Kitson Champion
Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their annual special show and sale of forward store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store & breeding stock and fortnightly sale of fodder on Monday 26th October 2026. Forward were 542 cattle, 1458 sheep and 302 bales of fodder.
75 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 386ppk or £3123
5 Stock Bulls sold to 290ppk or £2770
4 Cows & Calves sold to £2450
31 Young Bulls sold to £2900
189 Store Steers sold to £2800
234 Store Heifers sold to £2730
1176 Store Lambs sold to £220
282 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £220
302 Bales of Fodder sold to £40
Show of Forward Store Cattle
Many thanks go to longstanding DfAM customer Jeremy Waind, Brawby for making the journey up to ably carry out the judging duties. An absolutely sensational steer from A Kitson & Son, Five Houses grabbed the championship rosette, the September 2025 born Limousin sired superstar would later go on to top the trade at £2800. Picking up the reserve ticket was a beautiful Limousin heifer from F Ward, Rogerley Hall; the bonnie sort (also September 2025 born) held of competition from our other class winner, a smart British Blonde cross from D Robson & Sons, Merryshields.
Champion
A Kitson & Son, Five Houses sold for £2800 to N Marwood, Helmsley
Reserve Champion
F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £2310 to Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick
Best Heifer
1st F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £2310 to Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick
2nd F Ward, Rogerley Hall sold for £2310 to Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick
3rd Jack Sewell, Knavesmire sold for £2700 to N Marwood, Helmsley
Best Limousin Steer
1st A Kitson & Son, Five Houses sold for £2800 to N Marwood, Helmsley
2nd A Kitson & Son, Five Houses sold for £2400 to L Brown, Halifax
3rd Luke Bell-Percy, Springhill sold for £2300 to T Dirom Agricultural Co, Leeds
Best AOB Steer
1st D Robson & Sons, Merryshields sold for £2480 to JD Forsyth & Son, Morpeth
2nd D Robson & Son, Merryshields sold for £2340 to JR Gardiner, Carnaby
3rd W Wearmouth & Son, Rose Hill sold for £1590 to B Dunkley, Ripon
Sale of Forward Store Cattle
As the suckled calves took centre stage last week the sales fixture now always follows with a special sale of 12-month plus beasts; a notable occasion which was once again both successful and prosperous. A record entry of numbers for this sale saw fifty-eight ringside buyers bid freely for the good offering put forward by the seventy-one vendors. This sale last year brought about a trade like no other with averages soaring to unprecedented levels, today another superb scene unfolded, the best sorts especially appeared in great form which all aided prices to miraculously stick close to, or even better, the rip-roaring prices from 12-months ago. Store bulls averaged £1805 (-£40 for 13 less sold); store steers averaged £1888 (+£60 for 67 more sold) and heifers averaged £1747 (-£45 for 65 more sold).
The bulls began proceedings and the top spot was a remarkable £2900, the vendor benefitting was J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley Farm who produced a tremendous 23-month-old Limousin; plenty of life in the feeding bull trade. Standing out in the steers was the worthy champion from Five Houses when he sold for an impressive £2800; the same good home followed with bullocks at £2740 and £2520. A lovely 19-month-old Aberdeen Angus steer from B & B Kitching & Son, Elstob Cottage Farm impressed when he sold for £2480, the same price also went to a British Blonde steer from D Robson & Sons, Merryshields and a quartet of strong Aberdeen Angus steers from LW Richardson, Moorburn House followed at £2460. Young Jack Sewell of Knavesmire Farm showed the way in the heifer prices, two terrific 17-month-old Limousin’s from the keen young lad sold for £2730 and then £2700. Smart Limousin bred types from RW Ridley, Tongue Hill at £2580 and CN Bentley, The Gables at £2510 followed on the heifer leaderboard before a trio of flashy Five Houses girls between £2420 and £2500 and our top native female, an Aberdeen Angus from G & JH Tomlinson, Sunniside at £2420.
Cows & Calves £2450 £1800 T Ward. £2200 £1820 L&L Braines.
