Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 17th July 2025. Forward were 159 cattle and 1736 sheep.
60 Prime Bulls sold to 425ppk or £3978
20 Prime Steers sold to 435ppk or £3076
79 Prime Heifers sold to 462ppk or £2998
1300 New Season Lambs sold to 458ppk or £241
114 Prime Hoggs sold to 309ppk or £229
322 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £250
Prime Bulls (60) – No doubting that the best end bulls look a sharper trade on the week, perhaps a penny or two easier in the middle ground however some thumping weights on display left a healthy us a credible sale average of 369ppk and £2715. The top fifteen bulls all climbed to a minimum of 400 pence per kilo, the pick of the pack at 425 pence was a superb 736kg Limousin from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst with his closest rivals being other Limousin breeders A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm at 424ppk and also S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm at 419ppk. The on-song Limousin’s were also dominant in the gross value standings and scooped the top sixteen places, none bettered the Cornsay herd of W I Suddes & Son, South Farm with a hefty 997kg bull at £3987 and his mate at 899kg reached £3676. Following the Cornsay bulls with three between £3432 and £3655 were the aforementioned Simpson’s of McNeil Farm. Some well-fed sorts this week amongst the indigenous breeds, the leading natives was a tremendous Hereford bull from W G Richardson, Hutton Fields selling to 350ppk and a meaty Aberdeen Angus from A G Watson & Sons at £2885. Final mention to the Friesian feeders who this week all looked up to a fleshy 685kg bull from M A & P D Foster, Smithy House Farm which sold for 340ppk and £2329.
A few of today’s leading Bull averages:
WI Suddes & Son sold 2 (948kg) average 403ppk & £3827
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (807kg) average 414ppk & £3345
AS&SM Kemp & Son sold 7 (751kg) average 403ppk & £3030
AG Watson & Sons sold 6 (802kg) average 362ppk & £2908
WG Richardson sold 3 (803kg) average 353ppk & £2836
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 425 JE Jordon & Son. 424 414 413 409 AC Simpson & Son. 419 412 392S&J Dent & Son. 410×2 409 407 399 396 393 AS&SM Kemp & Son. 409 399 WI Suddes & Son. 408 374 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 403 376 C Binks & Son. 400 390 374 371 PJ&ES Rogerson. 390 372 367 360 AG Watson & Sons. 378×2 350 WA Wardman Ltd. 375 368 TW Clark & Son. 372 WE&CA Anderson. 369 JK&CE Farming. 367 P Langstaff. 360 WG Richardson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3978 £3676 WI Suddes & Son. £3655 £3432 £3419 £2874 AC Simpson & son. £3153 £3125 £3075 £3036 £2994 £2989 £2841 AS&SM Kemp & son. £3128 JE Jordon & Son. £3024 £3014 £2910 £2833 £2783 AG Watson & Sons. £2936 £2828 S&J Dent & Son. £2882 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2859 £2768 WG Richardson. £2831 £2774 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2825 C Binks & Son. £2800 £2774 WA Wardman Ltd. £2799 £2735 WE&CA Anderson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 340 310 291 MA&PD Foster. 320 JM&S Walton. 308 290 GW Dobson & Son. 298 260 JR Spink.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2329 £2120 £1876 MA&PD Foster. £2230 £2032 GW Dobson & Son. £1888 JM&S Walton. £1826 £1365 JR Spink.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 350 WG Richardson. 346 AG Watson & Sons. 340 335 320 LW Martin.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2885 AG Watson & Sons. £2880 WG Richardson. £2824 £2492 £2454 LW Martin.
