Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held the second annual special sale of hoggs with lambs at foot in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves. Forward were 275 cattle, 304 sheep, 22 calves and 12 pigs.
77 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 390ppk or £2862
4 Stock Bulls sold to 346ppk or £3480
6 Cows & Calves sold to £4400
19 Young Bulls sold to £2820
58 Store Steers sold to £2640
105 Store Heifers sold to £2480
63 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £385
40 Ewes & Lambs sold to £280
72 Feeding Hoggs/Ewes sold to £192
22 Rearing Calves sold to £670
12 Store Pigs sold to £160
Bluetongue Announcement
Following the extension of the zone yesterday (18.05.25) there are some changes for vendors in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Rest assured; we can still market all livestock here in DfAM. Stock intended for slaughter can still travel from the zone accompanied by a very simple general licence, store stock movements from the zone can be done with a small amount of pre-planning; please see the DfAM Facebook page or website for a breakdown on how things have changed.
Hoggs/Ewes & Lambs – Thanks primarily go to Adam Lowson of Hamsterley who kindly took on the judging duties, unfortunately numbers were somewhat depleted with last night’s alteration to the Bluetongue zone however a very tidy top end came forward with Northumberland and County Durham unaffected by the changes. Winning the championship rosette was a great pen of five Texel crossed hoggs with single Beltex lambs at foot from D Carr & Son, High Wood Farm, Hexham; the judge later backed himself and purchased the winners for £385. The highlights from High Wood continued with other great pens selling at £355, £325 and £320 (3rd Prize) followed by strong Suffolk hoggs (2nd Prize) from D R Smith, East Roughlea at £305. Mule hoggs and lambs were in short supply as the zone change hit them hardest, taking the winners rosette in that class however was G Ward, Clover House with a smart pen selling at £280 apiece. Ewe and lamb trade continues to just suffer slightly due to the dry weather, tops went to M Toas, Encombe Cottage with continental ewes between £260 and £280 whilst Mules topped at £258 from C Bell, The Pry.
Leading Prices
Hoggs & Lambs – £385 £355 £325 £320 D Carr & Son. £305 £265 £255 D R Smith. £280 G Ward. £275 D W Ewin.
Ewes & Lambs – £280 £270 £260 £255 £250 £208 £192 M Toas. £258 £210 C Bell. £240 D & J A Teasdale.
Store Sheep – Trade continues for feeding sheep even at this late stage. Top of the hoggs and the feeders were Texel tups from H Foster, Middridge with an older lad at £192 and a hogg at £140.
Leading Prices
Store Hoggs – £140 H Foster. £136 £116 D R Smith. £130 £118 J P & R Ward.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £192 H Foster. £168 £114 Edwin Wood. £138 D & J A Teasdale. £134 C Harle & Sons. £128 £126 J P & R Ward. £128 £108 M C Rutter.
Cast Cattle – The cast beef trade cruises along nicely to this week see them all in average 264ppk and £1794 per head. Top per kilo at an extraordinary 390 pence was a tidy Simmental heifer from E Parsons, Newstead. Following at 354ppk was an excellent Limousin cow from Rebecca Appleton, East Muirton Farm ahead of two terrific sorts from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm at 342 and 340ppk. The two tremendous Limousin cows from McNeil Farm ran away with the top price in the lump for cows when they both added up over £2800. Some real flesh about at the top end of the Friesian cows this week saw a thumping sort from S H Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm sell at 238ppk and £2541 whilst a cracker from A Willey, Broomfield Farm sold at 294ppk and £2463. Two great Limousin bulls sold over £3000, firstly from J D Bentley & Son, Lane Head at 328ppk and £3053 and then just two lots later the star of the day from T H Robson & Sons, Stoney Flatt Farm at an impressive 346ppk and £3480.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 390 294 E Parsons. 354 R Appleton. 342 340 306 298 AC Simpson & Son. 336 324 C Hird & Son. 334 W Emerson. 326 JW Teward & Sons. 320 308 D&J Hunnam & Son. 320 296 IR Appleton. 318 288 286 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. 312 308 GC&KJ White & Son. 306 Duell Partners. 306 JE Grieves. 304 AJ Marr & Son. 300 294 A Willey. 294 WE&CA Anderson. 288 FH Hutchinson. 280 C Harle & Sons. 280 JD Bentley & Son.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2862 £2801 £2591 £2264 AC Simpson & Son. £2658 £2273 Hughes Bros Farms Ltd. £2541 SH Watson & Son. £2463 £2265 A Willey. £2445 £2374 D&J Hunnam & Son. £2415 JW Teward & Sons. £2359 £2189 AJ Marr & Son. £2340 Duell Partners. £2283 R Appleton. £2268 JD Bentley & son. £2263 £2145 E Parsons. £2258 IR Appleton. £2208 GC&KJ White & Son. £2169 JE Grieves. £2157 W Emerson. £2133 C Harle & Sons.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 346 TH Robson & Sons. 328 JD Bentley & Son. 272 J Elliott.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3480 TH Robson & Sons. £3053 JD Bentley & Son. £2366 J Elliott.