Store Bulls £2900 £2380 £2180 £2120 £2060 J&F Hartley & Sons. £2420 D Alderson. £2000 £1960 £1820 £1720 £1680 MC Robinson & Son. £1940 £1760×3 £1720 MC Robinson & Son. £1900 £1820 £1760 WO Grix & Partners. £1880 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £1880 £1800 J Murray. £1800 £1740×3 HE Jewitt. £1500 £1140 JK Gregory. £1120 £980×2 K Cator.
Store Steers £2800 £2740 £2520 £2400 £2380 £2360 £2280 A Kitson & Son. £2480 £2440 £2340 £2300 £2240 B&B Kitching. £2480 £2420 £2400 £2340 £2320 £2310 £2300×3 £2270 £2260×3 £2240 £2200 B&B Kitching & Son. £2460×4 £2200×3 £2120 LW Richardson. £2360 £2300 £2220×2 K Buckle. £2300 D&HM Hodgson. £2300 Luke Bell-Percy. £2280 L&BM Kidd & Son. £2260 HS Hutchinson. £2260 £2240 £2220 £2110 F Ward. £2250 RWD & SR Charlton. £2250 RW Ridley.
Store Heifers £2730 £2700 Jack Sewell. £2580 £2060 RW Ridley. £2510 CN Bentley. £2500 £2450 £2420 £2410 £2380 £2360 £2330 £2320 £2300 £2280 A Kitson & Son. £2420 £2360×2 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £2400 D&HM Hodgson. £2320×2 £2310×2 £2220 £2210 £2100×2 F Ward. £2270 WA Wardman Ltd. £2200 JP Phelan. £2180 £2040 RWD&SR Charlton. £2120×2 R Valks. £2100 CD Lambert. £2040×2 P Milestone. £2000 MJ Dent.
Cast Cattle/OTM – The cow trade was a wow trade, a show dominated by lean sorts sold to extreme rates, all classes enjoyed a significant price rise; the sale averaged 258ppk and £1733 but seeing is believing, the cows were on the charge. Top per kilo at 386 pence was a smart OTM Charolais heifer from WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm; an Aberdeen Angus heifer from JF Harland, Old Lodge followed at 358ppk just ahead of our top cow at 350ppk which was a wonderful British Blue cross from JE & E Dobson, White Kirkley Farm. Top in the lump at £3123 was a tremendous 976kg Limousin from JN Swinbank, Cold Comfort which narrowly edged out a fleshy 919kg British Blue from W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones at £3051. A thumping 890kg Beef Shorthorn cow from Juaul Farms, Great Ayton led the native breed charge when she sold for £2438. Friesian cows also looked notably dearer, a strong girl from Little Newsham Farms sold for £2117 and heifers hit the heights of 288ppk. Stock bulls sold to high rates, the pick of them perhaps at 288ppk and £2770 came from RD Anderson, Middleham with a tidy 6-year-old Limousin.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 386 332 WA Wardman Ltd. 358 JF Harland. 350 344 JE & E Dobson. 348 WH Clarke. 342 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 338 RD Anderson. 332 290 276 W Swinbank & Sons. 332 310 EW Grieves. 330 320 JN Swinbank. 330 318 298 290(x2) DK Barker. 328 P Foster. 314 288 274 AS Chapman. 312 JJ Horn. 276 D Alderson. 276 Reed & Hill. 274 Juaul Farms.
Stock Bulls Leading PPK – 290 P Tindale. 288 RD Anderson. 272 J Dixon. 190 Gripps Farm. 180 AS Chapman.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £3123 £2514 JN Swinbank. £3051 £2560 £2423 W Swinbank & Sons. £2652 £2531 £2372 £2303 £2114 DK Barker. £2614 £2530 JE & E Dobson. £2438 Juaul Farms. £2190 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £2186 RD Anderson. £2173 £2019 JF Harland. £2130 WA Wardman Ltd. £2117 Little Newsham Farms. £2081 JJ Horn. £2031 EW Grieves. £2028 R & J Carter. £2022 AS Chapman. £1998 BR Lawson. £1989 D Alderson.
Stock Bulls Leading Gross – £2770 RD Anderson. £2287 J Dixon. £2180 P Tindale. £1577 Gripps Farm Ltd.
