Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of fodder on Monday 31st March 2025. Forward were 320 cattle, 342 sheep and 400 bales of fodder.
54 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 448ppk or £3172
4 Stock Bulls sold to 362ppk or £2659
2 Breeding Cows sold to £1220
31 Young Bulls sold to £2180
74 Store Steers sold to £2850
155 Store Heifers sold to £2850
34 Ewes & Lambs sold to £380
188 Store Hoggs sold to £145
58 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £188
400 Bales of fodder sold to £22
Cast Cattle – Onwards and upwards spirals the booming beef trade to see those over the weigh today average a splendid 274ppk. A fantastic Limousin heifer from J J Kemp & Son, Elstob Hill Farm led the prices per kilo when she sold for a whopping 448 pence. Top older cow per kilo and also the highest gross value went to a superb 822kg six-year-old Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm when she sold for 386 pence and £3172. Native breed prices topped at 352ppk and £2400 for an Aberdeen Angus heifer from E A & N Thompson & Son, Bromley Green whilst the sixteen Friesian’s were led by R & A Chapman, Easby Grange with OTM heifers to 314ppk and £2100 and cows to 292ppk and £2011. Best of the bulls this week per kilo were a 38-month-old Limousin from D C Briggs, Stubb Head Farm at 362 pence and a strong Beef Shorthorn which reached £2659.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 448 J J Kemp & Son. 394 316 T Ducker. 386 318 A C Simpson & Son. 386 352 288 282 D C Briggs. 352 E A & N Thompson. 338 280 R & W Todd. 337 336 283 282 J Layfield. 314 312 253 R & A Chapman. 304 H S Hutchinson. 298 D J Mallon. 292 286 272 R L Walker. 292 280 W E & C A Anderson. 278 276 D Alderson. 272 J R Fell. 270 266 258 A Davison.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 362 328 D C Briggs. 294 R K & S Ridley. 256 ENB Farms Ltd.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £3172 £2623 A C Simpson & Son. £2558 J J Kemp & Son. £2429 £2288 £2044 £2000 J Layfield. £2415 £1970 D Alderson. £2400 E A & N Thompson & Son. £2330 D J Mallon. £2324 £1810 T Ducker. £2211 £1777 D C Briggs. £2178 £2056 £1971 R L Walker. £2100 £2011 £1856 R & A Chapman. £2029 J R Fell. £1982 £1934 W E & C A Anderson. £1851 £1744 A Davison. £1741 R & W Todd. £1739 G Thompson & Sons.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2659 ENB Farms Ltd. £2468 £1922 D C Briggs. £1714 R K & S Ridley.
Store Cattle – Following last Thursday’s sale of the century in our prime ring the supersonic stores followed suit as trade every bit matched the flyer here seven days ago, if anything it went up another notch. Beginning with the young bulls and it was a successful day for J C Thwaite & Son, Crag Hill Farm with their quartet of 12-month-old Limousin’s averaging £2060 with a terrific top of £2180. Behind the thriving Thwaite’s in the bull ring was a nice Hereford from G W Chapman, Otterburn when he sold for £1980 followed by three smart British Blue’s (£1900) and a super Simmental (£1960) from local dairy farmers Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides.
With our recent foray’s beyond 500ppk in the prime ring here in DfAM the store cattle perhaps unsurprisingly appeared to be the dearest yet. Stealing the headlines were a great run of 20-25-month-old Limousin’s from D W Dresser, Hall Farm as they reached £2850 with both steers and heifers to see their fabulous four average a terrific £2665. Strong heifers from the Wilkinson’s of Carrsides and also W Walker & Sons, High Copelaw each impressed at £2260 each just ahead of some Cumbrian crackers which crossed the Pennine’s from Kendal. Lakeland Farm Visitor Centre, Meadowbrook Farm made their Darlington debut with twenty-two superb 8-9-month-old Limousin suckled calves. The Lakeland Centre sold their terrific consignment of calves to average £1705 which included eight heifers to a top of £2180 (av.£1652) and fourteen steers to peak at £1850 (av.£1735). Elsewhere impressing was a strong Charolais heifer at £2100 and from the same pen a 13-month-old Aberdeen Angus steer (top native) at £1980 both hailing from BJS Farms; honourable mention must also go to Raby Home Farm with Longhorn steers to a top of £1920. Back to the suckled calves and D G & P D Ayre, Roger Moor hit £1900 with an 11-month-old Limousin steer and N B & R Hird, Gillfield topped at £1890 with an 8-month-old Limousin steer.
