Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 9th January 2025. Forward were 156 cattle and 2033 sheep.
47 Prime Bulls sold to 393ppk or £3225
20 Prime Steers sold to 391ppk or £2837
73 Prime Heifers sold to 429ppk or £2632
16 OTM’s sold to 390ppk or £2499
1831 Prime Hoggs sold to 425ppk or £207
202 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £256
* Thanks to all vendors, particularly those who battled both their busy schedule and the elements to attend following a rather hectic week clearing roads and tending stock to keep the country and its food chain running. Your efforts are appreciated almost everywhere other than Westminster, alas, they seem to thrive in slippery surroundings down there.
Prime Bulls (47) – A light show of numbers however the brilliant bulls continue to bulldoze their way through 2025 as once again demand proved to very high resulting in a sale average of 330 pence per kilo and an impressive £2298 per head. Pick of the show per kilo came from D Richardson & Co, Bracken House with a super pair of Limousin’s selling at 393ppk and 390ppk; J J Kemp & Son, Elstob Hill followed at 388ppk and was duly followed by half a dozen in the 370’s. The top two gross values belonged to J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange who produced marvellous Limousin’s over 800kg to reach £3225 and £3129 as over 1/3 of those offered sold beyond £2500. Native breed bulls topped at 315ppk for an Aberdeen Angus from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm or £2379 for a Beef Shorthorn from Upsall Castle Farms whilst Friesian’s sold to 308ppk and £2032 from J K & C E Farming, Blue House Farm. See below some of the sale leading averages.
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 2 to average 375ppk and £3177
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 5 to average 374ppk and £2814
J J Kemp & Son, Stillington sold 3 to average 363ppk and £2692
J A & M Boyes Ltd, Cleatlam sold 5 to average 355ppk and £2304
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 343ppk and £2559
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 393 390 376 370 350 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 388 360 345 JJ Kemp & Son. 377 375 JA Matten & Sons. 374 354 350×2 346 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 371 JK&CE Farming. 359 JJ Horn. 349 340×2 TW Clark & Son. 338 GW Dobson & Son. 335 323 317×2 JA&A Herbert. 334 320×2 314 312 310 CH&SE Armstrong. 329×2 327 TF Bothroyd & Son. 323 304 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3225 £3129 JA Matten & Sons. £2883 £2870 £2811 £2797 £2711 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2847 £2618 £2611 JJ Kemp & Son. £2802 £2567 £2308 TW Clark & Son. £2764 JJ Horn. £2704 GW Dobson & Son. £2569 £2382 £2217 £2212 £2142 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2519 JK&CE Farming. £2371 £2368 £2323 £2320 £2187 £2176 £2004 CH&SE Armstrong. £2138 £2069 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2031 £1939 JC&P Tallentire.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 308 290 JK&CE Farming. 272 260 CH&SE Armstrong. 270 GS Dowson. 235 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2032 £1844 JK&CE Farming. £1988 £1799 CH&SE Armstrong. £1724 GW Dobson & Son. £1452 GS Dowson.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 315 CH&SE Armstrong. 300 284 GS Dowson. 277 Upsall Castle Farms.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2379 Upsall Castle Farms. £2148 CH&SE Armstrong. £1757 £1674 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (93) – The most remarkable thing is surely that the heat in the clean cattle trade didn’t dispel the permafrost outside altogether, what was genuinely a mixed show of quality amongst the heifers blazed their way to average 366ppk with the super steers also in flying form levelling at 343ppk. The top dozen heifers all sold over 400 pence per kilo, four of which sold in the 420’s, our quality quartet hailed from R Hirst, Neasham Grange at 426ppk along with a tremendous trio from the Renton’s of High Highlaws, Morpeth at 426ppk, 428ppk and the sale topper a 524kg Limousin at 429ppk. Top of the steers per kilo hailed from the Askwith’s of Low Mown Meadows with an excellent 663kg Limousin reaching 391 pence, the same good home followed at 389ppk ahead of P J & M P Gilhespy, Low House at 380ppk and J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange at 377ppk. On to the gross values and congratulations must go to the Callender family of Ox Eye Farm who topped both the steers and the heifers; the notable achievement saw the Whinney Hill father and sons team sell a 769kg steer at £2837 and a 691kg heifer at £2632. An increased offering of OTM heifers this week were led by an outstanding 641kg Limousin from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange when she sold for 390ppk and £2499, behind her a fleshy trio of Aberdeen Angus OTM heifers from D A & M A M Brown, Agglethorpe Hall impressed reaching tops of 335ppk and £2101. Below are a few of the day’s top pen picks.
TN Callender sold 3 (679kg) average 379ppk & £2573
SH Watson & Son sold 3 (708kg) average 349ppk & £2477
PJ&MP Gilhespy sold 7 (631kg) average 387ppk & £2444
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 5 (574kg) average 415ppk & £2386
B Walker sold 3 (588kg) average 404ppk & £2379
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (617kg) average 383ppk & £2364
R Hirst sold 7 (596kg) average 396ppk & £2362
Steers – Top prices ppk 391 389 Askwiths. 380 365 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 377 JA Matten & Sons. 369 TN Callender. 368 359 342 318×2 314 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 360 JV&JA Hodgson. 358 352 340 SH Watson & Son. 322 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Steers £2837 TN Callender. £2661 JA Matten & Sons. £2592 £2372 Askwiths. £2541 £2463 £2427 SH Watson & Son. £2458 £2401 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2332 JV&JA Hodgson. £2146 £2038 £2028 £2015 £1822 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £1794 £1750 D Walker.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 429 428 426 406 390 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 426 409 398 395 394 379 372 R Hirst. 415 401 398 B Walker. 413 399 379 JE Suddes & Son. 412 394 389 388 386 378 377 374×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 409×2 392 391 369 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 397 391 383 379 368 367 WF Hustwit. 390 381 TN Callender. 385 Askwiths. 374 367 364 JE Jordon & Son. 350 DA&MAM Brown. 350 344 342 TW&PT Moss Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2632 £2250 TN Callender. £2585 £2444 £2394 JE Suddes & Son. £2547 £2539 £2495 £2352 £2269 £2215 £2118 R Hirst. £2537 £2436 £2392 £2316 £2247 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2527 £2439 £2437 £2429 £2414 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2505 £2381 £2331 £2309 £2270 £2228 £2221 £2199 JV&JA Hodgson. £2461 £2374 £2326 £2294 £2231 CH&SE Armstrong. £2434 £2423 £2280 B Walker.
