Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 1st August 2024. Forward were 187 cattle and 1214 sheep.
70 Prime Bulls sold to 325ppk or £2531
38 Prime Steers sold to 322ppk or £2454
79 Prime Heifers sold to 348ppk or £2172
1 Charity Lamb raised £2232
1025 Prime Lambs sold to 404ppk or £190.
188 Cast Sheep sold to £225
Charity Lamb – A generous donation of a prime lamb from regular Darlington supporter Gerard Quinn of Rowley Farm, Cornsay Colliery brought out the very best in the live auction and its wonderful supporters. The proceeds from the lamb will go to The Sick Children’s Trust, Crawford House who are supporting and caring for Gerard’s grandson Jakob Frost and his family. All of us here at DfAM and indeed in the wider community have Jakob in our thoughts today, we are truly grateful to those who gave generously today, buying and regifting the lamb numerous times to raise a fantastic £2232. Thanks go to Andrew Atkinson, Wayne Armstrong, DfAM, J A Jewitt Ltd, Shans Group Ltd and Lancashire Direct Halal Meat Ltd.
Prime Bulls (70) – Trade sharper again and averages rose on the week to see them level at 279ppk and £1915 per head. Five bulls from four vendors made it in to at least 320ppk, top of them all came a brilliant home bred Limousin from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm weighing 642kg and selling for 325 pence; the same good yard sold another at 320 pence and in doing so sandwiched Messrs Hird, Staley and Rogerson in a very tight knit chasing pack. Top of the gross values at £2531 was a hefty Limousin bull from D Richardson & Co, Bracken House, behind him followed the pick of a good pen from T W Clark & Son, Frankland Park Farm at £2496 with another from the Richardson’s next in line at £2477. See below some of the day’s top pen averages.
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 4 to average 319ppk and £2047
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Whashton sold 3 to average 317ppk and £2111
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 314ppk and £2228
D H Lawson, Leyburn sold 2 to average 298ppk and £2238
PJ & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 4 to average 297ppk and £1993
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 295ppk and £2335
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 325 320 319 313 S&J Dent & Son. 323 315 313 GK KN & GJ Hird. 322 308 LS Staley. 321 315 279 277 PJ&ES Rogerson. 312 JJ Horn. 311 C Binks & Son. 310 297 280 279 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 309 295 294 280 J Layfield. 307 290 DH Lawson. 304 JK&CE Farming. 298×2 291 TW Clark & Son. 293 GW Dobson & Son. 279 JA&A Herbert. 278 J Richmond. 277 276 IMC Farming.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2531 £2477 £2303 £2292×2 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2496 £2306 £2202 TW Clark & Son. £2419 £2055 J Layfield. £2348 £2128 DH Lawson. £2257 £2199 LS Staley. £2243 JJ Horn. £2219 £2060 £2056 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2212 £2043 GW Dobson & Son. £2158 JK&CE Farming. £2152 £2101 C Binks & Son. £2125 £2031 £2017 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2093 £2086 £2060 S&J Dent & Son. £2064 J Richmond. £2057 IMC Farming.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 270 268 254 242 W&R Kemp & Son. 254 234 CH&SE Armstrong. 248 R Hall & Son. 248 TA&J Swinbank. 246 245×2 242 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1841 £1675 CH&SE Armstrong. £1835 £1730 £1676 £1555 W&R Kemp & Son. £1493 £1398 £1396 £1331 JA&A Herbert. £1433 R Hall & Son. £1299 TA&J Swinbank.
Clean Cattle (117) – Up a gear goes the clean beef as the regular parliament of butchers and wholesalers bid freely for all classes; the heifers averaged an absolutely wonderful 319ppk with the show of steers containing several native and dairy sorts levelling up at 280ppk. An Olympic worthy sprint to the finish this week in the top price per kilo race with eleven heifers in the 340’s and sixteen in the 330’s; two tied at the top reaching 348 pence and both hailed from the regular selling J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse. Coxhoe based W A Armstrong followed at 346ppk ahead of three familiar vendors at 344ppk which were R Hirst, F Hustwit and J B Luck & Son. The steer leader board per kilo was an even closer affair with the top eight all within fourpence of one another; best of all at 322ppk was a handy weight Limousin from Taylor Bros, Belle Isle, Richmond with the pursuing pack from the Marshall’s of Bishop Middleham, Askwiths of Crook, Bainbridge’s of Seamer and Robinson’s of Bolam all in very close attendance. On to the gross values and some super returns to report, top of the day was a superbly finished 772kg Limousin steer from W Bainbridge, Greystones Farm, Seamer when he sold for £2454; the same good feeding followed with the next three on our steer list between £2150 and £2201 weighing 685kg to £701kg. Top of the gross valued heifers hailed from R A & B A Ridley & Son Ltd, Dipton Foot Farm, Riding Mill who produced a tremendous 734kg Limousin, following in the £2100’s were the aforementioned Hodgson’s, Bainbridge’s and Luck’s. Final mention must go to some tremendous feeding from C H & S E Armstrong of Alnwick, it’s quite rare we see Jersey steers, it’s unheard of that someone could sell three to average £1208 with a top of £1359. See below some of this week’s top pen averages.
