Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 12th December 2024. Forward were 200 cattle and 2140 sheep.
88 Prime Bulls sold to 371ppk or £2863
25 Prime Steers sold to 391ppk or £2457
76 Prime Heifers sold to 421ppk or £2572
11 Cows/OTM sold to 369ppk or £2357
1814 Prime Lambs sold to 400ppk or £184
326 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £180
Prime Bulls (88) – The bounty on the bulls just blew the roof off as the trade hit levels possibly never seen before to leave a staggering sale average of 313ppk and £2176 per head. Pick of the pack per kilo at an impressive 371 pence was a smart 716kg Limousin bull from local producer Neil Brown, West Hartburn Farm; seven others selling over 350ppk included one for T W Clark & Son, Durham plus two each for W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge; J A Matten & Son, Thirsk and P & E Roger, Aberdeenshire. With an amazing twenty-two bulls over £2500 it was great form from the Matten’s of Thirsk to claim three of the top four gross value spots including our winner which was a brilliant 809kg Limousin at £2863; the good stable preventing total Matten domination was that of the Longhirst Limousin herd of J E Jordon & Son, The Brocks who checked in at £2861. Native breeds were also in good order topping for Herefords from J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House at 328ppk and £2243 however possibly grabbing the limelight were the flying Freisians which sold to an unprecedented top of 307ppk and £1955 from the excellent feeding of R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall. See below some of the days top pen averages.
JH & M & NW Brown, Darlington sold 2 to average 359ppk and £2540
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 3 to average 352ppk and £2602
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 350ppk and £2812
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 4 to average 344ppk and £2642
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 371 347 JH&M&NW Brown. 360 352 345 W&M Knaggs & Son. 359 350 346 341 339 331 330 329 326×2 316 313 P&E Roger. 358 340×2 338 TW Clark & Son. 358 354 341 JA Matten & Sons. 339 WJ Scott Ltd. 339 334 TA Horn. 337 JM Ramsay & Son. 335 WA Richardson & Son. 333 325 RW&R Henry. 333 321 320×2 318 J Murray. 332 316 LS Staley. 324 R Hall & Son. 323 318 F&JS Gargett. 321×2 315 JJ Kemp & Son. 314 JM&S Walton. 311 JA&A Herbert. 311 JR Knox & Son. 310 JE Jordon & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls – £2863 £2816 £2756 JA Matten & Sons. £2861 JE Jordon & Son. £2753 £2750 £2560 £2507 TW Clark & Son. £2725 £2664 £2418 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2670 £2613 WA Richardson Ltd. £2656 £2425 JH&M&NW Brown. £2654 £2628 £2579 £2533 £2499 £2372 £2204 P&E Roger. £2571 £2547 £2496 F&JS Gargett. £2560 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2528 WJ Scott Ltd. £2444 RW&R Henry. £2420 £2335 LS Staley. £2417 £2269 £2214 JJ Kemp & Son. £2291 £2222 J Murray.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 307 301 291 R Hall & Son. 238 GS Dowson. 218×2 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1955 £1869 £1801 R Hall & Son. £1451 £1251 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1420 GS Dowson.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 321 308 296 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 321 297 R Hall & Son. 310 302 300 298 E Scott. 288 I Skea. 269 257 N&A Hunter. 262 244 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2243 £2211 £2121 £2063 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2229 I Skea. £2141 £2037 R
Hall & Son. £2064 £2039 £1830 E Scott. £1844 £1444 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1742 £1678 N&A Hunter.
Clean Cattle (101) – The cattle have enjoyed a super 2024 and they are by no means ready to let go of that yet as another wonderful trade erupted in the clean ring today to see the brilliant bullocks average 338ppk and the happy heifers a marvellous 358ppk. Fifteen fantastic heifers sold over 400 pence per kilo as the butcher’s order books for Christmas appeared very much still to be wide open. Top of the extraordinary heap was a wonderful 563kg homebred Limousin from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm when she sold to H Taylor & Sons of Darlington for 421ppk. Another noted Northumberland firm, the Renton’s of High Highlaws with a homebred Limousin followed at 420ppk with a host in hot pursuit including J Platt, Middleham, the Rogerson’s of Great Asby plus two raiders from North of the border Messrs Fettes, Braes of Enzie and Robertson, Fodderletter. Top of the steers per kilo was slightly more one sided as the remarkable Barker Farming sold twice at 391ppk and again at 389ppk with a trio of stunning Limousin’s. The gross value list brought more success for the on-song J Platt, Middleham as they sold heifers to £2568 and £2572 with the roaring Renton’s at £2546 and the flying Fettes’s at £2527 both in close attendance. Top gross valued steer this week went to S H Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm, Caldwell with an impressive 657kg Limousin adding up nicely to £2457; to compare the supreme live ring against the deadweight highwaymen is almost impossible as our top seven steers today, mostly R grade (some U’s), averaged 638kg and £2290. Sell them on their feet, you’re in for a treat. See below some sensational averages.
