Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 22nd April 2021. Forward were 229 Cattle, 1522 Sheep and 42 Pigs.
96 Prime Bulls sold to 267ppk or £210626 Prime Steers sold to 269ppk or £1754103 Prime Heifers sold to 289ppk or £18464 Cast Cows sold to 207ppk or £144117 New Season Lambs sold to 395ppk and £1661101 Prime Hoggs sold to 352ppk and £188404 Cast Sheep sold to £16242 Prime Pigs sold to 100ppk or £89
Prime Bulls (96) – A firmer trade with a lesser depth of quality than usual left a sale average of a tremendous 220ppk; from Dexters to dairy breeds all the way up to the very best a noticeable price increase was apparent, it is most likely that the plainer bulls took the biggest price lift. For the football supporters perhaps, enough mentions have been heard this week of the super six however our super six bulls are all deserving of a mention, breaking 260 pence per kilo were a brace apiece from the ultra-consistent A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford; S H Watson & Son, Winston and S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon; the top pair were both fabulous homebred Limousin’s from a quality quartet shown by the Dent family at 266 & 267ppk.Top of the gross values this week and in to the £2k plus club was a superstar of a homebred British Blonde from P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm when he sold for a mighty £2101. Best of the rest came from J & A Moralee, Hexham with a homebred British Blue selling for £1946 with a further 11 well fed bulls joining in between £1800 and £1900. The native breed constituents were again well represented and the pick of them this week came from expert feeders R Hall & Sons, Kilton Hall Farm with their Aberdeen Angus selling for £1635. Black and Whites were out in numbers this week and 200 pence is very achievable, the best of the Friesians came from J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge selling for 218ppk and £1462. Below are some of the top contenders this week:
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 4 Bulls to average 260ppk and £1665P Weightman & Son, Easington sold 2 Bulls to average 247ppok and £1733S H Watson & Son, Winston sold 3 Bulls to average 254ppk and £1739L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 Bulls to average 242ppk and £1847J & B Layfield, Crook sold 6 Bulls to average 242ppk and £1711A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 Bulls to average 242ppk and £1751
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 267 266 259 250 S&J Dent & Son. 265 262 245 240 234 AG Watson & Sons. 261×2 243 SH Watson & Son. 259 J&JH Musgrave. 255×2 248 240 235 232 AS&SM Kemp. 251 246 242 240 228 J Layfield. 250 B Layfield. 249 245 P Weightman & Sons. 248 J&A Moralee. 246 239 LS Staley. 238 237 230 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 238 Angel Farms Ltd. 236 JK&CE Farming. 231 PM Bradley & Bros. 227 TF Bothroyd & Son. 225 High Harbour Farms. 222 C Parker.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2106 P Weightman & Sons. £1946 J&A Moralee. £1894 £1845 £1841 £1805 £1711 £1663 AS&SM Kemp. £1870 £1816 £1780 £1700 £1671 £1666 AG Watson & Sons. £1868 Angel Farms Ltd. £1859 £1835 LS Staley. £1846 £1691 £1680 SH Watson & Sons. £1800 £1697 £1660 S&J Dent & Son. £1795 B Layfield. £1772 JK&CE Farming. £1759 £1609 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1746×2 £1684 £1655 £1639 J Layfield. £1635 R Hall & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 218 JK&CE Farming. 209 204 198×2 190 JB&LM Knight. 204 190 R Hall & Son. 199 190 JM&S Walton. 192 188 179 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 191 187 GW Dobson & Son. 189 HM&JS Hutchinson. 183 GS Dowson. 178 JA&A Herbert. 172 168 R Carter & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk £1462 JK&CE Farming. £1417 £1140 R Hall & Son. £1341 £1261 JM&S Walton. £1320 £1121 GW Dobson & Son. £1273 £1130 £1063 £1001 £960 JB&LM Knight. £1262 £1088 R Carter & Son. £1200 GS Dowson. £1141 HM&JS Hutchinson. £973 £959 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 210 209 194 W&R Kemp & Son. 209 200 195 Angel Farms Ltd. 209 204 M Ord. 207 R Hall & Son. 192 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1635 R Hall & Son. £1463 £1372 M Ord & Sons. £1421 £1394 £1364 W&R Kemp & Son. £1322 GS Dowson. £1246 £1205 Angel Farms Ltd.
