Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 5th June 2025. Forward were 160 cattle and 839 sheep.
42 Prime Bulls sold to 412ppk or £3118
24 Prime Steers sold to 439ppk or £3140
86 Prime Heifers sold to 480ppk or £3274
8 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 302ppk or £2543
487 New Season Lambs sold to 404ppk or £188
167 Prime Hoggs sold to 255ppk or £170
185 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (42) – Trade improved on the week by 10-15ppk, the sale average of 352ppk and £2295 would be somewhat distorted and look lower than reality, the well fleshed bulls are certainly dearer but a rather plain bottom end was in attendance to fulfil specific orders this week. The best bull of the day was a superb Charolais from J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House weighing 757kg and selling for 412ppk and £3118. A smart pair of homebred Limousin bulls from C Binks & Son, Walworth impressed when selling over 400ppk as did the Beef Shorthorn breed which led the natives at 394ppk from the on-song Boyes’s and £2814 from H W & J Birkbeck, Castle Hill. The well fleshed first dairy crosses typically sold 340ppk to 370ppk whilst the pure-bred Holstein Friesian trade was topped at 344ppk by J M Stuart & Son, Rabys Farm and £2154 by J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm.
Some of today’s top averages:
JA&M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House sold 3 (774kg) average 378.77ppk & £2931.65
JK&CE Farming, Blue House Farm sold 2 (728kg) average 398ppk & £2899.43
SH Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm sold 2 (752kg) average 380.19ppk & £2860.95
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 412 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 402×2 C Binks & Son. 398×2 JK&CE Farming. 396 366 SH Watson & Son. 380 320 J Murray. 372 360 PR&V Barlow & Son. 372 352 344 TF Bothroyd & Son. 370 JM&S Walton. 368 C Iveson Farms. 367 360 J Richmond. 354 350 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3118 £2957 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2913 £2885 JK&CE Farming. £2902 £2819 SH Watson & Son. £2701 £2608 C Binks & Son. £2609 £2379 J Richmond. £2550 £2439 J Murray. £2404 £2365 £2333 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2343 £2243 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2220 JM&S Walton. £2180 £2067 GS Dowson. £2134 C Iveson Farms.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 344 286 280×2 274 270×2 JM Stuart & Son. 331 322 JM&S Walton. 318 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2154 £1983 JM&S Walton. £2028 D Walker. £2005 £1547 £1537 £1522 £1441 JM Stuart & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices 394 JA&M Boyes Ltd. ppk 392 HW&J Birkbeck. 382 366 364 JR Knox & Son. 368 GS Dowson. 368 358 336 R Hall & Son. 318 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2814 HW&J Birkbeck. £2735 £2712 £2413 JR Knox & Son. £2718 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2623 £2531 £2530 R Hall & Son. £2057 JM&S Walton. £1799 GS Dowson.
Cast Cattle – Top prices ppk 302 PR&V Barlow & Son. 230 J Peacock.
Lead Grossing Cast Cattle £2543 J Peacock. £2195 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Clean Cattle (110) – The live ring looks dearer again despite the dirty tricks of the deadweight doom mongers of late to derail the beef price; the ring is king – no weight caps, waiting lists, age restrictions or red tractor prejudice. A smart show assembled to see the steers average 398ppk and £2636 with the heifers a more than handy 425ppk and £2488. A sensational run of heifers from the regular selling R Hirst of Neasham Grange raced away with the top four prices per kilo today topping at 480 with a 562kg Limousin and followed at 478ppk and twice at 474ppk. Two other heifers sold at 470ppk plus thirteen in the 460’s and ten more over 450ppk. Four steers from three vendors sold over 430ppk, pick of them all at 439 pence was an excellent Limousin from P R & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm with a super sort from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House just a single penny behind. Some grand gross values, none more so than the £3274 which was achieved by a thumping 751kg Limousin heifer from J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm. The top seven spots on the steer gross value list all went to the well-fed Limousins from the aforementioned Marshall’s of Hope House, the pick of the run weighing 717kg sold for £3140.
Clean Cattle Top Averages-
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 8 (706kg) Average £2969 or 420ppk
JE Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 (675kg) Average £2856 or 422ppk
R Hirst, Neasham sold 12 (587kg) Average £2708 or 460ppk
Askwiths, Crook sold 4 (604kg) Average £2635 or 436ppk
P Weightman & Sons, Easington sold 3 (616kg) Average £2632 or 426ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 439 433 381 378 366 362 PR&V Barlow & Son. 438 429 427 419 414 412 405 I Marshall & Sons. 432 413 Askwiths. 410 A Swinbank & Son. 406 379 378 LW Martin. 384 JV&JA Hodgson. 379 369 JM Smith. 370 C Binks & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3140 £3084 £2995 £2993 £2951 £2921 £2907 I Marshall & Sons. £2899 £2615 £2415 LW Martin. £2877 £2672 Askwiths. £2645 £2483 JM Smith. £2581 £2550 £2351 £2269 £2255 £2247 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2537 A Swinbank & Son. £2508 C Binks & Son. £2472 JV&JA Hodgson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 480 478 474×2 466×2 464 459 457 453 R Hirst. 470 WO Grix & Partners. 470 467 465 460 450 448 W Miller. 468 440 WF Hustwit. 467 460 457 PR&V Barlow & Son. 466 441 Askwiths. 462 448 444 GK KN & GJ Hird. 460 HW Miller. 460 HW&J Birkbeck. 454 BJS Farms. 454 450×2 448×2 443 JV&JA Hodgson. 452 G Bird & Sons. 442 436 JE Suddes & Son. 439 JM Smith.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3274 £2924 £2744 JE Suddes & Son. £2919 £2858 £2786 £2760 £2697 £2693 £2749 £2673 £2668 R Hirst. £2860 £2736 PR&V Barlow & Son. £2764 £2700 £2682 £2628 £2613 JV&JA Hodgson. £2761 I Marshall & Sons. £2760 P Weightman & Sons. £2718 HW&J Birkbeck. £2709 HW Miller. £2672 WF Hustwit. £2664 WO Grix & Partners. £2660 JM Smith. £2659 £2656 £2643 W Miller.