Breeding Cows – £1220 £1150 J W Richardson.
Store Bulls- £2180 £2100 £1980 x2 JC Thwaite & Son. £1980 GW Chapman. £1960 £1900 x3 £1720 £1700 Wilkinson & Son. £1680 F Fabi. £1560 x2 £1460 GS Dixon. £1500 £1480 JR Allan. £1480 x2 C&JC Stephenson. £1380 Raby Home Farm. £1300 £1250 x2 1180 x3 DG&GM Robinson.
Store Steers- £2850 DW Dresser. £2000 £1900 x2 L&BM Kidd & Son. £1980 £1820 BJS Farms. £1920 x2 £1780 x3 £1490 x3 £1390 x2 Raby Home Farm. £1890 £1920 TT Hall & Son. £1900 £1860 £1800 DG&PD Ayre. £1850 x5 £1810 x2 £1740 £1720 x2 £1660 x2 £1520 £1410 Lakeland Farm Visitor Centre. £1820 RW Ridley. £1810 £1780 £1700 K Sayer. £1700 JT&M Atkinson. £1630 x4 NB&R Hird. £1590 x6 W&C Iceton. £1580 x2 F Fabi. £1430 x2 £1380 CM Smith. £1390 D Dowson.
Store Heifers- £2850 £2680 £2280 DW Dresser. £2260 £2140 £1950 £1840 w Walker & Sons. £2260 £2060 x3 £2060 £2040 x4 £1970 x2 £1880 x2 Wilkinson & Son. £2180 Lakeland Farm Visitor Centre. £2100 £2020 x2 £1990 £1900 x5 £1860 x3 £1850 x3 £1820 BJS Farms. £2060 £2020 £1940 £1880 L&BM Kidd & Son. £2060 £2020 £1900 K Sayer. £1960 £1890 x2 P Leese. £1920 T Ducker. £1920 x2 1890 x2 £1850 £1840 x3 £1820 A&AG Moralee. £1900 JT&M Atkinson. £1890 SC Barron. £1880 JS Wiper.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The ewes and lambs will now increase in numbers weekly as we head out of winter; trade has set off strong and will most likely remain that way for the foreseeable. A good run of sheep all suckling twins from E Scott & Sons, Middridge Grange Farm set the pace today as they sold two Suffolk’s at £380, five Texel’s at £375 and seventeen Mules at £342.
A tail end show of store hoggs continued in great form topping at £145 twice for pens of good Suffolk’s from C A & J G Skidmore, Needless Hall. Cheviot hoggs topped at £138, Mule hoggs sold to £127 and Swaledale’s to £90.
Feeding ewes were flying again, top this week at £188 were C Harle & Sons, Brandon Hall whilst Mule’s sold to £168 from J W & G P Furness, Manor Farm plus Cheviot’s to £154 from J R Carter, Coldhurst, Herdwick’s topped at £114 from R G & C S Wise, Todds House Farm and Swaledale’s sold to £80 from D Alderson, Cockleberry.
Ewes & Lambs
£380 £375 £342 E Scott & Sons. £300 C A & J G Skidmore. £290 £240 J W Richardson. £212 £190 J W Burbury.
Store Hoggs
Suffolk – £145(x2) C A & J G Skidmore. £102 J Burbury.
Continental – £144 S & D Ferrie. £136 D Alderson. £136 £124 £108 £106 Namens Leases Farm Ltd. £128 S J Jones. £124 W Wearmouth & Son. £115 E G Bulman. £102(x2) J R Mann.
Cheviot – £138 S Dodsworth. £130 S & D Ferrie.
Mule – £127 £117 £105 Kelly Rafferty. £122 £107 W Wearmouth & Son. £122 £117 E G Bulman. £120 P Armstrong. £110 D Alderson. £109 H Thompson. £108 S & D Ferrie. £106 J Burbury.
Swaledale – £90 W Wearmouth & Son. £78 D Alderson.
Feeding Ewes
£188 £153 C Harle & Sons. £176 £156 R I Jones. £176 £170 £168 £129 J W & G P Furness. £154 J R Carter. £144 L F & H C Wood. £140 S & D Ferrie. £118 J Burbury. £114 R G & C S Wise. £102 S J Jones. £100 D Alderson.
Fodder – The ongoing uptake in the weather has seemingly curtailed the recent high demand for feeding and bedding. For the first time in months a few lots went unsold, the bales which did change hands were 150x 4ft barley straw round bales at £22 each; a further 150 of the same description sold for £20, the only grass crop to sell were 100 round bales of haylage also sold at £20.
