Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 20th March 2025. Forward were 176 cattle and 1529 sheep.
60 Prime Bulls sold to £3961 or 465ppk.
13 Prime Steers sold to £3150 or 455ppk.
103 Prime Heifers sold to £3227 or 478ppk.
1315 Prime Hoggs sold to £210 or 475ppk
214 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £231
Prime Bulls (60) – Todays trade saw yet another rise within the Bull sector, with 50% being Dairy Bred, a planer show was on offer, however this didn’t stop the phenomenal trade, with the sale averaging an incredible 409ppk. Top price of the day goes to JA Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange, with a tremendous British Blue Bull reaching £3961, who also led the top price pence per kilo leaderboard topping at 465ppk. A limousin bull from K&A Harker, Worsall Grange Farm, made £3876 and another limousin bull from WA Richardson LTD, Hutton Fields, reached a close second in the pence per kilo section, reaching 464ppk.
Native Bulls topped at £3540 for an Angus from AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange, who also achieved top price pence per kilo at 430ppk. Following was FS Sturrock & Sons, Home Farm, with another Angus that reached £2979 or 386ppk.
Friesian Bulls from JM&S Walton, Brettanby Farm, topped their section at £2349 and also gained top pence per kilo with another Friesian Bull which made 353ppk. JK&CE Farming, Blue House Farm, followed closely to Waltons, with a Bull reaching £2227 or 348ppk.
Top Averages-
JA Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange- £3842
WA Richardson LTD, Hutton Fields- £3560
JH Brown, West Hartburn Farm- £3478
AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange- £3436
D Richardson & Co LTD, Bracken House- £3089
S&J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm- £3048
Continental Bulls- Top Prices PPK 465 445 x2 JA Matten & Sons. 464 451 420 412 WA Richardson LTD. 463 439 S&J Dent & Son. 463 449 446 AG Watson & Sons. 463 462 461 JH Brown. 447 JE Jordon & Son. 440 K&A Harker. 435 JK&CE Farming. 421 420 416 406 400 394 D Richardson & Co LTD. 420 412 Williamson. 420 x2 406 396 390 x2 362 FS Sturrock & Sons. 418 415 408 407 JA&M Boyes LTD. 406 392 ER&GI Younger. 402 395 388 BJ Haigh. 398 x2 396 TF Bothroyd & Son. 390 388 x2 374 JM&S Walton.
Leading Gross Continental Bulls- £3961 £3840 £3724 JA Matten & Sons. £3876 K&A Harker. £3811 £3716 £3373 £3343 WA Richardson LTD. £3683 £3430 £3321 JH Brown. £3514 £3412 £3313 AG Watson & Sons. £3406 £3123 £3077 £3007 £2967 £2952 D Richardson & Co LTD. £3305 £2791 S&J Dent & Son. £3108 £3037 £3017 £2942 JA&M Boyes LTD. £2885 £2702 £2538 £2497 £2468 £2443 £2423 FS Sturrock & Sons. £2775 £2762 £2694 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2675 £2535 £2417 £2386 JM&S Walton. £2766 JE Jordon & Son. £2749 JK&CE Farming. £2661 £2533 £2512 BJ Haigh. £2484 £2427 Williamson. £2427 £2395 ER&GI Younger.
Native Bulls- Top Prices PPK 430 AG Watson & Sons. 386 FS Sturrock & Sons. 370 355 339 R Hall & Son.
Leading Gross Native Bulls- £3504 AG Watson & Sons. £2979 FS Sturrock & Sons. £2342 £2208 £2203 R Hall & Son.
Friesian Bulls- Top Prices PPK 353 352 348 343 329 JM&S Walton. 348 JK&CE Farming.
Leading Gross Friesian Bulls-£2349 £2233 £2119 £2107 £2064 JM&S Walton. £2227 JK&CE Farming.
Clean Cattle (116) – Week after week we keep describing the trade with phrases such as ‘cattle dear than ever’ this week is no different, cattle were an extraordinary price right through, from the plainer sorts to the very best, there was yet another increase in price. The running average for Heifers was 434ppk with steers only a penny behind at 433ppk. Securing the top price ppk was a wonderful Limousin courtesy of W Miller, High Aketon, whose superb run of 18 of Cumbria’s finest cattle saw the 547kg Heifer sell for an astonishing 478ppk & £2614 with the rest of the consignment selling to an average of 460ppk & £2545. The ever-consistent NE Dyson, Gebdykes Farm was in the driving seat for the top grossing beast with a Limousin Heifer weighing in at 727kg, selling for an unsurpassed £3227. Worsley Wholesale Meats was the purchaser of the brace. Northumberland based WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam was top of the tree with the steers – lead grossing & ppk with 2 Homebred British Blues, selling for 455ppk & £3150 once again to Worsley Wholesale Meats.
