Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 19th September 2024. Forward were 188 cattle and 1751 sheep.
60 Prime Bulls sold to 328ppk or £2442
15 Prime Steers sold to 356ppk or £2349
113 Prime Heifers sold to 393ppk or £2445
1624 Prime Lambs sold to 383ppk or £172
127 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
Prime Bulls (60) – Less forward, trade excellent again despite a lighter and arguably plainer show on the week saw them all in average 282ppk and £1986 per head. The top five sold between 320ppk and 328ppk, of these the four highest travelled down from the consistent Morpeth based Renton family of High Highlaws with their leader being a 723kg homebred British Blue at 328ppk. Eleven bulls sold over £2200, of these two topped over £2400 as T W Clark, Frankland Farm claimed second spot at £2432 just a whisker behind today’s winner a 768kg Limousin from N White, Barf House at £2442. Aberdeen Angus led the native breeds topping at 279ppk from J A & A Herbert, Tees Farm or £2281 from J K & C E Farming, Blue House Farm whilst Friesian prices peaked at 247ppk and £1842 from M A & P D Foster, Smithy House Farm. See below some of the top pen averages.
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 7 to average 319ppk and £2221
L W Martin, Commondale sold 3 to average 308ppk and £2026
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 305ppk and £1995
D W Humphrey, Redcar sold 3 to average 304ppk and £2033
N White, Marrick sold 6 to average 296ppk and £2107
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 294ppk and £2352
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 326 324×2 314 310 308 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 320 306 303 293 LR Welsh & Co. 318 307×2 294 282 N White. 313 304 TW Clark & Son. 310 306 297 DW Humphrey. 310×2 306 LW Martin. 300 283 279 274 JM Ramsay & Son. 284 279×2 271 IMC Farming. 279 270 WE&CA Anderson. 276 JA&A Herbert. 270 JK&CE Farming. 268 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2442 £2228 £2199 £2029 N White. £2432 £2394 £2230 TW Clark & Son. £2371 £2279 £2268 £2232 £2213 £2097 £2086 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2193 £2003 £1904JM Ramsay & Son. £2163 £1984 £1931 LW Martin. £2090 £2048 £2010 LR Welsh & Co. £2070 £1919 £1913 WE&CA Anderson. £2071 £2036 £1992 DW Humphrey. £2039 £2019 £1988 £1943×2 £1904 IMC Farming. £1952 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 247 218 MA&PD Foster. 242 227 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1842 £1639 MA&PD Foster. £1560 £1332 R Hall & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 279 269 JA&A Herbert. 271 JK&CE Farming. 270 261 G Carins & Partners. 255 MA&PD Foster.
Lead Grosing Native Bulls £2281 JK&CE Farming. £2166 £1790 G Carins & Partners. £1935 MA&PD Foster. £1810 £1708 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (128) – The ongoing Bluetongue restrictions coupled with the imminent Jewish New Year celebrations are largely responsible for an absolutely phenomenal clean beef trade. There is no denying that the following prices are staggering and are to be both admired and enjoyed, however, lest we forget those already falling foul of movement restrictions further South and East and hope for a swift end to this fast-spreading disease.
On to the trade, quite simply like nothing ever seen before as the heifers averaged an incredible 344ppk and the steers 318ppk, the 188 beast over the scale today average comfortably over £2000. Top of the shop per kilo at a staggering 393 pence was a super sweet 540kg Limousin heifer from Cumbrian raider W Miller, High Aketon Farm, Wigton; three following at 389ppk hailed from A Crowder, Butsfield along with one each for regular selling R Hirst, Neasham and JV & JA Hodgson, Summerhouse. The depth of trade was like none seen before as seven hot heifers followed in the 380’s, nine more in the 370’s, fifteen in the 360’s and nineteen in the 350’s. Top steer per kilo came from Coxhoe based W A Armstrong with an excellent 601kg Limousin reaching 356 pence, Taylor Bros of Belle Isle, Richmond followed closely with a handy weight homebred Limousin at 353ppk with TW & PT Moss, Ompton, Nottinghamshire next best at 341ppk. With the heifer trade ten to twenty pence dearer than anywhere else there was little wonder that they churned out some fabulous gross values, a superb nineteen sold over £2200 with the top four over £2300; full of flesh Limousin’s from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm checked in at £2301 with an OTM and £2387 with one just under whilst A Crowder of Butsfield sat between them at £2380. Top gross valued heifer of the day however turned out to be a machine from Mainsgill Farm, East Layton as the Henshaw family produced a stunning 30-month-old Limousin weighing 670kg and selling at 365 pence which equated to a terrific £2445. No slouches in the steer gross values either despite a largely lightweight offering, not short of kilos however were our top three with A Crowder, Butsfield Burn first and third at £2349 (753kg) and £2233 (709kg) duly sandwiching W L Robinson & Partners, Bolam at £2239 (749kg). The leading averages below leave the deadweight options looking slightly less generous than our government does towards the pensioners winter fuel allowance.
Heifers
W Miller, Wigton sold 10 to average 370ppk and £2000
R Hirst, Neasham sold 11 to average 363ppk and £2052
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 2 to average 362ppk and £1946
T N Callender, Whinney Hill sold 3 to average 359ppk and £2201
N E Dyson, Masham sold 4 to average 353ppk and £2204
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 7 to average 351ppk and £2111
JV & JA Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 19 to average 350ppk and £2042
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 339ppk and £2286
Steers
Taylor Bros, Richmond sold 4 to average 339ppk and £1882
A Crowder, Butsfield sold 3 to average 321ppk and £2240
Steers – Top prices ppk 356 WA Armstrong. 353 339 334 333 Taylor Bros. 341 321 310 296 293 291 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 339 315 312 A Crowder. 336 332 P&N Tattersall. 299 WL Robinson & Partners.
