Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 22nd June 2023. Forward were 217 cattle, 3326 sheep and 22 pigs.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 325ppk or £2353
36 Prime Steers sold to 317ppk or £2033
107 Prime Heifers sold to 344ppk or £2215
1634 New Season Lambs sold to 407ppk or £186
697 Prime Hoggs sold to 334ppk or £164
995 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £160
22 Prime Pigs sold to 160ppk or £144
Prime Bulls (74) – The best bulls remain easily sold, a sizeable plainer end today mattered little as demand remains good for all classes leaving a sale average of 259ppk and £1776. Some twenty bulls sold over £2000 and fifteen over 300 pence per kilo but one superstar stole the show and topped both lists; an excellent 724kg Limousin from regular sellers A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange claimed the bragging rights selling for 325 pence per kilo and £2353. The reliable R Hall & Son of Kilton Hall Farm led the Friesian bulls per kilo at 239 whilst the top gross valued black and white accolade went back across the Pennines with J M Stuart & Son, Rabys Farm, Preston with a fine sort reaching £1643. As always listed below are some of the day’s highest flyers.
J R Knox & Son, Heighington sold 2 to average 314ppk and £2106
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 2 to average 312ppk and £2176
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 3 to average 310ppk and £1934
F W Hodgson & Son, Staindrop sold 2 to average 305ppk and £2246
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 325 302×2 2958 278 AG Watson & Sons. 317 313 JR Knox & Son. 317 316 300 S&J Dent & Son. 316 308 JB Luck & Son. 311 300 FW Hodgson & Son. 310 W Barron. 305 298 270 JF Gibson & Son. 295 281 269 RW&R Henry. 285 275 269 JK Gregory. 282 270 BW&AO Manners. 281 264 EA Martin & Son. 279 278 269 267 RS Hall & Sons. 277 JK&CE Farming. 276 269 SH Watson & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2353 £2352 £2313 £2219 £2197 £2076 £2055 AG Watson & Sons. £2340 £2318 £1977 RW&R Henry. £2306 W Barron. £2280 £2115 K Mackenzie. £2264 £2229 FW Hodgson & Son. £2243 £2109 JB Luck & Son. £2172 £2041 JR Knox & Son. £2061 £1865 BW&AO Manners. £2028 £1995 £1815 SH Watson & Son. £1994 JK&CE Farming. £1990 £1908 £1905 S&J Dent & Son. £1961 DM Lyle. £1947 JK Gregory.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 239 238 R Hall & Sons. 239 JK&CE Farming. 229 JK Gregory. 225 215 214×2 JM&S Walton. 219 218 214×2 212 211 207 202 JM Stuart & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1643 £1414 £1388 £1377 £1358 £1335 £1282 £1280 £1240 JM Stuart & Son. £1606 £1590 £1554 £1483 JM&S Walton. £1584 JK&CE Farming. £1512 £1375 R Hall & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 245 R Hall & Son. 232 TA&J Swinbank. 205 JM Stuart & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1651 TA&J Swinbank. £1531 R Hall & Son. £1502 JM Stuart & Son.
Clean Cattle (143) – A good show of numbers forward however quality vary variable, another fine trade for all classes with the averages on paper of heifers 280ppk and steers 265ppk suggesting a drop which in real terms was not the case. Regular raiders the Hodgson’s and the Hirst’s not for the first time found themselves at the top of our prices per kilo, this week the Hodgson’s had the edge with a wonderful 552kg Limousin heifer selling for 244 pence. Top steer per kilo at 317 pence earns the first mention today for Will Hall of R S Hall & Sons, Driffield; the smart 625kg Limousin was pleasingly a product of our October suckled calf sale originating from Messrs Bainbridge of West Hoppyland Farm. To the gross values, best of the steers was Hexham based R A & B A Ridley & Son, Dipton Foot Farm at £2033; leading the heifers were a fine pair from Gerard Quinn of J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm with his best a hefty Limousin reaching £2215 and her stablemate a credible £2157. Below are some of the top pen averages.
