Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their monthly sale of rearing calves alongside their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 29th April 2024. Forward were 389 cattle and 652 sheep.
44 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 306ppk or £1900
4 Stock Bulls sold to 220ppk or £1770
46 Rearing Calves sold to £670
29 Breeding Cattle sold to £2050
36 Young Bulls sold to £1450
81 Store Steers sold to £1540
149 Store Heifers sold to £1560
174 Ewes & Lambs sold to £320
75 Store Hoggs sold to £205
123 Feeding Ewes sold to £168
Cast Cattle – A relatively light show of numbers met a trade perhaps slightly easier than witnessed recently, the healthy feeding types remain the easiest to sell as the green market status proves itself invaluable week after week. Today’s sale average of 185ppk and £1112 per head had some smart sorts at the top end to thank as the bottom contained some obvious victims of this never-ending winter. Top per kilo at 306 pence was a smart 30-month-old British Blonde heifer from J E & S Ward, Cragg Farm, Whitby, behind her at 288ppk came an excellent 39-month-old British Blue from K O Stones, Nun Cote Nook, Marrick which also proved to be the day’s top grossing animal at £1900. Top of the older cows was another from the familiar Marrick firm, this one a Limousin which sold for 238ppk and £1737. Herefords led the native breed charge today selling to tops of 230ppk from O A M Richardson, Hutton Magna and £1520 from F J Forrest, Winston whereas the finest Friesian was a 6-year-old from W E & C A Anderson, Caldwell at 176ppk and £1249. The pick of the stock bulls was an excellent 10-year-old Limousin from another of our regular suckled calf consignors J N Swinbank of Cold Comfort Farm, Neasham when he sold for 208ppk and £1770.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 306 J E & S Ward. 288 238 230 K O Stones. 258 C M Smith. 236 214 A & M J Henshaw. 230 R L Walker. 230 O A M Richardson. 226 218 J N Swinbank. 220 I R Appleton. 216 F J Forrest. 214 Tarn Bros. 214 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 206 204 198 192 M Shepherd. 200 198 C M Smith. 192 G Anderson. 180 T W & C Emerson. 178 K & A Harker. 176 W E & C A Anderson.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 220 F J Forrest. 208 J N Swinbank. 188 L H Ford & Co. 186 R L Walker.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1900 £1737 £1706 K O Stones. £1715 £1419 J N Swinbank. £1579 Tarn Bros. £1536 £1473 £1468 £1269 M Shepherd. £1520 F J Forrest. £1497 O A M Richardson. £1488 C M Smith. £1441 £1294 A & M J Henshaw. £1361 I R Appleton. £1349 G Anderson. £1276 R L Walker. £1251 K & A Harker. £1251 T W & C Emerson. £1249 W E & C A Anderson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1770 J N Swinbank. £1651 R L Walker. £1388 F J Forrest. £1054 L H Ford & Co.
Breeding Cattle – A nice scattering of breeding cattle sold remarkably well considering the absolute pigs ear mother nature is making of this supposed Springtime. A 6-year-old Charolais bred cow with an Aberdeen Angus crossed bull calf at foot from S E Harrison & Son, West Pelton led the day when selling for £2050, the same good home sold other outfits to £2000 and £1900 twice. Top of the bulling heifers was a raider from the North as a tidy 18-month-old pure Hereford from I Skea, Dalriach, Inverurie sold for £1180.
Bulling Heifers – £1180 £980 I Skea. £945 £920 £870 T H Mace & Sons.
Cows & Calves – £2050 £2000 £1900(x2) £1820 £1750 S E Harrison & Son. £1820 £1800 £1720 £1700 £1500(x2) P Prudom & Son.
Store Cattle – Things appeared somewhat easier following last week’s excellent show of quality and very sharp trade, perhaps not surprising as still many firms are forced to hold their grass cattle indoors. Top of the young bulls at £1450 was a tidy yearling British Blonde from J J Horn, Bushy Park, Marske, he was followed closely by a pair of shapely young Limousin’s from C Moffett, Backandsides Farm at £1410. A pair of 17-month-old Limousin heifers led the days store cattle trade from T H Robson, Stoney Flatt Farm, Bishopton when they sold for £1560; top of the steers was again a Limousin, this one from G W & L Marsay, Manor Farm, Wolviston at £1540 with the pick of the native breeds next in line, Beef Shorthorn’s from W Denham, Dent Gate, Langleydale topped at £1500.
Store Bulls £1450 £1390×2 £1370 £1300 £1260 JJ Horn. £1410×2 C Moffett. £1320 £1220 ME&TD Tailford. £1140×2 AP Greenshields. £1120×2 £940×2 £895 £860×2 JJ Kemp & Son. £1110 £860×2 S Waggott. £905×2 £800 AW Sanderson. £875 £870×3 £830 G Hall.
Store Steers £1540 GW&L Marsay. £1500×2 W Denham. £1460×3 £1390 £1320 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1320 £1290 RW Dalton. £1300 £1190×3 £1130×4 BJS Farms. £1275×2 £1240×2 KB&S Roche. £1160 Mill Pond Farm. £1130 C&M Burnett. £1125 £1070 £1040 W Emerson. £1120 TW&C Emerson. £1105 £1100 TT Hall & Son. £1100 I Newton & Son. £1100 W Love Ltd. £1080×4 G Bolton.
