Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 7th August 2025. Forward were 181 cattle and 1342 sheep.
82 Prime Bulls sold to 419ppk or £3663
31 Prime Steers sold to 460ppk or £3244
68 Prime Heifers sold to 480ppk or £2978
1193 Prime Lambs sold to 431ppk or £225
149 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £241
Prime Bulls (82) – The bull trade didn’t quite emulate last week’s supersonic levels however does remain very healthy and certainly looks stronger than most other marketing options available to see a sale average of 374 pence per kilo and £2708 per head. No less than nineteen bulls sold for at least 400ppk, top of them all at 419ppk was a cracking 772kg Limousin from A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange. Messrs Luck, Layfield, Welsh and Simpson all chased the leader over the line with the next seven bulls all selling between 413ppk and 418ppk. A super seventeen bulls sold over £3000, top spot belonged to a thumping 887kg Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm at £3663 whilst the other vendor selling over £3500 was J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm. Top of the native breeds this week per kilo was a thick fleshed dairy bred Aberdeen Angus from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall at 362 pence whereas the top native in the lump proved to be an excellent Beef Shorthorn from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm at an impressive £2717. Friesian feeders produced some super sorts this week to see a stunning breed average of 323ppk and £2065 with top honours going to Messrs Williamson, Southview at 339ppk and P D Foster, Smithy House Farm at £2214. The top few consignment averages are listed below.
J B Luck & Son sold 2 average 413ppk and £3191
A C Simpson & Son sold 3 average 412ppk and £3430
J Layfield sold 4 average 402ppk and £3280
L R Welsh & Co sold 3 average 397ppk and £2961
Continental bulls – Top prices ppk 419 409 402 400 383 382 AG Watson & Sons. 418 409 JB Luck & Son. 417 416 407 389 J Layfield. 417 415 LR Welsh & Co. 414 413 411 AC Simpson & Son. 411 N Whiote. 410 LW Martin. 401 WA Wardman Ltd. 401 JJ Horn. 400 CH&SE Armstrong. 398 MJ Marley. 396 391 BA&C Pearson Ltd. 396 S&J Dent & Son. 395 JK&CE Farming. 395 392 C Binks & Son. 392 JC Thwaite & Son. 392 CN Whitaker.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3663 £3374 £3255 AC Simpson & Son. £3540 £3536 £3402 £2968 £2956 J Layfield. £3234 £3216 £3152 £2991 £2951 AG Watson & Sons. £3231 £3151 JB Luck & Son. £3203 £3035 LR Welsh & Co. £3198 LW Martin. £3190 £3095 LS Staley. £3065 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2989 £2975 BA&C Pearson Ltd. £2970 S&J Dent & Son. £2963 JJ Horn. £2955 WA Wardman Ltd. £2946 N White. £2905 MJ Marley. £2893 £2809 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2798 CN Whitaker.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 339 Williamson. 338 R Hall & Son. 318 315 309 PD Foster.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2214 £2107 £2067 PD Foster. £2071 R Hall & Son. £1867 Williamson.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 362 360 R Hall & Son. 360 Williamson. 358 341 336 328 CH&SE Armstrong. 347 AG Watson & Sons. 343 LW Martin. 340 JA&A Herbert. 320 Harriet.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2717 £2643 £2503 £2424 CH&SE Armstrong. £2630 AG Watson & Sons. £2497 £2217 R Hall & Son. £2492 Harriet. £2404 LW Martin. £2311 Williamson. £2135 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (99) – The clean cattle continue in cruise control as the butchers spec sorts remain in very high demand to see this week’s heifers average 424ppk and £2491 with the steers 398ppk and £2657. Bidding twice reached 480 pence per kilo as hot heifers across from W Miller, High Aketon took the bragging rights back across to Wigton. A gaggle gathered in the Cumbrian’s slipstream with five further heifers from four vendors making it in to the 470’s and a further seven selling in the 460’s. Some majestic steers from Five Houses took the steer spoils when they claimed the top four spots per kilo, pick of them all was a beautiful 639kg Limousin at 460 pence. The greatest gross values this week went to a well finished top end of steers, nothing bettered a wonderful Limousin from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows at £3244 however five other steers broke the £3000 barrier. Top gross valued heifer brings about another mention for the fabulous Five Houses feeding as they led the female pack with a 656kg Limousin at £2978.