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 5 Heifers to average 319ppk and £1958
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 8 Heifers to average 315ppk and £1916
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 Heifers to average 315ppk and £1787
C Binks & Son, Walworth sold 2 Heifers to average 314ppk and £1755
J B Luck & Son, Bowes sold 3 Heifers to average 311ppk and £1732
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 2 Heifers to average 310ppk and £1698
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 Heifers to average 300ppk and £2035
R S Hall & Sons, Driffield sold 8 Steers to average 296ppk and £1750
Steers- Top Prices ppk 317 316 308 299 289 287 284 278 RS Hall & Sons. 307 288 247 RO Gilson. 307 W Swinbank & Sons. 299 WA Wardman LTD. 293 270 250 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. 292 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. 287 LW Martin. 285 JE Suddes & Son. 275 AJ Marr & Son. 261 250 TN Hodgson & Sons. 259 Askwiths. 248 247 Anthony Swinbank & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2033 £1965 £1871 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. £1975 £1845 £1771 £1721 £1648 RS Hall & Sons. £1918 £1722 £1696 RO Gilson. £1884 £1737 £1670 £1630 £1610 £1562 TN Hodgson & Sons. £1861 JE Suddes & Son. £1821 £1465 Askwiths. £1789 W Swinbank. £1784 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. £1766 Anthony Swinbank. £1608 AJ Marr & Son.
Heifers- Top Prices ppk 344 334 327 319 308 JV&JA Hodgson. 338 335 325 317 316 313 312 310 301 R Hirst. 330 326 324 312 W Swinbank & Sons. 329 W&M Knaggs & Son. 320 319 JB Luck & Son. 318 WJ Smith & Partners. 318 311 C Binks & Son. 318 Rochester & Murray. 315 F&JS Gargett. 313 309 306 299 FJ Young & Partners. 312 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. 311 306 JE Suddes & Son. 311 298 Askwiths. 309 307 WF Hustwit. 308 JR Tiplady. 306 305 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. 301 299 JV&JA Hodgson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2215 £2157 £1732 JE Suddes & Son. £2115 £2047 £1971 £1900 £1756 W Swinbank & Sons. £2040 £2010 £1983 £1964 £1955 £1898 £1785 JV&JA Hodgson. £1963 £1869 £1835 £1834 £1787 £1779 £1768 R Hirst. £1928 RO Gilson. £1911 Rochester & Murray. £1891 Anthony Swinbank. £1862 JB Luck & Son. £1848 £1799 RA&BA Ridley & Son LTD. £1834 £1809 £1808 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. £1787 £1722 C Binks & Son. £1830 £1809 F&JS Gargett. £1806 £1771 WF Hustwit. £1782 £1752 £1741 FJ Young & Partners. £1756 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1742 WJ Smith & Partners.
New Season Lambs (1634) – The trade of the week, credit to the vendors as a fine show assembled and the buyers fought hard meaning the rewards proved incredibly high. Twenty-six lambs sold over £180, more than a hundred followed in the £170’s and the whole sale weighed straight averaged 340ppk with an SQQ of 342ppk. John ‘Rambo’ Simpson climbed back to the top of our pence per kilo chart this week when his ten superb 42kg lambs sold for 407 pence (£171); the three other vendors in the 400 pence club were Nottinghamshire’s George and Richard Whittington, Sadberge’s Eric Knaggs and Wolsingham based Ken Lough. Top gross value in the lambs at £186 went to Will Hall of Driffield with a thumping single Texel, three other vendors following at £184 were Martin Gaskin, Robert Richardson and John and Anne Herbert as many weekly sellers recorded increases of a staggering £15 to £25 per lamb.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 407 395 391 390×2 387 368 JC Simpson. 404 360 Whittington. 402 393 390 375 W&M Knaggs & Son. 400 381 K&PM Lough. 397 388 376 360 RG Richardson. 397 377 359 AWSM Farms. 389 Anna Herbert. 388 385 373 PJ Tindale. 388 386 376 366 JR&M Richardson. 384 S&S Davies. 384 JJ Horn. 380 K Hall. 379 369 F&JS Gargett. 379 TW Clark & Son. 377 367 366 BR&R Routledge. 376 HT Davies & Partners. 376 375 367 JA&A Herbert. 375 M&A Gaskin.
