Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 6th February 2025. Forward were 175 cattle and 2648 sheep.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 435ppk or £3469
12 Prime Steers sold to 416ppk or £2902
89 Prime Heifers sold to 441ppk or £3104
2004 Prime Hoggs sold to 415ppk or £210
644 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £300
Prime Bulls (74) – The bull trade is magnificent, the sale average today is a record smashing 382 pence per kilo and an unthinkable £2694 per head, they are up again by quite a margin, where the top of the tree might be is becoming anybody’s guess. An unbelievable 40% of the bulls reached at least 400 pence as this milestone was achieved on thirty occasions; six sold in the 420’s and one superstar made it all the way to 435ppk. Top of them all then was a wonderful 755kg home bred Limousin from Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth, the closest pursuing half dozen in the twenties contained three from Cumbrian raiders T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall plus two from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange and one from L R Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm. Not long ago it seemed that £3000 was unachievable, today the top twenty passed that barrier; the top three hailed from the Matten’s and sold between £3351 and £3469, the leader was a wonderful 824kg Limousin. Native breed bulls topped today from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm with Aberdeen Angus to 350ppk or £2304 whereas Friesian’s topped at 317ppk and £2025 from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall. The averages below almost beggar belief with the listed eight vendors all averaging in the 400’s.
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 4 to average 421ppk and £2973
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 419ppk and £3392
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 3 to average 406ppk and £3024
J A & M Boyes Ltd, Cleatlam sold 5 to average 406ppk and £2814
Foxton Livestock, Egglestone Abbey sold 2 to average 404ppk and £3088
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 2 to average 404ppk and £2811
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 403ppk and £3076
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 3 to average 400ppk and £2931
Continental Bulls Leading PPK – 435 414 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 425 420(x2) 419 T N & J Hall. 422 402 L R Welsh & Co. 421(x2) 416 J A Matten & Sons. 418 394 391 Neil Brown. 418 402 398 J Layfield. 417 405 399 396 D Richardson & Co. 415 395 C H & S E Armstrong. 414 401 400 399 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 411 400 J J Kemp & Son. 410 407 395 F & J S Gargett. 409 400 W & M Knaggs & Son. 409 400 Foxton Livestock. 401 L S Staley. 390 M Robinson & Sons.
Native Breed Bulls Leading PPK – 350 333 C H & S E Armstrong. 329 308 R White.
Friesian Bulls Leading PPK – 317 310 306 R Hall & Son.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £3469 £3357 £3351 J A Matten & Sons. £3304 £2872 Foxton Livestock. £3288 £3124 £2848 Neil Brown. £3284 £3047 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3219 £2955 £2906 J Layfield. £3150 £2912 £2892 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £3118 £3057 £3039 £3016 £2950 £2901 £2832 D Richardson & Co. £3113 £3081 £2990 T N & J Hall. £3105 £2902 L R Welsh & Co. £3089 £3070 £3069 F & J S Gargett. £2934 £2828 C H & S E Armstrong. £2887 W & M Knaggs & Son. £2860 J J Kemp & Son. £2843 L S Staley.
Native Breed Bulls Leading Gross – £2304 £2254 C H & S E Armstrong. £1756 £1684 R White.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross – £2025 £1946 £1924 R Hall & Son. £1560 J B & L M Knight.
Clean Cattle (101) – The clean machine was just a dream, unimaginable scenes as the whole shooting match averaged for the first time in history 400 pence per kilo; if Carlsberg made cattle trades, they’d surely film their next advert in DfAM, the dearest in the land? Probably. The statistics are insane, some sixty-six of the clean sold over 400 pence per kilo, top of the shop was a sensational 597kg British Blue heifer from the regular selling W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm when she sold for 441 pence. Next in line at 436ppk was a lovely 604kg Limousin from N E Dyson, Gebdykes whilst nine others followed in the 420’s and 430’s from six further flying feeders. The super Scott’s from Low Leam continued in top gear when they also topped the steers per kilo with another homebred superstar, this one a 671kg British Blue sold for 416ppk edging out their fellow Northumbrian’s the Renton’s of High Highlaws by a single penny. A quarter of the cattle offered sold over £2500 as the gross values seemingly grow by the week, best of all today was an excellent Limousin heifer from first time vendor D P Wood, Bridge End Farm, Thorpe Thewles which added up to a (non-show day) centre record of £3104. Top of the steers in the gross value race gains another mention for N E Dyson, Gebdykes, Masham who’s excellent 708kg Limousin sold for £2902 which nudged ahead of the team at Low Leam and the aforementioned Wood’s of Bridge End Farm. See below some stratospheric pen averages as the trade went to places that we never imagined existed.
