Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 7th January 2021. Forward were 306 cattle, 1203 sheep and 15 pigs.
118 Prime Bulls sold to 255ppk or £2046
51 Prime Steers sold to 259ppk or £1579
134 Prime Heifers sold to 278ppk or £1732
3 Cast Cows sold to 192ppk or £1280
915 Prime Hoggs sold to 367ppk or £155
288 Cast Sheep sold to £170
Prime Bulls (118) – The new year bull trade kicked off in fine form, a show which contained over 1/3 Native or Dairy bred still returned a marvellous average of almost 217ppk, a noticeable willingness to bid freely from all the regular buyers as the beef trade started the Chinese year of the Ox in top gear. Top price per kilo of 255 pence came from C Harle & Sons of Brandon Hall; a trio from Brandon averaged 245ppk on a day which witnessed some 19 bulls the top side of 240 pence. Leading the gross values today was a wonderful Limousin from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm reaching a wonderful £2046, the Simpson’s quartet averaged an unbelievable £1997 as 16 on the day sold beyond £1800. Black and White bulls today also sold tremendously well, non-more so than a brilliantly fed trio from R Hall & Son of Brotton which averaged £1215.
A C Simpson & Son sold 4 Bulls to average 246ppk & £1997
C Harle & Sons sold 3 Bulls to average 245ppk & £1757
J W Holmes & Son sold 6 Bulls to average 232ppk & £1780
D Richardson & Co sold 15 Bulls to average 229ppk & £1763
A G Watson & Sons sold 10 Bulls to average 230ppk & £1720
M & J Cheesbrough & Sons sold 4 Bulls to average 233ppk & £1716
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 255 247 236 C Harle & Sons. 250 249 248 240 239 237 AG Watson & Sons. 248 247 246 243 AC Simpson & Son. 246 245 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 246 239 RC Raper & Daughters. 245 JM&S Walton. 245 239 236 R Ormston. 245 237 M&J Cheesbrough & Sons. 244 235 W Barron. 244×2 240 239 236 232×2 231 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 240 238×2 JW Holmes & Son. 236 232 LR Welsh & Co. 235×2 JJ Kemp. 232 JK Gregory. 232 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £2046 £1995 £1993 £1956 AC Simpson & Son. £1949 £1910 £1873 £1872 £1814 £1791 £1781×2 £1780 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1937 £1814 £1811 £1714 £1706 JW Holmes & Son. £1882 £1833 £1812 £1777 £1770 £1753 AG Watson & Sons. £1846 LR Welsh & Co. £1790 £1756 £1751 £1729 R Ormston. £1770 £1760 £1741 C Harle & Sons. £1768 £1731 £1705 £1659 M&J Cheesbrough & Sons. £1729 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1710 £1668 JJ Kemp & Son. £1682 JK&CE Farming.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 189 188 182 181 J&JH Musgrave. 189 186 185 R Hall & Son. 187 180 176 160 JM&S WSalton. 178 166 HM&JS Hutchinson. 176 170×2 152 D Walker. 164 R Ormston. 155 GS Dowson. 152 GW Dobson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1246 £1206 £1203 R Hall & Son. £1210 R Ormston. £1162 £914 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1144 £1060 £1044 £910 JM&S Walton. £1133 £1118 £1099 £1075 J&JH Musgrave. £1015 £987 £974 £907 D Walker. £991 £915 GW Dobson & Son. £891 GS Dowson.
Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk Angus 231 227 G Carins. 174 161 JT Layfield.
Shorthorn 219 D Richardson & Co Ltd.
Hereford 217 198 179 GS Dowson. 205 JA&M Boyes Ltd.
Lincoln Red 212 EW Grieves.
Lead Grossing Native Breeds – Shorthorn £1872 D Richardson & Co Ltd.
Lincoln Red £1573 EW Grieves.
Angus £1414 £1372 G Carins & Partners. £1204 £1056 JT Layfield & sons.
