Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 18th August 2022. Forward were 170 Cattle, 2528 Sheep and 17 Pigs.
71 Prime Bulls sold to 298ppk or £2616
37 Prime Steers sold to 304ppk or £2339
61 Prime Heifers sold to 316ppk or £2012
1 Cast Cow sold to 138ppk and £1348
2198 Prime Lambs sold to 304ppk or £150
330 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £170
17 Pigs sold to 140ppk or £118
Prime Bulls (71) – Red hot recently are the Renton’s of Morpeth in the bull ring and this week was no exception, ten toppers from the team at High Highlaws helped us to another exceptional trade with a sale average of 254 pence per kilo and £1794. The top three all from the Morpeth men each sold for 298ppk, another from the same home at 296 was matched by a superstar from A S & S M Kemp which sat just ahead of the familiar mighty Limousin’s of A C Simpson & Son on the pence per kilo list. An incredible 21 bulls this week sold over £2000, inside the top bracket came first time vendors McBeath Livestock, Stirling at £2266 however the great runs from Messrs Renton and Simpson were undoubtedly today’s top sellers, best of all a majestic 887kg from the Simpson pen returned a wonderful gross value of £2616. A fine Friesian trade also ensued today with the excellent feeding of R Hall & Son, Brotton once again at the forefront topping at 221ppk and £1446. Some sublime returns of our sale leaders are listed below.
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 10 to average 292ppk and £2138
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 to average 281ppk and £2423
McBeath Livestock, Stirling sold 2 to average 276ppk and £2036
N White, Marrick sold 9 to average 267ppk and £1899
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 264ppk and £1993
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 298×3 296 294 290×2 289 286 284 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 296 284 273 270 248×2 232 231 230 AS&SM Kemp. 295×2 256 AC Simpson & Son. 287 286 285 278 268×2 256 247 N White. 281 JJ Horn. 280 IR Appleton. 279 275 McBeath Livestock. 273 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 270 266 246 DH Lawson. 266 262 LS Staley. 264 Oakwood Farms. 253 WE&CA Anderson. 240 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2616 £2413 £2240 AC Simpson & Son. £2521 £2261 £2187 £2147 £2146 £2068 £2067 £2033 £2032 £1917 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2266 £1807 McBeath Livestock. £2153 IR Appleton. £2128 £2014 £1913 £1910 £1811 AS&SM Kemp. £2093 £1894 LS Staley. £2077 £1801 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2066 £2031 £1981 £1957 £1954 £1862 £1817 N White. £2062 JJ Horn. £1940 £1809 M&J Hayhurst. £1917 £1901 DH Lawson. £1869 Oakwood Farms.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 221 214 209 R Hall & Son. 210 204 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1531 £1446 £1308 R Hall & Son. £1211 £1178 JA&A Herbert.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 249 237 AS&SM Kemp. 217 W&D McLaren. 209 JC&P Tallentire. Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1919 £1841 AS&SM Kemp. £1670 W&D McLaren. £1446 JC&P Tallentire.
OTM – Top price ppk 138 AF&SM Thomson.
Lead Grossing OTM £1348 AF&SM Thomson.
Clean Cattle (98) – With some wonderfully finished cattle at the top end of this weeks offering the 98 averaged a marvellous £1679, within this the heifers levelled at 281ppk with the eclectic mix of steers averaging 266ppk. A pleasing 23 times bidding surpassed 300 pence, hot heifers from regular sellers Messrs Hirst, Hodgson and Askwith all challenged beyond 310ppk however the sale topper hailed from Brechin and congratulations on their third trip to Darlington go to J & J P Sim, Kincraig with a lovely 591kg Limousin selling for 316ppk. A blistering bullock trade beggared belief as the live ring convincingly outshone the darker deadweight options which are available, more success for the Sim’s as they led the way at 304ppk, following closely were more raiders from North S & J E Andrew, Loch of Lowes and hot on their heels were Barker Farming, Scorton and Neil Brown, Darlington. With a good turnout of heavy beast, the leading gross values proved very impressive, a wonderful eleven times we surpassed £2000, once again the brilliance from Brechin were impressing as they led the heifers when twice joining the £2k plus club; top of the steers was an absolute tank from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton a 921kg British Blue which sold for a massive £2339, mention again must go to S & J E Andrew with five fabulous steers pushing the powerful Scorton pen all the way. Some marvellous figures below from our top contenders of the week.
Steers
S & J E Andrew, Perth sold 5 to average 293ppk and £2127
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 4 to average 292ppk and £1655
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 3 to average 291ppk and £1915
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 278ppk and £2009
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 4 to average 276ppk and £2109
Heifers
R Hirst, Neasham sold 11 to average 301ppk and £1646
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 300ppk and £1681
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 296ppk and £1644
J & J P Sim, Brechin sold 9 to average 294ppk and £1899
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 294ppk and £1752
Continental Steers – Top prices ppk 304 J&JP Sim. 301 299 296 289 284 S&JE Andrew. 299 280 278 254 Barker Farming Partnership. 298 291 285 JH&M&NW Brown. 295 294 291 288 WJ Smith & Partners. 292 260 256 WL Robinson & Partners. 288 283 266 Askwiths. 251 233 GW&L Marsay. 242 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 242 240 W Henderson.