Heifers
N E Dyson, Masham sold 3 to average 431ppk and £2590
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 to average 422ppk and £2518
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 6 to average 417ppk and £2354
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 3 to average 414ppk and £2289
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 413ppk and £2281
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 410ppk and £2408
W Miller, Wigton sold 9 to average 409ppk and £2239
P Weightman & Sons, Easington sold 3 to average 409ppk and £2142
T N Callender, Whinney Hill sold 2 to average 408ppk and £2455
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 405ppk and £2534
R Hirst, Neasham sold 12 to average 405ppk and £2207
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 6 to average 404ppk and £2745
Steers- Top Prices PPK- 416 414 410 402 400 386 WJ Scott LTD. 415 Renton Highlaws LTD. 410 NE Dyson. 396 M Robinson & Sons. 394 TN Callender. 380 DP Wood. 377 JE Suddes & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2902 NE Dyson. £2858 £2849 £2791 £2753 £2628 £2592 WJ Scott LTD. £2834 DP Wood. £415 Renton Highlaws LTD. £2320 TN Callender. £2246 JE Suddes & Son. £1995 M Robinson & Sons.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK- 441 419 407 WJ Scott LTD. 436 426 NE Dyson. 432 417 416 x2 412 x2 TN&J Hall. 430 423 420 x2 416 413 410 408 x2 JV&JA Hodgson. 428 408 407 Renton Highlaws LTD. 425 407 JE Suddes & Son. 423 421 418 414 410 409 R Hirst. 419 413 409 B Walker. 419 x2 414 410 409 x2 407 406 W Miller. 419 DP Wood. 418 TW Clark & Son. 416 411 Taylor Bros LTD. 415 M Robinson & Sons. 414 TN Callender. 414 408 407 P Weightman & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3104 £2692 £2660 DP Wood. £2747 £2596 JE Suddes & Son. £2633 £2547 NE Dyson. £2632 £2501 £2421 WJ Scott LTD. £2596 £2441 £2354 £2331 £2278 TN&J Hall. £2587 £2378 £2349 £2318 R Hirst. £2577 M Robinson & Sons. £2571 £2541 £2533 £2504 £2461 £2427 £2420 £2402 £2374 £2356 £2354 JV&JA Hodgson. £2476 £2434 TN Callender. £2449 £2437 £2424 TW Clark & Son. £2430 B Walker. £2409 £2373 £2294 W Swinbank & Sons. £2397 £2345 Renton Highlaws LTD. £2332 £2302 £2271 Taylor Bros LTD. £2320 £2304 £2277 £2266 W Miller. £2292 P Weightman & Sons.
Prime Hoggs (2004) – A few more about, trade easier on the week to average all in £153.91 which was 342ppk with an SQQ of 346ppk. The sale average today is almost identical to that of the same week last year as for the first time in a while the trade isn’t sitting pounds ahead of 2024. Export weights would be in the highest demand and it was they who duly topped the pence per kilo when a pen of eight 39kg Beltex sold for 415 pence from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm, Station Town. Plenty of the shapely hoggs sold 370-400ppk in behind our leaders. Top of the gross values was a superstar weighing 57kg from R H Thompson & Son, Whins Farm which reached £210; the pursuing pack of the best heavyweights followed between £180 and £195. Blackface hoggs from L W Martin, Wayworth Farm led the horned hogg trade when a pen of twenty-four weighing 49kg sold for £165.
