Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 4th July 2024. Forward were 245 cattle and 1205 sheep.
90 Prime Bulls sold to 319ppk or £2497
41 Prime Steers sold to 331ppk or £2252
113 Prime Heifers sold to 349ppk or £2539
1 Cast Cow sold for 254ppk and £1435
984 New Season Lambs sold to 369ppk or £176
221 Cast Sheep sold to £170
Prime Bulls (90) – More forward largely thanks to the inclusion of twenty-seven smart young Charolais bulls travelled down from G A Mackie, Drimmie Farm, Forfar; plenty of bounce in the trade for all classes with a high percentage of dairy and dairy crosses resulting in a whole sale average of 264ppk and £1819. The magnificent homebred Limousin bulls of A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, Witton-le-Wear led the charge in both lists topping the prices per kilo with one at 319 pence and the pounds per head with another at £2497; a credible challenge came from Marwood based L S Staley as well as W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge and also the pick from the aforementioned Forfar folk. Of the pure dairy breed bulls, it was success again for Friesian’s from the ultra-consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall Farm, Brotton when the best of their pen sold for 245ppk and £1533; top of the native breed lists came Aberdeen Angus, first dairy crossed from the regular selling J A & A Herbert, Tees Farm reached 249ppk and a super sort at £1872 came from fresh faces to the DfAM bull ring C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm, Alnwick. Below as usual are a handful of the leading pen averages.
L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 to average 308ppk and £2257
J J Kemp & Son, Stillington sold 2 to average 298ppk and £1847
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 292ppk and £2300
R W & R Henry, Worsall sold 4 to average 286ppk and £2167
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 319 300 299 270 AC Simpson & Son. 309 W&M Knaggs & Son. 309 307 LS Staley. 308 292 291×3 290 289 281×2 276 GA Mackie. 300 JK&CE Farming. 300 296 JJ Kemp & Son. 299 JF Gibson & Son. 291×2 290 274 RW&R Henry. 290 J&K Woodward. 283 268 TF Bothroyd & Son. 282 267 GH Farms Ltd. 276 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 275 G Corner. 275 M Thuey. 273 J&A&DA Horn. 268 CH&SE Armstrong. 268 C Binks & Son. 268 J Richmond.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2497 £2271 £2257 £2175 AC Simpson & Son. £2339 £2176 LS Staley. £2322 £2170 £2147 £2030 RW&R Henry. £2308 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2145 TF Bothroyd & Son. £2119 £2021 £2020 £2007 £1974 £1830 £1818 GA Mackie. £2093 JF Gibson & Son. £2081 £2079 £2044 £1938 £1936 CH&SE Armstrong. £2066 J&A&DA Horn. £2048 G Corner. £2027 GH Farms Ltd. £1992 £1926 JK&CE Farming. £1978 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £1947 JR Knox & Son.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 245 239 R Hall & Son. 204 200 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1533 £1390 R Hall & Son. £1474 £1272 GW Dobson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 249 242 236 JA&A Herbert. 230 CH&SE Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1872 CH&SE Armstrong. £1531 £1427 £1393 JA&A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (154) – Butchers shop spec beef remained a first-class trade whilst the processing R grades looked perhaps a fraction easier, the high performing top end helped the heifers to a super average of 305ppk and some weight through the steers levelled them up at 282ppk. The top ten heifers all sold in the 340’s, two of which reached 349ppk as a cracking Limousin from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin had its price matched by a brilliant British Blue from Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton. The on-song Barker Farming raced to a win in the steer race with an excellent Limousin reaching 331ppk, eight other steers followed between 310ppk and 320ppk. Some thirty cattle sold over £2000, in the steers some magic from the Marshall’s of Hope House Farm saw them sell five of the top six gross values with a best of £2252 however some quality from Quinn saw the heifer prices sail away with the honours. The top of the day was a sensational 801kg Charolais heifer from Gerard Quinn of J E Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm, Cornsay Colliery which sold for a fantastic £2539, the same good home followed with another belter at £2358; without a smart sort from G C & J C Pullan, Manor House the ‘mighty Quinn’ would today have scooped all three of the podium finishes in the gross value heifer standings. Some impressive averages below as those with the high-end goods enjoyed a fine day at the office.
