Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 28th September 2023. Forward were 190 cattle, 2835 sheep and 10 pigs.
65 Prime Bulls sold to 317ppk or £2529
19 Prime Steers sold to 331ppk or £2176
106 Prime Heifers sold to 350ppk or £2060
2283 Prime Lambs sold to 346ppk or £170
552 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £200
10 Prime Pigs sold to 200ppk or £170
Prime Bulls (65) – Storm Agnus did little to disrupt the good trade of late as once again the buyers dug deep to source their bull beef, this week’s sale averaged 263ppk and £1896 per head. The top six all sold in the 300’s as a fine pair from J A Matten & Sons joined the 300 club with one apiece from four regular sellers A G Watson & Sons, Renton Highlaws Ltd, W I Suddes & Son and top of the lot at 317 pence per kilo was A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with an excellent home bred Limousin. An incredible thirty-one bulls sold over £2000, the top dozen of these surpassed £2200. After a three year break it was a remarkable return to selling in the DfAM bull ring for the Matten’s of Avenue Grange, Thirsk as they produced an excellent trio of bulls, the pick of the pen an 843kg Limousin sold for £2529 and had it not been for the excellent feeding of J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm, Willington the Thirsk based firm would have claimed all three of the top gross value spots. Not so many Friesian bulls this week with G W Dobson & Son, Wood Close Farm in the driving seat topping at 230ppk and £1509; pure Ayrshire bulls sold to £1285 and 209ppk whilst first crossed dairy bulls sold typically in the 230’s, 240’s and 250’s. Below are some of the top pen averages.
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 296ppk and £2440
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 3 to average 296ppk and £2227
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 6 to average 293ppk and £2187
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 3 to average 278ppk and £2105
J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge sold 2 to average 278ppk and £2075
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 317 AC Simpson & Son. 311 290 289 WI Suddes & Son. 309 295×2 291 290 282 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 308 285 284 272 264 AG Watson & Sons. 300×2 290 JA Matten & Sons. 290 278 270 264 260 J Layfield. 285 SH Watson & Sons. 284 277 273 TW Clark & Son. 280 278 JK&CE Farming. 270 RW&R Henry. 268 265×2 264 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 268 254 TF Bothroyd. 256 J&K Woodward.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2529 £2415 £2378 JA Matten & Sons. £2438 £2185 £2054 J Layfield. £2355 £2320 £2006 WI Suddes & Son. £2315 £2216 £2215 £2194 £2134 £2048 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2288 AC Simpson & Son. £2273 £2151 £2108 £2090 £2006 AG Watson & Sons. £2187 RW&R Henry. £2229 £2169 TW Clark & Son. £2173 JK&CE Farming. £2123 SH Watson & Son. £2111 £2055 D Richardson & Co Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 230 220 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1509 £1495 GW Dobson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 279 J Layfield. 275 AG Watson & Sons. 248 247 R Hall & Son. 233 225 221 214 JK Gregory.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2087 AG Watson & Sons. £2064 J Layfield. £1773 £1578 R Hall & Son. £1335 £1242 £1226 £1209 JK Gregory.
Clean Cattle (125) – A good quality show this week, trade flying high as the nice quality and a touch less weight were in high demand as we saw heifer’s average a magnificent 303 pence per kilo and the steers 286ppk. Returning to the top spot this week was Coxhoe’s Wayne Armstrong with a sweet handy weighted Limousin heifer selling for 350ppk, excellent runs in the 340’s from the Hirst’s of Neasham Grange and M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm, Leicestershire chased the leader over the line. A marvellous forty-three cattle surpassed 320 pence this week, only one of these was a steer which proved to be an excellent Limousin from W J Smith & Partners, Belle Isle Farm weighing 606kg he sold for 331 pence. Plenty of the best end again passed £2000, top of the gross value heifer list was another from Wayne Armstrong, a British Blue this time at £2060 but it was an excellent 723kg Limousin steer from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton which ruled the roost when he added up to £2176. Some eye-catching averages are on this week’s list below.
Steers
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 320ppk and £1844
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 2 to average 314ppk and £1620
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 4 to average 308ppk and £1947
R O Gilson, Spennymoor sold 3 to average 304ppk and £1905
Heifers
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 20 to average 326ppk and £1738
R Hirst, Neasham sold 11 to average 325ppk and £1869
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 324ppk and £1752
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 to average 320ppk and £1888
K & A Harker, Worsall sold 3 to average 319ppk and £1758
Steers- Top prices ppk 331 309 WJ Smith & Partners. 319 309 M&G Chantrell LTD. 318 312 305 301 Barker Farming Partnership. 315 300 300 RO Gilson. 298 295 A Crowder. 293 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 278 PM&FM Hill. 234 A&MJ Henshaw. 225 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2176 £1987 £1851 £1775 Barker Farming Partnership. £2005 £1684 WJ Smith & Partners. £1935 £1914 £1867 RO Gilson. £1905 £1826 A Crowder. £1863 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1767 £1473 M&G Chantrell LTD. £1581 £1373 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £1473 PM&FM Hill. £1464 A&MJ Henshaw.
