Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 7th March 2024. Forward were 163 cattle, 2699 sheep and 14 pigs.
72 Prime Bulls sold to 334ppk or £2818
12 Prime Steers sold to 319ppk or £2277
76 Prime Heifers sold to 354ppk or £2335
3 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 282ppk or £1806
1943 Prime Hoggs sold to 453ppk or £241
756 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £210
14 Prime Pigs sold to 190ppk or £146
Prime Bulls (72) – More forward but still numbers in the bull ring remain well short of buyer requirement, trade improved on the week with the best bulls in particular eagerly bid for as a large proportion of dairy bred bulls were in attendance; the sale average fell on the week to 266ppk however in real terms all classes were dearer. A brilliant British Blonde from F & J S Gargett, Westwick Farm, Barnard Castle stole the show when weighing 844kg and selling for the day’s top price of 334ppk and £2818. Three further vendors with four bulls sold at 330ppk or more, all with Limousin’s, as two from L R Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm were duly joined by T W Clark & Son, Frankland Farm and J E Jordon & Son, The Brocks. The top third of the bulls sold over £2000, the excellent Gargett pen led the way selling twice over £2600 with T W Clark & Son placing third on the list followed by L S Staley, Marwood and R W & R Henry, Worsall. As mentioned, the dairy bulls were plentiful, top per kilo at 261 pence was a Montbeliarde from J M & S Walton, Barton whilst the top gross value went to a Danish Red from J M Stuart & Son, Preston at £2150. The more traditional Holstein Friesian’s were led at 240ppk and £1718 by S H Watson & Son, Caldwell. See below some of the top pen averages.
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 317ppk and £2344
J E Jordon & Son, Morpeth sold 4 to average 317ppk and £1951
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 314ppk and £2569
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 4 to average 314ppk and £2391
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 334 322 284 F&JS Gargett. 331 330 314 295 LR Welsh & Co. 330 312 300 TW Clark. 330 320×2 300 JE Jordon & Son. 306 291 LS Staley. 298 GS Dixon. 295 280 RC Raper & Daughters. 287 282 279×2 278 274 CA Mottram & Sons. 287 275 JK&CE Farming. 283 278 RW&R Henry. 280 GW Dobson & Son. 279 JM&S Walton. 278 C Parker. 271 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2818 £2669 £2220 F&JS Gargett. £2521 £2389 £2262 TW Clark & Son. £2448 £2051 LS Staley. £2445 £2413 £2374 RW&R Henry. £2428 £2412 £2351 £2185 LR Welsh & Co. £2278 £2235 £1996 SH Watson & Son. £2102 £2026 £1884 JE Jordon & Son. £2080 £1987 Rigel Pedigree. £2062 GS Dixon. £2026 £1778 GW Dobson & Son. £1965 £1823 JK&CE Farming. £1870 C Parker.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 240 218 SH Watson & Son. 239 238 232 231 230 212 JM&S Walton. 227 223 219 218 217×2 211 207 JM Stuart & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 250 GS Dowson. 248 225 219 JM Stuart & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2150 £2002 £1896 JM Stuart & Son. £1707 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1718 £1639 SH Watson & son. £1674 £1566 £1559 £1546 £1509 £1444 £1325 JM Stuart & Son. £1547 £1505 £1422 £1354 £1339 £1251 JM&S Walton.
Clean Cattle (88) – Dearer on the week by some margin as averages rose to see the heifer’s level at an impressive 320ppk and the steers 295ppk, as with the bulls, many more could have sold to vendor advantage as the beef supply remains tight. A superb 616kg Limousin heifer from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange set the pace when she sold for 354 pence per kilo; excellent heifers from the Hodgson’s again and also the Hirst’s of Neasham Grange followed at 348ppk with a dozen others from five different farms close behind selling between 340ppk and 346ppk. The top three steers per kilo all came from the Askwith’s of Low Mown Meadows, Crook, the pick of them a super 714kg Limousin selling at 319 pence was also the day’s top gross valued steer at £2277. The top twenty grossing heifers all surpassed £2000, right at the summit were two terrific sorts from Gerard Quinn of J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm; weighing just over 700kg the two crackers from the ‘mighty Quinn’ sold for £2290 and £2335 apiece. See below some of the days most impressive pen averages.
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 heifers to average 340ppk and £2005
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 heifers to average 332ppk and £2020
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 heifers to average 331ppk and £1915
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 heifers to average 328ppk and £2150
Askwiths, Crook sold 4 steers to average 310ppk and £1997
Steers – Top prices ppk 319 314 312 295 Askwiths. 301 300 292 273 PR&V Barlow & Son. 292 P&JH Davison. 285 283 276 DL&D Lovegreen.
Lead Grossing Steers £2277 £2043 £1858 £1811 Askwiths. £1825 P&JH Davison. £1818 £1749 £1688 £1605 PR&V Barlow & Son. £1641 £1576 £1562 DL&D Lovegreen.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 354 348 346 344 343 328 JV&JA Hodgson. 348 345 344 340 335 328 324 319 R Hirst. 345 341 340 339 338 336 333 332 WA Armstrong. 342 340 JB Luck & Son. 341 336 324 AJ Marr & Son. 335 329 328 324 JE Suddes & Son. 330 327 B Walker. 329 328 326 J Layfield. 329 326 321 W Swinbank & Sons. 324 317 P&JH Davison. 318 315 TW Clark & Son. 316 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2335 £2290 £2004 £1969 JE Suddes & Son. £2180 £2123 £2098 £2089 £2010 £1981 £1977 £1945 JV&JA Hodgson. £2103 £2060 £2000 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2093 £2040 £2034 £2021 £1961 WA Armstrong. £2041 £1930 TW Clark & Son. £2040 £2029 £2025 £1927 R Hirst. £2026 £1983 JB Luck & Son. £1965 JV&JA Hodgson. £1949 £1900 P&JH Davison. £1935 B Walker. £1921 31912 £1909 W Swinbank & Sons.
