Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 16th March 2023. Forward were 251 Cattle and 1869 Sheep.
77 Prime Bulls sold to 354ppk or £2617
18 Prime Steers sold to 339ppk or £2116
153 Prime Heifers sold to 349ppk or £2368
3 Cast Cattle sold to 184ppk or £2120
1341 Prime Hoggs sold to 311ppk or £160
528 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £220
2 Sow/Boar sold to 50ppk or £95
Prime Bulls (77) – The bull beef trade flies in to Cheltenham week at a remarkable gallop, a nice show produced some excellent returns as the sale averaged a superb 276ppk. Amazingly the top 19 bulls all sold over 300 pence per kilo, the remarkable T N & J Hall of Ainstable Hall, Carlisle showed our top five per kilo with their best an absolutely stunning 673kg British Blue at the dizzy heights of 354 pence. Some twenty six bulls joined the £2000 plus club today with the top fifteen over £2200, naturally the aforementioned Hall’s were strong contenders for top gross value however local producers A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange fought off the Cumbrian crusaders when the best of their good run sold for an impressive £2617. Mention must also go to a superb pen of bulls from the Harle Family of Brandon Village who can certainly rely on their Limousin’s with tops of 337ppk and £2540. Friesian feeders were once again well rewarded, excellent top prices this week of 276ppk and £1725 went to J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge and R Hall & Sons, Brotton respectively. Look at the returns below, weight, age and the red tractor all totally irrelevant in the high flying live ring.
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 6 to average 344ppk and £2453
C Harle & Sons, Brandon sold 4 to average 328ppk and £2438
W I Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 5 to average 309ppk and £1893
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 to average 301ppk and £2215
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 354 348 347 344 343 335 TN&J Hall. 337 332 323 320 C Harle & Sons. 337 311300 297 287 285 AG Watson & Sons. 319×3 311 WI Suddes & Son. 308 GW Dent. 300 283 LS Staley. 295 289 RC Raper & Daughters. 295 280 GH Farms Ltd. 294 279 JR Tiplady. 289 JK&CE Farming. 288 284 JK Gregory. 287 CF Binks & Son. 285 282 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 284 TL Holmes & Son. 279 TH Harrison & Sons. 277 SH Watson & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2617 £2362 £2197 £2100 £2024 £1989 AG Watson & Sons. £2602 £2526 £2491 £2438 £2382 £2280 TN&J Hall. £2540 £2436 £2396 £2380 C Harle & Sons. £2396 £2282 £2218 £2165 £2070 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2196 £2181 LS Staley. £2176 R Hall & Son. £2044 £2012WI Suddes & Son. £2025 £1953 JR Tiplady. £1994 JK&CE Farming. £1977 £1929 SH Watson & Son. £1931 C Binks & Son. £1908 GH Farms Ltd. £1898 RC Raper & Daughters.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 276 255 JK&CE Farming. 245 243 R Hall & Son. 240×2 238 234 233 232×2 228 224 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1725 £1585 R Hall & Son. £1711 £1601 JK&CE Farming. £1610 £1556 £1537 £1527 £1525 £1504 £1405 £1378 £1317 JM&S Walton.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 237 235 230 220 R&D Harland.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1773 £1607 £1593 £1531 R&D Harland.
Cast Cattle – Top prices ppk 184 148 Skelton Farming Ltd. 152 J Elliott.
Lead Grossing Cast Cattle £2120 J Elliott. £1221 £720 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Clean Cattle (171) – Nothing can (or ever will) beat the live auction in rising times, we heartily welcomed increased numbers today and the recent supersonic trade showed no sign of letting up, in fact they are even dearer than last week’s barnstormer in real terms. Not a fancy show of quality by any standards, all in, weighed, sold, done and dusted by dinner time saw the heifers average 300ppk and the steers 298ppk on a day when more than fifty cattle beat 320 pence. A brilliant baker’s dozen blasted in to the 340’s, of these four came from the red-hot Hirst’s of Neasham Grange, a trio from our classy Cumbrian’s of Ainstable Hall plus one apiece for Messrs Askwith, Armstrong, Heslop and Hodgson however the recent fine form of Barker Farming, Scorton continued as they placed two in club 240 with the pick of their pen an awesome 609kg British Blue reaching 249ppk. More joy followed soon after for the Scorton sensations as they topped the steers per kilo with a sublime 614kg Limousin at 339 pence with others at 337ppk and 328ppk. The day’s top two gross valued steers arrived on the Whitby express as Mickleby based J M Smith, Westfields Farm showed some powerful sorts to top at £2116 with a 685kg Limousin. Some seventeen heifers broke £2000, unsurprisingly to find the winner we go back to the blistering hot Barker’s, an excellent 709kg British Blue totted up nicely to £2368. Some simply staggering statistics this week in our winner’s enclosure below. Let’s hope the Irish horses keep up at Cheltenham because their deadweight firms at the moment are way off the pace, the red tractor’s a red herring, age is but a number, slow clap the weight cap, sell live and thrive.
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 7 heifers to average 335ppk and £2146
T N & J Hall, Carlisle sold 4 Heifers to average 335ppk and £1902
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 3 Steers to average 334ppk and £2030
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 Heifers to average 334ppk and £1858
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 Heifers to average 332ppk and £1907
P Weightman & Sons, Easington sold 2 Heifers to average 331ppk and £1873
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 Heifers to average 327ppk and £1825
K & J Heslop, Fishburn sold 5 Heifers to average 324ppk and £1772
J L Marks, Bishopton sold 2 Steers to average 319ppk and £1906
Steers – Top prices ppk 339 337 328 Barker Farming Partnership. 325 314 JL Marks. 319 WA Armstrong. 316 305 WR Thompson. 314 SW Thompson. 312 Askwiths. 309 279 264 JM Smith. 287 268 TH Harrison & sons. 263 JR Spink. 230 T Watson.
