Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Cast Cattle, Store & Breeding Stock and Prime Sheep on Monday 8th February 2021. Forward were 215 Cattle and 1090 Sheep.
43 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 188ppk or £1110
13 In Calf Cows sold to £1120
12 Cows & Calves sold to £1480
14 Young Bulls sold to £1205
47 Store Steers sold to £1410
74 Store Heifers sold to £1315
588 Store Hoggs sold to £119
362 Prime Hoggs sold to 309ppk or £140
140 Cast Ewes sold to £132
Cast Cattle – The recurring theme throughout all sections today will sadly revolve around the greatly depleted show due to the snowfall during Sunday evening and Monday morning, the weather is beyond our control and unfortunately decimated todays entry. The 43 cows and OTM which braved the weather were well rewarded, with the greatest of respect, a moderate show of quality sold incredibly well to the regular ringside of buyers. With a lack of continental cattle it was a successful day for the Aberdeen Angus as High Harbour Farms produced a 34 month old which reached 188 pence per kilo and R E Dickson, Upsall Grange Farm showed the highest gross valued cow (8yo) at £1025. A smart 35 month Limousin from G Beadle, Primrose Hill sold well at 186ppk and £1110 as did a 30 month old Friesian bull from W Walker & Sons, High Copelaw at 172ppk and £1095; regular supporters G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm produced a 30 month old Friesian heifer at 172ppk and £1023.
Leading PPK – 188 168 132 High Harbour Farms. 186 G Beadle. 172 152 118(x2) G Thompsons & Sons. 172 154 W Walker & Sons. 166 146 C Parker. 158 Cowclose Farm. 146 136 T T Hall & Son. 138 134(x2) R E Dickson. 136 BJS Farms. 136 M W Cook & Son. 136 G Nelson. 134 W T Hall. 130 W & O M Jackson & Son. 122 F & H L Jackson & Son. 118 I F & C M Herring & Son. 118 Little Newsham Farms.
Leading Gross – £1110 G Beadle. £1095 £991 W Walker & Sons. £1025 £1001 £881 R E Dickson. £1023 £931 £849 G Thompson & Sons. £1021 G Nelson. £992 M W Cook & Son. £982 £918 T T Hall & Son. £973 B J S Farms. £973 £882 I F & C M Herring & Son. £955 Cowclose Farm. £951 £869 High Harbour Farms. £922 £886 C Parker. £893 I Newton & Son. £885 W T Hall. £826 W & O M Jackson. £810 Little Newsham Farms.
Breeding Cattle – The snow certainly didn’t keep away the buyers for the eagerly anticipated first instalment of the dispersal sale from BJS Farms, Knavesmire Farm, Hamsterley; a hardy run of cattle, perhaps fittingly sold on the wintriest of day’s, were shown in their working clothes and were all keenly bid for. The pick of the Knavesmire dispersal a stretchy 7 year old Aberdeen Angus cow with her 7 month old Charolais heifer calf by her side sold for £1480 as the 11 with calves averaged a pleasing £1261. Top of the 13 in calf cows from the dispersal was a Hereford expecting her 2nd calf later in the Spring she sold for £1120 with the in calf cows (from 2008 to 2017 born) averaged £886 on the day.
In Calf Cows – £1120 £1100 £1080 £1020 £960 £920 £880 £820 £760(x2) £620 £600 B J S Farms. £780 D R Easton.
Cows & Calves – £1480 £1450 £1380 £1350 £1340 £1300 £1260 £1200 £1140 £1000 £980 B J S Farms. £1000 D R Easton.
Store Cattle – An absolute flyer today, an extra face to the growing number of buyers at the Darlington ringside and those who braved the weather were very well rewarde. A scattering of young bulls were topped by a pair of beautiful 12 month old black Limousin’s from D Dixon of Middle Heads Farm, Rowley which sold for £1205, the store trade for all classes looks as strong as we have seen for some time. The store cattle were then, simply a wonderful trade, particularly the short keep types as the obvious demand for beef in the prime ring recently is bursting in to the store ring; top price this week was a staggering £1410 which was achieved by a trio of exceptional 2 year old Charolais steers from regular supporter J H Johnson, White Lea Farm, Roddymoor; the White Lea consignment of 11 today averaging nicely over £1200. Top of the heifer hot list this week was a beautiful 20 month old British Blue from W B Rutter of Greengill Farm, Scargill which sold for a wonderful £1315, an awesome 8 from Greengill averaged £1135. The steers today averaged a phenomenal £1054 with 13 of the 47 beyond £1200 and a further 17 of the steers (and 27 of the 74 heifers) reaching over £1000. A must mention today are a trio powerful steers from H Walton & Son, Middleton-St-George with an average of £1276, a strong quintet from J G Wall & Sons, Eastgate levelled at £1171 and eight excellent Angus heifers from G & J H Tomlinson & Son, Knitsley which peaked at £1165 and averaged £1107.
Young Bulls – £1205(x2) £860 D Dixon. £1035 J H Johnson. £1015(x2) D Walker. £975 £935 £920 £885 T & R Quinn. £835 High Harbour Farms. £710 S & D Ferrie.
