Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 5th October 2026. Forward were 247 cattle, 2345 sheep and 63 calves.
65 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 390ppk or £3100
9 Stock Bulls sold to 330ppk or £2732
1 Stirk sold to £980
2 Cows & Calves sold to £2280
84 Store Steers sold to £2360
83 Store Heifers sold to £2240
1844 Store Lambs sold to £196
501 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £262
63 Rearing Calves sold to £900
Cast Cows – The cow trade looked to be in super form this week, both feeding types and fleshy sorts noticeably dearer, anything from dinky Dexters to brilliant Blue’s all helped the average rise to 260ppk and £1802 per head. A beautiful 10-year-old British Blue cow from Sykes Produce, New Farm, Bungalow set the pace when she sold for a marvellous 390ppk and £3100. Two other continental cows impressed greatly, a lovely Limousin from G Sedgwick, Ricknall Grange sold for 346ppk and £2944 and a smart British Blue from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook sold for 358ppk and £2659. Natives aplenty and very much in demand, top in the lump at £2655 was an Aberdeen Angus from Forster Hall & Sons, East Butsfield, top per kilo was an Angus heifer from S Blythman, New Sundial at 306 pence and mention must also go to a Belted Galloway cow full of flesh from A Layfield Farms, Milkup Bank which sold for 286ppk and £1796. An eclectic mix of bulls on offer, the best of them was a Beef Shorthorn from RG & HE Thompson, Bennison House selling for 330ppk and £2732. Finally, the Friesian cows which also looked a sharper trade on the week, the best of them came from CN & P Penk, Pitfield Farm at £1880 and from John Archer, New Moor Farm at 272ppk.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 390 332 310 Sykes Produce Ltd. 358 KO Stones. 346 G Sedgewick. 340 T&DI Allen & Son. 316 C&JC Stephenson. 306 S Blythman. 304 B Lowson. 304 JRP Vickers & Sons. 296 C&JC Stephenson. 296 EW Grieves. 292 JR Calvert. 288 278 C Binks & Son. 286 276 J&O Harrison & Sons. 286 A Layfield. 284 TT Hall & Son. 278 W&R Kemp & Son. 274 PJ Glass. 274 Forster Hall & Sons. 272 J Archer.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3100 £2088 Sykes Produce Ltd. £2944 £2156 G Sedgewick. £2659 KO Stones. £2655 Forster Hall & Sons. £2526 JRP Vickers & Sons. £2500 S Blythman. £2397 EW Grieves. £2383 T&DI Allen & Son. £2319 £2278 £2015 £2000 Skelton Farming Ltd. £2279 W&R Kemp & Son. £2262 C&JC Stephenson. £2234 B Lowson. £2217 £2151 C Binks & Son. £2124 W&OM Jackson & Son. £2122 JR Calvert.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 330 328 326×2 RG&HE Thompson. 304 B Kenny. 250 P Foster. 246 J Archer. 242 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £2732 £2567 £2480 £2330 RG&HE Thompson. £2608 Skelton Farming Ltd. £2593 B Kenny. £2425 J Archer. £1865 P Foster.
Store Cattle – The beef feeders remain keen on all classes, trade better for all shapes and sizes; anything fit to go straight on the barley looked to enjoy the biggest price hike but as mentioned, all classes very easy to sell. Topping the day at £2360 was a strong Aberdeen Angus steer from JV Hodgson & Son, Piercebridge Farm, he was followed by a terrific trio of British Blue steers from JE Holliday & Son, Woodland House at £2340. Sticking with the steers and another excellent Angus from Piercebridge Farm checked in at £2260 ahead of six more Angus’s from B & L Robson, Gawen House at £2200. Top of the heifers at £2240 was a very smart 20-month-old Simmental from JS Wiper, Houghton House, five females followed at £2070 which were made up of four Aberdeen Angus from JP Phelan, Mill Pond Farm and a bonnie British Blue from GT & MA Wearmouth, Gillses Farm.
Cows & Calves £2280 £2100 JD Heavisides.
Stirks £980 B Lowson.
Store Steers £2360 £2260 JV Hodgson & Son. £2340×3 £1920 JE Holliday & Son. £2200×6 B&L Robson. £2160 £2150 £2120 £1960 GS Bainbridge. £2040 £1840 I Newton & Son. £2040×2 GL&M Steel. £1920 £1890 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1880 £1780×2 D&HM Hodgson. £1780 D Walker. £1750×3 R&W Todd. £1750×3 G Beadle. £1700 £1680 C Bell. £1680×2 GW Chapman.
Store Heifers £2240 £1820 £1810 JS Wiper. £2070×4 JP Phelan. £2070 £1830 GT&MA Wearmouth. £2050×2 £1910×4 £1780×2 WC Barker & Son. £1980 L Booton. £1950 JE Holliday & Son. £1940 S Wells. £1900 £1770 DM McClurg. £1900 G&H Johnson & Son. £1850 D Walker. £1800 GB Anderson. £1770×3 AW Dixon. £1760×2 S Linsley.
Store Lambs – An increased offering sold to the same competitive ringside of buyers, trade equal to anything witnessed of late to see the sale average over £120. Strong lambs still a good shot and the smaller sheep simply sensational. Top of the day at an irresistible £196 was a wonderful single Beltex lamb from J Musgrave, Manor Farm; NG Beveridge, Low West House followed with shapely lambs at £182 and £180. The bigger and better lambs traded typically £130 to £150, healthy runners are £115 to £130, small long-term lambs are over £100 and really on tups and tiddlers can be bought for any less.
