Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 29th February 2024. Forward were 159 cattle, 2146 sheep and 15 pigs.
30 Prime Bulls sold to 330ppk or £2644
28 Prime Steers sold to 319ppk or £2295
97 Prime Heifers sold to 352ppk or £2088
4 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 310ppk or £2308
1852 Prime Hoggs sold to 407ppk or £196
294 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £180
15 Prime Pigs sold to 190ppk or £150
Prime Bulls (30) – A very light show left buyers way short of requirement, the sale averaged 274ppk and £1893 per head. The top four bulls per kilo were all excellent 14–15-month-olds from W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay Limousin’s selling between 323ppk and 330ppk, best of the rest were C Binks & Son, Walworth at 316ppk and W & Knaggs & Son, Sadberge at 313ppk. Top gross value went to a thumping 915kg Limousin bull from P I Harker, Worsall at £2644, the super Suddes Limousin’s followed at £2461 followed by a British Blonde from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam at £2358 and two fleshy Charolais bulls from R W Welford & Sons, Roxby close behind and in the £2300’s. The Friesian fraternity were topped this week by a very tidy 548kg bull from J M & S Walton of Brettanby Farm, Barton when he sold for 267ppk and £1463. Below are a handful of the more impressive averages today.
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 4 to average 326ppk and £2225
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 2 to average 307ppk and £2152
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 2 to average 307ppk and £1888
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 330 326×2 323 WI Suddes & Son. 316 300 C Binks & Son. 313 302 W&M Knaggs & Son. 300 WJ Scott Ltd. 294 288 JK&CE Farming. 289 PI Harker. 280 R Hall & Son. 279 JM&S Walton. 276 269 247 JA&A Herbert. 275 242×2 RW Welford & Sons. 270 JR Knox & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2644 PI Harker. £2461 £2277 £2102 £2060 WI Suddes & Son. £2358 WJ Scott Ltd. £2335 £2315 £2205 RW Welford & Sons. £2200 £2104 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2114 R Hall & Son. £2024 £1996 JK&CE Farming. £1908 JR Knox & Son. £1908 £1869 C Binks & Son. £1782 £1759 £1528 JA&A Herbert. £1662 JM&S Walton.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 267 246 227 JM&S Walton. 244 239 R Hall & Son. 214 204 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1463 £1394 £1298 JM&S Walton. £1438 £1403 R Hall & Son. £1354 £1175 D Walker.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 245 JR Knox & Son. 242 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1894 JA&A Herbert. £1764 JR Knox & Son.
Clean Cattle (125) – Trade easier in line with the national trend, a plainer show with many more native and dairy crosses left the averages for heifers at 297ppk and steers 282ppk; although down 15-20 pence on paper this would in reality be back 10-12 pence given the larger proportion of R and O grades on offer. Out in the lead per kilo by a distance today was an exceptional handy weight Limousin heifer from N White, Barf House, Marrick when she sold for 352 pence; behind her the better shaped heifers sold typically 325ppk to 335ppk with Northumbrian raiders Messrs Renton Highlaws and W J Scott Ltd joining local B Walker at the head of the pursuing pack. The super run from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm led the steers per kilo with an excellent British Blonde at 319 pence, the Askwiths of Crook followed at 316ppk with L R Welsh & Co the best of the rest in the steer race per kilo. Even with the brake slightly on the better heavier beast still sail beyond £2000, twice steers sold over £2200 including a brilliant British Blue from Messrs Askwith at £2295 and also the pick from Whitby based J M Smith, Mickleby. Top gross valued heifer came from M Shepherd, Fulthorpe Farm, Stockton at £2088 with the other four heifers over £2000 hailing thrice from the team at Low Leam and also from regular selling J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse. Final mention goes to the scattering of over age cattle, the Askwith’s gain yet another mention with a tidy 33-month-old at 310ppk however the real stars of that show were two wonderful three- and four-year-old Limousin heifers/cows from Renton Highlaws, Morpeth which sold at £2123 and a very impressive £2308. As usual below are a few of the day’s top performers.
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 309ppk and £2174
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 2 to average 307ppk and £2092
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 6 to average 299ppk and £1920
Heifers
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 321ppk and £1860
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 320ppk and £1999
N White, Marrick sold 9 to average 320ppk and £1607
OTM Cattle – Top prices ppk 310 Askwiths. 285 275 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 179 KR&AJ Worley.
Lead Grossing OTM Cattle £2308 £2123 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1565 Askwiths. £1491 KR&AJ Worley.
Steers – Top prices ppk 319 304×2 300 290 280 WJ Scott Ltd. 316 304 Askwiths. 309 306 LR Welsh & Co. 300 286 284 271 JM Smith. 300 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 290 279 P&JH Davison. 287 WJ Smith & Partners. 271 264 J Pallister & Sons. 271 267 IE&JH Brown. 268 264 FJ Young & Partners.
