Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 21st October 2021. Forward were 187 Cattle, 3557 Sheep and 19 Pigs.
69 Prime Bulls sold to 274ppk or £1978
26 Prime Steers sold to 296ppk or £1877
85 Prime Heifers sold to 331ppk or £1921
7 Cast Cattle sold to 139ppk or £1036
3065 Prime Lambs sold to 313ppk or £162
492 Cast Sheep sold to £164
19 Prime Pigs sold to 120ppk or £102
Prime Bulls (69) – The blistering bull trade blossomed once more in Darlington with all classes in high demand, trade very similar to last week’s cracker leaving a sale average of 227ppk. Top bull of the day was one of a classy trio of exceptional Limousin’s which travelled up from the ‘Steel City’ of Sheffield and the good home of S Wilde, Spite Winter House which sold for 274ppk. A brace of second places this week at 270ppk and £1953 for regular supporters A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford whilst the top gross value went to another loyal and consistent contender D Richardson & Co, Melsonby at an impressive £1978. The royalties stayed in Rushyford when we look at the leading native bred bull as a meaty South Devon sold for 241ppk and £1862, the formidable Friesian feeding of R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall was ahead of the chasing pack, incredible consistency week in, week out from the Brotton based firm.
S Wide, Sheffield sold 3 Bulls to average 260ppk and £1731
P J & E S Rogerson, Appleby sold 3 Bulls to average 250ppk and £1667
P I Harker, Worsall sold 2 Bulls to average 246ppk and £1778
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 Bulls to average 245ppk and £1864
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 8 Bulls to average 244ppk and £1818
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 Bulls to average 244ppk and £1757
J & K Woodward, Kelloe sold 2 Bulls to average 244ppk and £1659
I & R Appleton, Elwick sold 3 Bulls to average 242ppk and £1740
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 274 259 250 S Wilde. 270 256 250 245 237 235 AG Watson & Sons. 260 250 JH&M&NW Brown. 259 246 244 238 236 229×2 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 257 233 IR Appleton. 255 250 239 235 LR Welsh & Co. 255 249 248 PJ&ES Rogerson. 252 245 J Layfield. 250 242 PI Harker. 249 240 J&K Woodward. 248 228 JJ Horn. 247 245 LS Staley. 231 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 197 181 180 R Hall & Sons. 185 180 178×2 J&JH Musgrave. 174 JK&CE Farming. 147 133 HM&JS Hutchinson. 142 R Carter & Son.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 241 AG Watson & Sons. 237 226 219 204 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 225 JE&MB Morgan & Sons.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £1978 £1930 £1922 £1889 £1846 £1810 £1737 31687 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1953 £1932 £1839 £1829 £1809 AG Watson & Sons. £1900 £1657 PI Harker. £1882 £1655 S Wilde. £1879 £1850 LS Staley. £1877 £1770 £1747 LR Welsh & Co. £1861 £1859 £1787 JH&M&NW Brown. £1842 Rebecca Appleton. £1798 JJ Horn. £1781 £1739 J Layfield. £1740 J&K Woodward. £1712 IR Appleton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1361 £1148 £1105 R Hall & Sons. £1206 £1032 £1016 £1009 J&JH Musgrave. £1057 JK&CE Farming. £1011R Carter & Son. £972 £918 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Lead Grossing Native Breed Bulls £1862 AG Watson & Sons. £1649 £1638 £1609 £1466 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1390 JE&B Morgan & Sons.
Clean Cattle (111) – Another scintillating trade, not the consistent quality of last week yet the heifers averaged a massive 293ppk and the steers 259ppk. As always, some expert feeding from our faithful band of local producers were once again enjoying some high returns as the prolific Hodgson’s and Hirst’s were joined by Brian Walker with impressive £3 plus averages; the top slots however headed South to Leicestershire’s M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm with a sensational run of beast. Top of the heifers at a massive 331 pence per kilo was a beautiful British Blue and certainly no flash in the pan from Flash Farm as they went on to produce 3 of the top 4 prices per kilo; the statistics are almost ridiculous, of the 85 heifers this week 8 sold 320ppk and above, 17 sold 310ppk to 319ppk and a further 16 between 300ppk and 309ppk. Staying with the heifers and four this week sold over £1900, a terrific pair from W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell plus a Barf House Beauty from N White, Marrick couldn’t quite catch the superb feeding of J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse who’s 626kg Limousin totted up to £1921. The top 6 steers per kilo were all crusaders from the South, the Midland’s derby between Nottinghamshire’s P R & V Barlow & Son and the aforementioned Chantrell’s of Leicestershire concluded with a tremendous handy weight Limousin from Flash Farm winning at 296ppk. The steers this week with the weight which would ordinarily conquer the £2k barrier were unfortunately over 30 months, another valiant effort by the Barlow’s of Sycamore Farm with 4 of the top 5 prices were agonisingly beaten to the top spot by a thumping 31 month old Limousin steer from the formidable Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton at £1877. Just four names on the list below this week as sitting tight behind our leaders and their 300 pence averages are a whole army of vendors chomping at the bit in the 280’s and 290’s.