A few of today’s top averages ppk:
W Miller sold 14 (553kg) average 453ppk & £2521
Five Houses sold 14 (618kg) average 449ppk & £2777
R Hirst sold 10 (551kg) average 438ppk & £2416
Lawson & Son sold 8 (593kg) average 430ppk & £2556
Top grossing averages:
JB Harrison sold 2 (858kg) average 355ppk & £3049
AG Watson & Sons sold 3 (737kg) average 402ppk & £2972
JA&M Boyes Ltd sold 2 (759kg) average 391ppk & £2968
Askwiths sold 4 (699kg) average 419ppk & £2934
Steers – Top prices ppk 460 458 454 450 447 425 Five Houses. 448 W Miller. 427 388 380 WO Grix & Partners. 420 MJ Marley. 419 409 407 400 Taylor Bros. 418 408 383 AG Watson & Sons. 415 A Swinbank & Son. 396 379 Askwiths. 392 390 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 384 A&CA Stanwix. 368 JV&JA Hodgson. 361 350 JB&N Harrison & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £3244 £3069 Askwiths. £3164 £2934 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £3160 £2896 £2861 AG Watson & Sons. £3136 £2800 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £3097 £2939 £2793 £2746 £2609 £2578 Five Houses. £2899 £2880 £2696 WO Grix & Partners. £2705 W Miller. £2409 £2375 £2352 £2339 Taylor Bros. £2398 A Swinbank & Son. £2380 JV&JA Hodgson. £2356 MJ Marley.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 480×2 470 469×2 462 460 458 447 440 431 W Miller. 477 475 460 454 452 450 Five Houses. 475 459 448 441 440 438 436 420 R Hirst. 472 458 438 JV&JA Hodgson. 466 465 Askwiths. 450 444 439 430 425 420×2 Lawson & Son. 449 429 428 424 WO Grix & Partners. 449 424 421 416 W Swinbank & Sons. 425 A Swinbank & Son. 420 413 GH Farms. 412 WE&CA Anderson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2978 £2919 £2840 £2817 £2763 £2757 £2652 Five Houses. £2841 £2667 £2656 JV&JA Hodgson. £2764 £2640 £2579 £2575 £2574 £2565 £2560 W Miller. £2753 £2644 £2595 £2577 W Swinbank & Sons. £2749 £2732 £2726 £2666 Lawson & Son. £2729 £2726 £2722 £2702 £2622 WO Grix & Partners. £2726 £2697 Askwiths. £2702 £2643 R Hirst. £2616 WE&CA Anderson.
Prime Lambs (1193) – The big lambs blaze their way in to August in terrific form, the creep fed sheep are in short supply and serious demand. This week’s weighed straight sale averaged very similar on the week to level all in at 361ppk and £162.04 per head. Thick loins are absolutely paramount and a touch of weight is noticeably helpful, of the one hundred lambs which sold over 400 pence per kilo, none weighed under 40kg, eleven weighed 41-43kg, thirteen weighed 44kg and the remainder 45-48kg. Top per kilo at 431 pence were a quality quartet of Beltex from A C Kemp, Whitwell Farm; following at 425ppk was a smart 47kg Texel from M Pickering, Linden Cottage just ahead of a blissfully happy Alan Binks, Walworth with a trio of 45kg continental lambs at 417ppk. The gates to the £200 plus club remain well and truly open, those finding their way in are more than aware that big is beautiful. Top today at £225 was a thumping 64kg Texel from F Watson, Beacon Hill, the same good home followed with four 57kg at £221 and were duly chased by Nottinghamshire’s Ian Kirk (60kg) £211 and regular consignors D & P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm (57kg) £210. Grass finished and lighter lambs continue to get a good kick of the ball achieving £145 to £165 dependent on weight and finish, lean lambs off any system are slightly harder to place but with trade sitting proudly £30 up on the same week last year they will perhaps all look well sold when we speak with hindsight later in the season? Final mention must credit two vendors with first draws of the season, both averaging £186 and both lambing predominantly Mule ewes in late March, it was certainly a solid start for both K Hall, Butsfield and I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham.