Lead Grossing Steers £2295 £2054 Askwiths. £2202 £2016×2 £1926 JM Smith. £2141 £2044 LR Welsh & Co. £2060 £1997 £1890 £1878 £1862 £1832 WJ Scott Ltd. £2046 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1914 £1816 P&JH Davison. £1722 31653 IE&JH Brown. £1700 £1639 J Pallister & Sons. £1633 WJ Smith & Partners. £1620 KR&AJ Worley.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 352 330 329 324 319 316 312 308 N White. 336 326 324 308 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 333 330 319 WJ Scott Ltd. 332 325 308 B Walker. 329 328 327 319 318 315 310×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 326 W&M Knaggs & Son. 322 320 R Hirst. 320 319 313 311 WF Hustwit. 319 GK KN & GJ Hird. 316 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 314 308×2 F&JS Gargett. 313 312 P&JH Davison. 311 LR Welsh & Co. 307 RA&BA Ridley & Son. 306 302WJ Smith & Partners.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2088 M Shepherd. £2076 32069 £2011 £1841 WJ Scott Ltd. £2000 £1987 £1985 £1936 £1934 £1902 £1877 £1873 JV&JA Hodgson. £1992 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1951 £1866 LR Welsh & Co. £1943 £1892 B Walker. £1910 GK KN & GJ Hird. £1905 £1899 £1827 R Hirst. £1893£1854 £1809 P&JH Davison. £1880 £1836 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1845 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1825 JM Smith.
Prime Hoggs (1852) – The heartwarming hogg trade is the gift that keeps on giving, a very eclectic show with just about all the breeds under the sun represented somehow averaged an excellent weighed straight 341ppk with the SQQ containing over half of those offered returning at a brilliant 356ppk. Top per kilo at 407 pence went to a quartet of Beltex from P J Tindale, Preston Tilery; other vendors in the 400 pence club were regular selling W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm and W K M M Lamb, Doe Park. Top gross value for the second week running went to the excellent feeding of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with an impressive 53kg Charollais at £196; W A Wardman followed closest at £193 just ahead of P J Wilson, Millfield Farm, Newark with a wonderful run of Suffolk gimmer hoggs out of Mule ewes which twice reached £192. Heaps of hill bred hoggs more than enjoyed proceedings as we saw Blackface sell to £160 and 314ppk from L W Martin, Commondale; Mule’s topped at £166 from J R Knox & Son and 343ppk from T W Clark & Son. The pick of the Swaledale’s were £152 and 298ppk from T E Dobson, Unthank Farm and a remarkable trade was enjoyed by twenty-nine 42kg Herdwick’s from J H & D Wise, Preston Manor selling for £145 (345ppk). Hoggs travelled from Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Yorkshire to join our loyal band of Durham producers and help meet buyer demand as the local numbers continue to dry, many more hoggs can be sold weekly from here on in, as always, every vendor is weighed straight, no queue to unload and all sold again today within two hours of a prompt start. Below are a few of the day’s stand out vendors.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 61 to average £186
A Crowder, Butsfield sold 44 to average £183
P J Wilson, Newark sold 65 to average £182
C Dawson, Ferryhill sold 20 to average £181
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 245 to average 378ppk
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 407 400 PJ Tindale. 405 397 393 WA Wardman Ltd. 400 397 W.K M.M Lamb. 397 392 R Errington & Son. 397 374 366 WL Robinson & Partners. 388 386 384 382 381 380×3 377×2 376 375 R Atkinson. 385 371 TGJ Buck. 383 N&MJ Parkin. 381×2 379 375 370 H Haywood & Son Ltd. 380 W Allison & Sons. 378 376 367 363 JH&D Wise. 378 J Thompson. 378 365 CS Robinson. 378 377×2 Whittington. 372 W Kirk & Sons. 369 AC Simpson & Sons. 364 TW Clark & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £196 £191 £190×3 £189×2 £186 £184×2 £182 AC Simpson & Son. £193 £184 £178×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £192×2 £184 PJ Wilson. £191 R Errington & son. £188 B Storey. £185×2 £184 £179 A Crowder. £184 £174 N&MJ Parkin. £184×2 £180 C Dawson. £181×2 £180 TE Dobson. £179 £176 W.K M.M Lamb. £179 W Allison & Sons. £178 £177 £174×4 J&A Layfield. £178 £176×2 PS Marsden & Son. £177 £176 R Nattrass & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (294) – The ewe trade rumbles along, a pretty ordinary offering in general averaged nicely North of £100. Top of the day at £180 went to a tidy trio of Texels from P R Weaver, Nottinghamshire. Mule ewes sold to a top of £115 and of the hill ewes we saw Cheviot’s to £110 and two Peter’s topped the horned ewes as Mr Turnbull and Mr Tindale both sold Blackface to £88.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £180 £170 £160 £154 £140 PR Weaver. £170 PN&VJ Noble. £160 £158 £152 £150×2 £148 BR&R Routledge. £158 £140 WA Wardman Ltd. £150×2 T Lawson & Son. £150 £126 N&LL Brown. £150 3144 JR&J Crowe. £150 £140 B Storey. £140 B Fisk. £140 T Addison. £140 £130 H Haywood & Son Ltd. £134 £130 R Errington & son. £130 £120×2 A Tindale. £130 PJ Tindale. £130 £120×2 Allison Devereux.
Prime Pigs (15) – The pig reports biggest fan this week appeared with oodles of shortbread in appreciation of the weekly humour it provides. Rumour has it, so dedicated to the DfAM pig report is she, that she walked over 300 miles from the biscuit factory in Aberlour, Moray all the way to DfAM this morning taking over 650,000 steps in the process.
Pigs – top prices ppk 190 160 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £150 £128 J Mitchell & Son.
