Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store and Breeding stock on Monday 6th September 2021. Forward were 257 Cattle and 2577 Sheep.
55 Cast Cows sold to 216ppk & £1501
4 Cast Bulls sold to 190ppk & £1985
10 Cows & Calves sold to £1800
8 Store Bulls sold to £950
75 Store Steers sold to £1480
97 Store Heifers sold to £1360
105 Rams sold to 1400 Guinea’s
386 Breeding Sheep sold to £225
1915 Store Lambs sold to ££119
276 Feeding Ewes sold to £101
Cast Cattle – The beef trade remains ultra-solid and the cow beef is no exception, just an average show levelled at 146 pence per kilo. Top price per kilo was a lovely fleshy Simmental OTM from C & E Gaskin, Hillingdon Farm, Marwood when she sold for 216 pence. A top day was had by J M Shooten of Catlow Hall, Hartbushes as they not only produced the top gross valued cow with a British Blue at £1501 but a beautiful 4 year old Limousin stock bull impressed the ringside buyers when he sold for 190ppk and a whopping £1985. Many native breeds were included this week and despite the best efforts of the Hereford (to 158ppk or £1193) and the Beef Shorthorn (to 160ppk or £1180) it was the Aberdeen Angus which led the indigenous breeds as R E Dickson, Loftus reached £1355 and B Williamson, Butterknowle had an OTM reach 206ppk. Best of those retiring from the milking parlour this week was an impressive 6 year old Holstein Friesian from regular sellers G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm which sold for 146ppk and £1087.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 216 C&E Gaskin. 210 182 JM Shotton. 206 B Williamson. 196 180 158×2 148 A Wilson. 182 IW Cairns. 172 148 W&M Knaggs & Son. 170 158×2 JP&R Ward. 164 162 KO Stones. 162 156 Ian Potts & Sons Ltd. 160 146 FJ Hugill. 160 B Lowson. 158 TT Hall & Son. 156 148 RE Dickson. 148 C Bell. 148 A&W Heathcote. 146 138 G Thompson & Sons. 146 A Peart & Son. 142 WSI Anderson. 142 R Valks.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1501 £1193 JM Shotten. £1488 C&E Gaskin. £1355 £1010 RE Dickson. £1240 B Williamson. £1214 £1161 W&M Knaggs & Son. £1213 £1056 KO Stones. £1210 £1124 £1027 JP&R Ward. £1182 £1091 £1082 £1078 A Wilson. £1180 FJ Hugill. £1172 B Lowson. £1143 £1116 Ian Pott & Sons Ltd. £1087 £1071 G Thompson & Sons. £1083 C Bell.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 190 JM Shotton. 152 A Peart & Son. 148 A Wilson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £1985 JM Shotton. £1240 A Wilson. £989 A Peart & Son.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A lovely run of heifers with calves at foot from W J Massey across form Stockport started proceedings well as they peaked at £1800, the consistent consignment averaged a pleasing £1700. The store cattle remain an electric trade, in particular the younger beast are proving very easy to sell at the moment, the live ring certainly excels at these extreme levels as putting a value on them at home which is high enough to reflect what is actually achievable must be near impossible. Topping the sale were a tremendous run of 22 month old Charolais steers from J H Johnson, White Lea Farm as the powerhouses regularly sold over £1400 with the strongest quintet a marvellous £1480; coupled with a strong run from B & L Robson, Gawen House we had an unusual situation where the top 23 bullocks this week all carried the Charolais name on their passport. Four heifers this week sold beyond £1300, the pick of them a strong 20 month old Limousin from J Robson, Stoney Stoops sold for £1360.
Cows & Calves £1800 £1720 £1700×5 £1680×2 £1620 WJ Massey.
Store Bulls £950 £910 £895 £855 I&R Watson. £785 £740 H Frater.
Store Steers £1480×5 £1460×2 £1435 £1430×4 £1415×3 £1375×2 JH Johnson. £1375×4 £1300 £1240 B&L Robson. £1195 £1165 £1155×4 £1140×2 £1135 £1120 £1070×5 £1000 F Machin & Sons Ltd. £1120 £1100 DR Smith. £1095×2 £1075 £1055 J Robson. £995 £960 £890 H Frater & Son. £940 £885 JW Richardson.
Store Heifers £1360 £1150 J Robson. £1340 £1305 £1195 £1135×2 £1075 £1065 F Machin & Sons Ltd. £1320 £1290×2 £1145 £1125 £1080 DW Dresser. £1280×2 £1210×2 £1125×2 HS Hutchinson. £1190 GM Storr. £1150 £1115 £1080 £1055 DR Smith. £1120 TT Hall & Son. £1070 JW Richardson. £1065 R Errington & Son. £1035 C Bell.
