Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 24th April 2025. Forward were 260 cattle and 1735 sheep.
105 Prime Bulls sold to 455ppk or £3679
35 Prime Steers sold to 445ppk or £3076
119 Prime Heifers sold to 489ppk or £3033
1 OTM Heifer sold for 414ppk and £2500
6 New Season Lambs sold to 404ppk or £182
1344 Prime Hoggs sold to 462ppk or £200
385 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £268
Prime Bulls (105) – The bull trade bundles along at excellent levels, some stunners at the top end accompanied a larger show of dairy breeds and first crosses to see this week’s sale averages along to a very healthy 379ppk and £2565 per head. Two bulls shared the top price per kilo as a 688kg Limousin from L R Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm matched a 735kg British Blue from A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange at 455 pence. An excellent eight bulls sold over £3500 this week, top of them all at £3679 was a tremendous 844kg Limousin from J A Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange. Not so many native breeds on offer were topped by an Aberdeen Angus from G S Dowson, Barmby Farm at 357ppk and a good sort from Mayfield Beef Shorthorn’s at £2740. Dairies aplenty as no less than twenty-nine Friesian and Ayrshire bulls are included in today’s averages, unsurprisingly the remarkable feeding of R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall Farm set the pace with top spots of 387ppk and £2469.
A Few of today’s top averages:
Foxton Livestock, Abbey Farm sold 4 (818kg) average 431ppk & £3532
JA Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange sold 3 (813kg) average 427ppk & £3481
D Richardson & Co, Bracken House sold 3 (814kg) average 420ppk & £3422
W&M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin sold 3 (765kg) average 444ppk & £3401
JJ Horn, Bushey Park sold 2 (775kg) average 421ppk & £3267
JR Tiplady, Wesh Hall sold 4 (780kg) average 407ppk & £3180
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 455 416 LR Welsh & Co. 455 451 434 AG Watson & Sons. 450 437 432 416 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 448 444 441 W&M Knaggs & Son. 445 440 436 417 S&J Dent & Son. 444 437×2 435 428 425 JH Mitchinson. 440 435 430 422 Foxton Livestock. 439 429 419 418 J Layfield. 436 435 412 JA Matten & Sons. 429 416 415 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 429 414 JJ Horn. 426 416 GH Farms Ltd. 418 416 JR Tiplady. 417 R Hall & Son. 410 404 WI Suddes & Son. 407×2 C Binks & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3679 £3497 £3267 JA Matten & Sons. £3633 £3585 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £3610 £3519 £3511 £3487 Foxton Livestock. £3598 £3244 £3128 JR Tiplady. £3547 £3369 £3288 W&M Knaggs & Son. £3350 £3300 £3075 J Layfield. £3344 £3328 AG Watson & Sons. £3299 £3234 JJ Horn. £3215 £3172 £3055 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3130 £3036 LR Welsh & Co. £3073 R Hall & Son. £3058 £3001 £2996 £2914 JH Mitchinson. £3050 GH Farms Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 387 368 R Hall & Son. 354 336 CH&SE Armstrong. 319 GS Dowson. 310×2 302 288 286 282 280×2 274×2 270 262 250×3 JM Stuart & Son. 250 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2469 £2281 R Hall & Son. £2184 £2088 CH&SE Armstrong. £1909 £1811 £1776 £1756 £1748 £1723×2 £1689 £1668 £1642 £1606 £1605 £1512 JM Stuart & Son. £1642 GS Dowson.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 357 GS Dowson. 340 G Te-Lintelo. 334 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2740 G Te-Lintelo. £2535 JK&CE Farming. £2034 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (154) – Trade back a shade, still sharp however as not long ago we would have jumped for joy with a steer average of 409ppk and £2607 and heifer average of 429ppk and £2431. Top of the day per kilo went to the pick from an excellent run across from W Miller, High Aketon Farm, Wigton; a 569kg Limousin superstar sold for 489 pence to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. The classy Cumbrian consignment followed with three more between 478ppk and 486ppk with R Hirst, Neasham and N E Dyson, Masham both snapping at their heels. Top of the steers per kilo were the consistent team from Low Leam as a cracking 668kg Limousin from W J Scott Ltd reached 445ppk. Two other Scott sensations followed at 444ppk as did the pick of a well finished run from G G Stevenson & Son, Trout Hall. The Scott’s of Low Leam were also in command of the gross values when they sold a 693kg British Blue steer for £3076, following at £3043 was an excellent Limousin steer from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm ahead of our top heifer which was an excellent 636kg Limousin from N E Dyson, Masham at £3033.
