Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 18th November 2021. Forward were 210 Cattle, 2640 Sheep and 12 Pigs.
76 Prime Bulls sold to 297ppk or £2330
34 Prime Steers sold to 295ppk or £2069
96 Prime Heifers sold to 322ppk or £1873
4 Cast Cows sold to 100ppk or £573
2029 Prime Lambs sold to 322ppk or £169
611 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £139
12 Prime Pigs sold to 105ppk or £89
Prime Bulls (76) – Sliced bread was apparently invented in 1928, some simple mathematics then tells us that the bull trade this week was probably the best thing in approximately 93 years. God bless anyone who sold bulls deadweight this week, your charitable nature will hold you in high regard when you meet your maker, take a seat, a deep breath, and read on. Of the 76 bulls offered this week 22 of them sold beyond 270 pence per kilo, of these 6 were in the 280’s and a ground breaking trio sold at 290ppk and beyond; add this to an astonishing 14 bulls selling over £2000 and a sale average of 245 pence per kilo. Selling the top bull on the day were J & A Moralee when their 644kg Limousin scaled all the way to 297 pence per kilo, congratulations to the Hexhamshire Heroes from Hardriding Farm; as we look down the leader board at many other terrific returns some vendors must be both delighted yet in some way slightly disillusioned that their top price somehow didn’t top the sale. Top of the fabulous 14 in the £2k plus club came in the shape of a 790kg British Blonde from F & J S Gargett of Westwick Farm, Barnard Castle which sold for a stunning £2330, as with the pence per kilo some extraordinary runners were in the race, T W Clark & Son, Durham peaked at a massive £2230 whilst the super consistent A G Watson & Sons and W J & A S Bowes & Sons both produced 4 over £2000. The Friesian feeding top prices once again went to R Hall & Son of Kilton Hall whilst another consistent producer J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House held the key to native breed success once more with some hefty Herefords. If any of the dead weight disciples are still reading the following information will, for you, be like walking a tightrope, it’s advisable you don’t look down.
W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Stainton sold 4 Bulls to average 276ppk and £2143
J Layfield, Willington sold 5 Bulls to average 272ppk and £1807
P J & E S Rogerson, Cumbria sold 3 Bulls to average 268ppk £1625
J & A Moralee, Bardon Mill sold 5 Bulls to average 267ppk and £1699
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 8 Bulls to average 266ppk and £1977
F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 Bulls to average 265ppk and £2111
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 Bulls to average 261ppk and £1775
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 297 283 264 261 J&A Moralee. 295 289 F&JS Gargett. 290 276 270×2 259 J Layfield. 289 278×2 260 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 286 263 249 TW Clark & Son. 284 279 273 270 267 264 257 AG Watson & Sons. 282 BD Layfield. 279 270 258 PJ&ES Rogerson. 277 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 274 270 253 249 LR Welsh & Co. 264 261 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 263 JK&CE Farming. 261 245 239 JH&M&NW Brown. 254 246 235 C Harle & Sons.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2330 £2190 £1811 F&JS Gargett. £2230 £1967 £1819 £1810 TW Clark & Son. £2212 £2196 £2129 £2035 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2143 £2022 £2015 £1953 £1900 £1864 £1800 AG Watson & Sons. £2083 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2031 £1897 £1816 C Harle & Sons. £2030 BD Layfield. £1919 £1911 £1910 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1912 £1861 J&A Moralee. £1904 £1832 £1815 J Layfield. £1893 £1817 LR Welsh & Co. £1871 £1840 JH&M&NW Brown. £1805 P&PJ Sayer.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 190 R Hall & Son. 190 JK&CE Farming. 186 J&K Woodward. 186 184 178 x2 JA&A Herbert
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1345 R Hall & Son. £1195 J&K Woodward. £1111 JK&CE Farming. £1073 £1017 £1013 £962 JA&A Herbert.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 235 234 222 214 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 230 223 219 W&R Kemp & Son. 204 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1652 £1635 £1595 £1580 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1525 R Hall & Son. £1496 £1439 £1281 W&R Kemp & Son. £922 MJ Hutchinson.
Clean Cattle (130) – Another superb trade this week, a real bag of dolly mixtures on offer were keenly bid for throughout, many of the superstars will no doubt be on display next week as all eyes turn towards the Christmas show. Back to today and an outstanding heifer average of 278ppk with the steers a credible 242ppk, the better end of the butchers beast were just as fast as we have enjoyed witnessing during this awesome autumn. The day’s top heifer could certainly have scored highly on the judges scorecard had she waited a week, a superb 557kg Limousin from J B Luck of Milestone House, Bowes sold for 322 pence per kilo, she sat proudly ahead of regular visitors to the top slots J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse who admirably finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The race to top the steers this week was full of good beast from the North East, twice P J & M P Gilhespy of Ponteland reached 293ppk however were overtaken by a brilliant 627kg Limousin from the reliable Renton’s of High Highlaws, Morpeth which sold for 295ppk. Moving on to the gross values and a delightful dozen heifers today sold over £1800, with a gross value silver medal in the bulls earlier it was a gold medal performance from T W Clark & Son, Frankland Farm in the heifers as they reached £1873. The top gross valued steer was somewhat of a runaway winner as a majestic 758kg Limousin from W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell reached a tremendous £2069.
