Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 8th May 2025. Forward were 116 cattle and 1238 sheep.
27 Prime Bulls sold to 461ppk or £3624
12 Prime Steers sold to 446ppk or £3354
77 Prime Heifers sold to 480ppk or £2856
58 New Season Lambs sold to 365ppk or £172
1009 Prime Hoggs sold to 400ppk or £200
171 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £258
Bulls – (27) Although there was a reduced number of bulls through the ring today, trade was slightly sharper on the week, especially for the better-quality beef. JB Luck & Son, Milestone House, achieved gold, silver & bronze in the ppk section with a terrific trio of Limousin Bulls selling for 461, 453 & 444ppk respectively. Leading the sale for grossing values was a British Blonde sold by F&JS Gargett, Westwick Farm, realizing £3624. Top of the Natives at 392ppk & £2990 was a super Shorthorn from Gerard Te-Lintelo, Mayfield Beef Shorthorns, not far behind, also with a Shorthorn was IE&AC Teasdale, High Farm, achieving £2712. Leading the way in the dairy section were the ever-consistent, Halls of Kilton Hall securing top spot with a Fleckvieh selling for 338ppk & £2342.
A few of the days leading averages:
F&JS Gargett, Westwick Farm sold 3 (903 kg) average 400ppk & £3618
JJ Horn, Bushey Park sold 2 (802 kg) average 426ppk & £3419
JB Luck & Son, Milestone House sold 3 (726 kg) & £3283
LS Staley, Bluestone House sold 2 (705 kg) & £3006
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 461 453 444 JB Luck & Son. 434 419 LS Staley. 432 421 JJ Horn. 403 350 338 R Hall & Son. 401 400 F&JS Gargett. 394 384 J Richmond. 390 370×2 JC&P Tallentire. 377 346 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3624 £3613 F&JS Gargett. £2552 £3379 £2918 JB Luck & Son. £3464 £3373 JJ Horn. £3033 £2972 LS Staley. £2909 £2530 £2342 R Hall & Son. £2655 £2595 J Richmond. £2616 £2508 £2268 JC&P Tallentire.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 336 327 326 280 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2055 £1965 £1949 £1772 JM&S Walton.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 392 Gerard Te-Lintelo. 346 336 GS Dowson. 310 IE&AC Teasdale.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2990 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £2712 IE&AC Teasdale. £1927 £1747 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (89) In line with the national trend, plainer cattle were slightly easier, but the top end were still very much in demand, the overall average for all clean cattle was 413ppk with heifers levelling at 416ppk & Steers 399ppk. Securing the top price ppk for clean cattle were Robin & Imi Hirst, Neasham Grange with a Limousin Heifer selling for 480ppk & £2856 to Taylors Butchers, Darlington. The lead grossing clean beast was a Limousin Steer sold by Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows to for £3354.
A Few of today’s top averages:
WJ Scott LTD, Low Leam sold 6 (657kg) average 429ppk & £2821
Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows sold 4 (650kg) average 429ppk & £2791
WJ&AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House Farm sold 3 (659kg) average 412ppk & £2718
R Hirst, Neasham Grange sold 12 (591kg) average 431ppk & £2555
JV&JA Hodgson, The Grange sold 12 (596kg) average 426ppk & £2544
WF Hustwit, Morden Southside Farm sold 10 (623kg) average 404ppk & £2519
Steers- Top Prices ppk- 446 442 409 WJ Scott LTD. 429 421 420 Askwiths. 403 400 360 DL&D Lovegreen. 356 JP Campbell.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3354 £2888 £2826 Askwiths. £3295 £2956 £2834 WJ Scott LTD. £2275 £2224 DL&D Lovegreen. £2245 J Pallister & Sons.
Heifers- Top Prices ppk 480 466 448 441 432 428 422 419 415 x3 R Hirst. 472 464 456 440 439 437 432 430 x2 427 x2 425 W Miller. 467 451 440 437 430 x4 428 JV&JA Hodgson. 455 Askwiths. 436 430 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 435 427 WJ Scott LTD. 429 LR Welsh & Co. 425 422 x2 JE Suddes & Son. 422 WF Hustwit.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2856 £2685 £2654 £2598 £2585 £2573 £2505 £2501 R Hirst. £2758 £2592 £2490 WJ Scott LTD. £2729 £2726 £2700 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2728 2619 £2603 £2586 £2541 £2501 WF Hustwit. £2720 £2601 £2506 JE Suddes & Son. £2714 £2526 2519 £2505 2481 W Miller. £2686 £2644 £2622 £2619 £2613 £2584 £2515 £2498 x2 £2481 JV&JA Hodgson. £2613 LR Welsh & Co.
