Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 20th February 2025. Forward were 178 cattle and 2315 sheep.
64 Prime Bulls sold to 449ppk or £3794
17 Prime Steers sold to 427ppk or £3378
97 Prime Heifers sold to 448ppk or £2863
1948 Prime Hoggs sold to 436ppk or £220
367 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £300
Prime Bulls (64) – Absolutely insane, let this sink in, the bulls today are £1000 per head up on the same week last year as the whole bull sale average returned at 404 pence per kilo and £2891 per head. The best end of the bulls blew the roof off with thirty-eight over 400 pence and thirty-one over £3000; the first dairy cross bulls with flesh beggared belief and regularly sold in the 380’s and 390’s, for the first time in history not a single bull failed to reach 300ppk. The sale topper was a superb 845kg Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange which sold for a stunning 449ppk and £3794. Half a dozen other bulls sold in the 440’s as the team from Renton Highlaws led an impressive chasing pack which also included JH & M & N W Brown, D Richardson & Co, J B Luck & Son and T N & J Hall. The top three sold over £3500, the Matten machine as mentioned came out on top and was followed by a brilliant British Blue from T N & J Hall, Ainstable Hall and a cracking Limousin from D Richardson & Co, Melsonby. Amongst the native breeds it was another successful week for the Hereford’s of J A & M Boyes Ltd, Cleatlam as they topped at 388ppk (twice) and £2743 whilst a smaller offering of Friesian bulls peaked at 311ppk and £1959 from D Herdman, Fairview Farm. See below some stupendous pen averages.
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 2 to average 439ppk and £3610
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 to average 431ppk and £3044
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 3 to average 432ppk and £3254
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 6 to average 429ppk and £3245
J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 to average 421ppk and £3325
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 4 to average 420ppk and £3306
C Harle & Sons, Brandon Village sold 4 to average 420ppk and £2834
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 416ppk and £3319
Continental Bulls Leading PPK – 449 430 J A Matten & Sons. 444 438 436 423 422 414 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 443 423 420 400 J H & M & N W Brown. 442 418 416 404 D Richardson & Co. 440(x2) 415 J B Luck & Son. 440 435 425 T N & J Hall. 434 418 412 402 A C Simpson & Son. 430 J M Ramsay & Son. 429 428(x2) C Harle & Sons. 421 R Hall & Son. 421(x2) J J Horn. 419 403 S Luck & Son. 406 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 405(x2) J R Knox & Son.
Native Breed Bulls Per Kilo – 388(x2) 367 365 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 384 R Hall & Son. 375 J K & C E Farming. 348 D Herdman.
Friesian Bulls Per Kilo – 311 302 D Herdman.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £3794 £3427 J A Matten & Sons. £3701 £3175 £2886 T N & J Hall. £3510 £3171 £3161 £3055 £3044 £3040 D Richardson & Co. £3489 £3292 £3251 £3192 J H & M & N W Brown. £3477(x2) £3325 £3190 £3142 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3447 £3203 J J Horn. £3388 £3331 £3304 £3255 A C Simpson & Son. £3337 J Allison & Sons. £3273 £3049 J B Luck & Son. £3199 J R Knox & Son. £3061 J M Ramsay & Son. £3021 C Harle & Sons.
Native Breed Bulls Gross – £2743 £2708 £2664 £2401 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £2647 J K & C E Farming. £2361 R Hall & Son. £2338 D Herdman.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross – £1959 £1633 D Herdman.