New Season Lambs (487) – The sheep trade has just eased at the back end of the week with some monumental numbers sold in places across the country in the build up to Qurbani. No absolute disasters however back to similar levels of a fortnight ago as this week’s sale averaged of £150.05 which equated to a weighed straight 339ppk with an SQQ of 344ppk. First in the market this morning and first on the top price lists again was the early rising J C Simpson, Hill Top East with ten 44kg at 404ppk and ten more the same weight at 400ppk. The heavies from Hill Top East then went on to top the gross values with five at 50kg reaching £188 and five more at 49kg selling at £181.
Spring Lamb Top Averages-
JC Simpson, Caldwell sold 53 (46kg) Average £177 or 385ppk
I&A Holmes, Elwick sold 26 (50kg) Average £165 or 330ppk
AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna sold 28 (43kg) Average £164 or 380ppk
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 10 (48kg) Average £163 or 340ppk
W&M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 38 (44kg) Average £162 or 369ppk
JB&JA Fenwick, Barnard Castle sold 21 (43kg) Average £159 or 366ppk
Lambs – Top prices ppk 404 400 391 384 376 369 366 346 JC Simpson. 397 M Fenwick. 391 376 368 AWSM Farms. 384×2 372 355 JB&JA Fenwick. 384 383 380 369 361 352 W&M Knaggs & Son. 382 366 355 351×2 JA&A Herbert. 369 BR&RI Routledge. 363 348 334 C Binks & Son. 362 340 JR Knox & Son. 360 345 RI Jones. 354 T Duckitt. 339 E Scott & Sons. 338 MJ Blacklidge. 338 336 335 333×2 I&A Holmes.
Lead Grossing Lambs £188 £181 £178 £177 £176×3 £170 JC Simpson. £180 £171 £166 MJ Blacklidge. £179 £169 £165 £159×2 W&M Knaggs & Son. £176 £170×2 £168 £161 £160×2 I&A Holmes. £173 £169 £160 JB&JA Fenwick. £168.50 £166 £162 AWSM Farms. £167 M Fenwick. £165 £164×2 £160 C Binks & Son. £162 RI Jones. £160 £156 JR Knox & Son. £160 SR Crossland & EJ Boby. £158×3 TW Clark & Son. £157 JA&A Herbert.
Prime Hoggs (167) – Not much life in the hogg trade as the curtain falls on the 2024 crop; don’t rule out an encore in the next week or two once the dust settles. The only real shining light were some powerful sorts from R H Thompson & Son, Whins Farm who twice reached tops of £170 and sold 31 to average £158.97.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 255 P&CM Graham. 234 JA&B Nappey. 229 219 217 216 212 207 RH Thompson & Son. 229 224 210 J&A Layfield. 227 222 195 J Atkinson. 224 192 169 GF Whitfield. 224 200 189 A Inan. 215 RE&L Frank. 211 JC Smith. 190 173 JR Knox & Son.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £170×2 £160×2 £154 £150 RH Thompson & Son. £125 JC Smith. £120 P&CM Graham. £120 £110×2 J&A Layfield. £110 JA&B Nappey. £110 £106 £96 GF Whitfield. £110×2 £90 A Inan. £110 £100 RE&L Frank. £109×2 J Atkinson. £90 R Tiplady & Son. £85 GS Bainbridge.
Cast Ewes & Rams (185) – As with the hoggs the ewe trade just stuttered in the final hours before the Eid Ul-Adha celebrations, Thursday was always likely to be too close for comfort. All in the ewes and rams averaged £94.97, a lesser show of quality amplifies this price drop somewhat, trade easier but by no means disastrous. Topping at £200 were two vendors with Texel tups as a trio from J A & A Herbert, Tees Farm were joined by a single from T Duckitt, Sunnyside Farm. Strong lowland ewes remain £140 plus whilst Mule ewes topped at £130 and hill ewes with flesh traded £50 to £70.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200 £140 JA&A Herbert. £200 £166 £140 £130×2 £120 T Duckitt. £180 M Hogg. £170 £150 CS Thompson. £150 £110 JR Knox & Son. £150 GF Whitfield. £150 £130 J&A Layfield. £140 J Butterfield & Son. £140 £135 JF Henry. £140 SR Crossland & EJ Boby. £130 P&CM Graham. £130 Raby Home Farm. £120 £110×2 JA&B Nappey. £120×2 R Tiplady & Son.
