Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of fodder on Monday 8th December 2025. Forward were 224 cattle and 1042 sheep.
72 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 356ppk or £3054
5 Stock Bulls sold to 325ppk or £2347
27 Young Bulls sold to £2180
43 Store Steers sold to £2470
77 Store Heifers sold to £2300
824 Store Lambs sold to £146
218 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £208
185 Bales of Fodder sold to £48
Cast Cattle – The green status live ring remains the hot-spot in the cow world as trade remains sharp and takes no notice whatsoever of the ongoing deadweight price cuts. A typical December show with some seeing the weather take its toll still sold well to both feeders and wholesalers to average 253ppk and £1669 per head. Of the few hard fed cows forward, one 49-month-old stood apart from the others, a super 858kg Limousin cross from WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House led the way when she sold for an impressive 356ppk and £3054. Aberdeen Angus cows topped the native charts as G Te-Lintelo, Wolsingham topped the values at £2550 and G & JH Tomlinson & Son, Sunniside Farm led the prices per kilo at 296 pence. Friesian cows remain in demand, tops this week went to J & G Clark, Fleetshott Farm at £1872 and to Stainton Hill Farms at 226ppk. Finally, an eclectic mix of bulls found top prices for a Hereford from Leas Farm Ltd, Howarth at £2347 and a Limousin from FW Hodgson & Son, Burton House at 325ppk.
Cows – Top prices ppk 356 336 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 306 GH Farms Ltd. 306 282×2 270 266 264 A&AG Moralee. 298 R Simpson & Sons. 296 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. 296 274 JE Grieves. 294 270 JN Swinbank. 290 JC Thwaite. 288 B Watson. 288 TT Hall & Son. 284 G Te-Lintelo. 284 G&JM Blackburn. 280 264 B Cave. 276 W Weightman. 272 F Crawford. 272 268 262 F Hare & Sons. 270 W Chrystal & Partners. 270 J Walton. 270 DG&PD Ayre. 268 Tarn. 264 DT&E Whitfield.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3054 £2120 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2550 £1905 G Te-Lintelo. £2351 JC Thwaite & Son. £2314 £1817 W&C Iceton. £2303 £2143 JN Swinbank. £2249 £1874 TT Hall & Son. £2200 £1961 £1865 F Hare & Sons. £2184 £1999 £1819 £1816 A&AG Moralee. £2151 J Walton. £2134 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £2111 GH Farms Ltd. £2021 B Watson. £1923 W Weightman. £1902 G&JM Blackburn. £1872 J&G Clark. £1865 F Crawford. £1836 DG&PD Ayre.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 258 Leas Farm Ltd. 246 R Simpson & Sons. 240 E Peacock.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2347 Leas Farm Ltd. £2200 E Peacock. £1712 R Simpson & Sons.
Store Cattle – The feeding cattle continue to canter towards Christmas, arguably a smidgen off the yearlings however the short keep beasts would certainly maintain the recent high levels. The top four on the day were a quartet of strong Aberdeen Angus steers from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Cottage Farm as a pair made £2470 and the other two £2410. Topping the heifers at £2300 was an excellent British Blonde from JJ Horn, Bushy Park whilst an impressive run of Beef Shorthorn’s from J & EM Lawson, Harpington Hill are more than deserved of mention with steers to £2300 and heifers to £2260. A smart run of Limousin’s from J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley led the bull trade this week when selling to a top of £2180.
Store Bulls £2180 £2060×2 £1820 J&F Hartley & Sons. £1900 £1860 £1540 D Dixon. £1840×2 £1710 £1120 T Ducker. £1280 £1120×2 £1100×4 JK Gregory. £1110 £1090×2 AP Taylor. £900×3 £820×2 Stanners Farm.
Store Steers £2470×2 £2410×2 B&B Kitching & Son. £2300 £2280 J&EM Lawson. £2160 £1940 T Coulthard & Son. £2080 £1840 £1820 £1780 DR Smith. £2020 £2000 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1980 £1960 £1910 £1860 E Taylor & Son. £1920 J Walton. £1890 IW Cairns. £1820 £1570 £1480 £1460×2 I Newton & Son. £1800 £1400 P Leese. £1680 M Gallon.