Clean Cattle (114) – There are no superlatives left in the dictionary fit describe the beef trade of late, seeing is believing, they’ve only gone dearer again. Absolutely incredible, no cattle under 320ppk, only four failed to make 350ppk, some 77% reached 400ppk or more, only four failed to make £2000 and fifty-one sold over £2500. All this resulted in mind boggling averages as the steers levelled at 399ppk and £2627 whilst the heifers averaged 411ppk and £2463, in a word, unbelievable. Top per kilo was a stunning 591kg Limousin from R Hirst, Neasham Grange which sold for 448 pence; behind her came the trans Pennine travelling W Miller, High Aketon at 443ppk followed by three at 441ppk, one each from the two above mentioned vendors and also one for J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange. Top steer per kilo at 427 pence came from the Henshaw family of Mainsgill Farm with a tidy 585kg British Blue; following him at 425ppk was a centre record breaking Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange. Weighing 795kg the Matten machine galloped away with the day’s top gross value as he added up to a brilliant £3378. Other gross values well worthy of mention go to W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam with a great quartet of steers to a top of £2969 plus W A Richardson Ltd, Hutton Fields with a steer to £2914. Top gross valued heifer of the week was a Cumbrian corker as T N & J Hall of Ainstable Hall sold a British Blue at £2863 followed by Limousin’s from the Henshaw’s at £2863 and N E Dyson, Gebdykes Farm at £2821. Below are some absolutely outstanding pen averages.
Heifers
W Miller, Wigton sold 10 to average 434ppk and £2375
R Hirst, Neasham sold 7 to average £432ppk and £2587
J E Jordon & Son, Morpeth sold 2 to average 430ppk and £2497
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 3 to average 423ppk and £2486
T N & J Hall, Ainstable sold 7 to average 420ppk and £2506
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 423ppk and £2654
A & M J Henshaw, East Layton sold 5 to average 418ppk and £2648
B Walker, Dalton on Tees sold 3 to average 417ppk and £2298
N E Dyson, Masham sold 3 to average 416ppk and £2733
Steers
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 4 to average 416ppk and £2798
W R Thompson, Etherley sold 3 to average 404ppk and £2595
Steers – Top prices ppk 427 A&MJ Henshaw. 425 JA Matten & Sons. 421 420 418 409 WJ Scott Ltd. 420 411 384 WR Thompson. 412 J Henshaw. 410 JV&JA Hodgson. 398 320 JR Spink. 393 NE Dyson. 385 WA Richardson Ltd. 384 A Swinbank & Son. 350 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3378 JA Matten & Sons. £2969 £2813 £2719 £2691 WJ Scott Ltd. £2914 WA Richardson Ltd. £2805 J Henshaw. £2754 NE Dyson. £2646 £2576 £2562 WR Thompson. £2529 JV&JA Hodgson. £2497 A&MJ Henshaw. £2395 £2124 JR Spink. £2215 A Swinbank & Son. £2065 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 448 441 438 429 428×2 415 R Hirst. 443 441 438 437 436 434 433 430 428 426 W Miller. 441 422 420 416 JV&JA Hodgson. 438 424 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 434 427 JE Jordon & Son. 429 425 416 415 A&MJ Henshaw. 429 427 421 418 WJ Scott Ltd. 428 427×2 418×2 416 TN&J Hall. 426 E Miller. 425 418 B Walker. 424 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 420 JJ Kemp & Son. 418 414 NE Dyson. 417 416 JE Suddes & Son. 414 SW Thompson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2863 TN&J Hall. £2834 £2797 £2591 £2582 A&MJ Henshaw. £2821 £2645 NE Dyson. £2792 £2664 £2596 WJ Scott Ltd. £2756 E Miller. £2756 JJ Kemp & Son. £2718 £2615 JB&N Harrison & Son. £2694 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2676 £2657 £2653 £2647 £2582 R Hirst. £2670 SW Thompson. £2666 £2626 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2661 B Watson. £2653 £2568 WA Richardson Ltd. £2585 JV&JA Hodgson. £2562 £2550 TN&J Hall. £2560 LR Welsh & Co. £2560 JE Jordon & Son.
Prime Hoggs (1948) – Back ahead by £8 on seven days ago and incidentally by the same £8 on last year’s price this week as a cold East wind followed by a warm rain today has extinguished some of the flaming emoji banded around on what now looks to have been a very mediocre Monday. Weighed straight today’s offering averaged £163.08 and 339ppk with a premium on the lighter weights seeing the SQQ jump to 357ppk. Top per kilo at 436 pence were a tidy trio of Beltex hoggs from Robert Arthur, Hudspeth Farm whilst ten cracking 47kg clipped Texel’s from R Atkinson, High Greenbury followed at 423ppk and a quality quartet marked and drawn to perfection by W H Brown, Swale Hall followed at 420ppk. Top price in the lump of £220 went to a super pair of 56kg Texel’s from G & R Dawson, Mount Pleasant Farm; others in the £200 club included J C & A Hutchinson, Featherhill Farm and also the Wardman’s of Thrushwood Farm, Layfield’s of New Row Farm and Ian Kirk up from Woodside Farm, Notts. More horned hoggs are now appearing and noticeably more Mule hoggs than in recent times sold to tops of £160 from G C & J C Pullan or 370ppk from Double O Livestock. A few of the top pen picks are listed below.