Heifers
W & M Knaggs & Son, Sadberge sold 3 to average 341ppk and £1958
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 6 to average 336ppk and £2009
P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland sold 6 to average 333ppk and £1912
W J Scott Ltd, West Woodburn sold 3 to average 323ppk and £1886
R Hirst, Neasham sold 13 to average 322ppk and £1895
G H Farms, Bishop Auckland sold 3 to average 322ppk and £1762
J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery sold 3 to average 318ppk and £2352
P & J H Davison, Morley sold 5 to average 318ppk and £1775
Steers
Barker Farming Partnership, Scorton sold 5 to average 313ppk and £1905
I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham sold 6 to average 304ppk and £2134
Steers – Top prices ppk 331 320 318 303 296 Barker Farming Partnership. 319 316 313 308 295 278 I Marshall & Sons. 314 WA Armstrong. 312 W Swinbank & Sons. 310 300 292 286 275 D Robson & Sons. 309 WA Armstrong. 308 299 293 283 274 267 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 287 WJ Scott Ltd. 284 276 JA Gilson. 280 PR&V Barlow & Son. 274 A Swinbank & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2252 £2205 £2194 £2104 £2103 £1948 I Marshall & Sons. £2174 £2093 £2030 £1924 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2044 £1911 £1903 £1851 Barker Farming Partnership. £2034 £1946 £1932 CH&SE Armstrong. £2000 WJ Scott Ltd. £1971 £1947 £1925 £1922 £1904 D Robson & Sons. £1903 W Swinbank & Sons. £1882 JA Gilson. £1879 A Swinbank & Son. £1818 WA Armstrong.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 349 348 328 W&M Knaggs & Son. 349 346 334×2 332 330 328 Barker Farming Partnership. 346 336 335 335 328 326 R Hirst. 343 338 335 332 328 JV&JA Hodgson. 342 330 326 W Swinbank & Sons. 341 340 337 331 330 321 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 340 WJ Scott Ltd. 339 331 RO Gilson. 337 WA Armstrong. 334 323 321 PR&V Barlow & Son. 329 326×2 P&JH Davison. 326 323 319 GH Farms Ltd. 326 WF Hustwit. 323 A Swinbank & son. 320 318 JE Suddes & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2539 £2358 £2159 JE Suddes & Son. £2194 GC&JC Pullan. £2096 £1959 £1954 £1948 R Hirst. £2066 £2043 £2041 £2030 £2022 £2020 Barker Farming Partnership. £2065 £2020 RO Gilson. £2061 £2021 £1983 £1975×2 £1971 JV&JA Hodgson. £2018 £1993 £1943 £1939 WF Hustwit. £2015 £1950 £1941 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2006 £2001 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1996 £1973 W Swinbank & Sons. £1990 A&MJ Henshaw. £1986 A Swinbank & Son. £1961 TW Clark & Son. £1944 £1933 WJ Scott Ltd.
New Season Lambs (984) – The lamb trade continued where it left off last week to average a weighed straight all in 310ppk and £134.70 per head, thick loins are absolutely essential and still carry a noticeable premium at the checkout. Regular supporter J C Simpson, Hill Top East, Caldwell ruled the roost this week in the pence per kilo standings selling his top six pens (57 lambs) between 347ppk and 369ppk. Heavy lambs led the way in the gross values, none more so than a super pair of 53kg Texel’s from D R & R L Burns, Lodge Farm, Leicestershire which sold for £176 apiece; other vendors in the £170 plus club were W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm, Etherley and W K M M Lamb, Doe Park, Cotherstone as the top ten all weighed in beyond 46kg.
Lambs – Top prices ppk 369 360 359×2 358 347 341JC Simpson. 346 342 JR&JA Wharton. 344 C Binks & Son. 343 S Whiteford. 343 WR Thompson. 341 Wytherstone Farm. 340 336 332 S Bell. 338 318 M Pickering. 337 333 332 313 W&M Knaggs & Son. 337 AWSM Farms. 335 B Fisk. 334 331 317 I&A Holmes. 334 D&AM Bayles. 332 W Simpson. 332 DR&RL Burns. 331 CR&L Dawson. 328 I Kirk. 328 315×2 314×2 JA&A Herbert. 327 325 317 314 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 322 320 W.K M.M Lamb.
Lead Grossing Lambs £176 DR&RL Burns. £175 £163 £157 WR Thompson. £170 3161 £155 £154 £145×2 W.K M.M Lamb. £166 £157 £146 TW&PT Moss. £161 JR&JA Wharton. £159 M Pickering. £158 S Whiteford. £157 £143 Wytherstone Farm. £156 B Fisk. £155×2 £154 £151×2 £147 £146 JC Simpson. £154 £150 D&AM Bayles. £153 £144 J Hird. £152 £150 £143.50 W&M Knaggs & Son. £152 AWSM Farms. £150 S Bell. £149 £144 I&A Holmes. £149 L&S Barker. £148 C Binks & Son. £146×2 JJ Horn. £146 K&PM Lough.
Cast Sheep (221) – The old ewes continue in fair form; dearer on the week to level at £105 and the story remains similar as fit but not fat is by far the easiest to place. After a strong showing in both the clean cattle and the lambs this week’s deserving ewe leaders were Shelford based P R & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm with excellent Texel crosses reaching £170 apiece. T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm led the tup trade at £164 as plenty of the heavier lowland sheep continued to sell regularly £130 to £150 with big Mules over £100 to a top of £114.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £170 £140 £138 £123 PR&V Barlow & Son. £164 £139×2 £125 £103 T Lawson & Son. £152 W Simpson. £152×2 £129 W.K M.M Lamb. £148 £132 JC Simpson. £143 £140 S Bell. £141 S Whiteford. £141 £138 N&MJ Parkin. £140 E Wilson. £139 £134 M Pickering. £138 £135×2 R Lawson & Son. £135 C Binks & Son. £133 Rose A Farms Ltd. £133 £127 RA Patterson & Son. £130 £117 I Kirk. £130 £109 £104×2 East Mellwaters Farm.