Clean Cattle (129) – A nice show of well finished beast on the whole were a terrific trade, the butchers heifers in particular enjoying a great day with ten selling the top side of 280ppk lifting the heifer average to over 251 pence per kilo, with the dairy crosses out we would certainly have seen that average at 260 and beyond today. Topping the sale at 289ppk was W A Armstrong of Coxhoe with a beautiful 563kg Limousin heifer, she was chased all the way by several other vendors as the stylish sorts were a truly flying trade. Still a firm believer that if you’ve stopped weighing you’ve stopped paying are regular supporters A C Simpson & Son of McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear who led the gross values today at a massive £1846 with a fleshy 713kg home bred pure Limousin heifer. Mention must go to J E Suddes & Son who continued their recent run of form and also broke the £1800 barrier with a heifer and also W J & A S Bowes & Sons and J V & J A Hodgson who both broke through £1700 with tremendous heifers. The steer trade today belonged to P & J H Davison of Morley reaching 269ppk whilst the top gross valued steer headed back to Riding Mill, Hexham with R A & B A Ridley & Son who’s well fed run peaked at £1754. As usual some top achievers are listed below, today there were many who could have made the list.
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Great Stainton sold 3 Heifers to average 274ppk and £1715
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 Heifers to average 273ppk and £1565
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 Heifers to average 271ppk and £1619
R Hirst, Neasham sold 6 Heifers to average 268ppk and £1491
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 5 Heifers to average 265ppk £1567
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 Heifers to average 262ppk and £1462
M F Hall, Ponteland sold 5 Heifers to average 262ppk and £1410
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 5 Heifers to average 260ppk and £1635
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 3 Heifers / 1 Steer to average 260ppk and £1482
A C Simpson & Sons, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 Heifers to average 258ppk and £1784
Steers – Top prices ppk 269 P&JH Davison. 263 245 212 210 198 Angel Farms Ltd. 248 SE Chapman. 242 241 236 230 227 218 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 234 N Robinson & Sons. 231 K&J Heslop. 228 218 202 JR Spink. 214 208×2 205 TN Hodgson & Sons. 204 A Swinbank & Son. 198 FJ Young & Partners.
Lead Grossing Steers £1754 £1682 £1623 £1607 £1593 £1427 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1727 K&J Heslop. £1721 SE Chapman. £1557 £1275 £1272 £1245 TN Hodgson. £1539 M Robinson & Sons. £1530 P&JH Davison. £1364 £1272 £1243 Angel Farms Ltd. £1250 A Swinbank.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 289 286 272 WA Armstrong. 286 283 266 263 R Hirst. 285 273 265 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 284 275 263 B Walker. 284 268 264 M Robinson & Sons. 282 280 278 277 276 274 267 265 JV&JA Hodgson. 281 269 MF Hall. 279 249 SE Chapman. 277 276 K&J Heslop. 276 A&D Proctor. 276 273 266 265 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 273 JM&M&C Wise. 266 J&A Moralee. 266 264 JE Suddes & Son. 262×2 P&JH Davison. 261 WF Hustwit. 260 AC Simpson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1846 £1791 £1716 AC Simpson & Son. £1806 £1681 JE Suddes & Son. £1763 £1747 £1635 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1717 £1680 £1654 £1648 £1613 £1599 £1592 £1579 £1575 JV&JA Hodgson. £1695 £1627 £1577 WA Armstrong. £1684 £1607 R Hirst. £1658 £1564 B Walker. £1642 JH&M&NW Brown. £1633 £1568 JE Suddes & Son. £1621 £1581 K&J Heslop. £1582 J&A Moralee. £1580 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1570 M Robinson & Sons. £1567 MF Hall. £1560 £1544 WF Hustwit.
Cast Cattle (4) – Only a handful of cows today all from Angel Farms, Essex selling to a top of 207ppk for a Hereford and £1441 for a Limousin.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 207 188 150 130 Angel Farms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1441 £1235 £1137 £770 Angel Farms Ltd.
