Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 17th February 2022. Forward were 177 Cattle, 1854 Sheep and 7 Pigs.
61 Prime Bulls sold to 296ppk or £2554
15 Prime Steers sold to 285ppk or £1981
101 Prime Heifers sold to 319ppk or £1987
1437 Prime Hoggs sold to 318ppk or £146.50
417 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £205
7 Prime Pigs sold to 90ppk or £77
Prime Bulls (61) – Numbers tight and trade absolutely glorious again, a staggering average of 240ppk with 10 over 270ppk and also 10 in the £2000 plus club. Allegedly Blondes have more fun and that’s hard to argue with when we credit our top bull per kilo at 296 pence an absolutely wonderful 807kg example from W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm, West Woodburn. In the chasing pack were a plethora of Limousin’s as A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear; A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford and W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay all pressed our leader all the way. The aforementioned Low Leam Blonde placed 2nd on our gross value list at £2388 however it was the consistent A C Simpson & Son who led the way at a whopping £2554 with a superb 909kg bull; in the chasing pack came two exceptional Limousin’s from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst which both also sold over £2300. The native breed bull trade belonged to expert feeders A G Watson & Sons whose Aberdeen Angus sold for 261ppk and £2030. Final mention to our Friesian feeding fraternity, the black and white bulls were in high demand today with the pick of them coming from the insanely consistent R Hall & Son, Brotton at a massive 218ppk and £1525.
A C Simpson & Son sold 2 Bulls to average 282ppk and £2283
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 4 Bulls to average 270ppk or £1638
J A & M Boyes Ltd, Cleatlam sold 5 Bulls to average 268ppk and £1810
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 Bulls to average 261ppk and £1974
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 3 Bulls to average 257ppk and £1796
J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst sold 2 Bulls to average 224ppk and £2341
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 296 WJ Scott Ltd. 285 281 AC Simpson & Son. 282 277 267 251 AG Watson & Sons. 279 278 266 261 WI Suddes & Son. 277 271 270 267 258 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 266 255 252 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 263 249 EW Grieves. 262 TN Callender. 261 250 240 RJ&RJ Airey. 261 255 250 249 JH&M&NW Brown. 253 239 RW Welford & Sons. 247 JA&A Herbert. 243×2 242 233 JM Greensit & Son Ltd. 233 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2554 £2012 AC Simpson & Son. £2388 WJ Scott Ltd. £2360 £2322 JE Jordon & Son. £2164 TN Callender. £2117 £2013 £2005 £1902 AG Watson & Sons. £1963 £1840 £1806 £1756 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1958 £1833 RW Welford & Sons. £1920 £1736 £1733 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1897 £1889 £1869 £1770 JH&M&NW Brown. £1859 £1822 EW Grieves. £1804 WI Suddes & Son. £1735 RJ&RJ Airey. £1691 £1675 JM Greensit & Son Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 218 211 R Hall & Son. 209 208 203 200 199 198 189 JM&S Walton. 178 168 GW Dobson & Son. 176 175 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1525 £1408 R Hall & Son. £1340 £1120 GW Dobson & Son. £1314 £1276 £1218 £1195 £1111 £1100 £1033 JM&S Walton. £1057 £985 JA&A Herbert.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 261 AG Watson & Sons. 231 JA&A Herbert. 208 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2030 AG Watson & Sons. £1474 JK&CE Farming. £1369 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (116) – Not even storm Dudley could cool down the red-hot beef trade, credit to those who blew their way in this morning and thankfully a fantastic reward awaited them; heifers averaged a stunning 273 pence per kilo with their male counterparts 243ppk. A sweet sixteen heifers sold at 300 pence or more with seventeen in the 290’s and a score more over 280ppk. The gold medal was shared as both J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange and W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill turned out top Limousin’s which reached 319ppk with two other vendors W A Armstrong and J E Jordon & Son also well into the teens on the day. The top three steers per kilo all belonged to M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent Farm with a best of 285ppk, close behind them came a mighty charge from deepest darkest Northumberland and the excellence of W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm. With the trade absolutely bouncing it is little of a surprise that some fabulous gross values were achieved, three heifers and three steers beyond £1900 with nine in the £1800’s and a remarkable thirty-eight others between £1700 and £1800, the whole sale of clean beast averaged a sublime £1604. The team from Low Leam led the steers at an impressive £1981 however the lovely Limousion heifer of J E Jordon & Son, The Brocks, Longhirst made her journey South this morning very worthwhile when she reached a massive £1987. Below are listed some of the superb sale averages today.