Leading Averages-
F Watson sold 26 (50kg) Average £195
M & A Gaskin sold 20 (47kg) Average £192
F Shield sold 20 (49kg) Average £191
JC Simpson sold 26 (45kg) Average £187
K Hall sold 44 (49kg) Average £186
I Marshall & Sons sold 51 (50kg) Average £186
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 431 415 414 392 x2 381 AC Kemp. 425 M Pickering. 417 391 385 C Binks & Son. 415 C&V Harrison. 415 413 412 389 JC Simpson. 412 406 M&A Gaskin. 409 HT Davies & Partners. 404 GF Whitfield. 402 390 381 380 PR&V Barlow & Son. 402 395 387 384 F Watson. 402 382 381 K Hall. 400 FP&IM Jefferson. 398 397 395 388 F Shield. 397 393 T Lawson & Son. 395 J Pallister & Sons. 395 BR&RI Routledge. 395 IR Appleton. 394 381 Double O Livestock. 392 DG&PD Ayre. 392 HT Davies & Partners. 391 391 389 386 378 RO Gilson. 391 Ian Kirk. 390 SE Whiteford. 390 I Marshall & Sons. 388 384 378 J Milbank & Sons. 382 RA Patterson & Son. 381 379 JA&A Herbert. 380 J Curry.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £225 £221 £196 £194 £188 £181 F Watson. £211 Ian Kirk. £210 £185 £182 D&PH Brown. £207 £195 £188 £184 I Marshall & Sons. £204 £180 JA&A Herbert. £202 £200 x3 £191 £190 £183 AC Kemp. £200 x2 £182 M Pickering. £200 £195 £194 £191 £190 £185 F Shield. £199 £193 £187 K Hall. £197 Double O Livestock. £197 £193 £180 RO Gilson. £194 £187 £186 JC Simpson. £194 £191 M&A Gaskin. £193 £185 T Lawson & Son. £192 J Milbank & Sons. £190 IR Appleton. £190 GF Whitfield. £189 £183 C&V Harrison. £188 x2 £181 C Binks & Son. £188 x2 WA Wardman LTD. £184 W Kirk & Sons. £182 £180 JE Suddes & Son. £180 JK Gill & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (149) – A very similar tale to the lambs as the fleshy sheep are in great form, leaner sorts remain respectable but the money remains firmly in the flesh. This week the offering averaged £141.46. A smashing pair of Suffolk’s out of Mules from I R Appleton, Pudding Poke Farm led the way at £241, following at £228 were a trio of Suffolk X Texel from the same good home and then five Texel’s from W Denham, Dent Gate at £226. Plenty more of the smart lowland ewes followed £180 to £220. Top of the Mule ewes at an extraordinary £197 was a big girl from J G M Brown, Brierton Farm with G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm next at £186 and the in-form W Denham at £185. Top of the tups at £210 was a smart trio of Texel shearlings from F Ward, Rogerley Hall, Frosterley.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £241 £228 £153 IR Appleton. £226 £212 £185 W Denham. £217×2 £140 C Wise. £216 £190 F Watson. £210 £182 £160 £140 £124 F Ward. £204 £189 £175 £150 £140 TN Callender. £200 £140 B Needham. £197 JGM Brown & Co. £195 £186 G Thompson & Sons. £190 FP&IM Jefferson. £180 JK&CE Farming. £178 I Marshall & Sons. £178 £175 £152 J Milbank & Sons. £172 £122 T Lawson & Son. £170 WM Bainbridge. £170 AC Kemp. £160 KA Luke.