Some of the leading averages included:
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 27 to average £184.81 (62kg)
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 283 to average £173.91 (47kg)
R Nattrass & Sons, Daddry Shield sold 16 to average £171.56 (53kg)
R H Thompson & Son, Bishop Auckland sold 71 to average £171.04 (51kg)
W M Ramsay & Sons, Wingate sold 15 to average 399ppk (40kg)
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 415 400 390 388 362 W Ramsay & Sons. 394 K&PM Lough. 391 J Layfield. 390 381 368 356 RH Thompson & Son. 389 R Thompson. 388 384 382 x2 380 368 366 365 359 R Atkinson. 388 381 371 x2 369 368 Raw. 386 370 366 363 358 TA Greensit & Sons. 384 WKMM Lamb. 384 357 GW Whittington Livestock. 378 Robert Arthur. 377 371 x2 G Thompson & Sons. 377 372 370 368 366 359 Anthony Tindale. 375 CH&MC Phalp. 374 355 RO Gilson. 371 362 S Richardson. 367 366 361 PJ Tindale. 365 361 DG&PD Ayre. 363 361 William Swinbank. 358 356 K Hall. 357 JK&CE Farming. 357 GF Whitfield. 357 355 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. 357 CS Robinson. 355 DK Barker. 355 WM Allison & Son LTD.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £210 £195 £192 £183 £179 £178 £177 £171 £168 £167 RH Thompson & Son. £192 £190 £168 JK&CE Farming. £190 £189 x3 185 £182 £181 AC Simpson & Son. £187 R Thompson. £183 £182 £175 £167 CS Robinson. £181 W Ramsay & Sons. £180 x2 JR Knox & Son. £180 CH&MC Phalp. £177 x3 £176 x3 £175 £174 £172 £171 £168 R Atkinson. £176 x2 J Layfield. £175 £172 WE Frank & Son. £174 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. £173 R Nattrass & Sons. £172 x2 K Hall. £171 £168 £168 GF Whitfield. £171 £170 £166 TW Clark & Son. £170 x2 T Lawson & Son. £170 £169 WKMM Lamb. £169 x2 R Wood & Son. £169 £167 TA Greensit & Sons. £169 GW Whittington Livestock. £168 LW Martin. £167 WM Allison & Son LTD. £167 EA Martin & Son.
Cast Ewes/Rams (644) – Many more forward and to say there was something for everyone would be somewhat of an understatement; from supermodels down to some rather more mature examples. Plenty of life in the trade for all classes although perhaps not to the extraordinary levels of last week, still a very straight go to see them all in average £132.68. Top of the day at £300 was a hefty Beltex cross Charollais tup from P J Tindale, Preston Tilery. Ewes sold to a top of £258 and £240 from E Astley Ltd, West Stobbswood with half a dozen other vendors with lowland ewes all reaching at least £220. The Mule ewes this week averaged £126 and sold to a top of £177 whilst Blackface and Jacobs sold to £116. Big heavy continental ewes often £200 plus, fit not fat remains preferable. Below are a select few pen averages.
J C Simpson, Caldwell sold 7 to average £216.43
M E Dowson, Barnard Castle sold 2 to average £210
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 9 to average £206.67
R H Thompson & Son, Bishop Auckland sold 20 to average £201.55
E Astley Ltd, Morpeth sold 79 to average £198.56
C Wise, Little Stainton sold 13 to average £183.85
Anna Herbert, Westwick sold 7 to average £179.71
I & A Holmes, Elwick sold 12 to average £179.25
Lead Grossing Ewes/Rams – £300 £200 PJ Tindale. £258 £240 £225 £222 £219 £217 x2 £210 £200 £190 E Astley LTD. £234 £214 £200 £190 Anna Herbert. £233 £208 £200 JC Simpson. £231 £200 C Wise. £220 £200 ME Dowson. £220 £205 £200 JV&JA Hodgson. £220 £206 £202 JJ Horn. £216 £200 £195 RH Thompson & Son. £200 TW Clark & Son. £199 £188 CJM Hedley. £190 AWSM Farms. £188 x2 Messrs Bell. £188 I&A Holmes.