Store Steers – £1410(x3) £1365 £1185 £1130 £1075(x4) J H Johnson. £1380 £1225(x2) H Walton & Son. £1255(x2) £1220 £1040 J G Wall & Sons. £1220 G Beadle. £1200 £1090 £1000(x2) C B Maddison. £1200 £1050 W Denham. £1145 £1140 £1135 £1105 W B Rutter & Sons. £1080 R Errington & Son. £1030 D R Smith.
Store Heifers – £1315 £1260 £1090 W B Rutter & Sons. £1165(x2) £1115(x3) £1085(x2) £1015 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1130(x2) £1110(x2) £1040 £1035 £970(x2) J D & G Hugill. £1100(x2) £1035(x2) W C Barker & Son. £1095(x2) M & E Walton. £1055 £1035 £1000 D R Smith. £985 C B Maddison.
Store Sheep – The remarkable sheep trade continues, despite the predictions of the hoggs being scarce this year another reasonable turn out; the trade will ultimately find them wherever they lie. Top price today a terrific £119 from S J Love of Wolsingham who’s consignment of 33 averaged a fabulous £109. A sharp run of 22 Texel X Cheviot hoggs from Mrs S Fenwick of Thirlby took the days top average of £110 whilst the largest consignment on the day from M J Hutchinson, Red Gap Farm produced 80 Suffolk’s to average £99.77. The whole sale averaged a very pleasing £90 with many vendors now at the end of their crop.
Store Hoggs – Texel £119 SJ Love. £117.50×2 M Lindley. £117.50 £110.50 £106.50 £102.50 S Fenwick. £116.50 £115.50 £99.50 P Suddes. £114.50 £110.50 £101.50 S Thompson & Son. £108.50 £103 £98.50 £89 CA&J Kipling. £102.50 WL Robinson & Partners. £100 P Armstrong. £99.50 JW&KS Bainbridge. £97.50 J Vickers. £89.50 F Gilchrist. £87.50 JP Campbell. £80 GH&RG Stobbs.
Suffolk £115.50 £110.50 WR Wilson & Partners. £105.50 £98 £97.50 MJ Hutchinson. £105.50 £96.50 WL Robinson & Partners.
Continental £113 £110.50 £109 £98 SJ Love. £109.50 £98.50 £80 C Morris. £108.50 £96.50 GP&A Carter. £100 £97.50 £88 WR Wilson & Partners. £94.50 A Tunstall. £90 P Suddes. £89.50 J Vickers. £86 CW Cutler. £76 W Wearmouth & Son.
Easycare £109.50 S Thompson & Son.
Beltex £103.50 A Tunstall. £95.50 High Harbour Farms.
Mule £98.50 CA&J Kipling. £84.50 £81.50 W Wearmouth & Son. £77 GH&RG Stobbs.
Cheviot £94.50 MJ Hutchinson.
Prime Hoggs & Ewes – Another fine trade for the hoggs, a sale average of 249ppk with heaps of weight on offer and over 20% hill bred sheep. With Mules reaching £118.50 from W A Wardman, Yearby and Swaledales peaking at £108.50 from S Snaith, Danby and Cheviots also £108.50 from W H Brown, Grinton the hill breeds enjoyed a bonanza. The top priced hoggs per kilo tonight were a trio of superb Beltex from J D Brannen, Red Barns Farm, Toronto at 309 pence whilst the leading gross valued hoggs were three beautiful 61kg Texel’s from R W & R Henry of Holme Farm, High Worsall at £140; the Holme Farm 29 hoggs averaged a brilliant £128. Worthy mention must go to an expertly fed run of 125 hoggs from W A Wardman of Thrushwood Farm, Yearby who returned a terrific average of 261ppk and £127. Ewes a nice trade again with plenty of life in proceedings, top price a nice pure Texel ewe from High Harbour Farm at £132 with fit Mules £80-£90.
Hoggs Leading PPK – 309 282 J D Brannen. 298 285 284 257 256 High Harbour Farms. 288 275 265 264 263(x2) 257 255 253 251 W A Wardman Ltd. 265 M & W Maddison. 264 259 W H Brown. 258 G S & S E Wilson. 253 P Turnbull.
Hoggs Leading Gross – £140 £131.50 £128.50 £121.050 R W & R Henry. £130.50(x2) £129.50 £127.50 £126.50(x3) £124.50 W A Wardman Ltd. £129.50 £120.50 High Harbour Farms. £129.50 W A Stephenson. £125.50 P N & J V Noble. £123.50 W Wearmouth & Son. £120.50 J D Brannen.
Cast Ewes & Rams – £132 £115 £95 £94 £86.50 £85.50 £80 High Harbour Farms. £127 £122 £94 £90 £86 W A Wardman Ltd. £105 £84 W L Robinson & Partners. £97 £79 J Davis. £93 D & G Spry. £88 P Turnbull. £79 N A Miller. £79 P Suddes. £79 W Wearmouth & Son.