Hereford £1379 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1280 £1100 £1096 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (185) – As with the bulls the buyers were keen and the trade good for all classes, heifers all sale appeared thick meat, the average of 235ppk would please most as the absent fortnight has certainly put a little extra finish and weight on the majority whilst a mixed show of steers all sold very well relative to their quality; the better end were very close to the pre-Christmas purple patch we witnessed. Quite a day for Frank Page of Lodge Farm, Northamptonshire as he again found his extraordinarily good cattle at the top of the Darlington buyers shopping list producing 6 of the top 7 steers per kilo today peaking at 259 pence and also the days leading 2 heifers per kilo with the best a handsome 506kg Limousin at 278 pence. Top gross value clean beast today was a repeat of the bull sale as A C Simpson & Son of McNeil Farm showed a top class pure Limousin for £1732, the leading gross steer also headed to a familiar face in the winners enclosure as W J Scott Ltd, Low Leam, Northumberland peaked at £1579. Credit to all three mentioned above as they all produced exceptional runs of homebred cattle worthy of their place in any butchers shop window in the land.
Frank Page sold 16 cattle (7 steers, 9 heifers) to average 259ppk & £1421
W J Scott Ltd sold 11 cattle (5 steers, 6 heifers) to average 240ppk & £1507
A C Simpson & Son sold 4 heifers to average 242ppk & £1590
J W Holmes & Son sold 6 heifers to average 258ppk & £1509
P J & E S Rogerson sold 3 heifers to average 263ppk & £1466
B Walker sold 3 heifers to average 255ppk & £1483
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 7 cattle (1 steer, 6 heifers) to average 252ppk & £1385
F & J S Gargett sold 4 heifers to average 250ppk & £1401
J V & J A Hodgson sold 11 heifers to average 240ppk & £1469
Continental Steers – Top prices ppk 259 258 256×2 248×2 246 Frank Page. 253 247 234 221 213 WJ Scott Ltd. 241 210 TN Callender. 240 JR&B Anderson. 240 235 P&JH Davison. 238 Renton Highlaws. 217 190 JM&M&C Wise. 208 DA Gill. 190 A&CA Stanwix.
Lead Grossing Continental Steers £1579 £1505 £1496 £1474 £1449 WJ Scott Ltd. £1514 £1462 JM&M&C Wise. £1504 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1491 £1220 TN Callender. £1489 £1482 £1469 £1450 £1438 £1429 Frank Page. £1438 £1413 P&JH Davison. £1354 P&CM Graham.
Friesian Steers – Top prices ppk 164 161 159×3 158 157 156×2 154×3 153 152 151 150 149 148 Berryfield Darms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Friesian Steers £998 £956 £934 £927 £926 £915 £906 £903 £897 £887 £877 £876 £868 Berrryfield Farms Ltd.
Continental Heifers – Top prices ppk 278 270 269 267 266 265 264 260 Frank Page. 269 264 263 255 253 JW Holmes & Son. 269 260×2 PJ&ES Rogerson. 268 265 261 260 250 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 267 252 248 247PJ&MP Gilhespy. 262 259 WJ Scott Ltd. 260 253 JV&JA Hodgson. 259 257 251 B Walker. 258 255 F&JS Gargett. 258 Berryfield Farms. 258 256 R Hirst. 256 253 TW Clark & Son. 254 GK KN&GJ Hird. 250 246 WR Thompson. 249 AC Simpson & son. 249 P&JH Davison.
Lead Grossing Continental Heifers £1732 £1653 £1517 £1460 AC Simpson & Son. £1589 £1494 P Weightman & Sons. £1584 £1487 £1458 Frank Page. £1568 £1546 £1530 £1490 £1483 WJ Scott Ltd. £1539 £1499 B Walker. £1538 £1533×2 £1514 £1478 £1457 JW Holmes & Son. £1538 £1521 £1519 £1495 £1489 £1485 JV&JA Hodgson. £1519 PJ&ES Rogerson. £1504 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1487 F&JS Gargett. £1480 £1461 R Hirst. £1479 SE Chapman. £1472 TW Clark & Son. £1454 P&JH Davison.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 192 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 130 120 Berryfield Farms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1280 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1014 £876 Berryfield Farms Ltd.