Heifers- Top prices ppk 350 340 339 334 328 322 320 316 WA Armstrong. 346 344 339 336 329 x2 325 321 310 307 R Hirst. 344 x2 339 x2 335 334 333 332 x2 330 327 323 322 321 320 319 x2 317 313 M&G Chantrell LTD. 339 330 308 306 Barker Farming Partnership. 339 336 335 x2 329 318 312 310 JV&JA Hodgson. 337 310 WI Suddes & Son. 330 315 314 K&A Harker. 329 320 WJ Smith & Partners. 321 WF Hustwit. 319 316 313 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 319 311 A Crowder.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2060 £1898 £1876 £1872 £1833 £1817 £1779 £1764 £1740 WA Armstrong. £2044 £2010 £1930 £1919 £1891 £1888 £1884 £1789 £1768 £1743 R Hirst. £2034 RO Gilson. £1990 £1934 £1925 £1917 £1914 £1886 £1857 £1845 £1812 £1799 JV&JA Hodgson. £1954 £1878 £1841 £1814 £1796 WI Suddes & Son. £1944 £1919 £1907 £1874 £1861 £1845 £1831 £1760 £1757 M&G Chantrell LTD. £1943 £1940 £1904 £1829 £1776 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1901 £1845 £1832 £1805 Barker Farming Partnership. £1852 £1765 K&A Harker. £1848 SH Watson & Son. £1781 £1742 WF Hustwit. £1770 WJ Smith & Partners. £1751 A Crowder.
Prime Lambs (2283) – This week last year the lamb trade stuttered badly as prices slid nationally, things today were perhaps a shade easier but the weighed straight sale average of 251ppk is some 34 pence per kilo better than the end of September 2022. Once again, the best bred and best fed found new homes with consummate ease, lean lambs keep appearing despite the monumental store trade which would certainly see some vendors better off. There is no stopping the brilliant Beltex lambs of W Ramsay & Sons, Station Town at the moment and for the second week running they topped the prices per kilo with a perfect pair of 45kg lambs selling for 346 pence (£156). A superb run down from Dicky and Hayley Mitchell of Howlett Hall Farm, Morpeth led the gross values when they peaked at £170 with a brilliant 52kg Beltex lamb; the aforementioned Ramsay’s and also M & A Gaskin and A S Whitfield were the other vendors to sell over £150.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 346 335 318 283 W Ramsay & Sons. 326 321 288 287 285 279×2 273×2 271 266 WB Mitchell & Sons. 325 296 282 272 267 F&JS Gargett. 316 288 283 267 AS Whitfield. 292 280 JE Stobbs. 289 282 PJ Tindale. 286 278 GW Dent. 285 F Hare & Sons. 280 271 M&A Gaskin. 280 J Hird. 279 273 271 270 J&A Layfield. 279 269 Redgate Grange. 279 RO Gilson. 275 C Wise. 274 IM Maughan. 269 D Barron. 268 M Smith. 268 D&G Spry. 267 R Errington & Son.
Lead Grossing Lambs £170 £145 £143 £141 £135 £134 £130 WB Mitchell & Sons. £156 £150£141 £137 W Ramsay & Sons. £150 £133 AS Whitfield. £150 £145 £144 £143 £140 M&A Gaskin. £148 £139 C Moralee & Sons. £146 £128 GW Dent. £142 £140 £137 £135.50 £134 £132 J&A Layfield. £140 £136.50 £131 £130 F&JS Gargett. £140 J Hird. £139 J Milbank & Sons. £132 W Wearmouth & Son. £131 JC Thwaite & Son. £131×3 £130 JR&M Richardson. £129 K Hall. £128 £126.50×2 G&EA Herdman. £126 S Thompson & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (552) – Dearer on the week, the fit ewes continue to sell well, still the leaner end currently look to be worth more in the Monday feeding ring but many less horned ewes today lifted the whole show to a credible £85 average. The loudest voice in the ewes today achieving £200 belonged to Claire Wise, Manor Farm with her excellent Texel; several other shapely Texel and Beltex ewes from various vendors followed between £160 and £190. Mule ewes reached a top of £100 with the stronger end in general £85 to £95 whilst horned ewes sold to a top of £57. Final mention must go to Chop Gate based Stuart Beeforth’s ruptured testicles on his Charollais crossed Beltex tup which mattered little as he led the ram trade reaching £165.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200 £185 £150 £120×3 C Wise. £190 £180 £150 £125 W Tindale. £170 W Ramsay & Sons. £165 S Beeforth. £165 £130 I Walker. £162 3135 JC Thwaite & Son. £158 M Smith. £150 TH Richardson & Son. £146 £134 £124 JC&A Hutchinson. £145 £116 JJ Horn. £135 Redgate Grange. £132 M Dawson. £132 £114 £112 WB Mitchell & Sons. £130 D Barron. £124 TW Clark & Son. £124 H Emerson. £122 £114 £112 IM Maughan. £120 D&G Spry. £115 A&PA Jopling.
Prime Pigs (10) – Some fat bacon your grandad would be proud of amongst today’s pigs, next week………… bread and dripping plus sad cake and treacle!
Pigs – Top prices ppk 200 165 C Weightman. 85 J McLaughlin.
Lead Grossing Pigs £170 £165 C Weightman. £137 J McLaughlin.