Store Lambs:
Beltex – £196 J Musgrave.
Texel – £182 £180 NG Beveridge. £171 £139 L Turnbull. £158 SMA&J Swinbank. £147 £135 £131 RG Richardson. £146×2 £139 £134 £130 KO Stones. £140 S Carman. £140 S Straughan. £139 £129 GH Lister. £137 D Wearmouth. £135 J Burns. £134 £128 L&BM Kidd & Son. £133 £130 £128 A&R Thompson. £129 D Rutter. £128 £125 IW Cairns. £128 £127 WB Rutter & Sons. £127 GA&C Jopling. £127 £125 A Hughes. £127 G I’Anson.
Continental – £149 £136 £135×2 £134×2 £133 MR Cass. £145 £137 A Bloomfield. £145 NG Beveridge. £136 £133 PJ Anderson. £136 NG Beveridge. £135 £127 S Henderson. £135 R Worthy. £134 £129 GH Lister. £134 KO Stones. £132 £131 JR&J Crowe. £131 M Whorlton. £130 S Carman. £130 G&L Wood. £130 N Medd & Son. £129 A Pennell. £129 £127 P&S Wood. £126 £125 Petch Farms.
Swale – £144 J Musgrave.
Teeswater – £142 A Bloomfield.
Suffolk – £144 J McLaughlin & E Colling. £140 NG Beveridge. £127 R Valks.
Charollais – £137 A Bloomfield.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – The feeding ewe trade remains fast and furious, the continentals are colossal, the Mules marvellous and the Swales sublime. Top of the day at £262 was a hefty Texel from C Moffett, Backandsides Farm; plenty of the continental ewes followed her over £200, it’s remarkable for early October. Mule ewes sold to a top of £170 from R Dresser, Hall Farm; pen after pen of the lean Mules sold in the £120’s, £130’s and £140’s. The fifty-seven Swaledale ewes averaged a blistering £80 today, top at £109 was a fleshy girl from B Iceton, Broadleys Gate.
Feeding Sheep:
Texel – £262 £200 C Moffett. £230 £179 RG Richardson. £222 £218 £175 £160 JR&M Richardson. £208R Dresser. £208 £166 G Thompson & Sons. £198 J McLaughlin. £189 £180 PJ Anderson. £188 C Harle & Sons. £183 £169 AWSM Farms. £182 £172 L Turnbull. £170 RA Patterson & Son. £158 JH Johnson. £158 WB Rutter & Sons. £152 B Iceton.
Continental – £220 £164 MD Doherty. £200 £160 HT Davies & Partners. £178 £146 GE Raw. £178 B Willis. £160 £142 GM&V Bayles. £160 JF Harland. £153 Petch Farms. £152 JD&MS Mortimer. £146 L&BM Kidd & Son. £144 Godschalk Partners. £144 W&J Herbert. £141 MD Doherty. £141 C Harle & Sons.
Mule – £170 R Dresser. £168 JF Harland. £163 GE Raw. £160 GM&V Bayles. £149 PJ Anderson. £146 G Thompson & Sons. £141 JD&MS Mortimer.
Suffolk – £146 JF Harland. £141 JR&M Richardson.
Calves – With everything in good order today the calves joined the fun and certainly held up their end of the bargain to average £553.17. Limousin bull calves from TT Hall & Son, Church Farm topped twice at £900, British Blue calves sold thrice to £750, two from Deerness Valley Dairy and one from H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Red House. Aberdeen Angus bull calves led the native breeds when selling to £650 from G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm whilst Friesian bulls topped at £420 from CR Fawcett, Well House. Heifers calves were easily sold, joint top at £640 was a British Blue from Deerness Valley Dairy alongside a Limousin from JR & JA Wharton, Segbushwell.
Rearing Calves:
Limousin Bulls – £900×2 TT Hall & Son. £730 £690 £660 JR&JA Wharton. £670 JV&JA Hodgson.
British Blue Bulls – £750×2 £670×2 £570×2 Deerness Valley Dairy. £750 £690×2 H Gibb & Son. £620 SS&D Scrivin. £590 £530×2 Stockdale Partners. £380×2 RW Raper & Sons.
Angus Bulls – £650 £570 G Thompson & Sons. £640 £630 £580 £530 £410 Deerness Valley Dairy. £530 SS&D Scrivin. £520 CR Fawcett. £520×2 H Gibb & Son.
Hereford Bulls – £590 £560 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Friesian Bulls – £420 CR Fawcett. £330 £300 £270 RW Raper & Sons. £320 £300×2 G Thompson & Sons.
Inra 95 Bulls – £370 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Brown Swiss Bulls – £300 J&A Stevenson & Sons.
Heifer Calves:
British Blue Heifers – £640 £530 Deerness Valley Dairy. £610 £580 H Gibb & Son. £600 £520 RW Raper & Sons. £590 JR&JA Wharton. £570 Stockdale Partners.
Limousin Heifers – £640 JR&JA Wharton.
Hereford – £600 £500 £480 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Angus Heifers – £590×2 H Gibb & Son. £560 £510 Deerness Valley Dairy. £510 CR Fawcett. £500 SS&D Scrivin. £360 RW Raper & Sons.
