Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 13th June 2024. Forward were 220 cattle and 1603 sheep.
89 Prime Bulls sold to 324ppk or £2891
42 Prime Steers sold to 320ppk or £2066
89 Prime Heifers sold to 347ppk or £2182
1110 Prime Lambs sold to 444ppk or £218.50
261 Prime Hoggs sold to 306ppk or £150
232 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £170
Prime Bulls (89) – A larger offering albeit much more dominated by dairy bred bulls than is often the case, averages down on paper but in reality, trade as good as we have seen over the past few weeks. Two super local Limousin’s led the prices per kilo, each just 15-months-old as a 704kg bull from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin joined a 658kg sort from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon at the summit selling for 324 pence each. Thirteen other bulls sold over 300 pence including our top gross value which was something rather special from the Renton Highlaws team down from Morpeth; a tremendous 945kg Limousin sold at 306ppk equating to a magnificent £2891. Twenty-four further bulls surpassed £2000 including a great pair from L S Staley, Bluuestone House either side of £2500 as the beef bred bulls were in terrific demand. Top of the native breeds was a Galloway this week, finished perfectly by J R Knox & Son, Bracks Farm this good sort sold for 284ppk and £1919. On to the dairy breeds which made up half of the sale, Friesian bragging rights go to R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall Farm, Brotton at £1769 and 280ppk with a very honourable mention going to J M Stuart & Son, Preston with Ayshire’s to £1845. Below are some of the top ranked pen averages.
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 2 to average 321ppk and £2311
J C Johnson, Trimdon sold 2 to average 317ppk and £2255
S & J Dent & Son, Darlington sold 3 to average 315ppk and £2132
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 308ppk and £2499
Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 2 to average 306ppk and £2677
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 324 320 W&M Knaggs & Son. 324 314 308 S&J Dent & Son. 318 312 DW Humphrey. 318 290 A&D Proctor. 318 316 JC Johnson. 314 296 C Harle & Sons. 308×2 LS Staley. 306×2 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 300 298 JR Knox & Son. 290 288 282 GH Farms Ltd. 290 272 JK&CE Farming. 286 270 J Richmond. 282×2 M&J Hayhurst. 282 R Hall & Son. 278 S Luck & Son. 270 JA&A Herbert. 268 JC&P Tallentire. 264 EA Martin & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2891 £2463 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2504 £2494 LS Staley. £2342 £2280 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2315 £2196 JC Johnson. £2312 £2069 M&J Hayhurst. £2270 £2081 C Harle & Sons. £2168 S Luck & Son. £2156 £2146 DW Humphrey. £2140 £2131 £2125 S&J Dent & Son. £2128 £2001 GH Farms Ltd. £2090 £2026 JK&CE Farming. £2076 £1971 SH Watson & Son. £2051 £1803 A&D Proctor. £2013 £1996 JR Knox & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 280 224 R Hall & Son. 228 WE&CA Anderson. 226 222×2 212×2 208 204 198×3 194 190×2 188×2 184 182 180 JM Stuart & Son. 220 D Walker. 216 JK&CE Farming. 174 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1845 £1725 £1592 £1549 £1531 £1520 £1494 £1493 £1467 £1404 £1403 £1389 £1376 £1372 £1363 £1357 JM Stuart & Son. £1769 £1344 R Hall & Son. £1486 JK&CE Farming. £1342 WE&CA Anderson. £1258 D Walker. £1183 JM&S Walton.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 284 JR Knox & Son. 254 GT&MA Wearmouth. 250 246 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1919 JR Knox & Son. £1823 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1547 £1350 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (131) – Dearer again as the beef trade gathers momentum by the week, an extra buyer ringside helped just a standard show of steers to average 285ppk whilst a tidier than normal offering of heifers excelled themselves to average all in 313ppk. The regular selling pair of R Hirst and J V & J A Hodgson shared the top spot today at 347 pence per kilo, each with Limousins; six other heifers sold in the 340’s with a remarkable twenty-eight more in the 330’s. Top steer per kilo at 320 pence came from another regular selling firm the Askwiths of Crook, four further steers from four further vendors followed closely in the teens including a super sort from T D Wight & Sons, St Boswells and good beast from a trio of regular visitors W J Scott Ltd, Neil Brown and Peter Davison. The top three gross values were all heifers and all within a tenner of one another this week; J E Suddes & Son placed third at £2173, J V & J A Hodgson second at £2181 however winning the closest of photo finishes at £2182 was an excellent 682kg Limousin from A & M J Henshaw, Mainsgill Farm. The British Blonde’s led the gross values amongst the steers as W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam sold a homebred 658kg at £2033 however another it turned out to be a different Northumberland raider, D Robson & Sons, Merryshields, who led the way at £2066 with a well fed 698kg steer. Below are some impressive pen averages.
