Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 20th October 2022. Forward were 146 Cattle and 2675 Sheep.
69 Prime Bulls sold to 290ppk or £2410
22 Prime Steers sold to 308ppk or £2063
55 Prime Heifers sold to 323ppk or £2052
2266 Prime Lambs sold to 312ppk or £140
409 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £140
Prime Bulls (69) – Trade back slightly, no need to press the panic button however as the sale still averages 246ppk and £1776; a terrific 19 bulls sold over £2000. Top price per kilo this week went to an excellent 675kg Limousin bull from L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor when he sold for 290 pence, close behind at 288pk came Kelso based raider W M Fleming with a cracker from C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall back a further tuppence. The belter from Brandon Hall ran away with the top gross price, weighing 843kg he amassed a value of £2410, two other vendors made it into the £2200’s as both P I Harker, Worsall and J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst produced impressive Limousin’s. Friesian bulls were also perhaps a shade easier on the week, nonetheless impressing the most were D & C A Henry of Deighton topping at 210ppk and £1414.
P I Harker, Worsall sold 2 to average 277ppk and £2187
J E Jordon & Son, Morpeth sold 2 to average 277ppk and £2149
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 to average 274ppk and £2131
W M Fleming, Kelso sold 5 to average 270ppk and £1824
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 269ppk and £1932
Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold 6 to average 268ppk and £1964
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 290 276 261 256 LR Welsh & Co. 288 276 275 270 WM Fleming. 286 C Harle & Sons. 284 280 260 F&JS Gargett. 280 260 256×2 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 280 276 JE Jordon & Son. 280 277 270 261 260×2 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 279 275 PI Harker. 279 274 270 261 257 AG Watson & Sons. 270 269 259 247 JH&M&NW Brown. 266 259 LS Staley.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2410 C Harle & Sons. £2245 £2128 PI Harker. £2235 £2063 JE Jordon & Son. £2189 £2115 £2088 F&JS Gargett. £2141 LS Staley. £2116 £2018 £2009 £2004 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2080 £2049 £2012 £1973 £1937 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2076 £2033 £1948 £1827 AG Watson & Sons. £2014 £1978 £1957 LR Welsh & Co. £1933 Rigel Pedigree. £1929 £1829 JH&M&NW Brown. £1909 £1839 WM Fleming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 210 209 D&CA Henry. 204 197×2 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1414 £1402 D&CA Henry. £1280 £1209 £1197 R Hall & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 234 230 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 233 209 M/S Douglas & Co. 222 213 207 JF&JK Hayward & Son. 219 JR Knox & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1764 £1595 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1701 JR Knox & Son. £1644 £1571 £1481 M/S Douglas. £1551 £1430 £1427 JF&JK Hayward & Son.
Clean Cattle (77) – Clean cattle today proved to be like Liz Truss supporters, in very short supply. Best butcher’s heifers continued in terrific form, the steers and R grade heifers perhaps looked slightly easier however the fabulous females still averaged a mesmerising 290 pence per kilo, the steers levelled at 260ppk and the whole show averaged once again beyond £1700. Half of the hot heifers sold in the 300’s; top of the tree were two vendors as the ultra-consistent J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse dead heated with raiders from the borders Messrs W M Fleming, Moss Tower both selling Limousin heifers at 323ppk to H Taylor & Sons, Darlington. To ensure quality on the counter in Taylor’s growing portfolio of shops the local butchers also secured our 3rd placed heifer per kilo today; the fine recent form of R Hirst, Neasham continued when they fell just short of the joint leaders at 322 pence. Top steer per kilo went to regular sellers W J Smith & Partners, Belle Isle with a homebred Limousin at 308 pence, only Jedburgh based Robert Neill & Partners prevented the Belle Isle outfit running away with the steer race this week. Less heavyweights in attendance than of late meant only three clean cattle sold over £2000, a superb steer from J B & N Harrison & Sons, Lanchester reached £2063 whilst twice full fleshed over 30-month Limousin heifers from A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear also climbed beyond £2000; the best of the rest at £1971 came from Cornsay Colliery’s J E Suddes & Son. Below are listed just some of the successful sellers.
P & N Tattersall, York sold 4 Heifers to average 314ppk and £1714
W M Fleming, Kelso sold 4 Heifers to average 309ppk and £1791
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 4 Heifers to average 304ppk and £1826
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 4 Heifers to average 304ppk and £1707
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 Heifers to average 302ppk and £1823
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 Heifers to average 297ppk and £1750
W J Smith & Partners, Richmond sold 6 Steers to average 289ppk and £1656
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 3 Heifers to average 271ppk and £2004
Steers – Top prices ppk 308 296 288 285 283 279 WJ Smith & Partners. 295 273 259 251 R Neill & Partners. 260 250 DK Barker. 252 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 251 247 245 241 RW&R Henry. 247 243 JR&B Anderson. 245 I Newton & Son. 243 RD Musgrave.
