Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 30th January 2025. Forward were 225 cattle and 1770 sheep.
83 Prime Bulls sold to 394ppk or £3370
20 Prime Steers sold to 399ppk or £2703
119 Prime Heifers sold to 436ppk or £2840
3 OTM Cattle sold to 394ppk or £2824
1585 Prime Hoggs sold to 442ppk or £211
185 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £310
Prime Bulls (83) – The bulls bash on to this week average a superb 339ppk and £2330 per head. The top forty sold over 340ppk, thirty of these sold over 360ppk with a marvellous top five in the 390’s per kilo. Top of the shop was a superb 723kg Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange which sold for 394 pence, the three following just a penny behind included two more from the Matten pen and the pick of a fine run from A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange. A solid thirty-two bulls sold over £2500, a quality quintet of these surpassed £3000. In the three grand club were a pair from the consistent A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm and one apiece for the Matten’s and D Richardson & Co, Bracken House however, news from North of the border as the pick of the pack was a wonderful 921kg Limousin from Scottish raiders R M Adam & Son, Newhouse of Glamis which added up to an impressive £3370. Native breed bulls were again on the charge and none were in finer form than the Hereford’s from J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House when they topped at 344ppk and £2573. Friesian feeders found a remarkable breed average of £1732 as a heavier offering appeared, top of them all at 306ppk and £1851 was an expertly finished 605kg bull from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall. See below some of today’s top pen averages.
J A Matten & Sons, Thirsk sold 3 to average 393ppk and £2994
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 2 to average 385ppk and £2842
A C Simpson & Son, Witton-le-Wear sold 4 to average 382ppk and £3039
P Langstaff, Woodland sold 2 to average 374ppk and £2442
JH & M & NW Brown, Darlington sold 4 to average 371ppk and £2684
L R Welsh & Co, Spennymoor sold 4 to average 370ppk and £2566
Continental Bulls Per Kilo – 394 393(x2) J A Matten & Sons. 393 378 A G Watson & Sons. 390 379 368 L R Welsh & Co. 389 387 377(x2) A C Simpson & Son. 386 361 P Langstaff. 386 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 386 S R Welford. 385 381 372 J H & M & N W Brown. 379 357 356 P J & S E Rogerson. 371 369(x2) 366 360(x2) 358 D Richardson & Co. 371 J R Knox & Son. 370 C H & S E Armstrong. 366 R M Adam & Son. 360 D Herdman.
Native Breed Bulls Per Kilo – 344 340 328 322 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 320 317 E Scott. 313 310 J M & S Walton. 308 J K & C E Farming.
Friesian Bulls Per Kilo – 306 262 252 R Hall & Son. 278 262 214 C H & S E Armstrong. 246 243 J M & S Walton.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £3370 R M Adam & Son. £3264 £3092 £2909 £2891 A C Simpson & Son. £3163 £2971 £2848 J A Matten & Sons. £3117 £2856 £2837 £2810 £2759 £2649 £2576 £2559 D Richardson & Co. £2967 £2717 A G Watson & Sons. £2866 £2762 £2587 £2522 J H & M & N W Brown. £2812 £2788 £2697 L R Welsh & Co. £2752 S R Welford. £2740 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £2649 C H & S E Armstrong. £2642 D Herdman. £2632 P Langstaff. £2530 J R Knox & Son.
Native Breed Bulls Leading Gross – £2573 £2407 £2382 £2187 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £2108 £2054 E Scott. £2093 £1860 J M & S Walton. £1995 J K & C E Farming.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross – £1851 £1796 £1661 R Hall & Son. £1815 £1760 £1545 C H & S E Armstrong. £1735 £1692 J M & S Walton.