Prime Sheep (1118) – A marvellous trade again, quite literally every breed, creed, colour and cross in the country was on show today with top returns for all types. The spring lambs were dominated by regular visitors P H & H C Dowson from Carlton-in-Cleveland who produced wonderful Suffolk’s selling to a top of 395ppk and £166, on both occasions to great DFAM supporters Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton. The hogg trade today was easier on paper to average 289ppk with an SQQ of 299ppk, thus said with the unloading docks resembling Noah’s Ark at times the reality was a good day for all sellers. Leaving the heifers with his glamorous assistant and going home for the hoggs proved the correct decision this morning for Michael Gilhespy of P J & M P Gilhespy, Low House, Ponteland as the fine run topped the sale twice selling to 352 pence per kilo. This time of year the breeding and feeding of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear takes some beating and nobody bettered their impressive £188 today. Mule hoggs today regularly £130-£140 with horned hoggs often £120-£130, below are a few of the day’s top vendors leaving DFAM tonight delighted with both their prices and weights.A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 70 Hoggs to average 282ppk and £164.09P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 46 Hoggs to average 337ppk and £139.43Wilsons, Hollinside sold 40 Hoggs to average 299ppk and £157.55
R E & L Frank, Stokesley sold 21 Hoggs to average 316ppk and £144
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 25 Hoggs to average 311ppk and £142.40T N Callender, Stockton sold 21 Hoggs to average 300ppk and £143.48
Spring Lambs – Top prices ppk 395 358 340 322 PK&HC Dowson. 312 307 S Agar. 229 D Greensit.
Lead Grossing Spring Lambs £166 £155 £154 £143 PK&HC Dowson. £132 £125 S Agar. £110 D Greensit.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 352×2 350 348 342 340 336 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 350 GE Raw. 346 332 329 323 317×2 315×2 J Hicks. 340 334 327 322 309 M Robinson & Sons. 336 High Harbour Farms. 327 313 RE&L Frank. 326 K&MM Henderson. 324 311 TN Callender. 323 319 JE Braithwaite & Son. 318 TW Clark & Son. 315 RA&BA Ridley & Son. 313 Wilsons. 310 307 Tallentire. 308 TH Richardson & Son. 307 CS Robinson.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £188 £178 £169 £168×2 £167×2 £166 £165.50 £164×2 £162 £160 £157.50 £156 AC Simpson & Son. £180 £170 £156×2 Wilsons. £174 RE&L Frank. £158 W Denham. £158 £152 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £157 Tallentire. £157 A&V Wade. £157 £154 £152 JC Thwaite & Son. £156 £150 DR Smith. £154 TN Callender. £154 M Robinson & Sons. £150 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £150 W Robson. £150 CS Robinson. £150 F&JS Gargett.
Cast Ewes & Rams (404) – The ewe trade continues to fly high, a wonderful average of £110 with the lean meat in particular on the very top of the buyers shopping lists. Top price today went to the Suffolk breed at £162 however behind them came the real stories with Blue Faced Leicester’s reaching £145, Mule’s to £124, Cheviot’s to £116 and Swaledale’s peaking at an amazing £100.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £162 £149 £146 £140 £135 High Harbour Farms. £149 £136 £131 W Denham. £147 £140 G Thompson & Sons. £145 C&R Metcalf. £145 F&JS Gargett. £144 £135 AC Simpson. £143 GC&JC Pullen. £140 £138 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £140 T Bowes & Son. £140 M Smith. £139 £135 £131 C Harle & Sons. £135 P&J Martin. £134 AJ&KM Foster & Son. £133 JM&M&C Wise. £132 D Greensit. £132 I Oliver. £131 DL&D Lovegreen. £131 RG&G Rutter.
Pigs (42) – It seems that when this little piggy went to market he brought all his friends this week, a greatly increased show naturally reduced demand.
Leading price Per Kilo – 100 90 80 J Mitchell & Son. 90 80 80 C Weightman. 80 Wilks Farm. 80 R Summerson.Leading Gross Value – £89 £79 £72 J Mitchell & Son. £81 £76 £67 C Weightman. £75 R Summerson. £71 £68 Wilks Farm.
