Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 4th January 2023. Forward were 224 cattle, 2390 sheep and 24 pigs.
86 Prime Bulls sold to 335ppk or £2946
21 Prime Steers sold to 328ppk or £2393
117 Prime Heifers sold to 360ppk or £2168
1918 Prime Hoggs sold to 339ppk or £180
472 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
24 Prime Pigs & Sows sold to £185ppk or £181
Prime Bulls (86) – It was a happy new year for the bull vendors as 2024 kicked off in tremendous style with a supersonic sale average of 284 pence per kilo and a massive £2010 per head. A stunning thirty-six bulls sold at 300 pence or more today, top per kilo was a terrific 663kg Aberdeen Angus cross Limousin from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm, Willington which reached 335 pence; a five-way tie for second spot at 330ppk included two Limousin’s each for N White, Marrick and A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear which were duly joined by a beautiful British Blue from Cumbrian raiders P J & E S Rogerson. An almost unprecedented twelve bulls sold over £2500; third place went to another super sort from Nackshivan at £2746, runner up was a brilliant British Blonde from D Richardson & Co, Melsonby at £2786 however top of this week’s extraordinary list was a phenomenal 893kg homebred Limousin from Messrs Simpson, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear selling for a marvellous £2946. Friesian feeders were also delighted with the opening sale of the year, top of the black and white leader board was the ultra-consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall, Brotton with top prices of 270ppk and £1795.
P J & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 4 to average 319ppk and £2029
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 5 to average 318ppk and £2487
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 3 to average 317ppk and £2028
J R Knox & Son, Heighington sold 2 to average 314ppk and £2380
J Layfield, Willington sold 7 to average 313ppk and £2427
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 5 to average 307ppk and £2236
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 330×2 310×2 300×2 N White. 330×2 329 314 AC Simpson & Son. 330 321 316 310 PJ&ES Rogerson. 328×2 F&JS Gargett. 328 320 300 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 327 318 304 AG Watson & Sons. 320 309 JR Knox & Son. 316×2 311 310×2 303 J Layfield. 316 W&M Knaggs & Son. 315 312 304 LR Welsh & Co. 310 307 D Richardson & Co. 310 305 A&D Proctor.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2946 £2640 £2599 £2512 AC Simpson & Son. £2786 £2508 £2433 £2388 £2184 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2746 £2543 £2414 £2405 £2360 £2298 J Layfield. £2701 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2634 M&J Hayhurst. £2604 £2558 £2461 F&JS Gargett. £2465 £2294 JR Knox & Son. £2464 £2403 £2377 £2254 LR Welsh & Co. £2383 £2225 £2222 £2184 AG Watson & Sons. £2346 TW Clark.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 270 232 230 R Hall & Son. 249 226 JK&CE Farming. 225 223 D Walker. 219 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1795 £1591 £1478 R Hall & Son. £1581 £1514 JK&CE Farming. £1424 £1352 D Walker. £1421 GW Dobson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 335 J Layfield. 250 249 Upsall Castle Farms. 232 231 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2225 £2091 Upsall Castle Farms. £2221 J Layfield. £1723 £1517 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (138) – As with the bulls the clean cattle trade made a fantastic start to the year, steers levelled at 291ppk whilst a red-hot heifer trade saw them average 316ppk across the board. Over 80% of the clean cattle reached 300 pence per kilo and no less than twenty-one heifers sold at 340ppk or more with a magnificent seven beyond 350ppk. Top spot at 360ppk was shared between two regular local vendors as B Walker, Birch Springs and J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange both produced excellent Limousin’s which both caught the eye of H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. More successes followed for the Hodgson’s along with the regular selling Hirst’s of Neasham, the reliable Renton’s of Morpeth and the inform Layfield’s of Willington. Top steer per kilo at 328 pence hailed from A F Hall, Redcar House, Sedgefield with a perfectly finished 686kg Limousin with the Asquith’s of Crook close behind at 325ppk as the beef bred bullocks enjoyed a humdinger this week. Some grand old gross values as thirty-two joined the £2000 plus club; more heroics from the Hodgson’s of The Grange, Summerhouse as their top five heifers sold over £2100 with a best of £2168, the Renton team of High Highlaws also deserving of mention as they thrice surpassed £2100 with heifers. Top gross valued clean beast proved to be a thumping 777kg Limousin steer from W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm, Etherley when he reached £2393, good sorts from the Hall’s of Redcar House, Marr’s of Old Ravensworth and Askwith’s of Crook also sold beyond £2200.
