Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 16th December 2021. Forward were 195 Cattle, 2305 Sheep and 18 Pigs.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 276ppk or £2355
17 Prime Steers sold to 291ppk or £1751
103 Prime Heifers sold to 325ppk or £1853
1 Cast Cow sold for 153ppk and £1098
1892 Prime Lambs sold to 336ppk or £164
413 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £152
18 Prime Pigs sold to 110ppk or £75
Prime Bulls (74) – Despite some warning signs of a price drop nationally another fine trade was had as our last offering before Christmas averaged a very healthy 228 pence per kilo. Both the bull report and the clean cattle today are somewhat dominated by our Northumberland vendors, credit both the Renton’s of High Highlaws, Morpeth and W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam, West Woodburn who between them this week it seems brought not only the Gold but the Frankincense and Myrrh as well. Top priced bull per kilo at 276 pence came from Team Low Leam with a brilliant 628kg British Blonde, an amazing 16 others followed closely selling between 260 and 269ppk. A superb 899kg Limousin from the Renton’s led the gross values at a massive £2355, a further 8 bulls sold over £2000 with 8 more above £1900. Special mention to the native breed leader this week as J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House, Cleatlam sold an exceptional Aberdeen Angus for 240ppk and £2052. No surprises fell out when we pulled the Friesian cracker this Christmas, the incredibly consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall, Brotton again led the way reaching 200ppk and £1231. Below are some of the leading lights in the bull ring today.
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 2 Bulls to average 267pk and £1746
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 2 Bulls to average 265ppk and £2170
J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 Bulls to average 259ppk and £1949
J H & M & N W Brown, Darlington sold 10 Bulls to average 254ppk and £1806
D Richardson & Co, Melsonby sold 5 Bulls to average 252ppk and £2007
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 Bulls to average 250ppk and £1924
T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 4 Bulls to average 250ppk and £1848
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 276 260 WJ Scott Ltd. 269 262 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 268 256 250 249 248 240 237 AG Watson & Sons. 267 265 253 250D Richardson & Co Ltd. 266 265 264×2 262 255 246 244 241 JH&M&NW Brown. 264 254 JJ Horn. 263×2 240 237 TW Clark. 260×2 N White. 257 245 LS Staley. 234 231 JR Knox & Son. 230 GT&MA Wearmouth. 228 TN Hodgson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2355 £1985 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2074 £1976 £1907 £1829 £1756 £1734 £1731 £1729 JH&M&NW Brown. £2069 £1828 JJ Horn. £2055 £1950 £1907 £1865 £1855 £1826 £1812 £1777 AG Watson & Sons. £2052 £2014 £2006 £1991 £1974 D Richardson. £2050 £1799 LS Staley. £1922 £1898 £1845 TW Clark & Son. £1760 £1733 WJ Scott Ltd. £1725 £1717 JR Knox & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 200 186 R Hall & Son. 160 155 148 139 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1231 £1208 R Hall & Son. £948 £888 £886 D Walker.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 240 234 227 215 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 170 GA Rogerson & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £2052 £1802 £1668 £1539 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £969 GA Rogerson & Son.
OTM – Top prices ppk 153 CT Gibson.
Lead Grossing OTM £1098 CT Gibson.
Clean Cattle (120) – With the deadweight falling and reports of a blip in places this week the Darlington trade was once again remarkable, 31 cattle sold at 290ppk and above with 11 of these heifers beyond 300ppk and pleasing sale averages of 260ppk (heifers) and 245ppk (steers). Northumberland is the least densely populated ceremonial county in England which clearly leaves plenty of room for quality cattle to roam and thrive, top of the heifers an absolute beauty from the Renton’s of Morpeth at 325 pence per kilo whilst the same good home led the steers at an impressive 291ppk and £1751; a quartet of heifers sold over £1800 today with a pair from the aforementioned Morpeth men joined by a cracker from J B Luck of Bowes, top slot however went to W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn with their 620kg British Blue which sold for £1853. Below are some of the top averages of the week.
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 1 Steer & 5 Heifers to average 304ppk and £1733
N White, Marrick sold 6 Heifers to average 297ppk and £1614
B Walker sold 3 Heifers to average 290ppk and £1681
J L Marks, Bishopton sold 3 Heifers to average 290ppk and £1578
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 4 Heifers to average 290ppk and £1532
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 Heifers to average 288ppk and £1639
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 Heifers to average 287ppk and £1702
Steers – Top prices ppk 291 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 288 287 277 276 WA Armstrong. 281 253 232 229 WJ Scott Ltd. 246 MF Hall. 236 231 218 214 RW&R Henry. 226×2 Askwiths.