Lead Grossing Continental Steers £2339 £2236 £2032 £1831 Barker Farming Partnership. £2251 £2166 £2104 £2060 £2054 S&JE Andrew. £2122 £1987 £1918 Askwiths. £1952 £1928 £1866 JH&M&NW Brown. £1836 £1806 £1789 WL Robinson & Partners. £1796 J&JP Sim. £1788 £1663 W Henderson & Son. £1702 £1684 £1634 £1601 WJ Smith & Partners. £1536 £1410 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Native Breed Steers – Top prices ppk 238 230 227 226×2 220 Thoresby Livestock.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Steers £1258 £1218 £1171 £1157 £1139 Thoresby Livestock.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 316 306 303 300 299×2 293 J&JP Sim. 314 312 310 308 306 305 302 296 293 283 282 R Hirst. 312 309 306 304×2 296 294 286 276 260 JV&JA Hodgson. 311 283 Askwiths. 307 306 295 289 277 272 WF Hustwit. 304 302 295 B Walker. 291 281 S Luck & Son. 284 270 S&JE Andrew. 274 W Henderson & Son. 270 E Wilson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2012 £2007 £1927 £1906 £1897 £1876 £1873 £1845 £1749 J&JP Sim. £1941 £1885 £1720 S&JE Andrew. £1829 £1786 £1761 £1749 £1711 £1686 £1639 WF Hustwit. £1829 £1796 x2 £1784 £1769 £1750 £1746 £1727 JV&JA Hodgson. £1762 £1733 £1706 £1680 £1663 R Hirst. £1731 £1670 £1641 B Walker. £1701 £1587 Askwiths.
Prime Lambs (2198) – The buyers of weight are going great but if lambs are lean, they are feeling mean. A two tier show with some super sorts mixed with some under finished grass-fed lambs, the weighed straight sale average of 238ppk and £102.61 only tells half the story as the over 45kg lambs averaged a healthy 248ppk, all in we sit just tuppence behind the same week last year. Nobody could live with the pace set by F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm today with a 56kg Texel selling for £150 and the top price per kilo 49kg lamb selling for 304 pence (£149). Mention must go to the Davies family of Piercebridge who probably turned out the day’s most consistent run as their 50 excellent Texel and Beltex lambs sold regularly in the high 280’s and 290’s.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 304 277 267 F&JS Gargett. 297 291 290 288 261 HT Davies & Partners. 296 275 I&A Holmes. 295 268 S&S Davies. 292 KA Luke. 285 281 273×2 267 261 JV&JA Hodgson. 282 P Cockburn. 282×2 277 273 261×3 AWSM Farms. 279 JA&A Herbert. 278 277 273 PR&V Barlow. 276 272×2 266 I Kirk. 275 P&CM Graham. 274 273 271 M&A Gaskin. 273 269 PRE Marwood. 270 DK Barker. 269 JR Mann. 268 F Shield. 266 JJ Horn. 265×2 262×2 261 DR Smith. 262 IR Appleton.
Lead Grossing Lambs £150 £149 £136 £135 F&JS Gargett. £143.50 £134 £130 £127 £122.50 DR Smith. £142 £137 £125 M&A Gaskin. £138.50 £133 JJ Horn. £136 £126 R&F Longstaff. £135 DK Barker. £135 DS Muir. £132.50 £131.50 KA Luke. £132 £124 B&J Bainbridge. £131.50 F Shield. £130.50 £125.50 PR&V Barlow. £130 P Cockburn. £130 D&JA Teasdale. £130 JM&S Walton. £129 P Wilson. £128.50 £126 JV&JA Hodgson. £128 I Kirk. £127 £124 £122.50 D&PH Brown. £126.50 £123 PRE Marwood.
Cast Ewes & Rams (330) – The somewhat inconsistent ewe trade continues, heavy ewes perhaps dearer on the week yet some healthy leaner sorts look to be now worth much more as feeders on a Monday. Top of the day was a tremendous Texel tup from Ian Kirk, Nottinghamshire at £170 whilst our leading ewe was also a Texel from Jess Stewart, Rushyford. Heavy Mule ewes are now typically in the £90’s whilst some full fleshed Swaledale’s sold as high as £70 on two occasions.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £170 £160 £125 £120 I Kirk. £160 Jess Stewart. £150 £114 I Spedding. £140 £134 JG Hall. £130×3 £120 P Wilson. £130 £125 £120 £110 C Harle & Sons. £129 P Cockburn. £126 £120 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £120 £110 £108 MW Cook & Son. £120 JM&S Walton. £117 CM Cameron. £117 PRE Marwood. £115 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £115 £105 JJ Horn. £110 T Grix. £100 T&C Smith.
Prime Pigs (17) – Unbelievably a new pig buyer attended, in attempting to accommodate everyone the 17 pigs somehow used 9 pens which could (in my opinion) have housed 140 lambs. Not for the first time we made our performance in the pig department about as simple as plaiting sawdust.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 140 120 110 J Mitchell & Son. 130 126 116 110 106 100 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £118 £109 £108 £92 £89 C Weightman. £114 £94×2 J Mitchell & Son.
