Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their annual “Stars of the Future” show and sale of store cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 27th April 2026. Forward were 525 cattle and 488 sheep.
82 Cast Cattle/OTM sold to 366ppk or £2640
23 Breeding Cattle sold to £4000
33 Young Bulls sold to £2260
129 Store Steers sold to £2860
258 Store Heifers sold to £3200
87 Ewes & Lambs sold to £395
102 Store Hoggs sold to £236
169 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £270
Stars of the Future Show
Many thanks go to Nick Marwood, Hill Top Farm, Harome who made the trip up to judge the show classes this morning, thanks also go to our annual sponsors who are listed at ringside week in week out. A classy run from Five Houses, Hutton Rudby claimed all the top accolades and in fact scooped every rosette offered apart from one, a credible third in the heifer class which went to ME Dowson, Croglin House with a smart Limousin sired yearling. The Five Houses phenomenon’s wound up taking the Championship with a beautiful 23-month-old Limousin heifer, she would later sell for an incredible £3200 to Messrs Bowen & Bowen, Welshpool. The reserve was an equally impressive 21-month-old Limousin steer, he also demanded a high premium when he sold for £2860 to D & J Gawthorpe, Cumberworth.
Sale of Store Cattle – A very pleasing 45% increase in numbers on the year at this annual show and sale with sixty-two vendors selling to fifty-nine active ringside accounts. Averages in comparison to 12-months ago see the heifers headline the show as they rose by £123 to level at £1690 (122 more sold) whilst the show of steers perhaps lacked the depth of last year as they fell by £32 to average £1639 (8 more sold).
No surprises that the top spots went to the impeccable beasts from Five Houses, the worthy champion at £3200 came out on top whilst the flying firm sold others at £3100, £2860 and £2800 on three occasions to gain an impressive £2467 average for the twenty-eight sold. It’s a long way from Morpeth to Horncastle but two vendors both impressing in the slipstream of Five Houses met in the middle when Northumberland based CW Gray sold heifers to £2380 and the annual consignment from Lincolnshire’s K Mellor peaked at £2320. The beef trade might not just be booming as it was but the feeders remain relatively optimistic, the short keep cattle are of course slightly easier but not as much change is evident for those destined for a summer grazing.
Early in the sale the young bulls again proved in demand, topping at £2260 and £2200 were a handsome pair of Limousin’s from DT & E Whitfield, Berry Edge. Twice 13-month-old bulls sold for £2000 as a Beef Shorthorn from the Mayfield Herd, Leazes Farm joined a Limousin from IR Appleton, Pudding Poke and a run of baby Limousin bulls just 6-8-months from JA & UM Fawcett, Manor House also impressed with a trio at £1920 and three more at £1700.
Store Bulls £2260 £2200 £1900 DT&E Whitfield. £2000 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £2000 £1920 IR Appleton. £1920×3 £1700×3 £1640×4 £1500 JA&UM Fawcett. £1800 Lucy Appleton. £1590 £1380 I Spedding. £1580 £1320 RJ&R Greenbank. £1580 C&J Stephenson. £1470 W Emerson. £1430 J Richmond.
Store Steers £2860 £2800 £2320 Five Houses. £2140 JG Wilkinson & Son. £2100×2 GA&C Jopling. £2020×3 G&EM Nixon. £1980 £1840 £1810 JG Forster & Partners. £1920 £1830 P Featherstone. £1870 £1820×2 L Claughan. £1860×2 £1780 £1760×2 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1860 BR Lawson. £1820 HS Hutchinson. £1790×5 A&AG Moralee. £1780×3 High Mains Partnership. £1740 TT Hall & Son.
Store Heifers £3200 £3100 £2800×3 £2660 £2650 £2560 £2520 £2450 £2420 £2400 £2380×2 £2340 £2320×2 Five Houses. £2380 £2220×3 £2200 £2120 £2020 £1930×2 CW Gray. £2320 £2100 £1920×2 K Mellor. £2230 £2040 £1940×2 RJ&R Greenbank. £2100 J Dixon. £2080 £2000×2 JG Forster & Partners. £2070×2 £1980 £1900×3 S&J Dent & Son. £2000 G&EM Nixon. £2000×3 HM Dent. £2000 £1930 J Richmond. £2000 RE Dickson. £1980 ME Dowson. £1950×2 JG Wilkinson & Son. £1950 JM Greensit & Son Ltd.
