Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 18th February 2021. Forward were 264 Cattle and 1223 Sheep.
103 Prime Bulls sold to 253ppk or £2126
43 Prime Steers sold to 256ppk or £1690
112 Prime Heifers sold to 282ppk or £1679
6 Cast Cows sold to 176ppk or £1638
851 Prime Hoggs sold to 346ppk or £149
372 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £158
Prime Bulls (103) – The mesmerising beef trade continues, the bulls this week averaged over 210 pence per kilo with some extraordinary values along the way. Quite the day for the Limousin’s as they dominated the top prices, no less than four of the popular breed today sold beyond £2000 and 18 of the top 20 gross values carried the Lim lettering on their passports. An absolute showstopper from J E Jordon, The Brocks, Longhirst led the charge at a massive £2126, regular high flyer A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm provided two of the others in the £2000 plus club with the fourth from J A & M Boyes, Strathmore House. Leading the pence per kilo at an impressive 253 was again a Limousin, this one from S Wilde, Spite Winter House, Sheffield as the 45 Limousin bulls offered today averaged 229ppk and £1667. The indigenous breeds were again well represented as a well finished Aberdeen Angus from A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton led the numbers for the native’s at 221ppk and £1675. The 27 Holstein Friesian bulls today were once again very easily sold, few can feed them like R Hall & Son of Kilton Hall who set the pace at 192ppk and £1317. Once again some impressive bulls from afar made the journey worthwhile including Frank Ward of Ossington, Nottinghamshire on his first visit to Darlington with 5 British Blonde bulls averaging a very healthy 228ppk and £1575. Some of today’s elite bull consigners are listed below.
W I Suddes & Son, South Farm sold 4 Bulls to average 243ppk and £1660
W J & A S Bowes, Stainton Hill sold 2 Bulls to average 241ppk and £1881
C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall sold 4 Bulls to average 237ppk and £1729
A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm sold 2 Bulls to average 235ppk and £2022
L S Staley, Bluestone House sold 2 Bulls to average 232ppk and £1857
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 253 S Wilde. 251 248 244 232 WI Suddes & Son. 246 238 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 246 244 240 238 228 227 220 216 AG Watson & Son. 245 236 229 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 245 240 239 227 C Harle & Sons. 244 242 235 226 F Ward. 244 228 AC Simpson & Son. 242 226 223 N White. 241 225 220 217 AS&SM Kemp. 239 JJ Horn. 237 TF Bothroyd & Son. 236 226×2 GH Farms Ltd. 230 L Storey. 230 229 224×2 JW Holmes & Son. 222 JK&CE Farming. 216 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2126 JE Jordon & Son. £2027 £2017 AC Simpson & Son. £2003 £1847 £1821 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1930 £1832 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1886 £1828 LS Staley. £1849 £1756 £1740 £1698 £1654 £1651 £1620 AG Watson & Sons. £1813 £1732 £1717 £1643 C Harle & Sons. £1795 £1660 £1573 F Ward. £1792 £1708 AS&SM Kemp. £1748 S Wilde. £1743 £1698 £1671 WI Suddes & Son. £1672 £1612 £1597 £1583 JW Holmes & Son. £1667 N White. £1585 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 192 190×2 R Hall & Son. 188 178 176 160 142 FS Sturrock & Sons. 180 170 168 158 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 180 174×2 171 JA&A Herbert. 179 R Ormston. 179 171 168 156 JR Knox & Son. 155 148 R Carter & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1317 £1255 £1233 R Hall & Son. £1242 £1136 £1105 £1014 £890 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1167 R Ormston. £1130 £1075 £1039 £939 JR Knox & Son. £1087 £988 £929 £919 JA&A Herbert. £982 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £940 £926 R Carter & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 221 AG Watson & Sons. 212 179 AS&SM Kemp. 202 FS Sturrock & Sons. 195×2 JT Layfield & Sons. 188 JK&CE Farming. 188 A Layfield. 165 MG Betney.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1675 AG Watson & Sons. £1523 £1439 AS&SM Kemp. £1496 JK&CE Farming. £1476 FS Sturrock & Sons. £1411 £1290 JT Layfield & Sons. £1312 A Layfield. £1051 MG Betney.