Heifers
B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 to average 335ppk and £1776
W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell sold 4 to average 334ppk and £2020
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 5 to average 333ppk and £1902
Askwiths, Crook sold 2 to average 333ppk and £1841
R Hirst, Neasham sold 15 to average 331ppk and £1942
M F Hall, Ponteland sold 8 to average 331ppk and £1827
Steers
Askwiths, Crook sold 3 to average 308ppk and £1973
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 to average 301ppk and £2003
Steers – Top prices ppk 320 319 307 290×2 284 280 278 274 264 TD Wight & Sons. 320 309 296 Askwiths. 316 309 282 WJ Scott Ltd. 315 290 JH&M&NW Brown. 314 286 282 P&JH Davison. 302 300 280 A&MJ Henshaw. 296×2 284 D Robson & Sons. 288 266 264 A&CA Stanwix. 288 Jack Henshaw. 278 276 274 WA Wardman Ltd. 266 250 M Ord & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers- £2066 £1944 £1922 D Robson & Sons. £2033 £2000 £1976 WJ Scott LTD. £1993 £1971 £1956 Askwiths. £1975 £1782 £1719 £1597 A&MJ Henshaw. £1957 £1922 £1887 £1881 £1859 £1826 £1795 £1713 £1708 TD Wight & Sons. £1928 £1625 M Ord & Sons. £1914 £1908 £1892 JH&M&NW Brown. £1900 £1862 £1796 P&JH Davison. £1789 £1768 £1742 A&CA Stanwix. £1740 £1673 WA Wardman LTD. £1644 Jack Henshaw.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 347 343 340 338×2 337 334 330×2 328 327 325 324 322 R Hirst. 347 340 339 337 336 332 330 317 315 JV&JA Hodgson. 342 338×2 331 319 WJ Scott Ltd. 342 338×2 336 335 326 324 MF Hall. 340 337 332 329 W Swinbank & Sons. 339 328 Askwiths. 337 336 332 B Walker. 336 305 F&JS Gargett. 333 328 FW Robson. 332 320 313 309 A Crowder. 332 316 JE Suddes & Son. 323 320 316 315 312 A&MJ Henshaw. 300 P&JH Davison.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2182 £2012 £1965 £1896 £1852 A&MJ Henshaw. £2181 £2026 £2011 £2006 £1989 £1959 £1927 £1871 £1846 £1818 £1777 JV&JA Hodgson. £2173 £2006 £2004 £1925 JE Suddess & Son. £2086 £2078 £2024 £2009 x2 £1997 £1967 £1957 £1943 £1927 £1917 £1906 £1871 £1843 R Hirst. £2084 £2067 £2016 £1914 W Swinbank & Sons. £2079 £1903 F&JS Gargett. £2068 £2018 £1966 £1788 MF Hall. £2012 Jack Henshaw. £1994 £1931 £1915 £1913 £1823 £1788 FW Robson. £1938 P&JH Davison. £1925 £1919 £1902 £1898 £1866 WJ Scott LTD. £1922 £1894 £1887 £1834 A Crowder. £1922 Askwiths. £1853 B Walker. £1847 JP Coatsworth & Son. £1796 S&J Dent & Son.