Ward Reserve Champion
Store Lambs – On rolls the store lamb trade, another excellent week, the goods are getting smaller but the average remains over £120, the very best look a biblical trade today. Two tremendous Beltex lambs from Angram Livestock Ltd lit up the ring when they sold for a wonderful £220 apiece. The brilliant run of Beltex from the Ripon raiders wasn’t done there as they also sold five at £191 and ten more at £187. Some tidy Texel’s out of Cheviot Mules from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook followed closest in the £160’s. Mule lambs topped at £131 from TE Dobson, Unthank Farm then the same good home sold a smart pen of fifty-four Swaledale’s at an impressive £86.50 apiece.
Beltex – £220 £191 £187 £158 Angram Livestock Ltd. £148.50 £135.50 S Beeforth. £137 JH Johnson.
Texel – £161(x2) £160 £153 £138(x2) KO Stones. £151 £138 Luke Turnbull. £145 Adam Mason. £134 A Swinbank.
Bluefaced Leicester – £147 S Straughan.
Continental – £146 £130 A Wilson. £138 £136 £131 £128 £126 D Wearmouth. £138 RA Patterson & Son. £135.50 TE Dobson. £131 Victoria Wilson. £129 AW Sanderson. £128 K Taylor. £127 A Swinbank. £126 JR Dowd. £126 GP Addison. £125 GW Dobson & Son.
Suffolk – £136 £135 RA Patterson & Son. £134 J McLaughlin & E Colling. £132 £131 JH Johnson. £128.50 A Swinbank. £126.50 T Bean & Sons. £126 P Seaman. £125 JR Dowd. £124 GP Addison.
Mule – £131 TE Dobson. £118.50 £101 OM Wearmouth & Son. £118 C & JC Stephenson. £104.50 Hagg Farm. £97 S Straughan.
Cheviot – £130 £110 Victoria Wilson. £125 £115 KO Stones. £105.50 S Beeforth.
Swaledale – £86.50 TE Dobson. £50 S Straughan.
Herdwick – £80 Katherine Ryder. £80 J & RA Speed.
Feeding Ewes – The ewe trade is easily summed up, scandalously dear, what is the world coming to when a regular vendor puts the brakes on the auctioneer as they feel their ewes have flown past all sensible expectations; it’s never happened before and it’ll never happen again. For the very mixed goods on offer the trade appeared absolutely bonkers to average £117.50. A shapely Texel from N & LL Brown & Son, Quarry House led the way at £220, next in line at £218 was a hefty Hampshire tup from D Coupland, Newton Aycliffe. ID Nelson, Skelton Grange followed at £216 ahead of P Seaman, Pear Tree Farm at £215. Mule ewes topped at £164 from TE Dobson, Unthank Farm and the hundred plus of them, many of which were very lean, averaged £117.45. Swaledale ewes to £122, Blackface to £113, Herdwick to £110 as all classes remain an absolute flyer in the miraculous Monday ewe ring.
Continental £220 £175 £170 N & LL Brown & Son. £216 ID Nelson. £215 P Seaman. £192 DJ & D Schofield & Son. £192 Barker Farming. £190 JR Dowd. £186 LD Laws. £184 WB Rutter & Sons. £177 A Wilson. £172 G Thompson & Sons. £170 JR & M Richardson.
Hampshire – £218 D Coupland.
Bluefaced Leicester – £212 £172 £126 S Straughan.
Easycare – £185 A & D Heyes.
Mule – £164 TE Dobson. £150 £134 JF Harland. £139 DJ & D Schofield & Son. £138 £129 G Thompson & Sons. £136 £119 DM & PM Nelson & Sons. £130 J Milbank & Sons. £129 LD Laws.
Suffolk – £157 JR & M Richardson.
Leicester Longwool – £148 £114 SC Johns.
Cheviot – £138 £J McLaughlin & E Colling. £138 R Peart. £100 J & KA McLaughlin. £106 S Beeforth.
Swaledale – £122 TE Dobson. £76 £52 J Milbank & Sons. £72 WB Rutter & Sons. £67 CJ & JC Stephenson.
Blackface – £113 £78 DJ & D Schofield & Son. £95 £68 DM & PM Nelson & Sons.
Herdwick – £110 £92 £72 Katherine Ryder.
Jacob – £94 Robyn Valks.
Fodder – Much the same story, hay and haylage good to sell, straw moveable but far from exciting at this stage. Round bales of wrapped hay topped at £40.