Clean Cattle (157) – The trade continues in spellbinding form as one third of the cattle sell beyond 250 pence per kilo and the heifers average a tremendous 241ppk. The top price today of 282ppk came from W A Armstrong of Coxhoe, the early bird caught the worm as ticketed number 1 this morning was this very sweet 485ppk Limousin Heifer; the leading gross valued heifer rounded of a terrific day for J E Jordon, The Brocks when their homebred Limousin realised £1679. Top of the gross value’s in the steer section today went to the incredibly consistent W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm with a beautiful British Blonde which sold for £1690; whilst the cattle with thick meated loins proved popular all day we still saw plenty of evidence that the buyers are still partial to a shapely rump, todays top priced steer a double muscled British Blue from L D Laws, High Village Farm. So nearly the bride but twice the bridesmaid today at 280 pence was N White of Barf House, Marrick with a splendid run of handy weighted home bred heifers, some of the other successful sellers are listed below.
N White, Barf House sold 9 Heifers to average 261ppk and £1314
J W Holmes, Chestnut Farm sold 5 Heifers to average 256ppk and £1510
M F Hall, Woodhill sold 6 (5 heifers, 1 steer) to average 255ppk and £1448
J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange sold 12 Heifers to average 253ppk and £1503
W A Armstrong, Coxhoe sold 7 Heifers to average 251ppk and £1347
B Walker, Birch Springs sold 3 Heifers to average 250ppk and £1583
Askwiths, Crook sold 5 (3 heifers, 1 steer) to average 250ppk and £1464
W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam sold 10 (7 heifers, 3 steers) to average 246ppk and £1559
Continental Steers – Top prices ppk 256 LD Laws. 253 242 222 WJ Scott Ltd. 244 RL Walker. 243 236 Askwiths. 239 229 211 RW&R Henry. 222 214 G&JY Marshall. 229 MF Hall. 212 200 R Ormston. 197 JA Trobe & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Steers £1690 £1662 £1489 WJ Scott Ltd. £1648 £1582 £1550 RW&R Henry. £1630 £1460 R Ormston. £1602 £1547 Askwiths. £1512 RL Walker. £1487 LD Laws. £1410 MF Hall. £1292 G&JY Marshall.
Friesian Steers – Top prices ppk 197 189 188×2 186 183 181×3 180 Berryfield Farms.
Lead Grossing Friesian Steers £1164 £1101 £1081 £1076 £1071 £1067 £1065 £1047 £1044 £1030 Berryfield Farms.
Native Steers – Top prices ppk 222 T Watson. 218 217 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. 208 JR Spink. 206 R Ormston.
Lead Grossing Native Steers £1449 £1414 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £1283 G&JY Marshall. £1260 R Ormston. £1178 T Watson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 282 278 265 256 WA Armstrong. 280×2 270 265 264 259 250 247 N White. 275 274 258 249 247 MF Hall. 274 258 255 249 F&JS Gargett. 273 261 258 248 JW Holmes & Son. 270 267×2 264 260 254 252 249 JV&JA Hodgson. 268 260 253 Askwiths. 267 245 B Walker. 264 261 260 250 249 WJ Scott Ltd. 260 258 246 M&J Cheesbrough. 254 247 240 P&JH Davison. 252 JE Suddes & Son. 249 247 240 JE Jordon & Son. 250 G&JY Marshall. 248 R Hirst. 246 244 JR&B Anderson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1679 £1444 JE Jordon & Son. £1668 £1595 £1589 £1580 £1520 £1505 £1461 £1451 £1449 JV&JA Hodgson. £1655 £1652 £1583 £1533 £1526 £1479 WJ Scott Ltd. £1636 £1555 £1485 £1478 JW Holmes & Son. £1612 £1578 £1414 M&J Cheesbrough & Sons. £1611 £1550 £1535 MF Hall. £1594 £1586 £1569 B Walker. £1567 P&JH Davison. £1538 £1466 £1419 F&JS Gargett. £1510 N White. £1496 £1458 R Hirst. £1493 JR&B Anderson. £1489 WA Armstrong. £1459 £1416 JE Suddes & Son.
