Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 15th August 2024. Forward were 142 cattle and 1659 sheep.
53 Prime Bulls sold to 340ppk or £2510
17 Prime Steers sold to 336ppk or £2517
70 Prime Heifers sold to 360ppk or £2279
2 Cast Cows sold to 148ppk or £927
1261 Prime Lambs sold to 376ppk or £191
398 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £268
Prime Bulls (53) – Unbelievable scenes in the bull ring as trade improved again, the whole sale, warts and all, averaged a stunning 292ppk and £1998 per head. The Renton family of High Highlaws, Morpeth claimed no less than the six top prices per kilo; hats off to the remarkable Northumbrian firm as their homebred half dozen sold between 333ppk and 340ppk, the top spot went to a brilliant British Blue weighing 689kg. Well over half of the bulls sold over £2000 with the top fourteen over £2200; pick of them all this week at £2510 was a superb 834kg Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk, the remarkable Renton’s followed hot on the Matten’s heels at £2497. No great numbers of pure dairy bred bulls today, the first crosses were in great form and sold regularly 280-300ppk, of the pure Holstein’s trade topped at an excellent 256ppk and £1758 from Messrs Tallentire. Some super returns are listed below.
Rochester & Murray, Butsfield sold 3 to average 326ppk and £2069
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 10 to average 325ppk and £2244
GK, KN & GJ Hird, Whashton sold 3 to average 321ppk and £2134
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 305ppk and £2437
D H Lawson, Leyburn sold 2 to average 305ppk and £2210
Continental Bulls Leading PPK – 340 339 338(x2) 336 333 320 313 299 297 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 330 324(x2) Rochester & Murray. 330 328 308 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 321 W Swinbank & Sons. 311 301 D H Lawson. 310 306 301 J A Matten & Sons. 302 296 J K & C E Farming. 299 J C & P Tallentire. 296 J A & A Herbert. 294 L S Staley.
Native Breed Bulls Leading PPK – 286 278 241 231 C H & S E Armstrong. 275 G S Dowson. 270 Tallentire. 239 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns.
Holstein Friesian Bulls Leading PPK – 256 Tallentire. 248 R Hall & Son. 237 236 G W Dobson & Son.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £2510 £2455 £2347 J A Matten & Sons. £2497 £2389 £2342 £2281 £2268 £2210 £2166 £2159 £2144 £1988 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2394 W Swinbank & Sons. £2281 J C & P Tallentire. £2266 £2155 D H Lawson. £2250 £2102 £2051 GK, KN & GJ Hird. £2219 £2040 L S Staley. £2169 £2147 J K & C E Farming. £2138 £2076 £1992 Rochester & Murray. £2135 T F Bothroyd & Son.
Native Breed Bulls Leading Gross – £2330 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £2123 £2050 £1715 £1709 C H & S E Armstrong. £1571 Tallentire. £1509 G S Dowson.
Holstein Friesian Bulls Leading Gross – £1758 Tallentire. £1508 £1457 G W Dobson & Son. £1473 R Hall & Son.
Cast Cows Leading PPK – 148 128 P Leese.
Cast Cows Leading Gross – £927 £666 P Leese.
Clean Cattle (87) – The colossal clean beef trade continues at full throttle, for the second week running the red-hot heifers average 324ppk whilst the steers although down on paper to 300ppk would be every bit as dear as last week with numbers short of meeting buyer demand. The consistent pairing of J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange and R Hirst, Neasham Grange were in fine form again as between them they were responsible for nine of the top ten prices per kilo with only J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm able to encroach on the aforementioned duo’s domination. Top of the lot at 360 pence per kilo was a fabulous 592kg Limousin from the Hodgson’s pen, three others followed in the 350’s with ten more in the 340’s. The flying Hodgson’s also claimed the top gross valued heifer with a 644kg Limousin reaching £2279, behind her Jack Henshaw of Mainsgill Farm twice sold over £2200 as the butcher’s beef is fantastically good to sell. The Askwith family of Low Mown Meadows, Crook dominated the steer prices with a tremendous trio; separate British Blue’s from the Crook crusaders topped at 336ppk and £2517 helping them to a remarkable pen average of £2453. See below some sensational pen averages.
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 9 heifers to average 339ppk and £2096
R Hirst, Neasham sold 12 heifers to average 335ppk and £1934
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 4 heifers to average 329ppk and £2043
J Layfiled, Willington sold 6 heifers to average 329ppk and £1956
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 steers to average 329ppk and £2453
Taylor Bros Ltd, Richmond sold 4 steers to average 318ppk and £1818
Steers- Top Prices PPK 336 327 326 Askwiths. 331 324 314 307 Taylor Bros LTD. 314 295 294 290 289 288 284 W Bainbridge. 289 JR Spink.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2517 £2506 £2335 Askwiths. £2288 £2081 £2059 £1956 £1887 £1846 £1840 £1739 W Bainbridge. £1840 £1830 £1808 £1795 Taylor Bros LTD. £1543 JR Spink.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 360 354 346 x2 339 336 334 329 JV&JA Hodgson. 353 350 349 348 343 339 338 337 336 335 R Hirst. 349 340 330 329 325 J Layfield. 341 338 329 W Swinbank & Sons. 341 329 328 326 321 WA Wardman LTD. 341 334 324 317 WF Hustwit. 338 333 W Bainbridge. 331 329 327 325 x2 FW Hodgson & Son. 329 327 323 x2 JE Suddes & Son. 329 320 A&MJ Henshaw. 323 Jack Henshaw.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2279 £2197 £2132 £2131 £2079 £2050 £2040 £1992 £1965 JV&JA Hodgson. £2211 £2206 Jack Henshaw. £2161 £2118 £1963 £1948 £1813 J Layfield. £2128 £2067 A&MJ Henshaw. £2127 £1937 £1877 £1851 WF Hustwit. £2115 £2046 £2028 £1984 W Swinbank & Sons. £2084 £1960 £1874 £1865 W Bainbridge. £2081 FW Hodgson & Son. £2073 £2036 £2023 £2006 £1961 £1958 £1955 £1935 £1918 £1848 £1827 R Hirst. £2016 £1960 £1845 JE Suddes & Son. £1983 ABP Wilsons. £1893 £1858 JB Bell & Son. £1892 WA Wardman LTD.