Store Heifers £1560×2 TH Robson & Sons. £1480 £1370 A&AG Moralee. £1460 E Scott & Sons. £1440×2 GW&L Marsay. £1430 £1330 £1315×2 JS Wiper. £1430 £1400×2 £1390 £1380 £1350 W Denham. £1400 £1390 £1370 GW&M Singleton & Sons. £1350 ME&TD Tailford. £1330 £1300 KB&S Roche. £1320 £1315 I Newton & Son. £1315×2 R Laws & Sons. £1300×4 £1270 Mill Pond Farm. £1300 W Love Ltd. £1290 PT Stephenson & Son. £1280 JE£S Ward. £1270 C Burnett. £1260 S&RT Lowson.
A phenomenal trade within the calf sector today. A range of quality, however all were on fire and easily sold, with an impressive overall average of £437.
Top priced bull of the day was a 3-month-old British Blue from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm, making a fantastic £620. Closely following was CN Bentley, The Gables, with a Brilliant British Blue, making £610. Blue Bulls overall Averaged £511.
GB Corner & Son topped the Angus Bulls, with a 2-month-old, making an impressive £530, whilst another of Corners Bulls made £460. JT Forster & Sons, Killerby Farm, follow with their top priced Angus at £410. Angus Bulls overall Averaged £408.
A Friesian Bull from J&A Stevenson topped at £350 whilst their Ayrshire Bull made £430 and Inra 95 made £410. A 2-week-old Limousin calf topped at £390, from W Gibson & Son, with J&A Stevenson, following with £380. Herefords topped at £375 from ME Robinson & Sons.
Heifers topped at £670 for a Strong British Blue, from M&RK McKenzie, The Whins. Closely following was Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm, with a cracking 3-month-old Blue Heifer at £550. Blue Heifers overall averaged £446.
Angus Heifers at a top price of £480 from GB Corner & Son, West Moor Farm. Closely followed by ME Robinson & Sons, with an Angus heifer making £478. D Smith of Crossfields farm, topped at £440. Angus Heifers overall Averaged £403.
Bull’s
British Blue – £620 £610 £560×2 £520 Wilkinson & Son. £610 £460 £395 £220 CN Bentley. £490 GB Corner & Son.
Angus – £530 £460 £390 GB Corner & Son. £410 £405×2 £395 £375 £370 £360 JT Forster & Son. £390 ME Robinson & Sons.
Ayrshire – £430 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Limousin – £390 W Gibson & Son. £380 J&A Stevenson & Sons. £310 CN Bentley.
Hereford £375 ME Robinson & Sons.
Friesian £350 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Heifer’s
British Blue £670 £480 £470 £455 M&RK McKenzie. £550 £530 £500 Wilkinson & Son. £400 £315 £260 CN Bentley. £390 £335 ME Robinson & Sons.
Angus £480 GB Corner & Son. £478 £330 £290 ME Robinson & Sons. £440 D Smith.
Breeding Sheep – Ewes and lambs just a touch easier this week as the rotten weather perhaps just pulls the handbrake on slightly, the sale average of £84.56 per life though looks competitive given the proportion of ewes which, quite frankly, look absolutely exhausted. Top price of the day went to T W Brown & Sons, Brokes Farm, Hudswell with an excellent Beltex ewe suckling twin lambs, Suffolk ewes with twins from the same home sold twice over £300 as did Dutch Spotted Texel’s from D & M Buck, Quarry Grange. Mule ewes with lambs topped twice at £268 as N Medd & Son, West Whorley Hill joined Fletcher & Coates, Short Thorns Farm at the top of that section.
Leading Prices
£320 £302 £300 £210 T W Brown & Sons. £310 £272 £252 £265 £210 D & M Buck. £290 £252 A & B Herworth. £290 H H Smith & Son. £282 £268 £228 £220 Fletcher & Coates. £270 £262 J E Stobbs & Son. £270 £240 £235 £220 £218 W & C Iceton. £268 N Medd & Son. £265 £228 D & J A Teasdale. £250 J Waters. £240 L & B M Kidd & Son. £215 A Wilson. £200 W Burton.
Feeding Sheep – The sweepings up of the store hoggs remain an absolutely terrific trade, the few good sorts which remain are achieving remarkable returns. Two trios of tremendous Texel’s led the day; firstly, from W Wearmouth & Son, Rose Hill Farm when selling at £205 apiece followed closely by J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley Farm at £202. Feeding ewe trade followed the hot hoggs and reached remarkable levels, the lambing disasters don’t quite look so depressing when they sell this well.
Store Hoggs – £205 £165 £106 W Wearmouth & Son. £202 £193(x2) £168 J & F Hartley & Sons. £186 £121 R Errington & Son. £126 £110 £100 M Metcalfe. £126 £109 £102 S Beeforth. £102 L Fowler.
Feeding Ewes – £168 £137 £126 A & R Thompson. £164 J Waters. £143 D & J A Teasdale. £134 J D Teasdale. £131 £105 L & B M Kidd & Son. £129 £121 £112 A Spence. £124 £118 C Hall. £122 £105 B R & S Fell. £108 R Errington & Son. £106 L Fowler.