J B Luck, Bowes sold 3 Heifers to average 304ppk and £1805
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 10 Heifers to average 300ppk and £1736
K & A Harker, Worsall sold 3 Heifers to average 289ppk and £1637
R Hirst, Neasham sold 10 Heifers to average 286ppk and £1722
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 2 Steers & 4 Heifers to average 286ppk and £1577
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 2 Steers & 2 Heifers to average 283ppk and £1789
W F Hustwit, Sedgefield sold 12 Heifers to average 282ppk and £1605
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay sold 5 Heifers to average 282ppk and £1505
Steers – Top prices ppk 295 244 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 293×2 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 291 273 W Swinbank & Sons. 289 262 250 MF Hall. 284 279 G Beadle. 270 260 259 256 WR Thompson. 248 232 230 228 224 I Bosworth. 237 233 231 JR&B Anderson. 224 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Steers £2069 £1792 W Swinbank & Sons. £1849 £1695 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1696 £1693 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1692 £1615 £1563 MF Hall. £1676 £1564 G Beadle. £1617 £1590 £1434 JR&B Anderson & Son. £1609 £1590 £1582 £1474 WR Thompson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 322 307 288 JB Luck. 316 311×2 304 299 296×2 294 293 JV&JA Hodgson. 310 309 290 289 287 WF Hustwit. 309 W Swinbank & Sons. 305 301 299 295 289 R Hirst. 302 299 297 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 298 J&JH Musgrave. 297 G Beadle. 297 289 RO Gilson. 296 291 290 JE Suddes & Son. 293 WR Thompson. 292 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 286 PI Harker.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1873 TW Clark & Son. £1861 P Tindale. £1851 £1793 £1771 JB Luck. £1836 £1756 K&A Harker. £1829 R Hirst. £1827 £1826 £1739 £1732 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1817 £1814 £1804 £1755 £1750 £1738 JV&JA Hodgson. £1805 £1793 £1755 £1748 £1728 R Hirst. £1802 £1734 J&JH Musgrave. £1733 £1727 WF Hustwit. £1730 W Swinbank & Sons. £1729 RO Gilson.
Prime Lambs (2029) – The sheep trade turbine keeps on turning, a blistering average of £121.73 and a weighed straight 269 pence per kilo. The Askwith’s of Crook enjoyed the trade of the day with their brilliant run of Beltex lambs, top price per kilo a quality quintet weighing 48kg sold for 322 pence whilst the same good home produced a 55kg super sort which sold for the days top price of £169. Some familiar names chased the Crook consignment all the way as four 47kg Cole Hill Farm corkers sold for the 2nd top price per kilo to Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton and three separate vendors other than Messrs Askwith all enjoyed sales beyond £160. As always in Darlington we enjoyed a multi-cultural show with no breed or creed going unrepresented, Mule lambs peaked at £127.50 from R Natrass & Sons, Daddry Shield and 259ppk from P Hutchinson, Easington.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 322 319 315 307 304 Askwiths. 319 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 310 300 RO Gilson. 309 307 302 J Thompson. 308 D&M Lowes. 304 288 JG Walton & Son. 302 297 M Smith. 302 TW Brown. 302 F Hare & Sons. 300 JC&A Hutchinson. 300 298 MW Barker & Son. 300 291 J Norman. 298 M&A Gaskin. 297 RW&R Henry. 295×2 JD Brannen. 295 IM Maughan. 294 TH Richardson & Son. 294 DR Smith. 291 CH Tindale. 291 PN&JV Noble. 291 R Errington & Son. 290 288 AWSM Farms. 289 L Fowler.
Lead Grossing Lambs £169 £161 £155 Askwiths. £167.50 JG Walton & Son. £167 £159.50 £156 £145 J&A Layfield. £161 PN&JV Noble. £158 £146.50 MW Barker & Son. £157 £149 £148 RH Thompson & Son. £157 £149 D&PH Brown. £156.50 R Wood & Son. £154.50 TH Richardson & Son. £153.50 M&A Gaskin. £153 £148.50 J Norman. £152 LD Laws. £151 £149 RO Gilson. £150 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £148 £144 D&M Lowes. £147 J Gilson. £146 FD Hall. £146 T Lawson & Son. £145 JD Brannen. £144.50 JM&S Walton.
Ewes (611) – The ewe trade stays firm, twice trade peaked at £139 as W A Wardman Ltd, Yearby shared the podium with J & A Layfield, Hamsterley. Mule ewes sold to £122 with horned sheep to £85.
Lead Grossing Cast Ewes £139 £132 £128 £122 £120 £112×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £139 J&A Layfield. £138×2 £129×2 £125 PN&JV Noble. £138 G Aird. £137 Askwiths. £136 £129 £126 £119 GW Dent. £132 £125 B&SM Rutherford & Son. £126 JM&S Walton. £126 £121 D&M Lowes. £124 J Scheer. £123 TH Richardson. £122 £118 P Cockburn. £120 Anna Herbert. £119 M&A Gaskin. £118 P Turnbull. £118 D Lupton.
Prime Pigs (12) – A very ordinary day on planet pig, no change again in the trade, tragic for the producers as the beef and lamb trades are on fire and yet those folk putting pork on their fork are growing increasingly used to the same old, same old.
Pigs – Top prices 105 100 90×2 85 C Weightman.
Lead Grossing Pigs £89 £86 £82 £80 C Weightman.