Lead Grossing Lambs £186 RS Hall & Sons. £184 £183 £175 M&A Gaskin. £184 JA&A Herbert. £184 £179 £177 £175 RG Richardson. £182 TW Clark & Son. £182 £176 £175 £173 £172 £167 I Burn & Sons. £180 £164 K&PM Lough. £179 £165 Anna Herbert. £179 £175 AWSM Farms. £178 Wytherstone Farm. £177 S&S Davies. £177 £176 £171 £166 £164 £160 JC Simpson. £175 £165 K Hall. £175 HT Davies & Partners. £174 £167 £162 JR&M Richardson. £172 T Lawson & Son. £172 R Tookey & Son. £170 Whittington. £169×2 £160 W&M Knaggs & Son.
Prime Hoggs (697) – The last hurrah for the hoggs saw trade marginally improved but few who gambled and left it late will be booking their holiday’s just yet, the better end traded nicely however selling lean meat is a difficult feat. A pair of excellent Beltex from D & M Lowes, Barningham claimed top spot weighing 49kg and reaching £164 (334ppk).
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 334 276 274 271 250 245 D&M Lowes. 320 277 263 T&N Callender. 267 260 Tallentire. 263 256 254 PR&V Barlow. 259 CH&MC Phalp. 256 240 P Davenport. 255 254 SR Welford. 255 L Fowler. 250 248 242 PJ Tindale. 250 Godschalk Partners. 249 248 238 237 224 G Gall. 248 W Tindale. 245 243 P Turnbull. 245 FM Armstrong. 245 243 237 M Madrell. 237 M Navazi. 236 S Taylor Garthwaite.
Leda Grossing Hoggs £164 £144 £140×2 £130 £120 D&M Lowes. £150 £135 SR Welford. £150 £125 Tallentire. £140 M Navazi. £140 RS Hall & Sons. £135×2 S Taylor Garthwaite. £132 £127 £124 £119 G Gall. £130 PR&V Barlow. £130×2 FM Armstrong. £130 £123 P Davenport. £125 TN Callender. £125 L Fowler. £125 M Madrell. £125 DA Gill. £125 G Williamson. £125 P Turnbull. £122 CH&MC Phalp. £120 KA&V Armstrong. £120 £115 IW Adamson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (995) – Our biggest show for some time in the ewe ring ahead of the Qurbani celebrations, trade probably up £10 per head on last week however not exactly flying averaging £93 per head. Texel’s twice topped at £160 as a quartet from R A & J Blyth, Elwick were matched by a super single from Nottinghamshire’s Ian Kirk. Mule ewes topped at £120 this week with horned ewe trade seeing both Swaledale and Blackface ewes to highs of £70.
Final mention goes to our valued member of staff Katie Raine who is undertaking a 20,000ft skydive this weekend in aid of Heel & Toe Childrens Charity. Katie donated one of her own ewes and our brilliant buyers once again stepped up raising £1300 today. Further donations will be welcomed over the coming couple of weeks, good luck Katie from us all at DfAM, we have absolutely no doubt you will do the jump just so long as you turn up on time for take-off!
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £160 RA&J Blyth. £160 I Kirk. £150×2 £145 £142 AS Whitfield. £150 GE Raw. £146 £130 Thoresby Livestock. £146×2 £134 M Smith. £144 JC Johnson. £142 K Hall. £141×2 £140 £135 JC Simpson. £140 £121 G Gall. £138 £125 M Navazi. £138×2 D&M Lowes. £137 JM Smith. £132 K Raine. £132 JG Atkinson. £131 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £130 £125 RS Hall & Sons. £130 JG Hall. £130×2 £122×2 MW&M Skidmore.
Prime Pigs (22) – A massive show taking our grand total of prime pig sales in 2023 sailing beyond two-hundred; at this rate then, our desperate push to dominate the UK pork industry looks bang on target as we have already captured an estimated 0.0043% of the country’s total kill.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 160×2 155 140 J Mitchell & Son. 150×2 130×2 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £144 £130.50 £113 £106 C Weightman. £122 £118×2 £112 J Mitchell & Son.