A few of today’s leading averages:
CH&SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm sold 5 (660kg) average 433ppk & £2859
WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam sold 8 (641kg) average 437ppk & £2805
NE Dyson, Gebdykes sold 3 (613kg) 445ppk & £2733
GG Stevenson & Son, Trout Hall sold 9 (639kg) average 424ppk & £2713
W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones sold 5 (625ppk) average 429ppk & £2687
Steers – Top prices ppk 445 444×2 432 418 393 WJ Scott Ltd. 444 430 427×2 426 423 404 402 GG Stevenson & Son. 439 436 423 CH&SE Armstrong. 424 NE Dyson. 419 393 JM Smith. 414 M Robinson & Sons. 412 409 JE Suddes & Son. 411 W Swinbank & Sons. 406 JR&B Anderson. 401 370 WL Robinson. 394 386 384 372 A Layfield. 380 378 DJ Allanson & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3076 £2989 £2972 £2746 £2735 £2688 WJ Scott Ltd. £3043 £2976 £2559 CH&SE Armstrong. £2975 W Swinbank & Sons. £2886 £2863 £2745 £2743 £2730 £2618 £2609 £2532 GG Stevenson & Son. £2883 NE Dyson. £2838 £2728 JE Suddes & Son. £2704 £2690 WL Robinson & Partners. £2635 £2495 JM Smith. £2525 J Pallister. £2380 M Robinson & Sons. £2362 £2057 £2033 A Layfield Farms Ltd.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 489 486 485 478 476×2 468 463 456 455 444 W Miller. 478 474 468×2 467 466 465 459 447 R Hirst. 477 NE Dyson. 470 461 B Walker. 469 461 WJ Scott Ltd. 468 448 446 Askwiths. 460 JE Jordon & Son. 458 456 W&M Knaggs & Son. 452 449 PJ&ES Rogerson. 450 WF Hustwit. 450 445 JJ Kemp & Son. 447 444 W Swinbank & Sons. 446 GH Farms Ltd. 443 RO Gilson. 441×2 M Robinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3033 NE Dyson. £2910×2 £2787 £2777 £2736 £2714 £2707 £2675 R Hirst. £2894 W Swinbank & Sons. £2782 £2737 £2707 £2700 £2625 £2622 £2617 W Miller. £2752 £2678 £2628 JV&JA Hodgson. £2745 £2633 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2706 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2690 GG Stevenson & Son. £2681 Askwiths. £2677 WJ Scott Ltd. £2632 M Robinson & Sons. £2626 JE Suddes & Son.
Prime Lambs (6) – Just a scattering of springers this week as the local lambers remain a couple of weeks away from any significant numbers. Six smart Suffolk’s from P K & H C Dowson, Castle House sold to tops of £182 and 444ppk to average 392ppk and £180, all were purchased by Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton.
Leading PPK – 404 387(x2) P K & H C Dowson
Leading Gross – £182(x2) £178 P K & H C Dowson
Prime Hoggs (1344) – Dearer on the week to average a weighed straight all in £161.49 and 309ppk with the light sheep in very high demand giving an SQQ of an excellent 373ppk. Top per kilo were a pen of twenty clipped 43kg Texel hoggs from R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm at 462 pence. The same good home followed with fourteen 44kg at 454ppk then twenty-one 45kg at 431ppk and thirty-two 45kg at 426ppk. The remarkable run from High Greenbury then went on to achieve all of the day’s top gross values with their 153 hoggs selling in eight pens to average £194.59 with a best of £200. The Mule and hill lambs also enjoyed a price boost this week as the Mule’s topped at £155.50 and averaged £147.66 whilst a sharp run of hill Cheviot’s from Cole Hill Farm, Elwick topped at £152 and averaged £149.67.
A few of today’s top averages:
R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm Ltd sold 152 (52.12kg) average 373.32ppk & £194.59
WA Richardson Ltd, Hutton Fields sold 67 (59.99kg) average 287.46ppk & £172.43
AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm sold 62 (60.39kg) average 282.29ppk & £170.47
Wytherstone Farm sold 63 (59.79) average 284.90ppk & £170.35
TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm sold 38 (49.76kg) average 338.79ppk & £168.59
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 462 454 431 426 R Atkinson. 420 377 341 339 TN Callender. 407 383 378 375 371 368 360 353 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 381 C Bell. 375 355 351 JM&S Walton. 369 360 342 TW Clarke & Son. 366 320 AW Dixon. 365 WL Robinson & Partners. 359 340 339 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 358 342 319 JA Gilson Agriculture. 354 W Kirk & Sons. 354 GP&A Carter. 347 334 318 316 TA Greensit & Sons. 341 327 320 J&A Layfield. 330 D&B Harding. 330 325 A&H Livestock.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £200 £199 ££194×4 £192 £191 R Atkinson. £189 £172 £170 £168 TN Callender. £182 £175 £170 Wytherstone Farm. £181×2 £175 £174×3 £173 £168×6 AC Simpson & Son. £180 £174×2 £170 £168 £167×2 RH Thompson & Son. £176 £174 £171 £167 WA Richardson Ltd. £176 PD Shepherd Farm. £175 £168.50 £167 £166 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £170 TA Greensit & Sons. £170 £167 GC&JC Pullan. £170 £168 WL Robinson & Partners. £170 AW Dixon.
Cast Ewes & Rams (385) – Ewes and rams remain a flying trade to average all in £161.22. Top of the day were five heavy Texel ewes from P Cockburn, Newbiggin Farm when they sold for £268, plenty of other continental ewes followed well beyond £200. Top of the tups at £248 were a fine pair from J & A Layfield, New Row Farm whilst the Suffolk ewes sold to £230 from Wytherstone Farm, Skiplam. Mule ewes averaged a massive £162.18 and topped at a marvellous £208 from W R Thompson, Sloshes Farm whilst the horned ewe prices were led at £120 by Rebecca Appleton, Pudding Poke with Blackface.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £268 £196 £194 P Cockburn. £260 £248 £241 £228×2 £226 £220 £209 £198 £195 K Atkinson. £248 £228 £204 £196 J&A Layfield. £236 £228 £219 £202×2 £200 WA Wardman Ltd. £230 £200 Wytherstone Farm £230 PD Shepherd. £220 S Fenwick. £220 £208 WR Thompson. £220 £218 £200 TW Clark & Son. £218 £216 C Binks & Son. £218 R Stevenson. £214 IR Appleton. £212 G Thompson & Sons. £209 A Pennell. £206 R Appleton.