OTM – Top prices ppk 282 PR&V Barlow & Son. 252 212 J Layfield.
Lead Grossing OTM £1806 £1621 J Layfield. £1624 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Prime Hoggs (1943) – Wow, the happy hoggs know no limits! Numbers continue consistently although how long this can be sustained when they are in such demand remains to be seen; a marvellous whole sale weighed straight average of 367ppk with an SQQ average of 376ppk. Top per kilo at 453 pence were five fabulous Beltex from P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland; a super pen of seven 46kg Texel crosses from J & A Layfield, Hamsterley followed at 447ppk with eleven from K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear following at 444ppk. The list goes on with I E & A C Teasdale of Pockley selling a pen of five 46kg British Rouge hoggs at 343ppk along at that price with two Beltex from T A Greensit & Sons, Kirby Fleetham. The top 400 hoggs (45 pens) sold at 400 pence or more, of those 400, sixty weighed 50kg plus with only eleven under 40kg. On to the gross values, some two-hundred hoggs sold for at least £200; top of them all was a wonderful pure Texel at 63kg and £241 from Newark based P J Wilson; the tremendous feeding of A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear followed at £232 and £224 with a host following between £210 and £220. Highlights galore, the list below could go on forever as vendors from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire all the way up through Yorkshire and County Durham to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the North enjoyed an absolute humdinger of a day in the hogg ring.
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 55 to average 420ppk
K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear sold 26 to average 418ppk
G F Whitfield, Quebec sold 19 to average 413ppk
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 189 to average 408ppk
I E & A C Teasdale, Pockley sold 16 to average 398ppk
T A Greensit & Sons, Northallerton sold 52 to average 395ppk
A Crowder, Butsfield sold 44 to average 392ppk
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 61 to average £205
A Crowder, Butsfield sold 44 to average £202
I E & A C Teasdale, Pockley sold 16 to average £201
P J Wilson, Newark sold 25 to average £198
J & A Layfield, Hamsterley sold 50 to average £196
K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear sold 26 to average £193
T A Greensit & Sons, Northallerton sold 52 to average £192
Ian Kirk, Nottinghamshire sold 18 to average £191
D G Clayton, Thirsk sold 55 to average £187
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 453 436 431 425×2 420 395 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 447 442 394 J&A Layfield. 444 429 K&MM Henderson. 443 414 IE&A Teasdale. 443 425 423×2 413 412 TA Greensit & Sons. 437 425 GF Whitfield. 429 MF Hall. 423 395 Ainsty Farms Direct. 420 418 413×2 411 404×2 396 395 R Atkinson. 418 403 A Crowder. 416 Farnley Farm Partners. 414 411 397 TW&PT Moss. 408 I Kirk. 405 AW Gray. 403 400 G&R Dawson. 402 D&PH Brown. 402 400 Whittington. 400 C Binks & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £241 £212 PJ Wilson. £232 £224 £215 £213 £212 £211×2 £209 £207 £206×2 £205 £200×3 £199 AC Simpson & Son. £217 £204 £194 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £211 £208 £206 £198 £197 J&A Layfield. £210 G&R Dawson. £209 £206 A Crowder. £208 E Gilchrist. £207×2 £204 £200 IE&A Teasdale. £207 AW Gray. £206 £204 £202 £199 £195 TA Greensit & Sons. £204×2 £200 PJ Wilson. £200 K&MM Henderson. £197 PS Marsden & Son. £196 £194 I Kirk. £195 £194 £193 DG Clayton.
Cast Ewes & Rams (756) – More forward and trade very similar to see ewes average £101 and tups £121. Fit but not fat remains the order of the day; the top two prices were tups as Ian Kirk of Nottingham led the way with a Texel at £210 followed closely at £200 by a thumping Charollais from fist time vendor’s M E & M Crowder, Lincolnshire. Terrific Texel’s once again from Ian Kirk led the ewe trade with two trios at £190 whilst the on-song Crowder run also topped the Suffolk’s at £165 and shared the top spot in the Mule’s at £125 with local sellers D & P H Brown, Aldbrough-St-John. Lleyn ewes topped at £148 from Skelton Farming, Stanghow whilst fleshy horned ewes sold typically £50 to £80 with a top of an impressive £101 from P M Hill, Ugthorpe.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £210 £190×2 £150 £140 £138 £128×2 I Kirk. £200 £170 £165×2 £150 £130 M&EM Crowder. £170 £150 PM Hill. £160 £140×2 £130 £128 £126 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £160 EJ Boby. £150 £140×2 £126 W Ramsay & Sons. £150×2 £146 £136 IE&A Teasdale. £150 3138 C&R Metcalf. £148 £126 Skelton Farming. £148 MB Scott. £142 PM Hill. £140 £125 D&PH Brown. £140 RE&L Frank. £132 M Dawson. £130×2 EW Grieves.
Prime Pigs (14) – The pig trade remained identical on the week, no doubting the highlight was the biscuit selection arriving for the staff which was one of the best in living memory, next week’s report will potentially feature the results of our blood sugar and cholesterol tests.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 190 160 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £146 £124 J Mitchell & Son.
