Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Stars of the Future’ show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cows, store & breeding stock on Monday 25th April 2022. Forward were 470 Cattle and 206 Sheep.
97 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 246ppk or £2179
6 Stock Bulls sold to 236ppk or £2624
8 Stirks sold to £450
46 Young Bulls sold to £1340
125 Store Steers sold to £1530
188 Store Heifers sold to £1530
51 Ewes with Lambs sold to £252
54 Store Hoggs sold to £117
Show Cattle – Fresh from their success at last week’s junior farmers show and sale we welcomed back the very accomplished young Askwith brothers (Harry & Charlie) of Crook to DfAM as our judges for the day; it was certainly a real pleasure to see what are no doubt two of the regions keenest and most capable young farmers conducting themselves so professionally. Chosen as their champion was a superb 13-month-old Limousin crossed heifer from regular Darlington supporter W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm, Yearby, a very classy sort with bags of potential to make the perfect butchers beast we certainly hope to see her again one day in the not so distant future. The next highest acolade almost went just up the road from here to C T Gibson of Elm Bank Cottage with a magnificent Limousin steer, also 13 months of age this super bullock was very well grown and carried all the attributes today’s buyers are looking for however our judges deliberated and eventually chose their pick of the bull class which went to DfAM Chairman Mark Dent with a perfect yearling which concluded a clean sweep of the red rosettes today for the popular Limousin breed.
Best Heifer
1st W A Wardman, Yearby sold for £1520 to J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery
2nd B R Lawson, Whashton sold for £1130 to P J & M Gilhespy, Ponteland
3rd K Mellor, Lincolnshire sold for £1280 to R Hirst, Neasham
Best Steer
1st C T Gibson, Elm Bank sold for £1430 to K Norman Farms, Redcar
2nd H S Hutchinson, Eastgate sold for £1090 to F W Penrose & Son, Ripon
3rd F Ward, Frosterley sold for £1170 to E W Grieves, Stockton-on-Tees
Best Young Bull
1st S & J Dent & Son, Newton Ketton sold for £1220 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
2nd S & J Dent & Son, Newton Ketton sold for £1340 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
3rd G W Dobson, South Wingate sold for £1135 to J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge
Champion – W A Wardman, Yearby sold for £1520 to J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery
Reserve – S & J Dent & Son, Newton Ketton sold for £1220 to A S & S M Kemp, Sherburn
Store Cattle – Away from the show beast the recent blistering trade continues, quite an eclectic mix were offered by our 61 vendors to the buyers operating on 48 active ringside accounts as some fabulous continentals shared the ring with just about every native and dairy breed known to exist; in true Darlington style the ringside had something for everyone and someone for everything. The top priced heifer proved to be a strong 2-year-old Limousin from K B & S Roche, Fylingdales with our worthy Champion as mentioned above from William Wardman in the silver medal position at £1520 and the bronze out of the same super pen at £1500. Leading the steer parade was a sizeable 2-year-old Charolais from B & B Kitching, Great Stainton which sold for £1530 with 5 of the next 6 hailing from the pen of Chris Gibson which as mentioned turned out some real quality today. Naturally there are exceptions but on the whole a below par show of steers and bulls were put to shame by a very good show of grazing heifers. In real terms the trade remains very, very good for all classes.
Stirks – £450 F E Pinkney. £400(x5) £280(x2) W & V Burton.
Young Bulls – £1340 £1220 S & J Dent & Son. £1320 £885 W T Hall. £1295 £1285 £1275(x2) £995 T L Holmes & Son. £1135 £1100 £1055 £1030 G W Dobson & Son. £1095 £1040 £1020 K Mellor. £1065 £1060(x2) £990 £975(x2) D E Stones. £1000 H S Hutchinson. £920 J Fletcher. £895 £870 W E Muir & Son. £880 F E Pinkney. £870 B & B Kitching & Son.
Store Steers – £1530 B & B Kitching. £1430 £1375(x2) £1360(x2) C T Gibson. £1380 £1240 D R Smith. £1350 T T Hall & Son. £1290 £1250 C Hall. £1290 C Bell. £1260 £1170(x3) £1140 £1120 F Ward. £1250 £1100 D G & P D Ayre. £1210 J C Thwaite & Son. £1210 £1150(x2) J C Smith. £1185 £1165(x2) £1130 W C Barker & Son. £1155 W A Wardman Ltd. £1155(x3) G W & M Singleton & Sons. £1145 W Wearmouth & Son.