Breeding Rams & Ram Lambs – The centre record which had stood only one year was broken, congratulations to Deborah Whitcher who remarkably broke the record on her maiden visit to Darlington Mart as her Charollais shearling ram reached 1400 Guineas. The superb ram is sired by Galtres Rockforce.
Next in line was another feather in the Charollais breeds cap as a Beltex crossed Charollais from the Skelton Whin Flock of Tom & Judith Hunter, Hunmanby sold for 1050 Guineas. Next up was the familiar face of Pam Lupton from Galphay, Ripon as her Suffolk crossed Texel shearling sold for 950 Guineas, he was followed at 900 Guineas by another Charollais from the Whitcher pen and the days top Texel from W Wearmouth & Son, Eastgate. N & A Bainbridge from the heights of Harwood-in-Teesdale checked in at 800 Guineas with a great carcase Texel whilst another top Texel from the powerful pen of B W Glaves, Brompton followed at 750 Guineas. Top of the Ram Lambs was a super skinned Suffolk from the aforementioned Pam Lupton when he sold for 520 Guineas as the leading 7 lambs on the day were all pure Suffolk’s. A pleasing clearance rate for the first sale this season of 82% was achieved. 
Ram Lambs 520 450 P Lupton. 400 350 320 JT&E Midgley. 350 J Wilkinson. 320 MC&MD Sparke. 300×2 D Whitcher. 300 R Bailes. 150 S Blythman. 120×2 G&L Wood.
Shearling Rams 1400 900 600 D Whitcher. 1050 600 580 T&J Hunter. 950 650 P Lupton. 900 700 W Wearmouth & Son. 800 580 500 480 N&A Bainbridge. 750 650×2 BW Glaves. 550 520 500 400×2 TH Richardson & Sons. 550 500 480×2 450×6 T Common & Son. 520 450 R Bailes. 500 R Todd. 500 380 350 EW Grieves. 500 P Dawson. 420 380 S Dodsworth. 400 350×3 A&SG Butterfield. 350 J Woodward & Sons. 350 G Hodgson. 320 JR Carr. 320 D Alderson.
Aged Rams 350 J Woodward & Sons. 300 S Plews. 200 A&SG Butterfield.
Breeding Sheep – The sheep juggernaut trundles on nicely as the lamb finishers continue to finally reap reward for their labours they are certainly willing to reinvest in their flocks. Plenty of shearlings over and around £200, the top pen by a whisker went to the Tindale’s of Paradise Farm with their Texel’s selling for £225. Gimmer lambs look a flyer with tops today of £130 for Texel/Beltex crosses and a scattering of Mule lambs £120 – £125.
Breeding Sheep – Shearlings £225 £200 £190×4 PJ Tindale. £220 £190 £185 £175 £155 JL Potter & Sons. £220 C Taylor. £205 £190 170 KO Stones. £200 £180 D Lynn. £200 £ G&A Gibson & Son. £195 £185 GW Dent. £195 £190 IR Appleton. £180×2 £155 Ivanhoe Livestock Partnership. £160 R Arthur. £160 R Peart. £160×2 AE&FS Glaves.
Gimmer Lambs £130×2 £120×2 D Lynn. £125 £100 W Wearmouth & Son. £120 £105 S Beeforth. £105×3 GW Dent.
Ewes £210 GW Dent.
Store Lambs – Numbers are coming and who can blame them as 100 lambs sold for £100 or more. Top of the pile were a trio of superb Beltex from G W Dent, The Bungalow which reached £119; the sale averaged a pleasing £76 with many more hill and horned sheep now coming on to the market by the week.
Store Lambs – Beltex £119 £108×2 £96 GW Dent. £93 LD Laws.
Continental £115 P&K Summerbell. £95 GW Dobson & Son. £94.50 KO Stones.
Texel £103 B Coulson. £100 JV Hodgson. £100 D Clarke. £99×2 Tom Bell. £99 J&JA Wilkinson. £97 R Watson. £96 £95 LD Laws. £94 JH Johnson. £92 £90 EG Bulman. £91.50 RG McNeal. £91 WB Rutter & Sons. £90 B Coulson. £89.50 R Peart. £89 S&RE Williamson. £88 JD Teasdale. £88 WH Brown. £88 M Armstrong. £88 BR&RI Routledge. £87.50 IW Cairns.
Suffolk £102.50 £87 A&B Herworth. £90 F Gilchrist. £88 S Suddes. £87 JV Hodgson. £86.50 GW Dobson & Son.
Cheviot £93.50 WH Brown.
Feeding Ewes £101 £70 A Newton. £93 £79 £74 £72 £70 K Buckle. £90 £76 IW Cairns. £81 £70 £56 JV Hodgson. £80 £78 EG Bulman. £77 J Allison. £74 B Coulson.
