Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Special New Year’ sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store stock, prime sheep and cast ewes. Forward were 594 Cattle and 1460 Sheep.
134 Cast Cows & OTM sold to 190ppk or £1534
1 Stock Bull sold for 132ppk and £1221
66 Young Bulls sold to £1210
164 Store Steers sold to £1360
228 Store Heifers sold to £1260
1 In Calf Heifer sold for £1580
780 Store Hoggs sold to £129
16 Feeding Ewes sold to £102
552 Prime Hoggs sold to 315ppk or £132
112 Cast Sheep sold to £122
Cast Cattle – On the whole less quality than perhaps considered the average however another very satisfying trade with an overall average over 129 pence per kilo. The days leading price per kilo headed to Richmondshire with a tremendous Limousin OTM from J A & U M Fawcett of Manor House. The days top grossing cow came from an exceptional run consigned by J Mills & Son of Winwick Grange, Northants as a terrific 8 year old Limousin weighing 816kg returned a remarkable 188ppk and £1534; a great run of 19 from Messrs Mills averaged a splendid 149ppk and £1084. Knocking on the door today were a great pair of Limousin cows from J B Luck of Milestone House averaging 182ppk and £1457. Native breeds peaked at £1415 and 180ppk with two separate Aberdeen Angus from A & A G Moralee, Lowfield Farm, 13 from this good home averaged close to 150ppk. Dairy cows aplenty today and demand remains strong, the pick of them a youngster at 168ppk from Stainton Hill Farms, Streatlam and a square Friesian full of meat from F S Sturrock & Sons, Home Farm reached £1113.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading PPK – 190 184 144 J A & U M Fawcett. 188 176 174 172 160 156 152 148 146(x2) 142 140(x2) J Mills & Son. 188 178 J B Luck. 182 162 W A Wardman Ltd. 182 180 176 166 156 148 144 A & A G Moralee. 168 142 Stainton Hill Farms. 166 F S Sturrock & Sons. 162 144 W H Brown. 152 P Tindale. 150 148 144 142 R A & B A Ridley & Son Ltd. 150 J R & M Richardson. 148 H M Dent. 146 F Hare & Sons. 142 A Wilson.
Stock Bull Leading PPK – 132 J B Fletcher.
Cast Cows & OTM Leading Gross – £1534 £1377 £1261 £1246 £1173 £1171 £1146 £1121 £1102 £1085 £1083 £1064 £1059 £1005 J Mills & Son. £1473 £1441 J B Luck. £1415 £1168 £1152 £1076 £1073 £1066 £1009 A & A G Moralee. £1320 J R & M Richardson. £1218 £977 W H Brown. £1173 £1121 £1036 R A & B A Ridley & Son Ltd. £1113 F S Sturrock & Sons. £1108 F Hare & Sons. £1105 H M Dent. £1067 £1032 £1028 £987 W A Wardman Ltd. £1054 P Tindale. £1019 F Hare & Sons. £995 Wilkinson & Son. £978 R T & P M Kirkbride. £974 K Mitchelson.
Stock Bull Leading Gross – £1221 J B Fletcher.
Store Cattle – Plenty of numbers which certainly included an eclectic mix, cattle to fit all jobs today with all breeds and sizes represented; no matter the creed or colour the trade was simply astounding, some extreme values in the store ring from start to finish. The sale began with the young bulls, no doubting the sale leader an absolute cracker from W H Brown, Swale Hall, Grinton selling for £1210, a terrific half dozen Limousin’s from Swale Hall levelled out at £1031. A virtual feather in the cap today for the Limousin fanatics as some 22 of the top 25 bulls were that way bred, included in this statistic were a sharp run of 9/10 month old from C G Robinson, South View Farm which impressed averaging £1047. If the store cattle trade isn’t in top gear yet then we can look forward to a blisteringly fast spring, numerous buyers, many with multiple accounts all going hammer and tongs to fill yards, absolutely no sign of a straw shortage in any way, shape or form. Topping the sale today a wonderful 2 year old Limousin steer from J D & M S Mortimer of Mayland Farm, Woodland selling for an impressive £1360, topping the heifers a regular Cumbrian consignor in E & M A Procter & Son of Villa Farm, Great Musgrave with a 20 month old Limousin selling for £1260. An amazing 59 cattle today sold at £1100 and beyond as the steers averaged £909 (+£47 on 2020), the heifers £837 (+£14) and young bulls £797 (-£6).
Leading Prices
Heifer In Calf – £1580 W A Armstrong.
Young Bulls – £1210 £1100 £1050(x2) £1000 W H Brown. £1155 £1025 F M Suddes. £1090(x2) £1070 £1060 £1030(x2) £1025(x2) £1005 C G Robinson. £1075 Ivanhoe Livestock. £1025(x2) A & R Thompson. £910(x3) £880 J A & U M Fawcett. £900 £885 D E Stones.
Store Steers – £1360 £1280(x2) J D & M S Mortimer. £1230 £1190 G & J H Tomlinson & Son. £1190 F Ward. £1190 £1185(x4) £1180(x2) £1160(x2) £1120(x2) £1115(x2) £1100(x4) J H Johnson. £1175(x3) £1170(x2) £1145(x2) £1100(x2) A Gregg. £1165 J G Wall & Sons. £1150(x3) G T & M A Wearmouth. £1100(x3) B J S Farms. £1100 T T Hall & Son.