New Season Lambs (58) – The lamb numbers begin to slowly increase; the trade is yet to light up and sits some £50 per head behind the bonanza we enjoyed this time last year to today average weighed straight 324ppk and £151.71 apiece. For the second week running the top spots went to W & M Knaggs & Son as they sold a quintet of 46kg lambs at 365ppk and a pair of 48kg lambs at £172. Both pens of the quality local lamb from the Knaggs family were bought by Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 365 358 352 346 341 W&M Knaggs & Son. 342 341 333 301 PJ Tindale. 317 305 302×2 R Collinson. 311ND Morgan. 288 282 280 265 D Coupland.
Lead Grossing Lambs £172 £168 £164 £163 £162 W&M Knaggs & Son. £168 £164 £160×2 PJ Tindale. £140 £130×3 D Coupland. £137 ND Morgan. £130×2 £127 £122 R Collinson.
Prime Hoggs (1009) – In a similar fashion to the lambs the hogg trade looks a million miles from the incredible 2024 prices; thus said the better hoggs would be marginally dearer on the week despite the averages appearing less. Many vendors have now decided to pull the bung out of the bottom of their hogg tub and part company with the last. Weighed straight the hoggs levelled at £278ppk with an SQQ of 298ppk which equated to an all-inclusive £144 per head. The remarkable feeding of R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm once again led the way; top per kilo at 400 pence were a dozen cracking 45kg continentals whilst the same super run topped the pounds per head with seventeen Suffolk’s weighing 74kg and selling for £200.
A few of today’s top averages:
R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm sold 200 (56kg) average 321ppk & £181
TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm sold 38 (51kg) average 299ppk & £153
PJ Tindale, Preston Tilery Farm sold 40 (49kg) average 308ppk & £151
PJ&MP Gilhespy, Low House sold 55 (44kg) average 330ppk & £147
J&A Layfield, New Row Farm sold 36 (48kg) average 293ppk & £143
Hoggs – Top Prices PPK 400 393 380 376 368 292 x2 287 283 R Atkinson. 355 321 301 294 TN Callender. 344 334 333 325 319 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 333 290 289 J&A Layfield. 326 298 281 PJ Tindale. 325 320 x2 317 280 JA Gilson Agricultural Contractors. 325 310 JM&S Walton. 322 320 300 285 TW Clark & Son. 318 GP&A Carter. 313 291 B Storey. 300 JV Hodgson & Son. 297 x2 RE&L Frank. 295 x2 292 284 PR&V Barlow & Son. 293 286 WR Thompson.285 Wytherstone Farm. 284 A&H Livestock. 281 RH Thompson & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £200 £190 x3 £184 £180 x2 £175 £174 £173 x3 R Atkinson. £162 £160 £154.50 £154 x2 £144.50 TN Callender. £160 x2 £154 £153 x4 £150 £149.50 £145 RH Thompson & Son. £152 x2 £150 PJ Tindale. £150 x2 £148 £144 £143 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £150 £145 J&A Layfield. £150 £143 x2 RE&L Frank. £147 £145 x4 PR&V Barlow & Son. £146 JM&S Walton. £146 JC Smith. £145 TW Clark & Son. £144 B Storey.
Cast Ewes & Rams (171) – No sign of a steady trade in the ewe ring as they jump again significantly to average £148.60 across the board. Two vendors topped at £258 as a single Texel ewe from P R & V Barlow, Sycamore Farm was matched by a quality quartet of British Rouge ewes from I E & A C Teasdale, High Farm. Other heavy lowland ewes sold frequently over £200 on a day which saw Mules top at £174 and average £128 plus Cheviot’s to £163 and Swaledale ewes to £98 and tups to £104.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £258 £248 IE&AC Teasdale. £258 £183 £163 £139 PR&V Barlow. £245 £222 W&M Knaggs & Son. £245 £190 ND Morgan. £236 £234 £232 £180 JA&A Herbert. £198 £180 C Moffett. £194 D&C Greensit. £190 £171 £170 £152 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £188 £156 £140 Beckwith. £186 £172 JK&CE Farming. £184 M Harris. £182 £172 HT Davies & Partners. £182 £162 C Dawson. £180 JM&S Walton. £178 F ward. £176 £160 P Wilks.
