk; other vendors in the 320’s included J Layfield, Nackshivan and J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange. An impressive forty-four bulls sold over £2000 with the top eight going over £2500. Pick of them all was an absolutely stunning 993kg pure Limousin from J C Johnson, Beanley Carr Farm, Trimdon which sold for £2740, no less than six other vendors shared the remaining seven spots the top side of £2500. Aberdeen Angus led the native breed charge today as J B & N Harrison & Sons, Lanchester topped at 276ppk and D Richardson & Co, Melsonby reached £2298. Friesian bull trade also continued in fine form topping this week at 254ppk and £1699 from J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge. See below some of the best bull returns this week.
J Layfield, Willington sold 3 to average 318ppk and £2447
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 309ppk and £2326
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 8 to average 307ppk and £2233
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 305ppk and £2311
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 332 328 321 313 312 298 280 AG Watson & Sons. 326 321 309 J Layfield. 321×2 280 JA Matten & Sons. 318 315 298 290 LR Welsh & Co. 311 299 287 N White. 310×2 294 288 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 308 298 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 297 286 TW Clark & Son. 296 S Luck. 296 279WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 291 JK&CE Farming. 290 Angram Livestock Ltd. 289 279 GK KN & GJ Hird. 279 T&DI Allen & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2740 JC Johnson. £2625 £2551 JA Matten & Sons. £2589 £2396 £2079 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2573 £2280 £2255 £2200 £2172 £2153 £2108 AG Watson & Sons. £2569 £2156 £2150 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2561 £2456 £2324 J Layfield. £2507 £2430 £2407 £2282 £2216 £2112 £2062 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2491 £2429 £2192 £2133 LR Welsh & Co. £2264 £2137 J&A&DA Horn. £2239 £2212 £2143 TW Clark & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 254 J K & C E Farming. 248 246 239 R Hall & Son. 221 213 GW Dobson & Son. 204 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls – £1699 J K & C E Farming. £1559 £1488 £1455 R Hall & Son. £1478 £1405 GW Dobson & Son. £1272 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 276 243 JB&N Harrison & sons. 274 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 249 246 226 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 249 243 F Fabi. 238 228 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2298 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1961 £1904 JB& N Harrison & Sons. £1767 £1643 £1539 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1675 £1657 F Fabi. £1497 £1488 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (122) – Trade remains tasty with butchers and wholesalers still keen to fill fridges and festive order books, this week’s steers averaged an excellent 293ppk with heifers once again averaging the top side of 300ppk. The top half a dozen heifers sold in the 340’s with two dozen more over 320ppk; pick of the pack were the Renton team from High Highlaws, Morpeth with a superb 609kg Limousin reaching 349ppk, next in line came a brilliant British Blonde from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam, West Woodburn 345ppk with C W Gray of Low Hall, Morpeth completing a clean sweep of the top three spots for Northumberland this week at 343ppk. The W J Scott team from Low Leam dominated the steers today with a fabulous run, the pick of their excellent pack was a brilliant 659kg British Blue which sold for 329ppk, the same home sold a Limousin steer at 328ppk and completed the podium places with a British Blonde at 323ppk. The Northumbrian’s also claimed all the top gross values, eight steers sold over £2000, all of them hailed from Low Leam with a best of £2338 for a 733kg British Blue. The hot half dozen heifers to sell over £2000 today also all came from England’s least densely populated County, one for Messrs Gray, two for W J Scott and three for the Renton family including the best of the lot a 656kg Limousin reaching £2132. See below some of this week’s highest flyers.
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 8 to average 316ppk and £2186
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 314ppk and £1879
Heifers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 to average 334ppk and £2010
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 329ppk and £1819
J C Johnson, Trimdon Village sold 3 to average 329ppk and £1794
T N Callender, Whinney Hill sold 2 to average 324ppk and £1901
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 324ppk and £1758
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 8 to average 323ppk and £1900
C W Gray, Morpeth sold 7 to average 322ppk and £1838
Steers – Top prices ppk 329 328 323 320 319 309 307 300 WJ Scott Ltd. 319 310 Askwiths. 314 296 WJ Smith & Partners. 313 308 A Swinbank. 293 250 A&CA Stanwix. 291 259 A&MJ Henshaw. 267 M Ord & Sons. 259 J Henshaw. 249 JRP Vickers & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2338 £2323 £2209 £2176 £2175 £2168 £2079 £2023 WJ Scott LTD. £1965 £1794 Askwiths. £1955 £1737 £1235 A&CA Stanwix. £1879 JRP Vickers & Sons. £1799 £1604 Anthony Swinbank. £1777 £1633 WJ Smith & Partners. £1655 £1535 A&MJ Henshaw. £1652 M Ord & Sons. £1471 Jack Henshaw.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 349 328 325 323 320 316 315 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 345 338 321 WJ Scott Ltd. 343 334 325 323 322 321 CW Gray. 341 335 330×2 319 316 311 R Hirst. 340 328 320 B Walker. 340 326 322 JC Johnson. 336 315 TN Callender. 335 321 318 313 310 WF Hustwit. N332 317 WJ Smith & Partners. 324 Askwiths. 320 309×2 JE Suddes & Son. 319 316 315 GA Mackie. 315 309 A&MJ Henshaw. 307 P&JH Davison.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2132 £2125 £2031 £1987 £1888 Renton Highlaws LTD. £2075 £2004 £1951 WJ Scott LTD. £2030 £1967 £1927 £1907 CW Gray. £1994 £1942 £1874 £1869 £1799 £1797 GA Mackie. £1991 £1906 £1894 £1844 £1836 £1802 £1772 R Hirst. £1965 £1837 TN Callender. £1948 JC Johnson. £1930 £1816 A&MJ Henshaw. £1893 £1870 £1863 £1772 JM&S Walton. £1887 M Ord & Sons. £1859 £1801 £1798 B Walker. £1822 £1804 £1790 WF Hustwit. £1796 P&JH Davison. £1785 Askwiths. £1769 WJ Smith & Partners.