Store Heifers £2300 £1630 JJ Horn. £2260 £2200 J&EM Lawson. £2240 TT Hall & Son. £2100 £1860 JS Foster. £2060 £1890 £1880 R Errington & Son. £1990 £1860×2 JR&J Crowe. £1970 £1800 DR Smith. £1870×2 PD Shepherd. £1840 P Leese. £1820 £1780×2 GL&M Steel. £1820 AC Walton. £1820 £1780×2 M&RK McKenzie. £1810×2 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1800 £1780×3 IW Cairns. £1770×2 W Denham. £1770 M&E Webster.
Store Sheep – The store lambs followed the finished lamb trade and slipped by probably £10 per head, unusual for December but not unheard of; still a three-figure average keeps them healthy if not exciting given the recent high-flying returns. Top of the day were seven smart Beltex lambs from LD Laws, High Village Farm, plenty of others followed £120 to £135 whilst the long keep projects were selling either side of £100.
Feeding ewes are a different story as they continue to write their own remarkable chapter week in, week out. The continental ewes trade anywhere north of £140 providing they are healthy, Mule ewes £120 to £150 if the same statement can be made and all other breeds and creeds look tremendously well sold whatever condition they appear to be in.
Beltex- £146 LD Laws. £127 £119 A Wilson. £124 £115 £114 BR Lawson. £122 B Cowton. £120 KO Stones. £114 NG Beveridge.
Texel- £135 £126 £118 D&HM Hodgson. £124 £120 S Fenwick. £119 DE Stones. £118 £115 £114 x2 JR Mann. £117 £108 WH Brown. £116 W&J Herbert. £113 £100 JW Richardson. £113 £102 B Bell. £113 F Johnson. £112 £102 KA&V Armstrong. £111 £100 RW Dalton. £110 D&M Buck. £109 IR Appleton. £108 M Dawson. £107 LD Laws. £106.50 HS Hutchinson. £106 A Wilson. £105 O Dennis. £101 DM McClurg.
Continental- £126 £101 GD&AF Adamson. £114 £105 B Cowton. £114 NG Beveridge. £113 £94 ABM Farms. £111 £109 £94 Christopher Readshaw. £109 £103 Ainsty Farm Direct. £107 B&J Bainbridge. £107 O Dennis. £107 F Johnson. £107 £105 WH Brown. £105 RRC Andrew. £101 A Wilson. £94 S Fenwick.
Suffolk- £125 £124 D&HM Hodgson. £116 S Fenwick. £107 WH Brown. £103 F&A Gilchrist.
Blueface Leicester- £121 x2 F Johnson.
Cheviot- £106 £100 KO Stones.
Mule- £101.50 HS Hutchinson. £96 Rebecca Appleton. £93 B Bell. £92 GM&V Bayles.
Blackface- £75 MW Cook & Son.
Swaledale- £32 F Johnson.
Feeding Ewes & Tups:
Texel £208 £158 PJ Anderson & Son. £188 £168 DG&PD Ayre. £160 KA&V Armstrong. £160 £135 AWSM Farms. £135 £130 £122 A Wilson. £122 £120 NG Beveridge. £118 LD Laws. £110 R Appleton. £92 O Dennis.
Continental £178 £160 £156 Pallanthorpe Farm Partnership. £164 O Dennis.
Beltex £178 DG&PD Ayre. £144 LD Laws.
Mule £154 ACM Spalding. £150 KA&V Armstrong. £138 DG&PD Ayre. £130 RRC Andrew. £130 A Wilson. £127 Petch Farms. £118 RW Spry. £118 JR Mann.
Swale £151 ABM Farms.
Cheviot £148 KO Stones.
Suffolk £138 DM McClurg.
Fodder- Haylage in high demand and straw still a straight trade.
Round bales of haylage sold to £48
6 String square bales of wheat straw sold to £48
Small square bales of wheat straw sold to £3.50
