Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 27th January 2022. Forward were 206 Cattle and 1903 Sheep.
83 Prime Bulls sold to 254ppk or £2188
13 Prime Steers sold to 274ppk or £1731
110 Prime Heifers sold to 326ppk or £1895
1579 Prime Hoggs sold to 339ppk or £156
324 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
Prime Bulls (83) – A better show of bulls found trade marginally easier on the week, thus said with over a quarter of those forward selling beyond 240 pence per kilo and 13 over £1800 with a sale average of 221ppk things are by no means a disaster. Twice Limousin’s from D Richardson & Co, Bracken House, Melsonby led the way selling for 254 pence per kilo with others from both A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm and A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange completing the top 6 all at 250ppk or more. Leading the gross values was a mighty Limousin from McNeil Farm as a superb 912kg bull comfortably led that race at an impressive £2188. Top of the native breeds this week came in the shape of an Aberdeen Angus from long-time supporters T N Hodgson & Sons, Cockerton when he sold for 230ppk and £1644. Top priced Friesian bulls this week came from R Hall & Son, Brotton at £1324 and J M & S Walton, Barton at 184ppk; whilst on the subject of dairy bull’s mention must go to J R Knox & Son, Heighington who produced Montbeliarde’s to 207ppk and £1606 and also Fleckveih’s to 204ppk and £1450. As is customary, listed below are some of the day’s top averages.
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 Bulls to average 247ppk and £1947
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 5 Bulls to average 247ppk and £1782
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 Bulls to average 240ppk and £1830
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 8 Bulls to average 238ppk and £1738
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 4 Bulls to average 238ppk and £1546
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 254×2 251 241 238 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 253 250 240 AC Simpson & Son. 252 249 247×2 234 AG Watson & Sons. 248 T&DI Allen & Son. 248 246 240 239 234 232 AS&SM Kemp. 246 242 240 JH&M&NW Brown. 245 TN Hodgson & Sons. 245 F&JS Gargett. 245 236 LS Staley. 242 237 236 230 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 237 JK Gregory. 235 234 GA&VA Adams. 234 233 TW Clark & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2188 £1910 £1743 AC Simpson & Son. £1941×2 £1833 £1823 £1801 £1799 £1784 £1744 AS&SM Kemp. £1940 £1744 £1719 F&JS Gargett. £1923 £1736 LS Staley. £1922 £1855 £1742 £1739 £1651 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1882 £1857 £1792 £1770 £1748 £1732 £1731 AG Watson & Sons. £1849 R Hall & Son. £1783 GA&VA Adams. £1737 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1711 JH&M&NW Brown. £1696 £1675 £1658 TW Clark & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 184 169 JM&S Walton. 183 R Hall & Son. 178 177 175 172 170 159 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1324 R Hall & Son. £1282 £1251 JM&S Walton. £1123 £1074 1045 £1043 £1016 £990 £853 £815 D Walker. £974 JK&CE Farming.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 230 TN Hodgson & Sons. 226 AG Watson & Sons. 218 JK&CE Farming. 200 R Hall & Son. 194 GA&VA Adams.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1644 TN Hodgson & Sons. £1560 JK&CE Farming. £1396 AG Watson & Sons. £1348 R Hall & Son. £1014 GA&VA Adams.
Clean Cattle (123) – ‘Ladies Day’ with on the whole an excellent show of mostly heifers meeting an eager parliament of buyers, the fabulous females averaged today over 270 pence per kilo including 14 at 300 pence or more and a further 16 at 290 to 299ppk. The top two couldn’t be separated at 326ppk however geographically they were poles apart as a beautiful Blue from Lincolnshire’s M Eagle matched a luscious Limousin from Ponteland based M F Hall; holding their own for our home county and close to the top were both R Hirst, Neasham 323ppk and W A Armstrong, Coxhoe 316ppk. A marvellous 27 heifers sold over £1700 this week with the top two standing nicely clear of the pursuing pack and selling well beyond £1800; Limousin’s from two separate vendors who have already featured in today’s report were at the forefront, both weighed in at 729kg as the Lincolnshire Eagle almost landed the prize reaching £1888 however she was just nudged out by A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm as the formidable ‘Simmo’s Limmo’s’ claimed their second gross value prize of the day. Top of the steers came a handy weighted Limousin from M F Hall, Ponteland at 274ppk whilst the top three gross values all belonged to ‘Team Low Leam’ and the super yard of W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn with a best of £1731. Leading averages from today are listed below.