Cast Cattle (6) – A sprinkling of cows again this week which peaked at a wonderful £1638 for a huge Charolais from D Briggs, Stubin Head Farm, Lancashire whilst an impressive 11 year old British Blonde cow from A S & S M Kemp, Whitwell Farm sold well reaching 176ppk and £1293.
Cast Cows & OTM – Top prices ppk 176 165 154 AS&SM Kemp. 165 D Briggs. 128×2 WSI Anderson.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows & OTM £1638 D Briggs. £1293 £1229 £1081 AS&SM Kemp. £1021 £880 WSI Anderson.
Prime Hoggs (851) – The recent snow appears to have driven the horned hoggs off the hills, over 250 today which is an unusual percentage for Darlington in February, no problems there however as buyers came keen for all classes, good runs of both local and travelled sheep lifted the SQQ average to 272 pence per kilo. Top of the sale today at 346ppk came DFAM stalwart J C Simpson of Hill Top East, Caldwell whilst the leading gross value went to another loyal and regular consignor R E & L Frank of Crabtree Farm, Carlton in Cleveland with a superb trio of 53kg Texels at £149. The hill hoggs were certainly a feature and the better fed of them excelled with both Blackie’s and Swaledale’s regularly selling £110 to £120, returns usually reserved for April. Heaps of vendors today averaging 270-280 pence, the exceptional runs over 290ppk belonged to F Hare & Sons, Tees Farm and W E Frank & Son, Barwick Farm; a plethora of sellers today were averaging £125-£135 as the vendors again enjoyed a fine sheep trade.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 346 287 285 274 JC Simpson. 316 286 276 EA Martin. 311 297 293 290 286 F Hare & Sons. 306 303 301×2 298 295 293 IE&A Teasdale. 302 278 JA Trobe & Son. 300 281 K&MM Henderson. 295 WR Thompson. 293 282 WE Frank & Son. 290 PJ Tindale. 290 R Wood & Son. 288 284 A&EJ Dobinson. 284 283 T Duckitt. 282 W Kirk & Sons. 281 276 RE&L Frank. 280 M Firby. 279×2 TW Clark & Son. 279 276 275 Wytherstone Farm. 278 NA Thompson. 278 C Binks & Son. 276 S Dodsworth. 276 P Wilks.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £149 £131 £124.50 RE&L Frank. £148 WR Thompson. £142 £138 £137 £133 JC Simpson. £142 £130 £129 £127.50 IE&A Teasdale. £140.50 £132 R Wood & Son. £140 PJ Tindale. £140 TE Dobson. £139 PRE Marwood. £136.50 TW Clark & Son. £133.50 T Duckitt. £132 W Walker & Sons. £132 N White. £131.50 £129.50 £128.50 Wytherstone Farms. £131.50 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £130 TE Dobson. £128.50 W Kirk & Sons. £128.50 £127 EA Martin. £128.50 RA&M Thompson. £128 JA Trobe & Son. £128 C Binks & Son.
Cast Sheep (372) – The ewes are following the hoggs and now rising by the week, an average this week over £84 and the top price today a magnificent £158 from W A Dinsdale & Son, Harkerside Place with a heavy Blue Faced Leicester Tup. Mule ewes this week averaged over £90 for the first time for many weeks whilst the fitter horned ewes are £55-£75 with great regularity.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £158 £136 £119 WA Dinsdale & Son. £141 £118 N White. £137 £131 £118 JC Simpson. £129 C Binks & Son. £129 £125 £117 £114 Northfield Farms. £127 W Kirk & Sons. £125 A&EJ Dobinson. £124 P Danby. £121 C Moralee & Sons. £121 £114 £110 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £119 WR Thompson. £119 PJ Tindale. £119 D&P Hepple. £117 £112 W Emerson. £117 £113 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £114 F Brown & Son.