Lead Grossing Steers £2063 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £1884 £1772 £1674 £1585 RW&R Henry. £1831 £1601 £1587 £1564 R Neill & Partners. £1825 £1730 JR&B Anderson. £1770 £1729 DK Barker. £1767 £1678 £1644 £1641 £1615 £1593 WJ Smith & Partners. £1414 RD Musgrave.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 323 314 307×3 300 299 292 290 282 278 JV&JA Hodgson. 323 318 317 285 WM Fleming. 322 316 314 306 305 296×2 294 288×2 R Hirst. 319 317 313 311 P&N Tattersall. 315 312 308 285 JE Suddes & Son. 313 308 306 289 WJ Smith & Partners. 306 DK Barker. 303×2 283 279 273 270 P&JH Davison. 270×2 AC Simpson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2052 £2035 £1925 AC Simpson & Son. £1971 £1878 £1781 JE Suddes & Son. £1924 £1887 £1878 £1866 £1862 £1839 £1783 R Hirst. £1876 £1849 £1841 £1821 £1805 £1748 £1736 JV&JA Hodgson. £1870 £1855 £1794 WM Fleming. £1809 £1647 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £1780 £1738 £1670 £1668 P&N Tattersall. £1768 £1737 £1707 WJ Smith & Partners. £1745 £1651 £1618 P&JH Davison.
Lambs (2266) – Lamb trade a touch easier, once again the best fleshed demanded a premium and credit to the vendors as the feed bags are certainly now in use; as always, our weigh bridge operator needs not to be a hero and for ALL begins on zero – today’s sale averaged 234ppk and £105 which is remarkably similar to the same weeks trading last year. Top price per kilo went to a super Beltex from W K M M Lamb of Doe Park, Cotherstone when the 41kg star sold for 312 pence (£128). Terrific Texel lambs from J & A Moralee, Bardon Mill and C K & D Muir, Loftus enjoyed the best of the rest top prices per kilo. A belting 55kg Beltex from regular sellers A S & G Donaldson, Little Langton Grange topped the pounds per head when selling for £140, thick meat, shape and weight from both the Askwiths, Crook and W A Wardman, Yearby proved to be the Little Langton lambs closest rivals.
Lambs- Top Prices ppk – 312 W.K M.M Lamb. 301 300 270 267 261 J&A Moralee. 300 268 254 CK&D Muir LTD. 285 WA Wardman LTD. 279 278 276 257 HT Davies and partners. 273 JA&UM Fawcett. 270 253 JD Brannen. 269 266 W&M Knaggs & Son. 267 A&CA Stanwix. 266 246 Askwiths. 263 250 Humbleton Farm. 263 P&CM Graham. 261 JG Hall. 261 P Cockburn. 258 247 T Common & Son. 256 248 PRE Marwood. 256 Wilsons. 255 254 247 247 AS&G Donaldson. 254 250 M Barley. 253 GF Whitfield. 252 x2 AWSM Farms. 251 J Calzini. 250 I Spedding. 250 N Medd & Son. 248 246 M&A Gaskin. 248 DWT Davies. 247 J&D Gibson. 247 M Smith. 246 C&E Gaskin.
Lead Grossing Lambs – £140 £138 £120 AS&G Donaldson. £138.50 £117.50 £121 Askwiths. £138 £120 WA Wardman LTD. £132 £130 £120 £118.50 £118 RO Gilson. £131 £119 £118 T Duckitt. £130 £124 M&A Gaskin. £128 £121 W.K M.M Lamb. £128 £126.50 £120 J&A Moralee. £128 JG Atkinson. £127 FW Hodgson & Son. £125 R Wood & Son. £122 x2 J&D Gibson. £122 J Waters. £120 £120 £118 £117 CK&D Muir LTD. £120 x3 £117 DK Barker. £120 P Cockburn. £120 £117 Anthony Tindale. £119 JH&D Wise. £119 WE Frank & Son. £118.50 J Millbank & Sons. £118 Forster Hall & Sons. £118 PRE Marwood. £117.50 D&PH Brown. £117 J Gilson Agricultural Contractors. £117 AWSM Farms. £116.50 K Hall. £116.50 A&CA Stanwix.
Cast Ewes & Rams (409) – Very similar to the lambs with meat easy to move but lean sheep labouring somewhat. Top price of the day went to a Texel tup from I Spedding, Harelaw Farm, Wolsingham at £140; leading the ewes at £135 was T Duckitt, Sunnyside Farm, Goole. Big continental and Suffolk ewes regularly sold north of £120 whilst the best of the Mule’s sold £85 to £100. Swaledale’s carrying the most flesh traded either side of £50.
Ewes & Rams Leading Prices – £140 I Spedding. £135 £120 T Duckitt. £130 £118 £116 £106(x2) J G Atkinson. £130 D K Barker. £130 £120(x2) £100 J & D Gibson. £128 £112(x2) J R & A R Wall. £127 C & E Gaskin. £125 £121(x2) £118 £100 A C Simpson & Son. £120(x2) M & A Gaskin. £120(x2) P & C M Graham. £120 £112 J & R A Speed. £120 £114 R Wood & Son. £120 J L Gill & Son. £118 P Cockburn. £116(x2) P Bisby. £114 L D Laws. £114(x2) £110 J Thompson. £112 J D Brannen. £108(x2) J J Horn. £106 T T Hall & Son. £100 P R E Marwood. £100 Charlotte Newton. £100 J Waters.