Lead Grossing Steers £2349 £2233 £2139 A Crowder. £2239 WL Robinson & Partners. £2139 WL Robinson & Partners. £2118 J Henshaw. £2012 £1892 £1808 £1733 £1720 £1702 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £1973 £1881 £1857 £1818 Taylor Bros. £1966 £1830 A&MJ Henshaw. £1802 £1777 P&N Tattersall.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 393 388 386 380 376 363 358 356 355 W Miller. 389 A Crowder. 389 381 376 370×2 368 367 R Hirst. 389 384 376 373 367×2 359×3 JV&JA Hodgson. 387 363 357 WA Armstrong. 381 WF Hustwit. 379 372 W Swinbank & Sons. 377 369 TN Callender. 370 369 360 P&N Tattersall. 368 SH Watson & Son. 368 N White. 365 A&MJ Henshaw. 364 360 M Robinson & Sons. 361 355 355×2 NE Dyson. 355 AC Simpson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2445 A&MJ Henshaw. £2387 £2380 £2301 £2257 £2197 AC Simpson & Son. £2287 £2253 £2222×2 £2184 £2146 £2128 £2123 £2118 JV&JA Hodgson. £2272 £2264 £2156 £2126 NE Dyson. £2262 £2214 £2129 TN Callender. £2260 £2219 £2213 £2086 R Hirst. £2242 £2213 £2107 £2099 £2083 W Swinbank & Sons. £2240 £2174 £2170 £2169 £2163 £2159 WA Armstrong. £2137 J Henshaw. £2126 £2118 £2114 W Miller. £2118 F Hustwit. £2100 RW Henry. £2080 C Binks & Son.
Prime Lambs (1624) – The lamb trade proved firmer on the week to average a weighed straight 294.1ppk with an SQQ of 297.6ppk which equated to £134.51 per head. Once again thick loins proved to every buyer’s liking and whilst the grass-fed sheep remain well sold and likely profitable for the time of year it is the shepherds who are hopper shopper’s claiming all the headlines. Top per kilo at 382.9 pence were a tremendous trio of 41kg Beltex from P J Tindale, Preston Tilery Farm whilst four of the next five leading returns went West across the A66 to Cockermouth and J C Hope & Son, Cornhow Farm with a super run of Beltex bred lambs. Top of the gross values were five fantastic Texel lambs from AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna; this quality quintet weighed 51kg and sold to Root’s Farm Shop, East Rounton for £172. Following closely at £170 was prolific producer P R Weaver of Little Manor Farm, Knapthorpe with his excellent run of Texel’s whilst C H Tindale, Sherburn Hill sold to £169 and super Suffolk’s from A & E J Dobinson, Winston followed at £168.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 382 341 334 329 327×2 PJ Tindale. 371 365 350×2 330 325×2 JC Hope & Son. 356 348 337 336 333 332 326 AWSM Farms. 346 333 A&R Breeze. 344 CK&D Muir Ltd. 341 323 Tallentire. 340 336 330 W.K M.M Lamb. 338 K&PM Lough. 338 326 CH Tindale. 331 327 326 PR Weaver. 330 J Pallister & Sons. 329 A&EJ Dobinson. 328 326 323 322 F Shield. 327 323 322 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 325 P&CM Graham. 322 G Thompson & Sons. 320 HG Thompson. 319 N White.
Lead Grossing Lambs £172 £165 £163 £157×2 £152 £150×2 AWSM Farms. £170 £155 £150 PR Weaver. £169 CH Tindale. £168 £153.50 £153 £152 £150 W.K M.M Lamb. £168 £159 A&EJ Dobinson. £165 J Pallister & Sons. £165 £152 W Hanson. £160 3157 £156 A&R Breeze. £160 HS Hutchinson. £160 Whittington. £157×3 3154 PJ Tindale. £156 JC Thwaite & Son. £155 CK&D Muir Ltd. £155 F Shield. £155 G Thompson & Sons. £155 £154 £152 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £155 DR Smith. £154 HG Thompson. £153 F Myers & Sons. £152 £150 DL&D Lovegreen.
Cast Sheep (127) – A lighter offering perhaps due to the army forward on Monday of this week, trade perhaps slightly dearer to see them all in average £90 however it must be said that some resistance remains which can often be the case in September. Top of the day at £160 were three smart Texel ewes from B Needham, Woolhouse Farm, Marwood followed by ewes from J Hird, Thorney Close Farm and also a tup from C Moralee & Sons, Blackburn Farm at £150. Mule ewes in attendance averaged £87 and sold to a top of £106 from W L Robinson & Partners, Bolam whilst horned and hill ewes’ sold typically £40 to £70 dependant on flesh cover.
Lead Grossing Cast Ewes-
£160 £138 £89 £78 B Needham. £150 £128 £126 x2 £124 £114 £81 J Hird. £150 C Moralee & Sons. £135 x2 £89 GF Whitfield. £120 £80 C Wise. £118 M&A Gaskin. £110 JC Thwaite & Son. £106 WL Robinson & Partners. £100 F Myers & Sons. £100 £95 MW Cook & Son. £95 J Milbank & Sons. £95 x2 G Bolton. £94 £80 BE&C Dawson. £85 K&M Elders & Son. £83 Ainsty Farms Direct. £79.50 CJM Hedley.