W Ramsay & Sons, Wingate sold 3 Heifers to average 300ppk and £1650
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 10 Heifers to average 296ppk and £1735
R Hirst, Neasham sold 13 Heifers to average 294ppk and £1761
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 Heifers to average 292ppk and £1708
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 5 Heifers to average 292ppk and £1704
J E Jordon & Son, Morpeth sold 2 Heifers to average 289ppk and £1900
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 2 Heifers to average 284ppk and £1614
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 Heifers to average 283ppk and £1809
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 Heifers to average 278ppk and £1771
M Robinson & Sons, Staindrop sold 3 Steers to average 278ppk and £1809
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 6 Steers to average 259ppk and £1853
Steers – Top prices ppk 285 276×2 M Robinson & Sons. 275 267 264 253×2 244 WJ Scott Ltd. 258 241 K&J Heslop. 204 D Walker. 200 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Steers £1981 £1970 £1894 £1878 £1731 £1662 WJ Scott Ltd. £1943 £1882 £1601 M Robinson & Sons. £1764 £1742 K&J Heslop. £1203 D Walker. £1126 A Swinbank & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 319 299 W Ramsay & Sons. 319 304 294 JV&JA Hodgson. 316 JE Jordon & Son. 315 308 306 300 296 293 WA Armstrong. 307 305 JE Suddes & Son. 306 305 304 301 299 298 296 293×2 R Hirst. 306 288 WJ Scott Ltd. 303 K&J Heslop. 299 AC Simpson & Son. 297 288 287WF Hustwit. 295 TN Callender. 295 JH&M&NW Brown. 294 M Robinson & Sons. 293 289 F&JS Gargett. 290 287 WR Thompson. 289 285 N White.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1987 £1813 JE Jordon & Son. £1931 £1875 £1844 £1776 £1771 £1746 £1732 JV&JA Hodgson. £1907 £1788 £1734 AC Simpson & Son. £1875 £1859 £1776 £1775 £1768 £1761 £1757 £1748 £1739 R Hirst. £1811 £1799 £1784 £1781 £1765 £1754 £1737 £1727 WA Armstrong. £1796 £1754 JE Suddes & Son. £1780 WJ Scott Ltd. £1749 TN Callender. £1733 WF Hustwit. £1714 M Robinson & Sons. £1705 JH&M&NW Brown.
Prime Hoggs (1437) – Heavy hoggs more difficult to sell however the export weights reached very similar levels and left us with a sale average of 247ppk with an SQQ average of 261ppk, we continue to stand by our straight weight policy and our competitive trade week in week out; we can honestly assure all potential vendors that on the hook our hoggs are consistently up there with the very best in the region. A run of scrumptious handy weighted Beltex hoggs from A S & G Donaldson, Little Langton very early in the sale set the benchmark selling to a top of 318 pence per kilo, so good were they that none went on to better them per kilo. Top gross value was £146.50 for a terrific pair of clipped Texel hoggs shown by regular supporter W A Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm, Yearby. More Mules and Swaledales offered than last week which if they carry flesh are still solid enough to place.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 318 315 313 311 294 281 273 AS&G Donaldson. 307 JA&B Nappey. 305 287 277 272 WA Wardman Ltd. 304×2 TH Richardson & Son. 300 276 K&PM Lough. 295 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 295 275 S Thompson & Son. 294 276 270 Anthony Tindale. 287 278 273 CS Robinson. 286 M&A Gaskin. 284 278 RW&R Henry. 284 KA&V Armstrong. 282 EW Holmes. 281 Elemore Hall. 279 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 278 D&B Harding. 278 JP&R Ward. 276 WR Thompson.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £146.50 £141 £139 £129 £126.50 £123.50×2 £121 £120 WA Wardman Ltd. £143 £134 £126.50 TH Richardson & Son. £140 £138 £133 £130 £129 £128.50 £128 £126 AC Simpson & Son. £135.50 £132.50 £131 £127.50 £126.50×2 £125.50 AS&G Donaldson. £131.50 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £130 £120 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £127 S Thompson & Son. £126.50 Anthony Tindale. £125 KA&V Armstrong. £125 £120 Wendy Suddes. £125 W Robson. £125 JC Johnson. £125 R Wood & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (417) – Excellent news for the ewe vendors as trade remains tip top, three single ewes this week sold for a season’s best £205 per head as T H Richardson & Son, Low Moor Hill joined Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick and P Dawson, Nunstainton at the top of our 2022 ewe tree. Strong Mules selling nicely over £100 whilst on the whole a plain show of horned ewes topped at £80 with the leaner Swaledales typically £30 to £50.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £205 £150 TH Richardson & Son. £205 £130 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £205 £190 P Dawson. £150 £127 £120×2 W Ramsay & Sons. £140 S&S Davies. £140 HT Davies & Partners. £135 Castlewood Farm. £132 E Smith. £130 £114 William Tindale. £130 CA Spensley. £130 JD Teasdale. £130 Wendy Suddes. £130 C Dawson. £126×2 WL Robinson & Partners. £125 £120 N white. £120 C Harle & Sons. £120 WR Thompson. £116 Anthony Tindale.
Prime Pigs (7) – Oh the grand old Duke of York he had 12 million quid…. Such a shame he didn’t choose to buy 155,854 prime pigs, the industry could really use a boost. At current levels that money would buy every pig we sell (give or take) for the next 374 years. Trade still very ordinary.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 90×2 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £77 £76.50 J Mitchell & Son.