Prime Hoggs (915) – No superlative exits to describe todays trade, we streamed the cattle sale live, had we done so with the sheep we may have broken the internet. Simply astonishing scenes in the hogg ring, a lighter than anticipated show (largely due to the poor weather) mixed with 3 new faces in the buyers gallery absolutely setting the place alight, todays sale averaged a mind boggling 275 pence per kilo with an SQQ of 287ppk, the average per head an almost ridiculous £123.92.
Top price per kilo 367 pence for a 3 Beltex Lambs (35kg) from High Harbour Farms selling for £128.50
Top price per head £155 for 6 Beltex Lambs from Askwiths, Crook weighing 57kg selling to Roots Farm Shop, Northallerton
18 Lots (131 Hoggs) sold beyond 300 pence per kilo
28 Lots (195 Hoggs) sold beyond £130 per head
Messrs Askwith of Crook sold 34 Hoggs to average £143.74
J D Brannen, Toronto sold 11 Hoggs to average 324ppk
High Harbour Farms sold 26 Hoggs to average 310ppk
K & M M Henderson, Witton-Le-Wear sold 35 Hoggs to average 309ppk
T H Richardson & Son, Hamsterley sold 16 Hoggs to average 304ppk
I M Maughan, Hamsterley sold 24 Hoggs to average 300ppk
Ian Kirk, Woodside Farm sold 88 Hoggs to average 287ppk
W Robson Farm, Tow Law sold 102 Hoggs to average 286ppk
W E Muir & Son, Westerdale sell Scotch Blackfaced hoggs to £115.50
Mule hoggs sell to a top of £118.50
Cast Ewes (288) – A very light show, the ewe trade seems to be following the lambs at speed through the wardrobe and in to Narnia as the sale averaged an amazing £94, currently the sheep prices it seems knows no bounds. Top slot today went to a cracking Texel ewe from Dromonby Bridge Farm selling for £170, Mule ewes reached £119 from D & P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm. Many more could have sold to the advantage of the vendor.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 367 326 322 290 High Harbour Farms. 333 324 310 JD Brannen. 327 310 291 K&MM Henderson. 324 R McAnency. 311×2 305 296 294 TH Richardson. 309 291 290 IM Maughan. 308 305 296 291 283 W Robson. 303 293 291 285 Ian Kirk. 303 279 RE&L Frank. 298 WR Thompson. 296 282 GF Whitfield. 296 279×2 JM Shotton. 294 K&PM Lough. 291 281 S Thompson & Son. 284 RH Wilson & Son. 283 281 Askwiths. 283 JA Esam. 283 SJ Love. 281 J Layfield.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £155 £150 £144.50 £140 £129.50 Askwiths. £143.50 £139.50 £133.50 JD Brannen. £143.50 £131.50 WR Thompson. £139.50 £128.50 RE&L Frank. £139.50 W Denham. £138.50 £129.50 £128.50 High Harbour Farms. £137.50 £131 £130.50 K&MM Henderson. £137.50 £136 £133.50 £132.50 £127.50 W Robson. £135.50 £134.50 £127.50 TH Richardson & Son. £135.50 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £134.50 A Crowder. £132.50 J Pallister & Sons. £129.50 K&PM Lough. £127.50 JM Shotton.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £170 £151 £132 £130 £124 £112 Dromonby Bridge. £153 £120 £111 C Moralee & Sons. £139 £112 C&E Gaskin. £137 £135 £107 W Robson. £131 £115 JV&JA Hodgson. £128 £119 D&PH Brown. £126 TH Richardson & Son. £1258×2 £118 £105 £100×2 Ian Kirk. £118 MJ Hutchinson. £114 £109 High Harbour Farms. £110 GP Addison. £109 W Denham. £103 MJ Hutchinson.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 116 114 110 90 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £93 £91 £89 £74 J Mitchell & Son.