R Atkinson, Scorton sold 180 average £187.81 (48kg)
J R Knox & Son, Heighington sold 22 average £186.64 (56kg)
J & A Layfield, Hamsterley sold 50 average £176.45 (57kg)
W Kirk & Sons, Barton sold 11 average £176.45 (45kg)
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 16 average £175.50 (48kg)
W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby sold 102 average £175.49 (52kg)
P R & V Barlow & Son, Shelford sold 70 average £175.26 (47kg)
C A Mottram & Sons, Lincoln sold 49 average £174.45 (56kg)
A & E J Dobinson, Winston sold 16 average £173.56 (51kg)
G & R Dawson, Crayke sold 53 average £173.51 (54kg)
F T Gibbon & Son, Eryholme sold 25 average £173.28 (55kg)
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 436 394 R Arthur. 423 402×2 400 393 R Atkinson. 420 WH Brown. 420 397 386 382 372 A Tindale. 416 415 400 390 WA Wardman Ltd. 414 411 388 P Hutchinson. 409 388 382 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 409 392 G&R Dawson. 406 388 384 W Kirk & Sons. 400 M Madrell. 397 A Davenport. 395 C Binks & Son. 395 394 D&B Harding. 394 385 MF Hall. 390 384 377 CH&MC Phalp. 388 W Wearmouth & Son. 385 377 A&EJ Dobinson. 385 378 PR&V Barlow & Son. 380 O Chapman & O Parkin. 377 A Layfield Farms Ltd. 375 I Marshall & Sons. 374 GP&A Carter. 373 F Myers & Sons.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £220 £186 £180 G&R Dawson. £204 JC&A Hutchinson. £200 £191 £188 £184 £183 £181 £180×3 WA Wardman Ltd. £200 £186×2 £184 £182 £180×3 J&A Layfield. £200 I Kirk. £199 £193 £189 £188×3 £185 R Atkinson. £190 £182×2 C Binks & Son. £189 £181 A&EJ Dobinson. £188×2 £187 £183 JR Knox & Son. £187 JC Smith. £185 WH Brown. £184 A Layfield Farms Ltd. £183 W Kirk & Sons. £183 FT Gibbon & Son. £181 PR&V Barlow & Son. £181 £180 GC&JC Pullan. £180 M Madrell. £180 O Chapman & O Parkin. £180×2 CA Mottram & Sons.
Cast Ewes/Rams (367) – The ewes remain a straight shot to average £111.28 considering the numbers included no less than 149 horned ewes and 151 Mule ewes. Top of the pops was an excellent Texel from Reece Stevenson, Sleights which sold for £300; behind her excellent sheep from W A Wardman Ltd, W & M Knaggs & Son and Wytherstone Farm all sold well beyond £200. The increased number of Mule ewes averaged £135 and topped at £168 for eleven strong sorts from W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm. Top of the horned ewes were seven Blackface from D & B Harding, Thornhill with a fleshy pen of twenty-three from Robert Arthur next in line at £100.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £300 R Stevenson. £260 £243 £192 £180×2 £178 £168 £164 WA Wardman Ltd. £250 £234 £200 £190 W&M Knaggs & Son. £226 £165 Wytherstone Farm. £200 £140 N Edmondson. £197 P Tindale. £193 £174 £167 GS&SE Wilson. £180 £162 £140 R Lawson & Son. £176 £144 W Wearmouth & Son. £172.50 A Tindale. £169 £160 F Myers & Sons. £166 MF Hall. £160 JC&A Hutchinson. £156 £130 A Layfield Farms. £150 £130 I Marshall & Sons. £150 £144 JR Raine & Sons. £147 £124 CG Teasdale & Son.
