Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 29th September 2022. Forward were 217 Cattle and 2552 Sheep.
82 Prime Bulls sold to 300ppk or £2448
37 Prime Steers sold to 321ppk or £2523
98 Prime Heifers sold to 333ppk or £2311
2069 Prime Lambs sold to 342ppk or £148
483 Cast Sheep sold to £130
Prime Bulls (82) – Once again the bull beef trade excelled itself, the sale averaged an excellent 251ppk and £1742. Flying highest at 300 pence per kilo were Cliff and Terry Watson of A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange, Rushyford with an excellently finished 734kg Limousin bull, close behind were a super run from Willington’s J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm. The top twenty bulls all joined the £2000 plus club this week, of these an impressive eleven sold over £2200; the top price at a wonderful £2448 went to J L Marks, Gilly Flatts Farm, Bishopton with an exceptional 862kg Limousin. Fewer Friesians forward were again sought after, tops came from D Walker, High Woodifield Farm East at 205ppk and £1619 from J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm. Further success in a good offering of native breeds for the Watson brothers selling a fleshy Aberdeen Angus to £1942 whilst the top native per kilo was also an Angus and sold for 248ppk from M Hutchinson, Evenwood Gate. Below are some of the week’s high flyers.
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Great Stainton sold 3 to average 282ppk and £2117
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 4 to average 281ppk and £2106
J Layfield, Willington sold 6 to average 279ppk and £1927
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 5 to average 277ppk and £2096
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 4 to average 265ppk and £2164
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 290 287 268 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 290 284 279 273 JH&M&NW Brown. 288 274 260 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 286 GK KN & GJ Hird. 285 P&N Tattersall. 284 JL Marks. 276 WE Swales Ltd. 275 JJ Horn. 274 JK&CE Farming. 270 TW Clark & Son. 266 JJ Kemp & Son. 263×2 LW Martin. 260 LS Staley.
Lead grossing Continental Bulls £2448 JL Marks. £2315 £2215 £2206 £1921 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2271 WE Swales & Sons Ltd. £2261 £2218 £1873 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2252 £2051 £1950 £1819 J Layfield. £2215 £2202 £2076 £2045 £1942 AG Watson & Sons. £2214 £1919 £1895 TW Clark & Son. £2198 £2099 £2081 £2047 JH&M&NW Brown. £2103 £1887 LS Staley. £2053 £1952 JJ Kemp & Son. £1950 GK KN & GJ Hird. £1901 C&M Atkinson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 205 204 203 D Walker. 204 JM&S Walton. 188 176 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 185 Little Newsham Farms.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1619 JM&S Walton. £1224 £1193 £1099 D Walker. £1141 £1103 C&M Atkinson & Sons.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 248 237 M Hutchinson. 245 AG Watson & Sons. 245 238 231 220 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 245 J Layfield. 244 237 235 228 SN Bird & Sons. 238 236×2 230 K Norman Farms.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1942 AG Watson & Sons. £1901 £1675 £1603 £1557 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1778 J Layfield. £1721 £1696 M Hutchinson. £1696 £1662 £1635 £1583 SN Bird & Sons. £1503 £1492 £1352 £1342 K Norman Farms.
Clean Cattle (135) – The captain of the good ship clean cattle has steered her now in to unchartered waters, never have they been this trade before. No weight caps, age discrimination of farcical farm assurance penalties, the deadweight is dead, long live the live auction. Thirteen bullocks and forty-seven heifers all sold in the 300’s today which is, in itself, a DfAM record. Three Limousin heifers sold within thruppence of the top spot and all in the 330’s; a bronze medal for the in-form Hirst’s of Neasham Grange at 331ppk, success and silver medal for York raiders P & N Tattersall at 332ppk however the gold award went to longstanding customers J B Luck & Son, Milestone House, Bowes with a beautiful 599kg homebred heifer at 333ppk. Steer trade too proved sensational and again the places were decided by the narrowest of margins; Brian Walker, Dalton-on-Tees and M & G Chantrell, Leicestershire shared 3rd place at 319ppk whilst York’s Neil Tattersall claimed his 2nd second place of the day at 320ppk, the top steer however was another cracker from the Chantrell pen at 599kg selling for 321ppk. No matter how grand the gross values are throughout any sale few ever come close to the mighty beasts of Barker Farming Partnership, Tancred Grange, Scorton; this week’s sorcery from Scorton saw them sell heifers to £2311 and an absolute tank of an 844kg British Blue steer realised a magnificent £2523. Some insane returns today are listed on the customary leader board below.