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 318ppk and £2062
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 4 to average 316ppk and £2111
W Bainbridge, Seamer sold 6 to average 313ppk and £2131
Taylor Bros, Richmond sold 4 to average 310ppk and £1753
W L Robinson & Partners sold 2 to average 308ppk and £2030
Heifers
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 336ppk and £2080
P Weightman & Sons, Easington sold 2 to average 335ppk and £1997
R Hirst, Neasham sold 8 to average 332ppk and £1911
W Bainbridge, Seamer sold 6 to average 330ppk and £1982
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 330ppk and £1913
Rochester & Murray, Butsfield sold 2 to average 326ppk and £1980
Steers – Top prices ppk 322 317 305 299 Taylor Bros. 321 320 318 308 I Marshall & Sons. 319 317 Askwiths. 318 298 WL Robinson & Partners. 318×2 317 314×2 300 W Bainbridge. 312 Rochester & Murray. 279 256 JM Ramsay & Son. 274 270 269 264×3 249×2 248 247 CH&SE Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Steers £2454 £2201 £2177 £2150 W Bainbridge. £2137 £1987 Askwiths. £2134 £2128 £2124 £2057 I Marshall & Sons. £2117 £1942 WL Robinson & Partners. £1972 £1904 £1868 £1867 £1820 £1790 £1780 £1755 CH&SE Armstrong. £1914 A Swinbank & Son. £1874 £1743 Taylor Bros. £1865 Rochester & Murray.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 348×2 339×2 336 332 JV&JA Hodgson. 346 333 329 328 W Armstrong. 344 329 JB Luck. 344 343 340 330 329 326 WF Hustwit. 344 340×2 339 334 329 R Hirst. 340 Askwiths. 339 338 328 326 323 W Bainbridge. 337 335 P Weightman & Sons. 336 330 JJ Kemp & Son. 334 Rochester & Murray. 330 327 320 GH Farms Ltd. 329 324 WA Wardman Ltd. 328 WL Robinson & Partners. 320 J&EM Lawson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2172 £2011 £1992 £1971 RA&BA Ridley & Son. £2138 £2040 £1975 £1962 £1946 JV&JA Hodgson. £2135 £2026 JB Luck & Son. £2112 £2044 £2017 W Bainbridge. £2057 £2054 £2043 £2006 £1998 WF Hustwit. £2042 J&EM Lawson. £2034 £1992 R Hirst. £2013 £1981 P Weightman & Sons. £1983 £1977 Rochester & Murray. £1977 WA Armstrong. £1975 Askwiths. £1935 WL Robinson & Partners. £1908 A Swinbank & Son.
Prime Lambs (1026) – Still the numbers remain tight for the time of year and the lamb trade has lifted again off the back of this, today’s weighed straight sale average of 326ppk and £143 per head sits above most other centres and way ahead of last year’s levels. Topping the day per kilo at 404 pence were a super pen of five 47kg Texel’s from local supporters J R Knox & Son, Bracks Farm, Heighington; close behind at 397ppk were a terrific trio of well-presented 44kg Beltex lambs from first time vendors J C Hope & Son, Cornhow Farm, Cockermouth with five vendors following between 384ppk and 388ppk. Three vendors shared the top gross value at £190 as the aforementioned quintet from J R Knox & Son were joined by a quality quartet (49kg) from W K M M Lamb, Doe Park, Cotherstone and a super single (54kg) from D & P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm, Aldbrough-St-John. The best bred and best fed lambs were a flying trade this week with the heavies selling regularly in the £160’s, £170’s and £180’s and the smartest handy weights 340ppk to 380ppk and beyond.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 404 JR Knox & Son. 397 369 353 337 JC Hope & Son. 388 DL&D Lovegreen. 388 P Tindale. 387 372 345 344 W.K M.M Lamb. 384 SE Whiteford. 384 R Errington & Son. 376 375 363 360 351 349 D&PH Brown. 375 MJ Blacklidge. 374 F Shield. 371 J&HM Jenkins. 368 M&A Gaskin. 360 SM Donaldson. 360 W Hanson. 352 JD Brannen. £349 G Parsons. 345 337 D&HM Hodgson. 345 339 338 WB Mitchell & Sons. 344 JK&CE Farming. 344 M Pickering. 342 F Shield. 341×2 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Lambs £190 JR Knox & Son. £190 £166 £164 W.K M.M Lamb. £190 £188 £184×2 £178 £160 D&PH Brown. £180 £161 MJ Blacklidge. £180 W Hanson. £175 JC Hope & Son. £174 P Bisby. £174 £166 £164 £162 £156×2 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £173 £170 £166 M&A Gaskin. £171 G Parsons. £171 M Pickering. £169 £161.50 R Errington & Son. £169 JK&CE Farming. £167 DL&D Lovegreen. £167 P Tindale. £167 J&HM Jenkins. £166 SM Donaldson. £166 £158 £156 Wytherstone Farm. £164 DM Tiplady. £161×2 F shield.
Cast Sheep (188) – Kaboom! Ewes and rams an absolute flyer this week with a fresh account or two operating the hot temperatures outside paled into insignificance compared to those witnessed in the DfAM ewe ring. Starting with the Texel ewes which topped at £225 from J G Atkinson, Staindale Grange; following behind were T N Callender at £212, D L & D Lovegreen at £210 and C Binks & Son at £200. Top of the tups were also Texel’s as a pair from D M Tiplady, Moor Close reached £215; Mule trade was magnificent selling to a high of £200 from the Tiplady’s again with Alan Bell close behind at £190 and M W Reed £185. On to the hill ewes, Cheviot’s from Ettersgill’s W Burton reached £162 whilst Swaledale ewes topped at £92 from M W Reed, West Biggins with others from the same home to £80.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £225 JG Atkinson. £215 £200 £130 DM Tiplady. £212 £188 £160×2 £135 TN Callender. £210 £200 DL&D Lovegreen. £200 C Binks & Son. £198 £185 £172 £170 £150 JC Hope & Son. £198 £182×2 JA&A Herbert. £190 £158 A Bell. £190 £181 £172 £162 £128 CK&D Muir Ltd. £190 £170 3161 J&HM Jenkins. £185 D&PH Brown. £185 MW Reed. £180 £140 JG Hall. £170 £150 £145 £140 S&D Ferrie. £162 £110 W Burton.
