Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock including a herd dispersal of in calf Sim-Luing cows and heifers plus their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 9th February 2026. Forward were 326 cattle, 561 sheep and 103 calves.
45 In Calf Cows & Heifers sold to £3000
61 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 422ppk or £3370
3 Stock Bulls sold to 388ppk or £4380
2 Cows & Calves sold to £3300
48 Young Bulls sold to £2300
74 Store Steers sold to £2420
91 Store Heifers sold to £2150
409 Store Hoggs sold to £168
152 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £280
103 Rearing Calves sold to £800
Rudland Farm Herd Dispersal
A marvellous crowd of folk from far and wide gathered to bid for the genuine herd dispersal of in calf, spring calving, Sim-Luing hill cows from Rudland Farm, Bransdale. Primarily, all credit must go to the Myers family and their terrific stockmanship, great thanks must also go to the buyers and bidders who ensured a super trade as the hardy hill cows dispersed themselves with ease all across the North of the country. Of the forty-five head forward, eleven were in calf heifers with the remainder in calf cows, the sale averaged a very pleasing £2381 per head. The top call of £3000 was paid for a stretchy heifer which was five and a half months in calf, she was knocked down to D Harvey & Son, Mindrum. Following at £2900 was a super sort carrying her second calf which headed back towards home in North Yorkshire with R & R Garbutt, Chop Gate. Three more followed at £2850 plus thirteen others between £2500 and £2800 as the fast trade continued from start to finish.
Leading Prices
In Calf Cows – £2900 £2850(x2) £2750 £2650 £2600(x2) 2500(x2) 2450(x3) £2400 £2300(x2) £2250(x3) £2200(x2)
In Calf Heifers – £3000 £2850 £2800(x3) £2750(x2) £2700 £2600 £2450
Cast Cattle – The geld ring trade looks absolutely excellent for both the feeders and the finished, something for everyone this week returned an incredible average of 294ppk and £1982 per head. We had better begin with a bull or two as some staggering results unfolded for a couple of quality Limousin’s; a sensational 7-year-old from GK, KN & GJ Hird, Meadow View sold for a mouth-watering 388ppk and £4380 whilst a fabulous 5-year-old from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm was also well worthy of mention at 350ppk and £3895. The Hird pen was hot and their excellent British Blue OTM heifer led the prices per kilo at 422 pence (£2717), she was followed just tuppence behind by a brilliant British Blonde OTM from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm (420ppk & £3007). Top of the older cows per kilo was a fleshy Limousin from A Crowder, Butsfield Burn at 374ppk (£3029), in her slipstream was arguably the star of the show, an absolutely magnificent 12-year-old British Blonde cow from the aforementioned Hallfield Farm sold for 372ppk and having tipped the scales to 906kg she returned an incredible gross value of £3370. An impressive Beef Shorthorn showed that the Native breeds can more than hold their own, an impressive 900kg 12-year-old cow from GH Farms Ltd, Grange Hill sold for a superb 338ppk and £3042. Finally, to the Friesian’s, the top of the day was a tidy 37-month-old from WE & CA Anderson, Layton Fields when she sold for 310ppk and £2244.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 422 316 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 420 372 P Weightman & Sons. 374 A Crowder. 357 B Cowton. 352 334 324 WA Richardson Ltd. 350 312(x2) S & J Dent & Son. 342 T Coulthard & Son. 338 GH Farms Ltd. 332 324 DW Humphrey. 328 Angram Livestock Ltd. 324 Taylor Bros. 322 F Hickson & Sons. 318 TN Callender. 316 MW Cook & Son. 314 Upsall Castle Farms. 310 300 WE & CA Anderson. 302 Forster Hall & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 388 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 350 TN Callender. 344 JH & M & NW Brown.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £3370 £3007 P Weightman & Sons. £3118 £2698 £2277 WA Richardson Ltd. £3042 GH Farms Ltd. £3029 A Crowder. £2855 T Coulthard & Son. £2717 £2327 GK, KN & GJ Hird. £2584 B Cowton. £2443 £2343 £2233 S & J Dent & Son. £2336 £2267 DW Humphrey. £2329 Upsall Castle Farms. £2245 TN Callender. £2244 WE & CA Anderson. £2119 LW Martin. £2086 Taylor Bros. £2086 F Hickson & Sons.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A slightly delayed start due to the dispersal mattered not a bit as buyers came out in numbers and all classes remained wonderful to place. Beginning with a 5-year-old British Blue cow with bull calf at foot from I & RA Watson, West Hinedon selling for £3300 before moving on to what would prove to be a great day in the feeding bulls and stores. An excellent offering of young bulls followed and the trade reflected the quality on offer as ten of the twelve over £2000 were under 12-months-old. Topping at £2300 was a smart Limousin from CG Robinson, South View, he was chased by a host of quality continentals and an excellent run of 9-month-old Aberdeen Angus bulls from C Dawson, Nunstainton. Not the greatest offering of clean stores ever witnessed but trade continued its recent high levels for all shapes and sizes. Top of the day at £2420 was a smart Limousin cross from KM & S Sayer, Street Gate Farm. Top of the native breeds was an excellent pair of Aberdeen Angus steers from IW Cains, Pesspool Hall at £2180 and a fabulous Friesian from WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead Farm led the dairy breeds at £2100. The hot Hillhead Farm also topped the heifers with a good pair of dairy crossed British Blue’s which sold for £2150 apiece.
Cow & Calf – £3300 I & RA Watson. £1800 C Harle & Sons.