A few of today’s leading averages:
WJ Scott Ltd sold 8 (678kg) av 444ppk & £3012
NE Dyson sold 3 (691kg) av 425ppk & £2941
WJ & AS Bowes & Sons sold 4 (662kg) av 442ppk & £2927
LR Welsh & Co sold 4 (631kg) 436ppk & £2754
R Hirst sold 10 (592kg) av 459ppk & £2719Heifers- Top Prices PPK 478 475 474 473 468 467 x3 466 461 459 457 x2 455 450 441 439 x2 W Miller. 475 470 469 x2 466 465 457 444 441 R Hirst. 472 471 AC Simpson & Son. 470 439 P Weightman & Sons. 469 444 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 468 458 449 x2 445 444 443 JV&JA Hodgson. 465 x2 WJ Scott LTD. 465 449 B Walker. 458 448 WF Hustwit. 457 440 LR Welsh & Co. 456 TN Callender. 455 444 NE Dyson. 439 JE Jordon & Son. 439 CH&SE Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3227 £2834 £2761 NE Dyson. £3073 £3027 WJ Scott LTD. £3057 £2990 £2859 £2801 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2933 RO Gilson. £2874 £2769 £2588 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £2856 £2756 LR Welsh & Co. £2848 £2842 £2771 £2763 £2753 £2731 £2637 £2632 £2607 £2606 R Hirst. £2803 £2798 £2779 £2665 £2662 JV&JA Hodgson. £2773 P Weightman & Sons. £2754 £2705 CH&SE Armstrong. £2697 £2688 £2638 WF Hustwit. £2683 M Shepherd. £2658 £2655 B Walker. £2653 £2652 £2634 £2625 x2 £2615 £2614 £2605 W Miller. £2610 AC Simpson & Son. £2587 FJ Young & Partners.
Steers- Top Prices PPK 455 450 448 430 427 420 WJ Scott LTD. 444 JV&JA Hodgson. 435 427 RO Gilson. 434 LR Welsh & Co. 431 423 TN Callender. 419 ER&GI Younger.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3150 £3126 £3089 £3014 £2826 £2795 WJ Scott LTD. £2910 £2491 TN Callender. £2899 LR Welsh & Co. £2775 £2660 RO Gilson. £2735 JV&JA Hodgson. £2384 ER&GI Younger.
Hoggs (1315) – Like the cattle trade, the sheep trade just keeps giving. With a sale average of £162 per head or an SQQ of 378ppk, all vendors sell to their full advantage here at DfAM. Top price of the day goes to R Atkinson of High Greenbury Farm, with a fantastic Texel making £210, with the same home regularly trading today between £175-£200 with this consignment of 250 averaging 415ppk (£189 ph). Silver medal was given to AC Simpson & Sons, McNeil Farm, with some cracking continental hoggs reaching £205. Within the pence per kilo sector, 475ppk was achieved by R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm, taking the top 9 highest spots on the hogg leaderboard. WL Robinson & Partners, Prospect House, took second place with some fantastic 40kg continental hoggs, reaching 402ppk.
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 475 466 453 x2 452 434 429 403 402 x2 393 391 383 365 352 R Atkinson. 402 352 351 WL Robinson & Partners. 402 388 371 363 x2 348 TA Greensit & Sons. 402 373 365 x2 GW Whittington Livestock. 390 357 350 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. 387 378 348 T&R Quinn & Son. 385 SC Barron. 384 TE Dobson. 375 369 345 TW Clark & Son. 374 344 W Kirk & Sons. 371 364 340 MR Madrell. 360 351 344 CK&D Muir LTD. 357 355 M Johnstone. 354 351 SR Crossland & EJ Boby. 353 JK&CE Farming. 352 J&A Layfield. 349 340 x2 PR Weaver. 348 Ainsty Farms Direct. 344 R Valks. 340 N Barker. 340 N&LL Brown & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £210 £209 £200 £199 £196 £195 x2 £189 x2 £185 x2 £184 £180 £179 £176 R Atkinson. £205 £181 x2 £180 x2 £171 x2 £170 x3 £166 £165 x2 AC Simpson & Son. £187 £181 £168 x4 £165 GW Whittington Livestock. £180 x2 £176 x4 £170 £166 x2 J&A Layfield. £178 £170 £167 x4 PR Weaver. £177 £171 £167 TA Greensit & Sons. £170 x2 £165 JR Knox & Son. £167 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. £166 £165 WL Robinson & Partners.
Ewes- A similar trade to last week, however good meat returns a strong trade. A lesser show of quality and numbers today, but geld ewes remain in demand. Top Price of the day goes to A&CA Stanwix of Gayles Hall Farm, with a smart continental tup reaching £231. Regular customers, M&A Gaskin of Holdsworth Farm, topped the ewes at £205 with some powerful continentals. Mules topped at a whopping £193 from GC&JC Pullan, Manor House Farm and Suffolks topped at £192 from WL Robinson & Partners, Prospect House. Swaledale ewes from TE Dobson, Unthank Farm, reached £103.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £231 £180 A&CA Stanwix. £205 £194 £171 M&A Gaskin. £202 F Johnson. £200 £130×2 £108 JR Mann. £198 £142 JC Simpson. £193 £158 GC&JC Pullan. £192 £158 £120 N&LL Brown & Son. £191 £184 £162 WL Robinson & Partners. £187 RD&D Elders & Son. £180 £175 £136 £110 CH&SE Armstrong. £179 £170 £162 £150×2 M Radford. £174 TE Dobson. £170 £161 £160 £125 AWSM Farms. £166 £160 £128 TW Clark & Son. £160 Barker Farming Partnership. £147 JR Blenkiron. £143 RE&L Frank. £140 T&R Quinn & Son.