Clean Cattle (139) –The DfAM clean beef trade put in another Grand Slam winning performance as again a fantastic sale materialised, other centres seemingly can’t keep up, the on the hook highwaymen’s recent improvement still leaves them looking lightweight not deadweight as our top end looked even sharper on the week, heifers averaged 378ppk and steers 360ppk. Thirty-four heifers joined the 400 pence plus club; top of the pile was a wonderful 572kg Limousin from Aberdeenshire based W A Fettes, Braes of Enzie when she sold for an excellent 436 pence; behind the topper followed a pair of peaches from the regular selling J V & J A Hodgson at 428ppk with N E Dyson, Gebdykes and another from the Aberdeenshire feeders also selling over 420ppk. Top spot in the steers per kilo was shared by two vendors at 399 pence as nothing could split Limousin’s from the Askwith’s of Crook and the Callender’s of Whinney Hill. The gross values continue to climb by the week and further success for Scotland was evident as our leading beast in the lump was a superb Simmental heifer from S & J E Andrew, Letter Farm, Loch-of-Lowes at £2840. An excellent OTM Aberdeen Angus heifer from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm followed at £2824 ahead of the flying Fettes’s with a heifer at £2713 and our terrific top steer a 719kg Limousin from N E Dyson, Gebdykes Farm, Masham at £2703. Some stand out averages are listed below, if the Six Nations follows the beef trade, then watch out for Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe over the coming weeks.
Messrs WA Fettes sold 6 (617kg) average 419ppk & £2587
TN Callender sold 3 (587kg) average 407ppk & £2393
NE Dyson sold 4 (630kg) average 402ppk & £2538
JV&JA Hodgson sold 12 (608kg) average 402ppk & £2446
F&JS Gargett sold 4 (623kg) average 396ppk & £2475
Steers – Top prices ppk 399 TN Callender. 399 394 371 369 Askwiths. 396 388 384 370 Taylor Bros. 380 349 360 340 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 376 NE Dyson. 368 P&JH Davison. 321 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. 319 J Pallister. 300 294 290 JB Bell & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2703 NE Dyson. £2572 P&JH Davison. £2517 £2501 £2477 £2211 Askwiths. £2473 TN Callender. £2150 £2112 £2071 £1979 Taylor Bros. £2105 £1944 £1898 £1788 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £1983 J&R Hutchinson & Sons. £1914 J Pallister & Sons. £1782 £1609 JB Bell & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 436 424 418 414 413 412 Messrs WA Fettes. 428×2 418 415 410 406 398 397 JV&JA Hodgson. 426 418 399 NE Dyson. 418 406 TN Callender. 418 393 392 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 413 390 Rochester & Murray. 412 409×2 391 Askwiths. 412 397 391 F&JS Gargett. 411 402 395 B Walker. 410 408 401×2 400 396 R Hirst. 410 406 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 406 402 394 J Layfield. 401 390 JR&B Anderson. 399 394 P&JH Davison. 396 JM Ramsay & Son. 390 JE Suddes & Son. 389 JJ Horn.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2840 S&JE Andrew. £2713 £2691 £2666 £2554 £2493 £2408 Messrs WA Fettes. £2681 £2466 £2303 NE Dyson. £2657 £2640 £2604 £2603 £2496 £2483 £2479 £2411 JV&JA Hodgson. £2649 £2516 £2449 £2287 F&JS Gargett. £2539 RM Adam & Son. £2512 JJ Horn. £2510 JM Ramsay & Son. £2423 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2387 £2242 P&JH Davison. £2387 Rochester & Murray. £2375 £2332 TN Callender & Son. £2343 £2322 £2294 B Walker. £2312 £2241 JR&B Anderson. £2290 R Hirst. £2260 JE Suddes & Son.
OTM – Top prices ppk 394 381 371 J Layfield.
Lead Grossing OTM £2824 £2644 £2437 J Layfield.