Store Heifers – £1260 £1030 £1020 E & M A Procter & Son. £1225 £1005 J E Burton. £1220 £1150 £1145 B Storey. £1200 £1150 £1140 £1130 £1120(x2) £1070 £1060 £1050 £1045 F Ward. £1190 £1100(x2) J G Wall & Sons. £1180 £1140 H W & M Alderson & Son. £1140 W Wearmouth & Son. £1125 £1050 Northfield Farms. £1120 C Forster. £1090 £1050(x6) £1030 (x3) A Gregg. £1085 K Mitchelson. £1015(x2) J S Wiper.
Store Sheep – Absolutely amazing, its difficult not to sound like a broken record as week in week out the store hoggs sell to extraordinary levels. Top price this week an amazing £129 from M F Hall, Woodhill Farm, Ponteland with a beautiful quartet of Beltex hoggs; the whole sale average an amazing £94 with a fair proportion of hill lambs and Mule lambs included, not to mention those now sweeping up the last of their crop. A strong pen of 40 Cheviot hoggs from C H & M C Phalp, Great Ayton sold for £112 whilst 80 Texel’s out of Mules from W Love Ltd, Tow Law impressed selling to average £105.50.
Store Hoggs – Beltex £129 MF Hall. £102.50 S&RE Williamson. £96.50 S Bolton. £95 J Smurthwaite.
Texel £123×2 £103 MF Hall. £112.50 £99 Jack Barker. £110×2 DJL Livestock. £107 £90 P&S Wood. £103.50 £94.50 T&AE Miller. £100.50 £98 £90 GH&RG Stobbs. £100.50 S&RE Williamson. £100 G Bolton. £99 L Fowler. £98.50 £98 £88 IM Maughan. £98 £94 CW Cutler. £97×2 £96 GS Dixon. £92.50 JR Mann. £91 M Herriott.
Continental £112 CH&MC Phalp. £106 £105 W Love Ltd. £96.50 DE Stones. £95 L Fowler. £95 G Bolton. £94.50 JR Mann. £94.50 P Kirk. £92 GH&RG Stobbs. £90 S&RE Williamson. £90 J Smurthwaite
Suffolk £101 W Wearmouth & Son. £101 L Fowler. £94 £92 DE Stones.
Cheviot £99 G Bolton.
Mule £96 Jack Barker. £92 W Wearmouth & Son.
Feeding Ewes £102 £58 DJL Livestock. £100 £68 MF Hall. £70 J Smurthwaite.
Prime Sheep – Hard to believe that in the 3rd week of January an average of 243ppk and £110 with an SQQ of 251ppk would be considered a drop, thus said the trade nationally has dipped slightly and understandably so, outlets selling sheep meat must be experiencing some turbulence at the moment, a slower rise is certainly more sustainable. The top price per kilo today an impressive 315 pence from R Valks of Field House Farm, Howden-le-Wear whilst the lead grossing hoggs were a pen of huge Suffolks from W A Stephenson, Crawleas selling for £132 per head. Regular supporters including W A Wardman, Redcar; J G Walton & Son, Hurworth; R Wood & Son, Stillington; I Marshall & Sons, Bishop Middleham; D R Smith, Ferryhill and J G Wall & Sons, Eastgate all turned out well fed runs of hoggs and enjoyed a more than healthy trade on the night.
A light show of cast ewes largely made up of Mules averaged £89 with a top price of £122 achieved by a Texel ram from J J Addison, Cooper House. Mule ewes sold to a top of £109 and horned ewes to £73.
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 315 268 248 241 238 R Valks. 277 268 258 252 251×2 245 239 JG Walton & Son. 273 256 248 231 DR Smith. 268 264 248 WR Wilson & Partners. 268 258 243 238 WA Wardman Ltd. 259 256 247 GP&A Carter. 258 254 236 CJM Hedley. 255 S Fenwick. 252 234 G&L Wood. 251 248 J Gilson Agriculture. 251 248×2 I Marshall & Sons. 250 230 B&L Robson. 250 R Nattrass & Sons. 238 237 JG Wall & Sons. 236 JM Hall. 233 GS Bainbridge.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £132 £119 WA Stephenson. £129 £119.50 £116.50 £114.50×2 £108.50 WA Wardman Ltd. £127 B&L Robson. £124 £116.50 GS Bainbridge. £121.50 £111.50 JG Wall & Sons. £120.50 R Wood & Son. £119.50 £116.50 £115.50×3 JG Walton & Son. £117.50 £116.50 £115.50 DR Smith. £115.50 £114.50×2 I Marshall & Sons. £113.50 £109.50 £108.50 CJM Hedley. £113.50 JM Hall. £111.50 GP&A Carter. £109.50 WR Wilson & Partners. £107.50 R Nattrass & Sons.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £122 JJ Addison. £121 £100 GP Addison. £118 £111 £104 £96 HT Davies & Partners. £109 £91 R Valks. £97 £86.50 M Shepherd. £95 £87 £85 GP&A Carter. £91 BG Dale. £90 R Nattrass & Sons. £89 £85 £76 S Cutting. £82 B Kennedy. £79 I Marshall & Sons. £73 J Gilson Agriculture.
