Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 31st March 2022. Forward were:
74 Bulls sold to 327ppk & £2990
50 Steers sold to 296ppk & £2150
127 Heifers sold to 314ppk & £1985
900 Prime Sheep sold to 387ppk & £155
308 Cast Sheep sold to £320
6 Prime Pigs sold to 90ppk & £78
W M Dick & Sons, Thorsk sold 5 Bulls to average 310PPK and £2603
M I Wainwright, Fife sold 3 Bulls to average 293PPK and £2559
J Robertson & Company, Pitlochry sold 2 Bulls to average 296ppk and £2386
A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 7 Bulls to average 283PPK and £2019
AS&SM Kemp, Whitwell Farm sold 6 Bulls to average 289ppk and £2177
Prime Bulls (74) – The wondrous bull trade left March behind in absolutely awe-inspiring form, not since Jim Bowen retired has bully’s special prize appeared to be so fruitful. An unbelievable average today of 250 pence per kilo with 13 beyond 300ppk and a groundbreaking 22 bulls selling over £2000. The top two prices per kilo of 327 (Limousin) and 324 (Charolais) headed just up the road to the super consistent and loyal supporters, brothers of Cliif and Terry Watson trading as A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange with their perfectly fed pair each tipping the scales to just over 700kg. An unbelievable 8 heavyweights today sold over £2500 and remarkably all hailed from Scotland, the best Native today an awesome Aberdeen Angus from Perthshire’s J Robertson & Company at £2505 (289ppk) sat very credibly below a real quality quintet of Limousin’s from W M Dick & Sons, Thorsk which all checked in between £2509 and £2701. The bragging rights this week however belonged to the British Blue breed as M I Wainwright of Cupar, Fife showed a pair of unbelievable 34-month-old bulls weighing 1000kg and 1014kg, they reached the extrodinarily dizzy heights of £2990 and £2971. The dairy bull feeders also enjoyed a fine day at the bull ring, Friesian tops of 218ppk and £1491 from J M & S Walton, Barton however a splendid Motbelliarde from J K & C E Farming, Piercebridge stole the show at 219ppk and £1554; the 21 dairy bulls this week averaged nicely over 200ppk.
Bulls Leading PPK – 327 324 304 280 A G Watson & Sons. 323 313 306 280 276 Whitwell Farm. 321 316 308(x2) 300 W M Dick & Sons. 310 290 275 C Harle & Sons. 306 289 J Robertson & Company. 299 293 285 M I Wainwright. 295 J M Ramsay & Son. 290 280 C Binks & Son.
Dairy Bulls Leading PPK – 219 J K & C E Farming. 218 210 206(x2) 205 204 198 J M & S Walton. 212 204 196 R Hall & Son. 208(x2) G W Dobson & Son. 199(x2) 196 195 189 185 178 J M Stuart & Son. 195 M G & J T Betney. 196 J A & A Herbert.
Bulls Leading Gross – £2990 £2971 M I Wainwright. £2701 £2693 £2568 £2547 £2509 W M Dick & Sons. £2505 £2267 J Robertson & Company. £2469 £2406 £2293 £2077 £2004 £1812 Whitwell Farm. £2358 £2298 £2170 £2041 £1902 £1890 A G Watson & Sons. £2197 £1899 £1845 £1786 C Harle & Sons. £2116 £2010 C W Gray. £2059 £1934 C Binks & Son. £1917 J M Ramsay & Son. £1912 £1780 R McCulloch. £1815 J K & C E Farming. £1758 J R Knox & Son.
Dairy Bulls Leading Gross – £1554 J K & C E Farming. £1530 £1352 G W Dobson & Son. £1491 £1328 £1324 £1255 £1221 £1194 £1191 J M & S Walton. £1443 £1299 £1156 R Hall & Son. £1361 £1329 £1211 £1205 £1186 £1148 J M Stuart & Son. £1191 J A & A Herbert.
Clean Cattle (177) – A good show of numbers met another excellent trade, steers in particular followed the bull boom and brought some astonishing returns to the party. An increased percentage of R and O grade beast were forward as the smart movers are rightly selling live to thrive, multiple buyers for all classes left vendors well rewarded, no doubt the best practice on a fast trade is to leave out the dangerous deadweight dictators. The heifers averaged 265ppk with the steers a pleasing 254ppk and the entirety levelled up comfortably over £1600. The top ten heifers all sold over 300 pence per kilo with a score more in the 290’s; leading the way were regular sellers Robin and Imogen Hirst, Neasham Grange as they produced 585kg Limousin’s to 314 and 312 pence per kilo, another regular seller Coxhoe based W A Armstrong picked up the bronze medal at 311ppk. Four heifers today sold beyond £1900 with a further fifteen in the £1800’s, best of all was a magnificent British Boonde from P Weightman & Sons, Easington at £1985, she was chased home by W Swinbank & Sons, Caldwell and Stirlingshire’s W Henderson & Son. Five fantastic steers sold over 290ppk, despite a valliant effort from Whinney Hill based T N Callender the top slots went over the border to Stirling’s A G Baillie & Son and Perthshire’s Thomas Paul & Sons with the former sneaking ahead at 296ppk. Last but by no means least the gross value steer race and a delightful dozen broke the £2000 barrier, superb feeding from Hexham’s R A & B A Ridley & Son and also Broxburn based Walter Dandie & Son were the closest chasers however a sublime consignment down from Morpeth proved to be the winners on this sensational steer day in DfAM. Congratulations must go to C W Gray of Low Hall Farm, Amble who remarkably produced seven over £2000 including six of the top eight with a best price of £2150 which was duly achieved by a magical 744kg Limousin.
