Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 11th April 2024. Forward were 224 cattle and 1353 sheep.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 343ppk or £3071
29 Prime Steers sold to 325ppk or £2181
121 Prime Heifers sold to 345ppk or £2257
9 New Season Lambs sold to 533ppk or £256
1136 Prime Hoggs sold to 527ppk or £249
208 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £286
Prime Bulls (74) – More forward and trade similar on the week to see them average a pleasing 288ppk and £1932 per head. Some super sorts up at the summit, none better than an excellent run of British Blue’s across from Cumbria and the renowned yard of T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall; top per kilo from the hot Hall’s was a 743kg bull at 343 pence whilst the top gross value at a whopping £3071 from the same home tipped the scales to 966kg. Seven bulls sold over £2500 today with a further twenty-seven over £2000 whilst thirteen sold over 320ppk and fourteen checked in between 300ppk and 319ppk. A band of travelling bulls from North of the border this week topped the native prices with Aberdeen Angus from J M Lawrie, Arbroath to 272ppk and £2037 whilst pure dairy bred bulls were led at 256ppk and £1786 for a Montbeliarde from J M & S Walton, Barton. See below some of the day’s top averages.
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 5 to average 328ppk and £2641
Foxton Livestock, Egglestone sold 2 to average 322ppk and £2448
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 4 to average 322ppk and £2023
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 to average 320ppk and £2160
C Harle & Sons, Brandon sold 6 to average 319ppk and £2189
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 343 339 330 318×2 TN&J Hall. 335 P Weightman & Sons. 334 324 315×2 S&J Dent & Son. 330 329 300 JB Luck & Son. 329 316 Foxton Livestock. 329 D Alderson. 329 297 LR Welsh & Co. 327 326 319×2 318 C Harle & Sons. 319 295 LS Staley. 311 M&J Hayhurst. 310 300 294 288 J&L Shepherd & Son. 295 JK&CE Farming. 289 JR Knox & Son. 287 R Hall & Son. 284 279 TF Bothroyd & Son. 283 279 E Scott. 282 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3071 £2709 £2548 £2455 £2322 TN&J Hall. £2855 D Alderson. £2673 P Weightman & Sons. £2574 £2321 LS Staley. £2534 £2362 Foxton Livestock. £2475 M&J Hayhurst. £2447 £2244 JB Luck & Son. £2401 £2128 £2081 LR Welsh & Co. £2390 £2226 £2200 £2121 £2109 C Harle & Sons. £2301 £2207 £2154 J&L Shepherd & Son. £2284 £2021 S&J Dent & Son. £2218 £2187 £1923 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2103 JK&CE Farming. £2076 JR Knox & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 248×2 R Hall & Son. 235×2 234 233 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1594 £1495 R Hall & Son. £1567 £1449 £1419 £1351 JM&S Walton.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 272 268 244 JM Lawrie. 270 E Scott. 257 235 JA&A Herbert. 236 JC&P Tallentire. 235 229 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2037 £1661 JM Lawrie. £1768 E Scott. £1632 £1532 GS Dowson. £1593 £1439 JA&A Herbert. £1515 JC&P Tallentire.
Clean Cattle (150) – As with the bulls, more forward, the clean beef saw the trade similar on paper however some would argue a better show of quality places them a touch easier on last week; heifers averaged 300ppk with a mixed offering of steers down at 266ppk. The exceptional cattle from T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall claimed their second top spot per kilo of the day when a beautiful British Blue heifer sold for 345 pence; also, in the 340’s was three regular sellers R Hirst, B Walker and the Askwiths, twenty further heifers sold 330-339ppk. Still, plenty of the heavier beef bred heifers sell over £2000, eighteen to be precise, leading them all was a thumping 35-month-old from R & Stodart Ltd, Mill of Inverarity, Forfar at £2257 with J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery next best at £2127 ahead of Hexhamshire’s R A & B A Ridley & Son Ltd at £2115. Top steer per kilo was another to come off the travelled lorry as R & A Stodart Ltd were again in pole position selling a 616kg Limousin at 325 pence. The top gross valued steer was altogether more local as he belonged to the Askwiths of Crook, a 727kg Limousin reaching £2181 followed by P & J H Davison, Morley at £2143 and J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge at £2113. Below are some of the day’s top pen averages.
Heifers
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 333ppk and £1930
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 333ppk and £1887
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 5 to average 332ppk and £1744
F J Young & Partners, Sedgefield sold 3 to average 331ppk and £1675
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 304ppk and £2090
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 3 to average 301ppk and £1778
Steers – Top prices ppk 325 R&A Stodart Ltd. 310 300 Askwiths. 307 306 291 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 296 JK&CE Farming. £1994 JE Suddes & Son. 294 280 261 256 JM Smith. 293 287 P&JH Davison. 280 258 A&MJ Henshaw. 263 258 Jack Henshaw. 261 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Steers £2181 £1999 Askwiths. £2143 £1930 P&JH Davison. £2113 JK&CE Farming. £2087 £1988 £1777 JM Smith. £2002 R&A Stodart Ltd. £1994 JE Suddes & Son. £1909 £1862 A&MJ Henshaw. £1855 M Ord & Sons. £1792 £1774 £1766 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1594 £1580 Jack Henshaw.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 345 343 339 334 TN&J Hall. 342 330 329 328 R Hirst. 341 327 Askwiths. 340 327 B Walker. 339 A Swinbank & Son. 339 336 327 GK KN & GJ Hird. 339 334 R&A Stodart Ltd. 335 TW Clark & Son. 335 330×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 335 330 328 327 WA Armstrong. 334 JE Suddes & Son. 333 330×2 FJ Young & Partners. 330 EW Grieves. 330 328 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 327 JM Smith. 327 WF Hustwit. 319 A&MJ Henshaw. 318 G Bird & Sons. 316 314 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2257 £2017 £2007 £1937 R&A Stodart Ltd. £2127 JE Suddes & Son. £2115 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2086 £2061 £2037 £2003 £1997 £1966×2 £1950 £1949 JV&JA Hodgson. £2058 £2017 R Hirst. £2054 £1989 £1964 £1956 £1946 £1927 WA Armstrong. £2041 £2027 £2013 £1946 TW Clark & Son. £2020 £1967 £1943 WF Hustwit. £2006 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2000 £1989 A&MJ Henshaw. £1981 B Walker. £1965 GK KN & GJ Hird. £1917 G Bird & Sons. £1910 TN&J Hall. £1903 Askwiths.