Prime Lambs (1924) – Trade back marginally but really a very similar tale as the best bred and best fed lambs appear on all of the buyers Christmas wish lists, the new vet attestation rules came in to play this week and credit must go to all the organised vendors, it is now an essential requirement. This week’s weighed straight sale averaged 265ppk and was topped per kilo at 322 pence by an excellent 41kg Beltex lamb from W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby; close behind were a brilliant quartet of 50kg Texel lambs from L D Laws, High Village Farm selling for 316ppk (£158). A Crowder of Butsfield twice sold at £159 which was within £1 of the top gross value with some very well finished Texels however top of this week’s pile at £160 were a quality trio from of 54kg from G & E Walton, The Meadow selling for £160. Plenty of the bigger and better lowland breed lambs remain top side of £140 whilst heavy Cheviots sold to £135 and Mule’s peaked at £120.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 322 306 296 281 WA Wardman Ltd. 316 LD Laws. 315 304 MW Barker & Son. 312 297×2 K&PM Lough. 306 297 295 J Hird. 304 298 294 286 J Layfield. 303 291 IM Maughan. 302 Beckwith. 302 WL Robinson & Partners. 302 298 M&A Gaskin. 302 282 WR Thompson. 302 300 283 A Crowder. 300 TH Richardson & Son. 297 JC&A Hutchinson. 296 293 G&E Walton. 295 285 JK&CE Farming. 295 278 W.K M.M Lamb. 293 288 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 292 R Errington & Son. 291 A Graham.
Lead Grossing Lambs £160 £144 G&E Walton. £159×2 £154 £147 £137.50 A Crowder. £158 £154 LD Laws. £152 £151×2 £149×2 £147 £144 J Layfield. £152 £151 £150 £146.50 WA Wardman Ltd. £149 £142 M&A Gaskin. £147 £145 £140 J Hird. £147 £135.50 Cole Hill farm Ltd. £147 PD Shepherd Farm. £147 £140 £138 TH Richardson & Son. £147 G Gall. £145 £140 £139 MW Barker & Son. £145 I Burn & Sons. £143 £140 D&PH Brown. £142 £137.50 WR Thompson. £142 £137 JK&CE Farming. £139.50 G Thompson & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (822) – A bumper entry appeared this week, best continental and Suffolk ewes remain good to sell, the very lean ewes look well sold also however some resistance from the buyers was apparent in amongst the Mule’s and middle ground first crosses. All in the show averaged £88. Top of the day went to a brilliant Beltex ewe from J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge which sold for £218, behind her at £186 came the pick of a good run which average £143 up from David Ward of Habton, North Yorkshire with Nottinghamshire’s Peter Barlow’s Texel ewes in close attendance at £176. Local producers J K Gill & Son topped the tups at £178 with a pair of Charolllais just ahead of Thirsk based C S Robinson’s quintet of Texel crossed Leicester tups at £168. Around the other breeds over 350 Mule ewes topped at £96, Zwartbles sold to £126, Blackface to £50, Swaledale £48 and Herdwick’s to £47.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £218 £156 £118 JK&CE Farming. £186 £168 £147 £146 £137 £130 £120 M Ward & Son. £178 JK Gill & Son. £176 £150 £132 £128 PR&V Barlow. £168 CS Robinson. £160 £132 G&E Walton. £160 £135 £120×2 WR Thompson. £156 Healaugh farm. £155 MJ Blacklidge. £150 £119 JJ Horn. £134 £127 R Errington & Son. £134 WA Wardman Ltd. £130 £126 E Moorcock. £130 J&MJ Walton. £129 £122 Wytherstone Farm. £126 £120 Ivanhoe Livestock. £126 A Graham. £126×2 A Wilson.
Prime Pigs (13) – The final offering of prime pigs for 2023, the grand total of 436 swine have passed our doors on a Thursday this year which falls just a shade shy of our plans to dominate the world pork market. Roll on 2024!
Pigs – Top prices ppk 180 155 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £140 £120 J Mitchell & Son.