Lead Grossing Steers £2116 £2098 £1993 JM Smith. £2081 £2032 £1977 Barker Farming Partnership. £1996 Askwiths. £1965 SW Thompson. £1915 £1898 JL Marks. £1885 WA Armstrong. £1851 £1778 WR Thompson. £1638 JR Spink. £1475 £1307 TH Harrison & Sons. £1391 T Watson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 349 343 335 334×2 330 324 Barker Farming Partnership. 348×2 342 340 338 329 327 326 325 R Hirst. 345 333 320 WA Armstrong. 344 340×2 320 TN&J Hall. 341 327 Askwiths. 341 335 333 322 K&J Heslop. 340 338 333 327 325 324×2 318 JV&JA Hodgson. 339 327 326 J Layfield. 338 JJ Kemp & Son. 338 333 B walker. 331×2 P Weightman & Sons. 325×2 P&N Tattersall. 317 314×2 WR Thompson. 316 PJ&ES Rogerson. 315 J&R Hutchinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2368 £2352 £2207 £2157 £2125 £1963 Barker Farming Partnership. £2151 £2104 £2024 £2017 £2001 £1984 £1981 £1900 JV&JA Hodgson. £2128 £1998 TN&J Hall. £2067 JR Spink. £2057 £1928 £1853 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2052 £2013 £2011 £2005 £1881 £1872 R Hirst. £1962 £1960 Askwiths. £1956 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. £1944 £1855 B walker. £1929 P Weightman & Sons. £1910 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1909 £1859 P&N Tattersall. £1906 £1869 JJ Kemp & son. £1905 TW Clark & Son. £1874 JM Smith.
Prime Hoggs (1341) – Less forward this week, trade firmer again with prices up £6 to £10 per head leaving a weighed straight sale average of 247ppk with an SQQ average of 265ppk. Fancy sorts were few and far between and many more could have sold advantageously, this week’s pace setter per kilo at 311ppk came from D & A M Bayles, Barnard Castle with a tidy 45kg Beltex. For the second week running it was ‘Biz’ doing the business when it came to gross values as the good hoggs from P Bisby, Pollington topped the market with a quartet of 53kg Texel’s selling for £160. The weekly run of strength from A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear again impressed with a heavyweight 55 averaging £136. All breeds and creeds were offered and in demand, hill bred hoggs saw both Herdwick’s and Blackface top at £114 whilst the best of the Mule’s reached £117.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 311 269 D&AM Bayles. 309 273 WE Frank & Son. 309 305 275 273 CK&D Muir Ltd. 309 308 283 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 308 SC Brown. 307 284 AS Whitfield. 301 297 P Bisby. 298 287 275×2 R&D Harland. 285 275 CM Cameron. 285 280 JR&M Richardson. 284 D Chapman. 284 268 N Robinson & Sons. 282 A Crowder. 282 TW Brown. 281 270 PJ Tindale. 280 274 IM Maughan. 279 270 R Wood & Son. 277×2 W.K M.M Lamb. 273 W Wearmouth & Son. 272 JH&D Wise. 270 268 JM&S Walton. 269 A Jameson. 269×2 JK&CE Farming. 269 Emma Watson.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £160 £143 £135 £130 P Bisby. £149 £137 R&D Harland. £148 £145×2 £140×6 £139 £136 £135 £134×2 £130 £126 AC Simpson & Son. £145 £133 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £144 £138 £131 A Crowder. £142 £140×3 £137 M Robinson & Sons. £142 George Dale. £140 D&AM Bayles. £137 £129 £126 JR&M Richardson. £135.50 JK&CE Farming. £134 D Chapman. £132 A&H Livestock. £130.50 T Duckitt. £130 WE Frank & Son. £130 CK&D Muir Ltd. £130 J Pallister & Sons. £126 AS Whitfield. £125.50 J&A Layfield. £125 T Watson. £125 TW Clark & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (528) – Up goes the ewe trade and not for the first time during the Cheltenham festival, an excellent average over £100. The Nottinghamshire duo of Philip Weaver and Ian Kirk battled for supremacy as each man sold excellent Texel’s over £200 with the Kirk consignment running out the eventual winner at £220. Plenty of heavy ewes north of £150 with anything well fleshed in terrific demand, see below.
Texel to £220 from Ian Kirk, Nottingham
Charollais to £168 from J T Wilson, Stockton
Suffolk to £151 from M & C L R Dale, Skirpenbeck
Mule to £124 from Ian Kirk, Nottingham
Cheviot Mule to £137 from K O Stones, Marrick
Cheviot to £116 from K O Stones, Marrick
Blackface to £93 from L W Martin, Commondale
Swaledale to £80 from M Barker Farms, Richmond
Tups to £172 from G C & J C Pullan, Tunstall
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £220 £210 £200 £150 £148 £124 Ian Kirk. £200 £190 £183 £170 x2 £162 £122 PR Weaver. £182 £161 £120 W&M Knaggs & Son. £168 £156 £125 JT Wilson. £166 x2 £158 £150 £138 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £158 £153 £137 KO Stones. £156 x2 £156 £151 £149 £148 £142 £139 £132 M&CLR Dale. £178 £148 £139 GC&JC Pullan. £148 FW Hodgson & Son. £140 AC Simpson & Son. £140 £133 Rose A Farms LTD. £139 £137 £134 Anna Herbert. £139 P Tindale. £132 £130 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £130 PJ Tindale. £130 M Barker Farms. £130 £89 CM Cameron. £126 R Blenkiron. £124 £110 K Tallentire. £122 Swalebank Farms LTD.