New Season Lambs (9) – Slowly the lambs trickle forward however from distance they appear as the local early flocks are yet to get going, just the 382 miles separated the vendors then as seven from Hunmanby and two from Aberdeenshire made up the offering, all sold handsomely to average £224. An excellent Charollais from R Todd, Newtown Farm led the way weighing 48kg and selling for £256 (533ppk) with the day’s other Hunmanby visitors T & J Hunter closest behind at £248.
Spring Lambs – Top prices ppk 533 530 R Todd. 477 G Gall. 434 420 T&J Hunter.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs £256 £228 R Todd. £248 £226 T&J Hunter. £191 G Gall.
Prime Hoggs (1136) – Numbers hard to find now in this part of the world, those showing had themselves another excellent day to see a whole sale weighed straight average of 410 pence per kilo. Two vendors sold beyond 500 pence per kilo; A P & R Dunn of North Carlton Farm, York three times hit the 500 plus heights with pens of 48-49kg Beltex however top of the shop at 527 pence were a terrific trio of 44kg Beltex from Northallerton’s T A Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth. On the gross value lists it was unequivocally the Dunn’s having the fun as they turned out the top three prices, and in fact they produced five of the top six, a quartet of 49kg’s proved to be the best of them all at £249 per head. Below are a few of the day’s success stories.
A P & R A Dunn, York sold 20 to average 493ppk
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 141 to average 457ppk
P R & V Barlow, Shelford sold 106 to average 432ppk
G W Whittington, Papplewick sold 22 to average 430ppk
T A Greensit & Sons, Northallerton sold 85 to average 429ppk
A P & R A Dunn, York sold 20 to average £242
J & A Layfield, Hamsterley sold 85 to average £221
K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear sold 28 to average £220
D E Stones, Scargill sold 12 to average £218
J R Knox & Son, Heighington sold 20 to average £217
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 141 to average £215
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 527 474 465 462 437 430 426 424 TA Greensit & Sons. 512 510 508 481 433 AP&R Dunn. 483 477 460 446 441 434 R Atkinson. 476 437 424 JR Knox & Son. 474 466 426 K&MM Henderson. 467 460 431 423 J&A Layfield. 466 463 458 443 438 429 G Gall. 460 424 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 456 445 444 438 426 PR&V Barlow & Son. 454 428 MW Barker & Son. 452 RE&L Frank. 438 R Wood & Son. 427 MW&M Skidmore. 422 J Hicks. 421 JH&D Wise.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £249 £246 £245 £236 £234 AP&R Dunn. £237 £226 £225 £220 K&MM Henderson. £232 £228 £222 TA Greensit & Sons. £232 £221 £215 £212 R Atkinson. £232 £230 £227 £220 MW Barker & Son. £230×2 £229 £222×2 £220×3 £215 £214×2 J&A Layfield. £229 £224 £212 JR Knox & Son. £228 £219 PR&V Barlow & Son. £228 £220 DE Stones. £227 £220 £215 G Gall. £227 £214 R Tookey & Son. £226 £220×2 RE&L Frank. £220 A&CA Stanwix. £217 R Wood & Son. £213 WR Thompson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (208) – The ewe trade continues its consistent trajectory upwards, something for everyone today as some excellent ewes were joined by a plethora of lambing disasters and rare breeds. No doubting the stars of the show were a run of seventeen sensational Texel ewes from regular marauding Midlander P R Weaver, Little Manor Farm which averaged a scintillating £243; the best pen of five were our sale toppers at £286. Away from the Midland magician we also saw Beltex sell to £250, a British Rouge tup to £238, Suffolk’s to £190, Cheviot Mule’s to £172 and North of England Mules to £166 with a breed average of £124. Amongst the hill dwellers made up of Swaledale’s, Shetland’s and Herdwick’s it was all a question of flesh, the fitter end typically selling for £60 to £70.
Cast Ewes- £286 £280 £246 £224 £192 PR Weaver. £250 £170 W Kirk & Sons. £248 JP Floyd. £238 E Smith. £212 £153 JR&J Crowe. £194 £190 £159 WR Thompson. £192 £152 GC&JC Pullan. £188 £178 £176 £170 WH&KL Wilson. £186 £144 C Binks & Son. £180 £160 £158 £139 AWSM Farms. £178 £138 A&CA Stanwix. £174 x2 £168 £146 K&MM Henderson. £172 £134 PR&V Barlow & Son. £170 Dorothy Watson. £170 £166 R Tookey & Son. £158 JR Knox & Son. £150 P Suddes. £148 JE Lockey & Son. £148 £144 £138 £120 F Myers & Sons. £148 IW Adamson. £147 B&L Robson. £137 JGM Brown & Co. £130 R Atkinson. £125 RD&D Elders & Son. £124 J&RA Speed.