Heifers
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 339ppk and £2043
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 5 to average 339ppk and £1965
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 6 to average 338ppk and £2041
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 to average 336ppk and £1872
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 336ppk and £1865
J Layfield, Willington sold 6 to average 335ppk and £1872
C W Gray, Morpeth sold 5 to average 331ppk and £1874
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 327ppk and £2032
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 319ppk and 2148
A Swinbank, Sedgefield sold 2 to average 318ppk and £1822
A F Hall, Sedgefield sold 2 to average 317ppk and £2287
A J Marr & Son, Newcastle sold 3 to average 310ppk and £2164
Steers – Top prices ppk 328 308 AF Hall. 325 315 Askwiths. 320 316 A Swinbank & Son. 319 I&A Hamilton. 319 WJ Smith & Partners. 318 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 314 311 308 AJ Marr & Son. 308 302 WR Thompson. 289 J Pallister & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £2393 £2065 WR Thompson. £2325 £2250 AF Hall. £2214 £2140 £2138 AJ Marr & Son. £2211 £2086 Askwiths. £2054 J Pallister & Sons. £1920 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1890 Tallentire. £1846 £1798 A Swinbank & Son. £1789 WJ Smith & Partners.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 360 333 326 B Walker. 360 356 348 345 338 324×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 358 348 347 344 340 337 327 325×2 R Hirst. 355 350 348 338 335 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 354 344×2 343 J Layfield. 344 335 329 328 324 CW Gray. 341 339×4 JE Suddes & Son. 341 333 331 330 328 326 I&A Hamilton. 340 JR&B Anderson. 339 322 TW Clark & Son. 339 334 WJ Smith & Partners. 337 320×3 WF Hustwit. 334 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 324 Askwiths. 322 IR Appleton.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2168 £2164 £2118 £2109 £2100 £2095 £2055 £2014 JV&JA Hodgson. £2150 £2149 £2146 £2033 £2009 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2073 £1911 JB Bell & Son. £2057 £2052 £2021 B Walker. £2054 £1991 £1934 R Hirst. £2035 WF Hustwit. £2029 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2013 £1991 £1956 £1949 JE Suddes & Son. £2006 £1987 RW&R Henry. £1996 £1932 £1927 TW Clark & Son. £1974 £1940 CW Gray. £1974 £1952 J Layfield. £1943 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1921 Askwiths.
Prime Hoggs (1918) – The hogg trade stuttered after it’s festive boost however remains slightly ahead of pre-Christmas levels and still 25 pence per kilo higher than the same week last year. Today’s weighed straight sale average of 270ppk included over three-hundred grass fed Mule and hill hoggs, it must be noted that the best-bred, well-fed hoggs remained very easy to sell throughout. Beltex hoggs topped the prices per kilo as M W & M Skidmore, Low Swainston peaked at 339 pence with 43kg selling for £146, the same breed and weight from W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood followed closely at 332ppk (£143). An absolutely stunning 56kg black Beltex from T H Richardson & Son, Low Moor Hill led the gross values when it sold for £180 to Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton; great runs of sheep from J & A Layfield, New Row Farm and the aforementioned W A Wardman Ltd between then took the lions share of the hoggs priced in the £150’s and £160’s.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 339 330 MW&M Skidmore. 332 326 322 316 314 305 304 303 301 296 WA Wardman Ltd. 326 294 GF Whitfield. 324 315 310 309 293 J Thompson & Sons. 324 IM Maughan. 323 316 307 J&A Layfield. 321 302 M Smith. 321 315 TH Richardson & Son. 320 319 W&M Knaggs & Son. 319 300 CJM Hedley. 315 W Tindale. 312 Tallentire. 307 RH Wilson & Son. 306 A Crowder. 306 304 301 RO Gilson. 304 MW Barker & Son. 302 WR Thompson. 298 GC&JC Pullan. 297 AWSM Farms.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £180 £145 £143 TH Richardson & Son. £168 £163 £159 £158 £152 £150 £144.50×2 J&A Layfield. £163 £159 £158×2 £156 3155 £154 £150 £148×2 £147 £146×2 £143 WA Wardman Ltd. £163 £157 £152 £150 £145 RO Gilson. £155 £149 £146 £143 GC&JC Pullan. £152 £146 MW&M Skidmore. £151 £146 DK Barker. £149 £147 A Crowder. £148 M Smith. £147 GF Whitfield. £147 £144 CJM Hedley. £146 J Thompson & Sons. £146 MW Barker & Son. £145 AWSM Farms. £144 W&M Knaggs & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (472) – A slightly plainer show of ewes sold to similar rates to see the 457 average £86, a fine fifteen rams this week impressed and averaged £129. Top of the day was a Charollias ram from the Todd’s of Toft Hill selling for £160, close behind were a fine pair of Suffolk ewes from Anna Herbert, West Shaws at £158. Two-hundred Mule ewes averaged £78 with a top of £112 whilst amongst the hill breeds forty-four Scottish Blackface topped at £78 and averaged £68 and thirty-six Swaledale’s sold to £69 and averaged £52.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £160 3154 JR Todd. £158 £152 £149 £114 F Ward. £158 £120 Anna Herbert. £145 £138 £134 £130 JJ Horn. £144 R Lawson & Son. £140×2 J Norman. £138 £124 TH Richardson & Son. £136 WA Wardman Ltd. £134 £110 MW&M Skidmore. £134 £125 RE&L Frank. £132 £130 JV Hodgson & Son. £132 WR Thompson. £130 £120.50 £120×3 £110 O Chapman. £128 JA&A Herbert. £126 WL Robinson & Partners. £120 RA Patterson & Son.
Prime Pigs & Sows (24) – Absolutely pigundated with a whopping two dozen to start the year, one pig today then for every Bond Film ever made; it is debatable but for the benefit of our pig report fans surely the greatest Bond film was The Sty Who Loved Me?
Pigs – Top prices ppk 185 175 160 J Mitchell & Son. 170 150 130 C Weightman & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £175 £171 £145 £142 C Weightman. £149 £141 £126 J Mitchell & Son.
Sow – 60ppk and £181 RM Johnston.