OTM Cattle – Top prices ppk 390 JV&JA Hodgson. 335 332 300 DA&MAM Brown.
Lead Grossing OTM £2499 JV&JA Hodgson. £2101 £1986 £1857 DA&MAM Brown.
Prime Hoggs (1831) – Rewards were plentiful as the trade lifted to see the hot hoggs weighed straight all in average 345ppk with an SQQ of 355ppk which equated to £158.47 per head; all this with hundreds of hill breeds and a noticeably increased number of grass fed hoggs included. Pick of the prices per kilo at 425 pence were fourteen superb 44kg Beltex hoggs from the regular selling W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm which sold at £187. Following at 411ppk were seven 43kg Beltex from D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor ahead of fourteen well-presented 44kg clipped Texel’s from R Atkinson, Scorton at 406ppk. It should be noted that the top ten pens per kilo this week contained no less than 141 hoggs between them, we will let the others cherry pick singles to boost their egos and emoji counts whilst we stick with good old-fashioned efficiency, no queuing on the docks and a punctual start time every week. Top of the gross values at £207 were a trio of terrific 60kg Texel hoggs from weekly supporters J & A Layfield, New Row Farm; the same good home followed at £206 and twice at £200 and would have had total domination atop of the leader board had it not been for J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm with two thumping Texel tup hoggs at £203.
J C Thwaite & Son, Lartington sold 3 to average £198.67 (304ppk)
J & A Layfield, Hamsterley sold 47 to average £191.89 (345ppk)
T Johnson, Forcett sold 14 to average £179.93 (314ppk)
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 183 to average £177.33 (396ppk)
W A Wardman, Yearby sold 139 to average £173.97 (365ppk)
F T Gibbon & Son, Eryholme sold 42 to average £172.88 (334ppk)
K & M M Henderson, Witton-le-Wear sold 20 to average £170 (341ppk)
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 425 404 402 393 379 377 372 370 366 WA Wardman Ltd. 411 381 DG&PD Ayre. 406 404 400 398×2 393 391 390 R Atkinson. 400 377 375 W.K M.M Lamb. 397 368 W Denham. 395×3 389 385 375 370×2 362 P Tindale. 394 365 JD Brannen. 390 PJ Tindale. 385 376 K&PM Lough. 382 A Tindale. 381 370 JK&CE Farming. 375 MW Cook & Son. 374 365 363 A&PA Jopling. 370 WE Muir & Son. 368 CJM Hedley. 366 W Swinbank. 366 RE&L Frank. 366 LW Martin.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £207 £206 £200×2 £195 £193 £192 £190×2 £184 J&A Layfield. £203 £190 JC Thwaite & Son. £192 £183 £180 £178 £177 P Tindale. £188 £179 £178 £175×2 £173 R Atkinson. £187 £185×3 £184 £183 WA Wardman Ltd. £186 £184 CK&D Muir Ltd. £185 W.K M.M Lamb. £184 £181 T Johnson. £183 FT Gibbon & Son. £180×2 £179×2 W Denham. £178 K&MM Henderson. £178 JK&CE Farming. £177 DG&PD Ayre. £177 A Layfield Farms Ltd. £177 JK Gill & Son. £177 Tallentire. £176 A&PA Jopling.
Cast Sheep (202) – The ewe trade is flying, numbers tight and demand massively outstripping supply saw them average this week £144.18. Top of the pile was a tremendous Texel ewe from W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm when she sold for £256, she was followed by a Texel tup from J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill at £240. Far from the finest show forward and despite the continental’s coming out on top it was a remarkable day for some other breeds; M W Cook & Son, Park Farm sold a brutish Blackface tup at £181 whilst the twenty-five Blackie ewes today topped at £136 from W E Muir & Son, Waites Farm and the breed averaged £129.84. Thirty-seven Swaledale ewes this week topped at a credible £112 and averaged £98.76 whilst the same number of Mules topped at a massive £180 and averaged £98.76; the fifty Suffolk ewes in attendance sold to a top price of £192 and averaged £170.84 which included sheep from a blue tongue zone peaking at £178.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £256 £214 £190 £180 WR Thompson. £240 JC Thwaite & Son. £202 A&PA Jopling. £192 £178 RA&J Blyth. £190 JC Simpson. £190 £120 Swalebank Farms. £189 WA Stephenson. £183 Tallentire. £183 £127 IR Appleton. £181 £156 £141 MW Cook & Son. £180 £168 K Hall. £179 K&MM Henderson. £178 £132 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £175 L&S Barker. £171 £141 £140 JE Lockey & Son. £170 JR Knox & Son. £162 £120 £108 W Tindale. £161 CK&D Muir Ltd. £160 T Johnson.