Heifers
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 319ppk and £1897
R Hirst, Neasham sold 9 to average 318ppk and £1792
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 to average 312ppk and £1784
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 10 to average 310ppk and £1707
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 6 to average 309ppk and £1806
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 to average 307ppk and £1841
Steers
P & N Tattersall, York sold 2 to average 316ppk and £1754
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 312ppk and £1867
J L Marks, Bishopton sold 3 to average 305ppk and £1827
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 2 to average 304ppk and £1729
M & G Chantrell Ltd, Leicestershire sold 11 to average 298ppk and £1827
Barker Farming, Scorton sold 3 to average 291ppk and £2371
Steers – Top prices ppk 321 319 316 311 304 299 297 290 282 280 274 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 320 313 P&N Tattersall. 319 316 304 B Walker. 315 303 299 JL Marks. 310 299 WJ Smith & Partners. 299 296 280 Barker Farming Partnership. 289 259 A Crowder. 283 280 267 266 264 260 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 257 JJ Kemp & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2523 £2312 £2279 Barker Farming Partnership. £2064 £1961 £1913 £1906 £1871 £1864 £1805 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1923 £1922 £1899 £1851 £1847 £1838 £1796 £1775 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1908 £1863 £1710 JL Marks. £1905 £1875 £1821 B Walker. £1840 JJ Kemp & Son. £1777 £1731 P&N Tattersall. £1770 £1689 WJ Smith & Partners.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 333 305 JB Luck & Son. 332 P&N Tattersall. 331 329 326 325 324 318 313 312 R Hirst. 328 325 324 319 318 310 309 308×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 324 319×3 314 312 310 308 306 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 324 318×2 314 302 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 320×2 318 315 312 WA Armstrong. 314 305 K&J Heslop. 307 Barker Farming Partnership. 307 302 WJ Smith & Partners. 305 K&A Harker. 303 300 A&D Proctor.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2311 Barker Farming Partnership. £1994 £1799 JB Luck. £1955 £1923 £1918 £1915 £1908 £1891 £1866 £1836 £1820 JV&JA Hodgson. £1911 £1871 £1826 £1794 31758 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1904 £1884 £1827 £1739 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 31903 £1843 £1824 £1799 £1773 WA Armstrong. £1895 P&N Tattersall. £1866 £1856 £1841 £1832 £1825 £1797 R Hirst. £1827 A&D Proctor. £1799 K&J Heslop. £1776 ABP Wilsons. £1758 K Norman Farms.
Prime Lambs (2069) – Trade easier and levelled at 235ppk and £105.61 per head, this week last year the lambs jumped and traded 5ppk and £3.40 higher than today’s prices. A good show of meat forward was evident as the feed bags the buyers have craved for weeks seem to be now springing into action, as always, this average represents the truth with every lamb from every vendor weighed straight in Darlington. John Moralee of Hardriding Farm, Bardon Mill topped the sale with seven superb Beltex lambs at 342 pence per kilo, unfortunately John was not on hand to see his lambs sold today as he headed off, he can now though rest assured that the instructions on the Cornflake packet were followed precisely, the added Cornflake facts we provided are all part of the service. The heavy weights led the gross values once again, top was a pair of 58kg Texels from Georgia Willis, Gilling West at £148 with regular sellers M & A Gaskin and G C & J C Pullan both in hot pursuit.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 342 288 263 262 261 253 J&A Moralee. 305 297 284 282 271 257 JV&JA Hodgson. 300 254 253 CK&D Muir Ltd. 290 287 280 266 257 Askwiths. 284 278 277×2 272 254 251 WB Mitchell & Sons. 267 L Van Geffen. 266 PRE Marwood. 265 260 AS&G Donaldson. 262 252 KJ&SS Bell. 261 255 M&A Gaskin. 260 Georgia Willis. 259 JE Suddes & Son. 258 D&M Lowes. 258 F Shield. 256 250 HT Davies & Partners. 255 G Thompson & Sons. 254 GC&JC Pullan. 253 252 JA&UM Fawcett.
Lead Grossing Lambs £148 £122 Georgia Willis. £145.50 £136 M&A Gaskin. £145 £134 £124×2 GC&JC Pullan. £139 £130 £128 £125×3 WB Mitchell & Sons. £138.50 £121 AS&G Donaldson. £136.50 £127 £125×2 £122 JV&JA Hodgson. £131.50 KJ&SS Bell. £131 Forster Hall & Son. £130×2 £126 J&A Moralee. £130 £129.50 M Hogg. £130 £125 P Bisby. £130 £125 T Common & Son. £129 F Shield. £126 CK&D Muir Ltd. £125 PR&KM Brown. £124 JA&UM Fawcett. £123.50 MW&M Skidmore. £123×2 D&M Lowes.
Cast Ewes & Rams (483) – As with the lamb’s trade back a little, once again flesh is essential as the lean meat drags its heels. Three times bidding reached £130 as twice ewes from T Patchett, Leeming Bar matched the price set by a pair of hefty Texel’s from D & P H Brown, Albrough St John. Mule ewes needed to be heavy to climb in to the £90’s and the best of the horned ewes sold in the mid £50’s.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £130 D&PH Brown. £130×2 £127 £114×3 £108 T Patchett. £124 £118 P Cockburn. £124 £114 £100 GC&JC Pullan. £124 £108 £97 Wilsons. £123 SMA swinbank. £122×2 W Denham. £120 £107 £100×2 Jack Barker. £120 M Navazi. £120 £110 W Kirk & Sons. £120 J Hird. £120 £116 A&PA Jopling. £118 M&A Gaskin. £118 J Hird. £116 £110 F&JS Gargett. £110×2 A&V Wade. £110 P Bisby. £108 FD Hall. £107 D&M Lowes.