Steers – Top prices ppk 296 294 AG Baillie & Son. 294 293 Thomas Paul & Sons. 290 278 TN Callender. 289×2 286 278×2 276 Walter Dandie & Son. 289 288 284 279 271 270×2 267 252CW Gray. 288 K&J Heslop. 281 278 274 266 250 248 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 240 P&N Tattersall. 240 238 236 235 230 JA Brown. 240 I Bosworth. 233 225 220 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £2150 £2116 £2111 £2097 £2095 £2090 £2033 £1983 £1900 CW Gray. £2121 £1888 £1868 £1843 £1735 £1705 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2101 £2022 £1999 £1896 £1868 £1823 Walter Dandie & Son. £2034 £1968 Thomas Paul & Sons. £2022 £1953 AG Baillie & Son. £1923 K&J Heslop. £1906 £1768 £1727 £1710 £1630 JA Brown. £1626 £1567 TN Callender. £1504 P&N Tattersall. £1476 I Bosworth.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 314 312 304 300 297 295 294 R Hirst. 311 307 303 296×2 WA Armstrong. 309 281 JJ Kemp & Son. 306 299 297 B Walker. 301 291 288 P&N Tattersall. 297 295 288 WF Hustwit. 297 295 293 290×2 288 286 JV&JA Hodgson. 294 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 292 TW Clark & Son. 291 285 284 P Weightman & Sons. 291 Walter Dandie & Son. 290 MI Wainwright. 287 W Swinbank & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £1985 £1781 P Weightman & Sons. £1937 W Swinbank & Sons. £1931 £1895 W Henderson & Son. £1929 £1856 £1783 £1780 £1751 £1738 WA Armstrong. £1886 31884 £1802 £1795 £1778 £1776 £1769 £1760 JV&JA Hodgson. £1878 £1704 P&N Tattersall. £1837 £1807 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £1836 £1822 £1820 R Hirst. £1823 £1773 £1725 JJ Kemp & Son. £1814 £1798 £MI Wainwright. £1805 £1750 B Walker. £1804 £1754 TW Clark & Son. £1757 W Swinbank & Sons.
Hoggs (900) The trade appears to be improving, export weights were indeed in high demand and there is now perhaps a light appearing at the end of the tunnel for the heavyweight feeders with an increased enthusiasm from the buyers. As always with a 100% honest weighbridge and the usual compliment of both hill and Mule hoggs included today’s sale averaged a pleasing 250ppk with an SQQ of 271ppk. A fine day for the Tindale family of Paradise Farm, Shadforth as oldest brother Peter led the prices per kilo at 387 pence whilst brother William topped the gross values at £155. The better bred and patiently fed hoggs regularly sold £130 to £145 with a host of regular successful sellers all clustered together on the leaderboard.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 387 281 PJ Tindale. 341 292×3 289 287 280×2 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 333 319 277 TN Callender. 322 280 W Robson. 315 D&AM Bayles. 309 293 WA Wardman Ltd. 307 JH&D Wise. 304 294 276 Anthony Tindale. 295 RE&L Frank. 295 287 283 282 279 JH&D Wise. 292 M&RJ Hall. 287 J Dawson. 282 P&H Bainbridge. 281 LW Martin. 280 278 JK&CE Farming. 278 275 R Herbert. 278 274 KM Boanas. 277 William Tindale. 274 273 GP&A Carter. 271 268 L Fowler.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £155 £135 William Tindale. £145 PJ Tindale. £145 £144×2 £142 £141×2 £140×2 £139 £134×5 £132 £131.50 £130 AC Simpson & Son. £144 £137 £133×2 £131×2 £128×2 £126.50 RH Thompson & Son. £140 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £140 £131 TN Callender. £140 CJ&J Simpson. £140 £135 £132 £130 EA Martin. £138×2 £130 £129 WA Wardman Ltd. £137 £130 J Woodward & Sons. £132 JH&D Wise. £132 £128 J Gilson. £129.50 Thoresby Livestock. £129 D&AM Bayles.
Cast Sheep (308) The unbelievable ewe trade continues, top price climbing up and over £300 for the third successive week as the insatiable demand for mutton is very apparent. Top of the shop at £320 was a magnificent specimen from B Layfield of Crook closely followed by regular patrons J A & A Herbert at £311. Mule ewes once again this week sold upwards of £120 as all classes remain in scintillating form.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £320 £250 £185 B Layfield. £311 £200 £148 £130×2 JA&A Herbert. £200×2 JV&JA Hodgson. £180 £158 A&EJ Dobinson. £180 £150 JC Simpson. £170 £154 AS&G Donaldson. £160 JW&J Collin. £160×2 M&RJ Hall. £152×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £152 EA Martin & Son. £152×2 S fenwick. £150 J Gilson. £150 CJ&J Simpson. £144 PN&JV Noble. £144 J Weighell. £144 C Beard.
Prime Pigs (6) – The poor trade continues; probably best not to wash the trailer out when transporting pigs, with the fertiliser prices the way they are the most valuable bit could be that which they leave behind.
Pigs – Top prices ppk 90×2 J Mitchell & Son.
Lead Grossing Pigs £78 £50 J Mitchell & Son.