New Season Lambs (1110) – Finally the numbers begin to appear as the 2024 crop spring forward after a torrid cold and wet few months. Trade down on last weeks flyer however surely not be sniffed at still some 100 pence per kilo better than this week last year to level all in, weighed straight at 393ppk. Two vendors shared the top spot per kilo at 444 pence; eleven cracking Texel’s out of Suffolk Halfbred’s weighing 47kg from Richard Bailes at Cole Hill Farm, Elwick were joined by a brilliant 45kg Beltex from first time vendor S Bell of Loughead, Carlisle. Frequent sale topper J C Simpson of Caldwell followed twice in the 430’s ahead of plethora of the better bred and better fed between 410ppk and 430ppk. The magic lambs from Cole Hill were at it again when it came to the top gross values selling half a dozen at £218.50 and six more at £215, the Simpson lambs followed at £214 along with more from Cole Hill then came the pick from a tremendous run travelled up from Nottinghamshire’s Ian Kirk at £210. All included today the 1110 lambs levelled just pennies shy of £170.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 444 424 411 405 404 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 444428 425 409 S Bell. 435 434 425 423 422 421 419 416 411×2 JC Simpson. 429 407 404×2 JA&A Herbert. 426 404 C Moralee & Sons. 421 406 JR&JA Wharton. 420 413 407×3 W&M Knaggs & Son. 418 JE Suddes & Son. 416 JA&B Nappey. 415 409×2 CA&JG Skidmore. 412 MJ Blacklidge. 410 P Tindale. 409 408 M&A Gaskin. 408 403 I Kirk. 407 405 A&PA Jopling. 404 P&CM Graham. 404 402×2 AWSM Farms. 402 B Fisk.
Lead Grossing Lambs £218.50 £215 £214 £209 £208 £200 Cole Hill farm Ltd. £214 £200 £190 £183×2 JC Simpson. £210 £205 £200 £194 £187 £184 £181.50 I Kirk. £209 C Moralee & Sons. £206 JA&B Nappey. £205 £200×2 £180×2 S Bell. £203 £181 £180 JE Suddes & Son. £202 MJ Blacklidge. £201 £193 £180 J Hird. £195 JR&JA Wharton. £194 AWSM Farms. £194 £188 I Burn & Sons. £192 £180 M&A Gaskin. £190 T Lawson & Son. £190 £183 PJ Tindale. £189 £182 W&M Knaggs & Son. £188 £182 C Binks & Son. £183 RA Patterson & Son. £180 TW Clark. £180×2 CA&JG Skidmore.
Prime Hoggs (261) – The hoggs sign off with somewhat of a whimper as the miraculous trades of months gone by are no longer available. Pick of the day came from R E & L Frank, Crabtree Farm reaching 306ppk and £150 with prices variable, as was the quality, further down the scale.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 306 294 248 RE&L Frank. 285 265 210 J Butterfield. 282 250 Humbleton Farm. 275 255 239 215 Tallentire. 269 266 226 C Binks & Son. 268×2 JD Brannen. 263 GP&A Carter. 245 R Lawson & Son. 244×2 JD Brannen. 233 T Lawson & Son. 232 217 R Nattrass & Sons. 229 R White. 217 208 FM Martindale. 215 GF Whitfield.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £150×2 £124 RE&L Frank. £150 R Lawson & Son. £149 R White. £146 C Moralee & Sons. £140 £120×2 C Binks & Son. £140×2 T Lawson & Son. £140 GF Whitfield. £134×2 £120×2 JD Brannen. £134 £110×3 Tallentire. £130 £120×2 J Butterfield & Son. £121 G Te-Lintelo. £120 £110 Humbleton Farm. £120 GW Dobson. £100 GP&A Carter. £100×2 R Nattrass & Sons.
Cast Ewes & Rams (232) – Not a great show forward, the heavier ewes remain good to place however a very moderate bottom end pulls the average well back on paper to £92. Three smart Texel ewes from Elliot Grieves, Oakdene topped the day at £170 ahead of R A Patterson & Son, White House at £156. The White House firm also topped the Mule ewe trade at £113 whilst horned ewes sold to a top of £70.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £170 £140 EW Grieves. £156 £113 £90 x2 RA Patterson & Son. £150 £130 £120 £100 R White. £150 £110 GP&A Carter. £140 x2 £114 Anna Herbert. £140 £120 JR&AR Wall. £140 £128 £100 x2 A Pennell. £130 x2 £115 RE&L Frank. £124 £108 £102 E Scott & Sons. £124 £114 TJ Herron. £120 F Shield. £120 £110 FM Martindale. £120 JD Brannen. £116 £112 £100 £90 C Binks & Son. £115 £109 K Buckle. £113 D&C Greensit. £113 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £112 £100 J Pallister & Sons. £100 JE Parlour. £100 £91 IW Cairns. £100 GM Simpson. £100 £96 K Tallentire. £100 GF Whitfield. £100 IR Appleton. £97 JA&B Nappey. £92 Allison Devereux. £90 J Butterfield & Son.