J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 Heifers to average 308ppk and £1737
M & G Chantrell, Leicestershire sold 16 Heifers & 4 Steers to average 305ppk and £1622
R Hirst, Neasham sold 11 Heifers to average 303ppk and £1712
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 Heifers to average 301ppk and £1755
Steers – Top prices ppk 296 289 28×2 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 288 277 276 263 PR&V Barlow & Son. 274 JE Suddes & Son. 267 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 267 264 G Beadle. 266 W Swinbank & Sons. 265 GW&L Marsay. 259 255 254 WR Thompson. 248 238×2 Barker Farming Partnership
Lead Grossing Steers £1877 £1773 £1758 Barker Farming Partnership. £1813 £1792 £1779 £1777 PR&V Barlow & Son. £1745 £1726 £1711 WR Thompson. £1687 £1664 £1646 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1594 JE Suddes & Son. £1502 GW&L Marsay. £1481 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £1464 JR Spink. £1434 A Crowder.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 331 330 328 324 316×2 314×2 313 308 307 306 296 293 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 330 319 316 314 312 311 307 305 303 302 JV&JA Hodgson. 326 324 317 312 308 302 301 293 R Hirst. 321 307 303 298 296 294 WF Hustwit. 317 313 B Walker. 316 313 308 304 295 N White. 312 306 W Swinbank & Sons. 306 A Crowder. 296 292 289 JE Suddes & Son. 291 PJ&MP Gilhespy.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1921 £1881 £1840 £1817 £1781 £1736 £1719 £1711 JV&JA Hodgson. £1915 £1900 W Swinbank & Sons. £1905 £1764 £1761 £1690 £1684 £1674 N White. £1898 £1894 £1841 £1772 £1761 £1684 R Hirst. £1872 JR Spink. £1848 £1837 B Walker. £1806 £1800 £1739 £1730 £1721 £1694 WF Hustwit. £1804 £1789 £1711 £1688 £1676 £1675 £1670 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1722 A Crowder. £1706 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Cast Cattle – Top prices ppk 139 130 120×3 116 Thoresby Livestock. 104 J Elliott
Lead Grossing Cast Cattle £1036 £911 £824 £789 £753 £717 Thoresby Livestock. £905 J Elliott.
Prime Lambs (3065) – By far the biggest numbers anywhere in the North East this week forward and a firmer trade was witnessed throughout, as always, like the Tyne, the Tees, the Humber and the Forth Road our bridge ran straight and the averages this week checked in impressively at 237 pence per kilo and £105.80; as we have seen for a while now the coin stays in the loin with a premium very apparent on the hopper fed sheep. Leading the way were 10 of the best as tremendous 45kg Beltex from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm sold for 313 pence per kilo (£141). Top gross value this week looked a winner from the moment it bounded down the Scania door this morning so it was no surprise when that accolade went to our youngest vendor, baby George Marley’s terrific Texel tup lamb sold for £162 to Andrew Atkinson, Harrogate, unlikely to be too disappointed at George’s success in 2nd place were Wilson’s of Throtlenest Farm, Hollinside with a tremendous trio of Texel’s selling to Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton for £148.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 313 291×2 276 272 W Ramsay & Sons. 302 PM Thompson. 298 277 P Wall. 294 K&PM Lough. 290 CA&JG Skidmore. 287 274 Askwiths. 286×2 271 MF Hall. 275 G Thompson & Sons. 273 AWSM Farms. 273 Charlotte Newton. 273 C&E Gaskin. 273 C&R Metcalf. 273 M&RJ Hall. 273 271 JA&A Herbert. 272 270 R Errington & Son. 270 CS&V Whitfield. 270 W Denham. 269 M Smith. 269 Wilsons. 268 BR&R Routledsge. 266 CK&D Muir Ltd.
Lead Grossing Lambs £162 G Marley. £148 £124 £123 Wilsons. £146 P Wall. £146 £130 £125 J&A Layfield. £144 Alex Wilson. £141×2 £137 £134 £128 W Ramsay & sons. £140 £137 £132 £130 CS&V Whitfield. £137.50 £129 £125 MF Hall. £135 £130.50 £126 Askwiths. £133 PM Thompson. £129 £125 DK Barker. £128 C Moralee & Sons. £128 LW Martin. £128 GS Bainbridge. £126.50 K&PM Lough. £126 BR&R Routledge. £125.50 M&A Gaskin. £125 C&E Gaskin. £125 DW&A Appleton. £124 W.K M.M Lamb.
Cast Ewes & Rams (492) – Not a big show but just enough to take our sheep total over 6000 for the week. Dearer by some margin, more buyers at ringside and demand seemingly much increased. Top of the day was a cracking Texel tup from P R E Marwood of Marwood which sold for £164; best Texel ewes £130 to £150 and all the heavy lowland ewes nicely over £100. Best of the Mule’s this week bounced back in to the 90’s and the fleshy horned ewes sold regularly £55 to £70.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £164 PRE Marwood. £150 D Barron. £140 W Robson. £137 £125 £121 JJ Horn. £134 £130 PM Thompson. £130 £102 P Armstrong. £129 £116 JM&M&C Wise. £128 £108 G Te-Lintelo. £125 JC&A Hutchinson. £124 T Lawson & Son. £123 JR&J Crowe. £122 Barker. £122 Charlotte Newton. £121 P Cockburn. £115 D&PH Brown. £113 Askwiths. £112 M Dent. £110 M&RJ Hall. £109 BA Swallow.
Prime Pigs (19) – Pigmageddon in Darlington, a huge show by our standards, trade pretty much the same as usual, sadly, as is the case at busy times, the overwhelming scent of our bacon flavoured buddies was more than enough to hamper the pig love from even the most enthusiastic of our sheep drovers.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 120 100 70 65 50 C Weightman. 110×2 100×2 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £102 £85 £83×2 £60 C Weightman. £90 £88 £78 £77 J Mitchell & Son.