Clean Cattle (99) – Trade perhaps down a shade on the week however a lot of weight and an increased number of first dairy crosses diluted the average on paper much more than it was in reality; the heifers levelled at 405ppk and £2355 whilst a heavyweight show of steers averaged 398ppk and an impressive £2723. The coin is in the loin no matter what weight or grade, the best fed beasts benefitted massively. Top per kilo at 462 pence was a lovely handy weight Limousin heifer from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange, two followed in the 460’s with three in the 450’s and nine more over 440ppk. Top of the steers per kilo were A S & S M Kemp & Son, Bowburn with a fantastic Limousin weighing 676kg and selling for 435 pence, the same good home followed their leader with another good sort just a penny adrift. Top gross values in both the steers and heifers went to the fine feeding of J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House as they produced a 736kg Limousin steer at £3076 and a 691kg Limousin heifer at £2998. Four other vendors with steers climbed over £3000, credit must go to the Kemp’s of Bowburn, the Askwiths of Crook plus W A Richardson, Hutton Fields and Messrs R Miller, Arkleby Hall.
Some of today’s leading Clean Cattle prices:
JA&M Boyes Ltd sold 2 (713kg) average 425ppk & £3037
AS&SM Kemp & Son Ltd sold 4 (686kg) average 417ppk & £2866
WA Richardson Ltd sold 3 (670kg) average 413ppk & £2773
SH Watson & Son sold 3 (630kg) average 439ppk & £2771
Askwiths sold 4 (660kg) average 415ppk & £2745
Steers – Top prices ppk 435 434 402 398 AS&SM Kemp & Son Ltd. 424 410 408 WA Richardson Ltd. 418 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 410 396 Askwiths. 409 397 Messrs R Miller Ltd. 408 381 378 373 364 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 389 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 382 A Swinbank & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3076 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £3046 £2940 £2878 £2598 AS&SM Kemp & Son. £3013 £2985 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £3013 £2902 Askwiths. £3006 £2815 £2496 WA Richardson. £2800 JB&N Harrison. £2700 £2446 £2422 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £2477 D Walker.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 462 444×2 428 418×2 412 JV&JA Hodgson. 460 455 446 440 439 437 434 429 427 R Hirst. 458 443 JE Jordon & Son. 458 446 415 SH Watson & Son. 448 403 NE Dyson. 441 P&N Tattersall. 437 426 Askwiths. 434 428 GH Farms. 434 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 431 K&A Harker. 429 Messrs R Miller. 425 TW&PT Moss. 424 F&JS Gargett. 423 J&A&DA Horn.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2998 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £2871 £2858 £2585 SH Watson & Son. £2857 £2737 £2716 £2714 £2691 £2644 R Hirst. £2804 £2584 £2571 NE Dyson. £2797 £2699 £2610 JV&JA Hodgson. £2751 £2634 P&N Tattersall. £2636 Askwiths. £2618 £2608 £2527 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £2606 A Swinbank & Son. £2577 F&JS Gargett. £2564 JE Jordon & Son. £2542 JB&N Harrison & Sons.
Prime Lambs (1300) – The big lambs go boom, an exceptional trade with the top forty-four lots (236 lambs) all over 400 pence per kilo and a super sixty-five above £200 per head. All in and weighed straight the sale averaged 369ppk and £164.29 per head, a remarkable £30 per head and 58ppk ahead of the same week last year. King of the ring was a wonderful 54kg Charollais lamb from Double O Commercials, Bridge House at an exemplary £241 (446ppk). Beltex lambs led the prices per kilo at 458 pence as a trio of 46kg (£211) from F Brown & Son, North Hart Farm joined three more at 48kg (£220) from Double O Commercials. Other vendors reaping the rewards were W Hanson, Highcliffe at £229 plus T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm at £228 and the regular selling J C Simpson, Hill Top East who topped this week at 456ppk. Creep fed sheep are certainly the buyers want at the moment, typified by the Lawson’s of Sands Farm and also an excellent run from Wytherstone Farm, Skiplam who both sold well fleshed March born Suffolks out of Mule ewes in the £190’s which is frankly remarkable for mid-July. It’s not all about the feed though as lambs from a grass only system were more plentiful in number and also sharper on the week with £145 to £165 readily available for the 40-44kg R3L sorts, the Darlington live ring is out in front once again this trading week.
Some outstanding pen averages are listed below.