Heifers
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 5 to average 411ppk and £2315
WJ Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 408ppk and £2235
J Platt, Middleham sold 5 to average 402ppk and £2321
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 to average 397ppk and £2217
Fettes Family, Aberdeenshire sold 4 to average 386ppk and £2402
P J & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 5 to average 377ppk and £2022
T N Callender, Whinney Hill sold 2 to average 372ppk and £2120
R Hirst, Neasham sold 7 to average 371ppk and £2063
Steers
J Platt, Middleham sold 3 to average 390ppk and £2186
Taylor Bros, Richmond sold 3 to average 357ppk and £2010
S H Watson & Son, Caldwell sold 3 to average 353ppk and £2296
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 5 to average 339ppk an £2159
Steers – Top prices ppk 391×2 389 J Platts. 374 366 321 SH Watson & Son. 364 360 350 Taylor Bros. 356 345 339 336 321 WJ Scott Ltd. 353 318 JH&M&NW Brown. 340 331 291 N Edmondson. 336×2 LR Welsh & Co. 329 WR Thompson. 308 A&CA Stanwix. 285 271 A&CA Stanwix.
Lead Grossing Steers £2457 £2287 £2144 SH Watson & Son. £2415 £2091 £2052 J Platts. £2269 £2051 JH&M&NW Brown. £2217 £2200 £2189 £2118 £2070 WJ Scott Ltd. £2182 £2135 £2005 N Edmondson. £2168 WR Thompson. £2096 £1921 LR Welsh & Co. £2023 £2005 £2001 Taylor Bros. £1952 £1889 £1823 A&CA Stanwix.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 421 409 406 396 WJ Scott Ltd. 420 414 410 409 406 Renton Highlaws. 419 414 398 394 389 J Platts. 416 374 369 358 PJ&ES Rogerson. 413 389 375 369 Messrs Fettes. 410 W Robertson & Son. 408 398 369 358 355JV&JA Hodgson. 402 397 394 JB Luck & Son. 399 390 382 370 362 R Hirst. 385 360 TN Callender. 384 LR Welsh & Co. 362 Taylor Bros. 359×2 345 338×2 337 GA Mackie.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2572 £2568 £2345 £2165 J Platts. £2546 £2319 £2314 £2238 £2159 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2527 £2366 £2309 Messrs Fettes Ltd. £2407 F Fettes. £2370 £2261 £2237 WJ Scott Ltd. £2353 £2266 LR Welsh & Co. £2352 £2346 £2279 £2203 £2103 GA Mackie. £2325 £2321 £2292 £2223 JV&JA Hodgson. £2293 £2135 R Hirst. £2284 £2200 M Ord & Sons. £2267 £2230 ££2155 JB Luck & Son. £2246 J&EM Lawson. £2184 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2175 TN Callender.
OTM (11) – The beef bus doesn’t stop at 30-months as a remarkable offering this week proved more than deserving of their own paragraph averaging an excellent 302ppk. The fine feeding of W A Fettes, Braes of Enzie flew the Scotland flag with a stunning 32-month-old Limousin heifer at 369ppk and £2357 whilst her stablemate hacked in to second place at 346ppk and £2231.
OTM Top Prices PPK- 369 346 Messrs Fettes LTD. 327 JV&JA Hodgson. 300 x2 Anthony Swinbank & Son. 300 JM&S Walton. 297 288 222 TW Clark & Son. 296 WR Thompson. 262 W&M Knaggs & Son.
Leading Gross OTM – £2357 £2231 Messrs Fettes LTD. £2033 JV&JA Hodgson. £1776 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1728 £1574 £1030 TW Clark & Son. £1644 JM&S Walton. £1632 £1629 Anthony Swinbank & Son. £1536 WR Thompson.