Lead Grossing Steers £1751 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1684 £1664 £1658 £1509 WA Armstrong. £1635 £1566 £1545 £1509 WJ Scott Ltd. £1552 £1466 Askwiths. £1512 £1476 £1418 £1401 RW&R Henry. £1421 MF Hall.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 325 308 305 303 300 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 311 305 299 298 286 285 N White. 308 300 294×2 293 290 287 JV&JA Hodgson. 303 289 MF Hall. 300 296 284 JE Suddes & Son. 299 290 288×2 WJ Scott Ltd. 298×2 B Walker. 297 296×2 293 290 289 287 284 R Hirst. 294×2 287 285 JL Marks. 294 JF Gibson & Son. 290 JB Luck. 287 WA Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1853 £1798 £1679 £1604 WJ Scott Ltd. £1839 £1811 £1769 £1683 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1806 £1607 JB Luck. £1794 £1781 £1759 £1725 £1719 £1706 JV&JA Hodgson. £1764 £1713 £1650 N White. £1752 £1713 B Walker. £1746 £1731 JL Marks. £1721 £1681 £1673 £1638 £1635 £1632 R Hirst. £1704JE Suddes & Son. £1687 £1618 £1615 NF Hall. £1687 £1609 WA Armstrong.
Prime Lambs (1892) – Despite reports coming in that the lamb trade was up and down like a bride’s nightgown this week in places our weighed straight sale average of 275ppk and £121.52 was in fact back just a very tiny fraction, with last week containing Christmas show lambs the trade could even in real terms be a touch firmer. Some superb runs of lambs were in attendance today and therefore topping the pence per kilo at 335 twice was a great achievement by W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm; scores of lambs once again sold well beyond 300 pence with export weights in particular right at the top of the game today. Top gross value went to a brilliant heavyweight from Northfield Farms, South Thornberry when it sold for £164, plenty of lambs this week realised £150 and beyond.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 335×2 311 295 W Ramsay & Sons. 333 317 314 GW Dent. 326 325 300×2 295×2 Anthony Tindale. 326 J&A Moralee. 325 323 319 314 310 301 298 Northfield Farms. 317 314 306 PJ Tindale. 317 TH Richardson & Sons. 314 309 308 306 298 CS&V Whitfield. 312 RE&L Frank. 308 K&MM Henderson. 307 295 Emma Watson. 305 295 MF Hall. 302 W.K M.M Lamb. 300 SM Donaldson. 300 M&A Gaskin. 300 GP&A Carter. 300 297 WL Robinson & Partners.
Lead Grossing Lambs £164 £150 £140 Northfield Farms. £156 £147.50 £147 £139×2 Anthony Tindale. £155 £151 £145.50 CS&V Whitfield. £155 £147 RE&L Frank. £152 £143.50 £141.50×2 TH Richardson & Sons. £151 GW Dent. £150 J&A Moralee. £149 £146 £145.50 £144 £142.50 J&A Layfield. £149 £140 T Watson. £148.50 DK Barker. £147.50 W Denham. £145 JC&A Hutchinson. £144 J Hird. £144 D&PH Brown. £144 RO Gilson. £143.50 D&PH Brown. £143 JK&CE Farming. £140 B&J Bainbridge. £139 T Duckitt.
Cast Ewes & Rams (413) – The ewe trade looked a fraction easier on the week, no disasters however as the 373 ewes averaged a credible £89. No less than 40 tups enjoyed the days best trade as they averaged a scintillating £123. Top price on the day went to 11 strong Lleyn tups from Broom House Farm, Durham which sold for £152 whilst the leading ewes came from W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge with Texel’s selling to £138. Strong mule ewes regularly sold £100 to £120 whilst the pick of the horned sheep today sold at £55 to £65.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £152 £122 Gray. £138×2 £128 W&M Knaggs & Son. £136×2 SM Donaldson. £132 £130 £118 WL Robinson & Partners. £130 £124 TM Darling. £130×2 M Jopling. £125 JP Campbell. £124 M&A Gaskin. £124 C&E Gaskin. £120 £116 I Curry. £120 £100 E Scott & Sons. £118 WH&KL Wilson. £118 £117 W Ramsay & Sons. £118 T Watson. £115 EW Holmes. £115 W&V Burton. £112 J Thompson. £112×2 R Lawson & Son.
Prime Pigs (18) – Another pig of a day for the pork purveyors, all we can do is buy British and hope they somehow weather this storm. Joking aside, the way things are heading we could end up with Bob Geldof and Midge Ure releasing a charity song for the poor pig farmers.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 110 100 J Mitchell & Son. 62 54 50 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £75 £61 J Mitchell & Son. £62 £49 £46 C Weightman.