Prime Hoggs (1585) – A week is a long time in the fast-moving sheep world and today looks incomparable to just three or four days ago, it’s gone from beers to tears for some who went early in the week. Another day over our straight weigh and hoggs were dearer by a notable margin as the averages rose to a 346ppk with an SQQ of 357ppk; most importantly this equated to £163.19 per head. An increase of £18 in seven days is remarkable and places some vendors as much as £30-£40 better on the same week last year. A trio of tidy Beltex hoggs from weekly supporters K & P M Lough, Redgate House topped the prices per kilo at 442 pence; further Beltex hoggs from W Ramsay & Sons, W A Wardman Ltd and the pick of a wonderful run up from Whittington Livestock, Nottingham all chased the leaders over the line. The prolific powerhouses from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm led the way in the gross value race as they topped at £211 for a trio of terrific 67kg Suffolk hoggs. The super Simpson’s sold several other times beyond £200 with the Whittington’s and Layfield’s both in hot pursuit. Away from the commercial meat breeds we saw Cheviot’s to £178; Clun’s to £166, Mules to £165, Wensleydale’s to £158, Hampshire’s to £155 and Jacob’s to £151. Below are a select few stand out averages.
A C Simpson & Son sold 33 to average £196.58 (324ppk)
J & A Layfield sold 41 to average £187.02 (333ppk)
P Langstaff sold 20 to average £181.00 (332ppk)
W Ramsay & Sons sold 19 to average 397ppk (£171.63)
R Atkinson sold 90 to average 373ppk (£179.18)
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 442 385 K & PM Lough. 416 405 385 372 W Ramsay & Sons. 410 375 368 356 WA Wardman Ltd. 408 404 398 395 386 376 373 371 GW Whittington. 395 383 R Atkinson. 385 383 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 394 373 William Tindale. 388 W Kirk & Sons. 381 380 372 I&A Holmes. 377 H G Thompson. 376 J K & C E Farming. 375 J Mitchell & Son. 374 371 J Hird. 374 G Thompson & Sons. 372 J Pallister & Sons. 372 W & J Herbert. 371 Bowes House Farm. 371 B G Dale.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £211 £206(x3) £204(x2) £200(x2) £194 £193 £191(x2) £185 A C Simpson & Son. £199 £194 £184 GW Whittington. £193 £188(x2) £186 £185 J & A Layfield. £192 E A Martin & Son. £191 £189 W A Wardman Ltd. £189 F P & I M Jefferson. £188 £187 D & P H Brown. £187 J G M Brown. £187 P Langstaff. £187 W Denham. £186 R Nattrass & Sons. £186 R Atkinson. £185 W L Robinson & Partners. £185 M & A Gaskin. £183.50 J Pallister & Sons. £183 £182 J K & C E Farming. £182 S G Dent. £182 J Hird.
Cast Ewes & Rams (185) – Less forward and trade can only be described as scandalous; these are off the clock to grab an all in average of £155.25. Top of the day at £310 were a super pair of Beltex ewes from W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill Farm. They were followed at £289 by pure Texel ewes from Reece Stevenson, Sleights ahead of a super Charollais from J R & J Crowe, Bishops Close at £277. Three Texel’s topped the tups at £230 from M Navazi, Redmires Farm whereas Mule ewes topped at £162 and averaged £125; Cheviots topped at £167 and averaged £154 and the pick of the Swaledale ewes sold at £120.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £310 £251 £181 £170 W Ramsay & Sons. £289 R Stevenson. £277 £218 £200 £171×2 JR&J Crowe. £250 £160 F Ward. £246 £167 £166 £157 PR&V Barlow. £234 £167 £161 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £230 M Navazi. £210 £200 G Thompson & Sons. £201 £166×2 SG Dent. £200 G Thompson & Sons. £199 A Pennell. £181 D&PH Brown. £180 £168 £149 Ainsty Farms Direct. £180 A Smith. £179 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £177 £144 EA Martin & Son. £176 W Denham. £174 P&K Summerbell. £171 J&K Woodward. £162 RH Wilson & Son.