Double O Commercials sold 5 average 47.8kg £216.20 (452ppk)
M & A Gaskin sold 10 average 50kg £199.40 (398ppk)
T Lawson & Son sold 15 average 51.87kg £198.93 (383ppk)
J R Knox & Son sold 21 average 48.33kg £195.86 (405ppk)
I & A Holmes sold 50 average 49.76kg £193.42 (388ppk)
W Hanson sold 15 average 46.4kg £191.47 (412ppk)
Wytherstone Farm sold 101 average 47.91kg £190.34 (397ppk)
G Thompson & Son sold 3 average 50kg £190.00 (380ppk)
D & P H Brown sold 18 average 46.94kg £188.00 (400ppk)
J C Simpson sold 29 average 43.24kg £187.10 (432ppk)
Lambs – Top prices ppk 458 F Brown & Son. 458 446 439 Double O Commercials. 456 434×2 411 JC Simpson. 443 JR&J Crowe. 434 404 J&RA Speed. 427 M Pickering. 422 413 C Binks & Son. 421 413 A&R Breeze. 419 414 412 D&PH Brown. 419 416 JR Knox & Son. 416×2 411 408 W Hanson. 411 402 W.K M.M Lamb. 409 404 W Simpson. 408 GF Whitfield. 406 JJ Horn. 406 403 402 398×3 397 Wytherstone Farm. 405 HT Davies & Partners. 404 JW Richardson. 401 400 J&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Lambs £241 £220 Double O Commercials. £229 £204 W Hanson. £228 £197×2 £196T Lawson & Son. £214 £206 £198 £195 D&PH Brown. £213 JR&J Crowe. £211 F Brown & Son. £210 JC Simpson & Son. £207×3 £199 £197.50 £191.50 £190 £189.50 £189 Wytherstone Farm. £205 £189 M Pickering. £204×2 £197×2 £195 £191 I&A Holmes. £200 JR Knox & Son. £200 £198 M&A Gaskin. £198 £188 A&R Breeze. £198 JW Richardson. £198 Thornbrough Farm.
Prime Hoggs (114) – The hoggs don’t stop, pick of today’s offering were four 74kg Beltex from P Dawson, Park Head when they sold for £229 and 309ppk. Following at £200 was a handy little Charollais tup hogg from R H Thompson & Son, Whins Farm, he only weighed 100kg!
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 309 242 205 197 P Dawson. 297 289 194 JR Mann. 269 267×2 252 246 200 191 RH Thompson & Son. 250 242 E Sims. 250 227 Swalebank Farms. 224 223 RB Farming Ltd. 215 202 J Murray. 208 EA Hinton.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £229 £170×2 £152 P Dawson. £200 £189 £184 £170×2 £150 RH Thompson & Son. £150 EA Hinton. £148 £140 E Sims. £142 £110 J Murray. £140 £100 Swalebank Farms. £110 RB Farming Ltd. £110×2 JR Mann.
Cast Ewes/Rams (322) – Wet bagged weaned ewes are now beginning to materialise; today’s offering averaged £124.85. The fleshy types are very easy to sell but vendors should be aware that the feeding ewes start up again this Monday and lean healthy sorts will certainly look better sold through that channel. Plenty of the heavy ewes remain above £200, at the very top was a smart Texel from F Ward, Rogerley Hall at £250. Fit Mule ewes are a pleasure to place with prices consistently £140 to £190 whereas the horned ewes are £50 to £95 with meat about them but as mentioned the leaner sorts will likely benefit from a trip through the store ring.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £250 £170 F Ward. £232 R Tookey. £228 £162 Double O Commercials. £220 T Lawson & Son. £216 S Richardson. £212 £202 JW Richardson. £199 £160 G Thompson & Sons. £192 £180 £165×2 JR&J Crowe. £190 CK&D Muir Ltd. £190 J Thompson. £190 £184 £180 £174 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £188×2 EA Hinton. £186 £168 JW&B Firby. £180×3 JS Brougham. £178 J Pallister & Sons. £176 A&R Breeze.
