Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store Stock, Prime Lambs and Cast Ewes on Monday 4th January 2021. Forward were 93 Cattle and 1056 Sheep.
52 Cast Cows and OTM sold to 198ppk or £1521
2 Stock Bulls sold to 130ppk or £1388
12 Young Bulls sold to £1010
15 Store Heifers sold to £970
12 Store Steers sold to £955
266 Store Lambs sold to £116
738 Prime Hoggs sold to £147 or 289ppk
52 Cast Ewes sold to £146
Cast Cattle – As is often the case a steady start to the year with a relatively light show as vendors ease themselves gently back in to normality, those who fought the adverse weather and appeared today were richly rewarded as the cows were in high demand; a sale average of 125ppk with over 40% coming direct from the parlour. Dominating the sale today Messrs A Thompson of Sherburn House with the top six prices per kilo and the top seven gross values, a 4 year old Limousin weighing 744kg reached 198ppk whilst a British Blue the same age sold for £1521. Top priced bull today was a 10 year old Charolais also from Messrs Thompson selling for 130ppk and £1388 whilst Holsteins sold to 158ppk from A R & C Booth, Bolton-on-Swale and £1102 from Messrs Wilkinson & Son, Rushyford.
Cast Cows Leading PPK – 198 190 178(x2) 172 166 158 Messrs A Thompson. 160 D Barron. 158 A R & C Booth. 154 M W Reed. 146 144 128 W M Reed & Sons. 140 138 132 130(x2) 128 124 W J Smith & Partners. 130 124 T & D I Allen & Son. 130 124 W & R Kemp & Son. 128 Wilkinson & Son. 128 G Bolton.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 130 Messrs A Thompson. 108 R Lawson & J Fairley.
Cast Cows Leading Gross – £1521 £1493 £1473 £1385 £1334 £1268 £1254 Messrs A Thompson. £1182 D Barron. £1102 Wilkinson & Son. £1091 £945 A R & C Booth. £1090 M W Reed. £1036 £880 £842 £812 W J Smith & Partners. £1026 £961 £838 W M Reed & Sons. £934 I Newton & Son. £902 J D & I W Sayer & Tallentire. £840 W & R Kemp & Son.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £1388 Messrs A Thompson. £986 R Lawson & J Fairley.
Store Cattle – Store numbers very low as 2021 crept slowly in to life, no shortage of life in the buyers though as the handbrake was off and trade brisk for all classes. Firing up the ring early was a smart 14 month old Limousin bull from W M Bainbridge of Bogg House Farm, Egglestone selling for £1010 whilst the pick of the stores witnessed bidding reach £970 on three occasions as a pair of smart yearling Limousin heifers from A Newton, Park View Farm, Westgate were matched by a 21 month old Aberdeen Angus from D R Smith, East Roughlea Farm, Ferryhill.
Young Bulls – £1010 W M Bainbridge. £995(x3) £900(x2) E Parsons.
Store Steers – £955 £880 T T Hall & Son. £930 W M Bainbridge. £905 £855 £820 J E & B Morgan & Sons. £880 A Newton. £850 £770 M & E Webster. £670(x3) G Bolton.
Store Heifers – £970(x2) A Newton. £970 £900 £850 £845 D R Smith. £900 J E & B Morgan & Sons. £865 W M Bainbridge. £810 M & E Webster. £810 I F & C M Herring & Son. £800(x2) R W Dalton.
Store Hoggs – A light show however as the light shines bright from the end of the Brexit tunnel the sheep sellers are indeed enjoying life. An absolutely electrifying trade with an (almost ridiculous) average of £90. Top of the sale today was a beautiful Beltex from I M Maughan of New Hall Farm selling for £116 as 44 from New Hall averaged £98.68. A sumptuous run from B & J Bainbridge of Cockfield Hall Farm saw 27 from this home level at an amazing £107.42 and a great run of 71 Texel lambs out of Mule ewes from C W Cutler of Great Ayton averaged £100.49 with all classes quite simply off the clock.
Store Lambs – Beltex £116 IM Maughan.
Suffolk £114 B&L Robson. £89 £85 G Bolton.
Texel £110 £106 B&J Bainbridge. £101 £100 CW Cutler. £99×2 £68 IM Maughan. £89 K Buckle. £81.50 £75.50 £69 £57 GA&C Jopling.
Continental £92 B&L Robson. £85 £70 S Fawell. £81.50 K Buckle. £78 G Bolton. £60×2 DJL Livestock.
Mule £89 £68 GA&C Jopling.
Swale £40 £25 GA&C Jopling.
Feeding Ewes £121 £84 B&J Bainbridge.
Prime Hoggs – Absolutely wonderful from start to finish as 2021 kicked off for the hogg sellers in unbelievable style. Top price per kilo a staggering 289 pence from P J & M P Gilhespy, Low House, Ponteland who produced 43 to average 270ppk, well over half of the lambs this evening sold over 240ppk. The sale averaged a mind blowing 240 pence per kilo with an SQQ average of 250 pence, the average price per head tonight a fabulous £111.50. Top price per head today a whopping £147 from regular supporter A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm as 30 from this home averaged over £132; the big trade didn’t stop at the continentals as a good night was had by the Weardale feeders as Mule’s from both the Wall’s of Eastgate and the Nattrass’s of Daddy Shield peaked at £106.50.
Cast Ewes – Less forward however a terrific trade, six of the best from Ian Spedding of Wolsingham completing a good night for the Weardale sellers topping at £146 as the sale averaged a very healthy £80.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 289 270 265 261 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 266 248 246 238 230 G Thompson & Sons. 258 254 253 250 247 246 245 244 242 C Dawson. 252 247 244 236×2 DR Smith. 254 246 S Fenwick. 252 251 CJM Hedley. 251 248 B Layfield. 250 T Lawson & Son. 248×2 JC&A Hutchinson. 248 R Herbert. 247 242 GP&A Carter. 247 244 JG Wall & Sons. 246 Bowes Bros. 242 WA Wardman Ltd. 242 R Nattrass & Sons. 241 MJ Hutchinson. 235 DW&A Appleton.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £147 £138 £132 £131×2 £130 AC Simpson & Son. £126.50 £123.50 £119.50 £116.50 £114.50 £112.50 WA Wardman Ltd. £124.50 £115.50 B Layfield. £124 JM Hall. £122.50 £118.50 £114.50 G Thompson & Sons. £122.50 DW&A Appleton. £120 £119.50 T Lawson & Son. £119.50 DR Smith. £118.50 £113.50 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £118.50 £117.50 JG Wall & Sons. £117.50 R Nattrass & Sons. £117.50 MJ Hutchinson. £114.50 £113.50 C Dawson. £113.50 CJM Hedley.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £146 £139 £100 £98 £90 I Spedding. £121 £105 £83 £71 £69 £41 R Nattrass & Sons. £116 £113 £100 £82 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £108 £106 B Layfield. £101 C Dawson. £99 JD Teasdale. £80 D&JA Teasdale.