OTM Cattle – Top prices ppk 310 JE Grieves. 304 TD Smith & Son. 278 TT Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing OTM £2101 JE Grieves. £2076 TD Smith & Son. £1442 TT Hall & Son.
Store & Breeding Cattle – The feeding cattle trade continues in fine form, arguably dearer on the week. Proceedings began with breeding outfits, notably four fine cows and calves from R B Watson, Strand Foot, Bowes which attracted a frenzy of bidding and sold to a top of £4400 for a smart 4-year-old British Blue with a Limousin bull calf at foot. Young bulls followed and found buyers aplenty as they impressed for all breeds and sizes, top of the day at £2820 was a superb 2-year-old British Blonde from C Everitt, Jollybody Farm. Following was a smart Limousin of the same age from Newbigging Farms, Dunston at £2600 ahead of some stunning 12-14-month-old Limousin bulls from J C Johnson, Beanley Carr Farm topping at £2220 and also J R Fell, North Oxen-le-Fields to a top of £2040. A varied show of quality assembled in the store cattle section; trade remains excellent for all classes. Top of the steers at £2640 was a strong 18-month-old Limousin from J S Foster & Son, West End Farm which was followed over the line by the consistent D W Dresser, Hall Farm with steers to £2520 and heifers to £2480. Travelled cattle impressed on the day as a great run of heifers down from G A Mackie, Drimmie Farm, Forfar sold to a top of £2120 and a smart packet of Charolais steers from J C & H A Charnock, Cumcrook, Carlisle topped at £2100. As always the Darlington ring provided a great platform for the purveyors of native breeds, mention should perhaps go to runs of Aberdeen Angus from G & E Nixon, High Broates and Beef Shorthorns from S & P Brogden, Helbeck Farm who each impressed with cattle just 12-15-months of age.
Cows & Calves £4400 £3800×2 £3300 RB Watson. £1180 £1120 JB&LM Knight.
Store Bulls £2820 C Everitt. £2600 Newbigging Farms Ltd. £2220 £2200 £2180 £2020 JC Johnson. £2040 £1900 £1740×2 £1710×2 £1700×2 £1680×2 £1650 JR Fell. £1920 £1860 £1800 £1760 £1750 E Parsons. £1420 D Dargue & Son. £1400 £1340×2 £1320×2 £1220 JK Gregory. £1140 BJS Farms. £1000 C&JC Stephenson.
Store Steers £2640 £1980 JS Foster & Son. £2520 DW Dresser. £2100 £2050×2 £1540 JC&HA Charnock. £2010 £1850 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1990×3 G&EM Nixon. £1940 £1810×4 S&P Brogden. £1940 GA&C Jopling. £1940 GL&M Steel. £1850 £1800 T James. £1800 £1710 B Iceton. £1760 £1680 HW&M Alderson & Son. £1740×3 W&JM Clifford. £1620 £1480 TE Dobson.
Store Heifers £2480 DW Dresser. £2120 £2060 £2010 £1980×2 £1960 £1920 £1910 £1900 £1890×2 £1860×2 GA Mackie. £1990×3 G&EM Nixon. £1970 C Everitt. £1960 B Iceton. £1940 £1870 £1700 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1940 £1900 £1830 JS Wiper. £1900 JC&HA Charnock. £1870×2 £1680 R Errington & Son. £1840 £1800 JC Smith. £1770 GL&M Steel. £1760 £1730×2 W&JM Clifford. £1650 I Newton & Son. £1570×2 Newbigging Farms Ltd. £1550 GP Addison. £1540 GA&C Jopling.
Rearing Calves-
A lighter and younger show of calves forward today, however trade was yet again a flyer. Angus bulls topped at £670 from M&RK McKenzie, The Whins. Brenjulin Farms sold Limousin calves aged between 18 days-24 days old, where Bulls topped at £610 and heifers to top at £605. Hereford calves from John Archer, New Moor Farm, saw Bull calves reach £605 and heifers to reach £570, all aging between 13 days and 19 days old. Friesian Bulls topped at £320 from RW Raper & Sons, High Mulberry Farm.
Bull Calves-
Angus- £670 £640 £630 £610 £600 £550 M&RK McKenzie. £330 RW Raper & Sons.
Limousin- £610 £600 Brenjulin Farms.
Hereford- £605 £590 John Archer.
Friesian- £320 x2 RW Raper & Sons.
Heifer Calves-
Limousin- £605 £600 x3 Brenjulin Farms. £510 RW Raper & Sons.
Hereford- £570 £505 John Archer.
Angus- £310 RW Raper & Sons.