Prime Lambs (1261) – Dearer on the week to average a weighed straight 307ppk and £138.44 per head; having them heavy is key and unquestionably paying handsomely as the top twenty prices per head (78 lambs) all weighed a minimum of 46kg and the top twenty prices per kilo (87 lambs) only contained five at 43kg with the remainder clocking 45-52kg. Top per kilo at 376 pence rounded off a good day for J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse as they followed beef ring success with their 46kg Texel lamb at £173. Super sorts from J Milbank & Son, Gayles Fields 46kg/367ppk and B R & R I Routledge, Walworth Moor 45kg/366ppk completed the top three on the day. Leading the gross values were an excellent quintet of 54kg Texel’s from J R Knox & Son, Bracks Farm, Heighington which sold for £191 apiece; two vendors shared second place at £179 as five from K J & S S Bell, West Throphill, Mitford (52kg) matched a pair from AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna (55kg). Some very useful pen averages for the middle of August are listed below as we sit 39ppk ahead of the same week last year, the story is always the same however at this time of year, leaner lambs would be worth more through the store ring, solely grass-fed lambs are indeed very saleable and arguably more profitable on some systems but they absolutely MUST be thick flesh over the loin no matter what breed, shape or size they are.
J R Knox & Son, Heighington sold 16 to average 49kg and £167.94
Ivan Walker, Sedgefield sold 7 to average 48kg and £166.29
J Hird, Stockton-on-Tees sold 23 to average 51kg and £161.13
AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna sold 121 to average 47kg and £160.44
D & P H Brown, Aldbrough-St-John sold 16 to average 50kg and £158.81
M & A Gaskin, Teesdale sold 17 to average 47kg and £157.29
Lambs- Top Prices PPK- 376 363 354 326 325 JV&JA Hodgson. 367 355 325 323 J Milbank & Sons. 366 340 326 BR&RI Routledge. 362 357 356 353 344 340 337 x2 336 333 332 325 AWSM Farms. 328 Bridie Fisk. 535 340 326 JR Knox & Son. 352 330 Ivan Walker. 350 336 WKMM Lamb. 350 RA Patterson & Son. 347 340 332 MJ Blacklidge. 346 WR Wilson & Partners. 345 326 J Hird. 344 323 KJ&SS Bell. 343 329 326 RG Richardson. 341 335 R Errington & Son. 340 I&A Holmes. 338 332 325 M&A Gaskin. 332 D&PH Brown. 329 325 PD Shepherd Farm. 326 323 WR Thompson. 326 324 JA&A Herbert. 325 K Hall. 325 JJ Horn. 325 C Moralee & Sons.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £191 £170 JR Knox & Son. £179 £173 £172 £171 £168 £163 x2 £155 £155 AWSM Farms. £179 KJ&SS Bell. £176 £164 £163 J Hird. £176 Ivan Walker. £176 £170 £166 £158 £153 D&PH Brown. £175 RA Patterson & Son. £173 £167 £163 JV&JA Hodgson. £172 £162 £159 £157 £156 I Burn & Sons. £170 I&A Holmes. £170 £156 PD Shepherd Farm. £169 x2 £167 J Milbank & Sons. £166 £159 M&A Gaskin. £165 £161 £156 £154 WKMM Lamb. £165 BR&IR Routledge. £163 £160 x2 MJ Blacklidge. £162 JJ Horn. £160 T Grix. £160 WR Thompson. £159 P Foster. £158 JS Brougham. £157 WR Wilson & Partners. £156 x2 K Hall. £156 £155 C Moralee & Sons. £155 RG Richardson. £154 J Pallister & Sons. £154 Bridie Fisk. £154 PK Burn.
Cast Ewes & Rams (398) – Ewe trade very sharp again, the best end heavy ewes are incredibly keenly bid for with buyers plentiful and eager, so much so that the Texel’s today averaged £150 and sold to a top of £268 for a super pair from H Foster, 10 The Meadows, Middridge. Close behind at £250 were a fabulous five from D L & D Lovegreen, Prospect Farm with plenty of other heavy lowland ewes selling either side of £200. Mule trade firmer too with the best pens selling £130 plus to a top of £150 from W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm whilst tups topped at £215 for a Texel from W R Wilson & Partners, Manor Farm, Manfield. On to the hill ewes and a over 100 Swaledale’s forward this week as the hill gathers commence, four thick fleshed girls from M W Reed, West Biggins impressed the most selling for £105 per head whereas the harder sucked old girls still sold frequently £40 to £60.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £268 H Foster. £250 DL&D Lovegreen. £241 £120 TN Callender. £239 £226 £219 £170 £155 £144 JV&JA Hodgson. £215 £123 £128 WR Wilson & Partners. £200 £179 £150 £142 £140 C Wise. £194 £148 Gray. £190 £150 £144 £123 WR Thompson. £186 £170 £136 £135 £120 JK&CE Farming. £180 £168 SM Donaldson. £180 £175 £167 £144 £136 £134 AWSM Farms. £158 £134 D&PH Brown. £150 £142 P Wilson. £142 T Grix. £138 JJ Horn. £137 £130 D Richardson & Co LTD. £133 JR Knox & Son. £128 F Myers & Son.