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 Heifers to average 288ppk and £1582
M F Hall, Ponteland sold 7 Heifers, 1 Steer to average 288ppk and £1579
R Hirst, Neasham sold 15 Heifers to average 284ppk and £1605
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 6 Heifers to average 282ppk and £1711
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 8 Heifers to average 282ppk and £1648
Steers – Top prices ppk 274 MF Hall. 249 230 228 224 WJ Scott Ltd. 246 M Eagle. 234 K&J Heslop. 231 227 226 210 RW&R Henry. 207 JE&B Morgan & Sons
Lead Grossing Steers £1731 £1678 £1663 £1635 WJ Scott Ltd. £1635 MF Hall. £1591 £1584 £1398 £1383 RW&R Henry. £1560 K&J Heslop. £1493 M Eagle. £1308 JE&B Morgan.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 326 308 289×2 MF Hall. 326 M Eagle. 323 306 302 300×2 295 289 285 284 R Hirst. 316 293 292 WA Armstrong. 309 295 293 290 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 308 300 290 285 B Walker. 306 290 K&J Heslop. 300 290 JV&JA Hodgson. 299 287 283 J&A Moralee. 298 291 WJ Scott Ltd. 296 Askwiths. 295 293 JE Suddes & Son. 295 DH Lawson. 287 P Weightman & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1895 £1728 AC Simpson & Son. £1888 £1750 M Eagle. £1797 £1781 £1723 R Hirst. £1793 £1725 £1722 £1716 £1707×2 JV&JA Hodgson. £1769 £1738 £1714 WA Armstrong. £1765 £1692 P Weightman & Sons. £1742 £1734 £1719 £1700 £1696 JE Suddes & Son. £1738 £1705 K&J Heslop. £1724 £1710 £1699 WJ Scott Ltd. £1705 £1700 B Walker. £1692 £1637 WF Hustwit. £1685 MF Hall. £1677 £1619 PJ&MP Gilhespy.
Prime Hoggs (1579) – A surreal mood at the hogg ringside this week as we mourn the tragic passing of one of our best and longest serving buyers, Mr Ali Shan; our thoughts and condolences go to all concerned, Ali’s character and presence will be forever very sadly missed here in DFAM.
On to the business end of things, a strange show in many ways with not necessarily what the buyers desired yet somehow a very sharp trade materialised. The mixed show isn’t easy to report, but as we guarantee a report every week from DFAM and not just the easy days, here goes….
Big hoggs were out in force today as some 612 (38%) clocked the scale to 46kg or more, of these 134 weighed 52kg plus; mix these with 417 (26%) Swaledale, Cheviot or Mule hoggs and what on paper looks a steady 258ppk average (SQQ 264ppk) was in fact a very fine trade throughout. Special mention must go to our king of the gross values today Mark Simpson of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear who amazingly led the bulls, clean cattle and hogg trades, twice 73kg super heavyweights from this good home reached £156; mention must also go to the Askwith’s of Crook, between them and the Simpson pen they shared the top 15 gross values on the day. A C Simpson & Son sold 52 hoggs to average £145.58 and Messrs Askwith sold 20 Hoggs to average £143.25.
Hoggs – Top prices 339 307 292 Tallentire. 322 304 283 Northfield Farms. 314 311 298 297 Askwiths. 310 302 300 291 290 287 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 307 TH Richardson & son. 307 RG&G Rutter. 306 282 WB Mitchell & Sons. 302 283 RO Gilson. 300×2 K&MM Henderson. 300 290 J Norman. 300 291 WA Wardman Ltd. 120 W Kirk & Sons. 300 K&PM Lough. 297×2 295 MW Barker & Son. 297 291 William Tindale. 286×2 W.K M.M Lamb. 283 WR Thompson.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £156×2 £150×4 £149 £147 £146 £144 AC Simpson & Son. £155 £148 £147 £146 £143 £140 Askwiths. £142 £141 £133 Northfield Farms. £142 £141 £135 MW Barker & Son. £140 £134 WA Wardman Ltd. £140 RW&R Henry. £140×2 D&PH Brown. £139 J Dawson. £138 £133 WB Mitchell & Sons. £136 £134 £133 RO Gilson. £135 £131 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £135 GM Blair & Partners. £134 JR Knox & Son. £132 K&MM Henderson. £131 TH Richardson & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (324) – Another £95 all in average as the ewe trade continues in super style, the excellent Texels of P Turnbull, Kildale are no strangers to our top price column of late and it was they which led the way at £160. Mule ewes today averaged a credible £88 with a peak of £126 whilst some flesh amongst the horned ewes had them to tops of £78 and an average of £64.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £160 £126 P Turnbull. £148 RO Gilson. £142 GF Whitfield. £138 K&MM Henderson. £136 £130 S&D Ferrie. £134 R Lawson & Son. £134 £128 AC Simpson & Son. £130 T Grix. £130 £120 JM&M&C Wise. £130 £120 £116 JJ Horn. £126 A Wilson. £126 £120 £116×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £124 £116 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £122 D Chapman. £120 S Beeforth. £120 G&JH Tomlinson. £118 GM Blair & Partners
Pigs (0) – Aporkalypse, devastating news for the pig fans, numbers just managed to equal our all-time low.