Store Heifers – £1530 K B & S Roche. £1520 £1500 £1460 £1445 £1400 £1390 £1315 £1295 £1280 £1265(x2) W A Wardman Ltd. £1470(x2) £1440 £1400 £1375(x2) S & J Dent & Son. £1470 £1280(x2) £1215 C T Gibson. £1425 £1250 D R Smith. £1345 £1305 J G Wilkinson & Son. £1330(x3) £1260 F Ward. £1300 M H Hodgson. £1280(x2) £1240 £1220 K Mellor. £1265 £1210 W B Rutter & Sons. £1260 A C Bentham. £1250 C B Taylor. £1210 C Bell.
Cast Cows – On rolls the cow express train at full speed, it appears to have no intention of stopping; yet another incredible trade ensued for all classes with an average of 181ppk which included 21 retiring milk cows and some 28 native breeds. Unusually this week but for very good reason we start with the half a dozen bulls, three Limousin, two Shorthorn and a Hereford left Darlington today averaging a mesmerising £1956 and 208ppk, the best of them a glorious 1112kg seven-year-old Limousin from R W Raper & Sons, Ingleton sold for a staggering 236ppk and £2624. Top priced older cow was also a superstar in her own right as a beautiful 908kg British Blue from A C Bentham, Lands Bank sold for a wonderful 240ppk and £2179, she was pipped to the top price per kilo post by a young whippersnapper of a Limousin from Ponteland’s P J & M P Gilhespy which duly sold for 246 pence. A remarkable 23 cattle sold at 200 pence and above this week including our top native and dairy offerings, a Beef Shorthorn OTM from G A Rogerson & Son, Thropton sold for 226ppk whilst a 26 month old Friesian shown by N & A D Brass & Son, Shadforth led the black and whites at 206ppk. Top gross priced native breed outside of the bull’s was an Aberdeen Angus from W Emerson, Frosterley which sold for £1540 whilst the leading dairy beast was the aforementioned Friesian from Shadforth which sold for £1355.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 246 P J & M P Gilhespy. 240 A C Bentham. 236 S & J Dent & Son. 234 J Dixon. 226 G A Rogerson & Son. 226 198 D & M Lowes. 224 218 206 W I Suddes & Son. 224 198 194 W A Wardman Ltd. 216 W Emerson. 212 F J Hugill. 212 G Scott. 206 N & A D Brass & Son. 206 T W Clark & Son. 204 C Parker. 202 B & L Robson. 200 M Barker Farms. 198 M Dent. 196 Reed & Hill. 196 G Thompson & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 236 R W Raper & Sons. 218 T W Clark & Son. 218 Reed & Hill. 208 200 G A Rogerson & Son. 168 L & S Barker.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £2179 A C Bentham. £1832 £1456 W A Wardman Ltd. £1791 M Dent. £1776 £1637 £1516 W I Suddes & Son. £1647 S & J Dent. £1577 G Scott. £1540 W Emerson. £1506 B & L Robson. £1499 S N Bird & Sons. £1483 J J Kemp & Son. £1470 W R Barron. £1466 £1407 D & M Lowes. £1457 J Dixon. £1432 Skelton Farming Ltd. £1400 T W Clark & Son. £1389 M Barker Farms. £1374 R N Foord & Son. £1365 £1360 J & M J Walton. £1365 S & R T Lowson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2624 R W Raper & Sons. £2382 Reed & Hill. £2142 T W Clark & Son. £1968 L & S Barker. £1440 £1181 G A Rogerson & Son.
Store & Breeding Sheep – With the grass cattle bounding along nicely and the growing season upon us the ewes and lambs are surely set to sell well over the coming weeks, certainly the early signs are enthusiastic. Ten fully warranted Texel ewes with excellent twin lambs from I Spedding, Wolsingham led the trade today as they sold for £252 (£84 per life) whilst the same good home sold our leading Mule ewes also with twins for £222. Next week a strong offering is expected at our bank holiday show and sale.
Ewes & Lambs – £252 £222 I Spedding. £195 £192 £175 Fletcher & Coates. £190 £175 £165 J Burbury. £185 B R & S Fell. £175 C & M Burnett.
Store Hoggs – £117 Tom Bell. £102 £101(x2) £100 S Love. £92 £90 £88 J Burbury.
Feeding Ewes – £108 J Burbury.