Young bulls – £2300 £2260 £2100(x2) CG Robinson. £2200 K M Sayer. £2200(x2) £2050(x3) £2000(x2) W & M Knaggs & Son. £2000 £1960 £1900(x2) £1770(x2) £1640 C Dawson. £1920 GP Dobinson. £1900(x2) £1830(x2) £1680 T Common & Son. £1900 M & O Trewhitt & Son. £1730 £1680 C Moffett. £1690 DG & PD Ayre.
Store Steers – £2420 KM & S Sayer. £2300 £2100 WO Grix & Partners. £2260 GL & M Steel. £2180(x2) IW Cairns. £2070 £1960(x2) F Hare & Sons. £2000 £1760 RN Foord & Son. £1990(x3) £1880(x3) RW Todd. £1950 GP Dobinson. £1800 D Alderson. £1790 Beckwith. £1630(x3) G Beadle. £1630 Raby Home Farm. £1600(x2) J & JW Kenney.
Store Heifers – £2150(x2) £2060 £1990(x2) £1960 WO Grix & Partners. £2000 £1970(x4) E Parsons. £1990(x3) £1880 RN Foord & Son. £1980 £1900 IW Cairns. £1960(x2) N Wilson. £1960(x2) DM McClurg. £1960 £1880 DG & PD Ayre. £1960 GL & M Steel. £1940(x3) R Errington & Son. £1880 £1850(x5) High Mains Partnership. £1820 S Beeforth.
Store Sheep – The store hoggs continued in great form, a strong hill contingency amongst them brought the average down to £109.84 but in real terms trade was every bit as sharp for all classes, arguably even dearer. Leading the way was a strong Bluefaced Leicester from S Straughan, High Wales Field at £168. Next in line at £165 were a great pair of Texel’s from DM & PM Nelson & Sons, Skelding Grange as the strongest end all remained £130 plus throughout. Feeding ewes are an absolutely ferocious trade, warts and all they averaged £132.19 with the healthiest reaching heights seldom seen. Top at £280 was a strong Texel tup from the Nelson’s of Skelding Grange; following at £250 was our top ewe, a Beltex from B Cowton, Low West House. Mule ewes made it to a marvellous £176 for a pen of five from AP Martin, Manor Farm Bungalow whilst a flying trade for horned ewes saw Swaledale’s top at £110 and Blackface at £108.
Store Hoggs – £168 S Straughan. £165 £147 £129 D & PM Nelson & Sons. £149 £128 CA & J Kipling. £148 £139 AP Martin. £146 NG Beveridge. £143 £128 J McLaughlin & E Colling. £137 D & HM Hodgson. £136 £134 £123 A Tunstall. £134 £122 High Mains Partnership. £134 £124 JG & EM Welford. £129 £125 G & JH Tomlinson & Son. £123 TA & J Swinbank. £122 D & G Spry.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £280 DM & PM Nelson & Sons. £250 £218 £182 £172 £164 B Cowton. £210 £208 NG Beveridge. £192 £160 CJM Hedley. £188 K Sayer. £180 TA & J Swinbank. £178 DW Robinson. £176 AP Martin. £175 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £172 J McLaughlin & E Colling. £164 JR Dowd. £160 A Tunstall.
Calves- A wider variety of ages in today’s rearing calf sale, yet a cracking show of quality forward made trade remain buoyant with a sale average of £511. Top Price of the day goes to Deerness Valley Dairy with a terrific British Blue bull reaching £800 whilst a British Blue heifer from the same home reached £640. G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm, had an Aberdeen Angus bull which made £680, whilst the same home topped at £680 with their Aberdeen Angus heifer. Limousin bull calves from JR&JA Wharton of Segbushwell reached £530 and Limousin heifer calves from RG Johnson & Sons, Summerfield Farm, topped at £450. Baysleap Dairy Farm saw Inra95 bulls to £625, whilst their Herefords reached £485 for bulls and £460 for heifers. JL Miles & Sons, Little Bridge Farm, saw Simmental heifers to £510 and Dairy bulls from J&A Stevenson & Sons, Blue House Farm, topped at £450, with a Friesian.
Bulls-
British Blue- £800 £680 £670 £590 Deerness Valley Dairy. £700 £600 £590 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £700 £690 x2 £675 £655 £640 £590 H Gibb & Son. £565 £555 JL Miles & Sons.
Aberdeen Angus- £680 £650 x2 £620 G Thompson & Sons. £620 £590 £550 Deerness Valley Dairy. £600 £580 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Inra95- £625 £610 £535 £530 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Limousin- £530 JR&JA Wharton.
Hereford- £485 £460 £430 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £445 RG Johnson & Son.
Dairy- £450 £315 £250 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Heifers-
British Blue- £640 £540 £530 £500 Deerness Valley Dairy. £630 G Thompson & Sons. £590 £560 £530 £510 x2 H Gibb & Son. £560 £510 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £560 £550 £540 £500 JL Miles & Sons.
Aberdeen Angus- £680 G Thompson & Sons. £500 £480 £470 x4 £440 £420 BAysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Simmental- £510 £500 JL Miles & Sons.
Inra95- £475 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Limousin- £450 RG Johnson & Son. £435 x2 JR&JA Wharton.
Hereford- £460 £440 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £445 £425 £415 RG Johnson & Son.
1 Belgian Blue Bull averaged £700
23 British Blue Bulls averaged £581
4 Inra Bulls averaged £575
12 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £564
1 Dairy Shorthorn Bull averaged £480
4 Hereford Bulls averaged £455
1 Friesian Bull averaged £450
2 Limousin Bulls averaged £430
1 Ayrshire Bull averaged £315
23 British Blue Heifers averaged £514
1 Friesian Heifer averaged £510
2 Simmental Heifers averaged £505
2 Inra Heifers averaged £455
15 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £446
3 Limousin Heifers averaged £440
6 Hereford Heifers averaged £432