Prime Lambs (1814) – Stand on again says the lamb trade as averages stay remarkably similar for the fourth week in a row to see them level weighed straight today at 314ppk with an SQQ of 322ppk; this then equated to an all-inclusive £145.18 per head as the impressive top end were duly followed by what was perhaps an increased share of those clean them up for Christmas sorts. Top per kilo at 400 pence were a quality quartet of 40kg Beltex from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill; following were a trio of 44kg from the same run at 384ppk ahead of W A Wardman, Thrushwood Farm with a pen of nine 42kg Beltex at 376ppk and six 40kg at 375ppk with Cumbrian vendor S Bell, Loughead best of the rest at 374ppk. Some thumping weights led the gross values this week and no firm is more synonymous with weight in these parts than A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm and they duly led the gross values at £184 with an excellent £67kg Texel. P J Tindale, Preston Tilery followed at £180 with a pair of 60kg clipped black continental lambs before our second Simpson, J C of Hill Top East checked in at £179 and £175.50 with the last of his good fed sheep for the season. A few of the days top averages per head are listed below.
J C Simpson, Caldwell sold 26 to average £168.65
T Johnson, Forcett sold 16 to average £167.00
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 42 to average £166.60
PN & VJ Noble, Saltburn sold 7 to average £163.43
J & A Layfield, Hamsterley sold 50 to average £162.01
R Nattrass & Sons, Daddry Shield sold 19 to average £160.50
Lambs – Top prices ppk 400 384 337 W Ramsay & Sons. 376 375 374 364 333 330 329 WA Wardman Ltd. 374 370 368 356 S Bell. 367 342 327 JJ Horn. 361 Bowes Bros. 361 328 N Barker. 355 354 337 332 PJ Tindale. 351 LD Laws. 348 F Myers & Son. 347 341 DG&PD Ayre. 344 334 329 R Atkinson. 343 JR&JA Wharton. 343 K&PM Lough. 341 J Pallister & Sons. 340 329 PN&VJ Noble. 340×2 C Dawson. 339 R Errington & Son. 335 J Lovegreen. 335 Askwiths. 334 T Duckitt. 332 M&A Gaskin. 331 W Tindale. 328×2 JC Simpson.
Lead Grossing Lambs £184 £172 £170×2 £168×2 £166.50 £166 £165×2 £162×3 AC Simpson & Son. £180 £166 £163 PJ Tindale. £179 £175.50 £164×3 JC Simpson & Son. £170×2 £164 £163 £161 WA Wardman Ltd. £170 £160 PN&VJ Noble. £169 £160 W Ramsay & Sons. £167×3 T Johnson. £167×3 £166 £163×3 £162 J&A Layfield. £165.50 £162 D&PH Brown. £165 JR&JA Wharton. £165 JR&AR Wall. £164 T Duckitt. £164 JK&CE Farming. £162 C Binks & Son. £160.50 R Nattrass & Son. £160.50 R Wood & Son.
Cast Sheep (326) – The ewe trade kept its Christmas cheer to average all in £107.23 this week; the net cast a smaller shadow today as the best end of the continental ewes would be back a touch from recent high rates however the bottom end looks dearer on the week. Texel’s from C Moffett, Backandsides Farm led the way when reaching £180 with plenty of the other lowland ewes selling over £150. Top of the Mule’s at £127 was A Pennell, Home Farm with the breed averaging £95.94 whilst over 100 horned ewes saw fifty-four Blackface top at £89 and average £78.67 and forty-five Swaledale’s top at £82 and average 76.67.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep – £180 C Moffett. £174 £154 £127 A Pennell. £174 JG Hall. £173 C Moffett. £170 £130 x3 RE&L Frank. £170 £150 x3 £128 WA Wardman LTD. £164 £156 x2 £146 £143 £137 J Lovegreen. £160 £152 £140 £134 £130 £120 £116 William Tindale. £160 JC&A Hutchinson. £150 £130 James Gilson. £150 £120 HG Thompson. £145 M Hutchinson. £142 ME Dowson. £140 £130 x2 JM&S Walton. £140 £130 GP Addison. £137 £110 W Ramsay & Sons. £132 S&D Ferrie. £130 M&A Gaskin. £130 JA&UM Fawcett. £124 CA&J Kipling. £120 W Lewis & Sons. £120 x3 A Tunstall.