Breeding Cattle – A really nice and genuine herd dispersal of two in calf cows and seven cows with calves from M Gallon, High Crows Farm sold exceptionally well this morning. The Gallon’s cattle have been part of the DfAM furniture for many years and we would like to thank them for their many years of support. Top of the in-calf cows was a smart 6-year-old Limousin when she reached £2500, the other followed closely at £2300. A couple of super four-year-olds led the outfits with calves from High Crows; both suckling one-month-old youngsters, one with a bull at foot reached £4000 and one with a heifer £3900. The pick of the older cows and arguably the best of the day was a wonderful eight-year-old with a two-month-old heifer calf at foot which sold for £3800; the super sixteen head from Messrs Gallon averaged a marvellous £1743 apiece.
In Calf Cows – £2500 £2300 M Gallon. £2100 JM Greensit & Son.
Cows & Calves – £4000 £3900 £3800 £3100 £3000 £2800 £2500 M Gallon. £2000 £1950 C Harle & Sons.
Cast Cattle/OTM – The cows are a fraction easier however they don’t look to be experiencing the same drop off as the prime beef has done of late; a relatively plain show still averaged 244ppk and £1601 with plenty still sailing over 300ppk and £2000. Top cow of the day per kilo was a well fed 6-year-old Limousin from J Layfield, Nackshivan when she sold for 366 pence. The nice sort from Nackshivan at £2627 was edged out for the top gross value accolade by a smart British Blue from LR Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm which added up nicely to £2640. A splendid six-year-old Hereford from A & D Heyes, New Field Farm led the native breeds when she sold for 280ppk and an impressive £2441 whilst the twenty-eight milk cows were topped at 250ppk or £1837.
Cast Cattle Leading PPK – 366 340 264 J Layfield. 342 326 S & J Dent & Son. 340 C Harle & Sons. 338 310 GC & KJ White & Son. 322 292 LR Welsh & Co. 310 B Cowton. 304 286 MW Reed. 286 282 E Parsons. 285 JR Addison & Son. 280 A & D Heyes. 276 S Waggott. 274 L & L Braines. 274 JJ Dowson & Son. 272 266 B Watson. 270 JV Hodgson & Son. 268 266 264 FW Hodgson & Son. 266 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 266 RE Shield.
Cast Cattle leading Gross – £2640 £2254 LR Welsh & Co. £2627 £2051 £1944 £1917 J Layfield. £2496 JR Addison & Son. £2467 B Cowton. £2441 A & D Heyes. £2318 £2158 S & J Dent & Son. £2153 £1949 GC & KJ White & Son. £2072 E Parsons. £2007 £1978 £1967 £1930 JJ Dowson & Son. £1962 JV Hodgson & Son. £1907 B Watson. £1907 S Waggott. £1869 RE & BJ Potter.
Breeding Sheep – Spring fever has landed and the ewe and lamb vendors are certainly beneficiaries this week as a sharper trade occurred for all classes, sale averaged £117.57 per life. Some impressive continental ewes sat atop the leader board when RM Guy, Warren Wood sold ewes with twins at £395 and £390 whilst Jack Sewell, Knavesmire followed with Texels and Twins at £385 and RE & BJ Potter, North Ghyll checked in at £378. A first sniff of hoggs and lambs today saw HS Hutchinson, White House Farm sell five Mules with singles at £345 and some impressive returns for hill ewes as some bonnie little Cheviots from AG Williamson, Benty Close averaged up well at £102.67 per life.
Hoggs & Lambs – £345 HS Hutchinson.
Ewes & Lambs – £395 £390 £368 RM Guy. £385 £260 Jack Sewell. £378 £344 £270 £262 RE & BJ Potter. £368 £355 £350 £290 M Toas. £365 JD & MS Mortimer. £362 £295 A Donkin. £325 AG Williamson. £308 £285 A Newton. £282 Oulton & Varley.
Store Sheep – Both the hoggs and the feeding ewes continue in mesmerising form and both average north of £150 this week. A thumping Texel tup hogg from S Straughan, High Wales Field led the section when he sold for £236; any hoggs right and healthy are selling £140 to £200 and some genuine sweepings up are frequently reaching three figures. Feeding ewes ferocious again, top at £270 was a Texel from Jack Sewell, Knavesmire and plenty remain over £200. Mule ewes sold twice to £182 and horned sheep with a smattering of flesh are selling either side of £100 to a top of £135 as the hill dwellers averaged three figures.
Store Hoggs – £236 £198 S Straughan. £185 S Pybourne. £182 A Bloomfield. £178 £142 £140 TB Walton. £168 A Swinbank. £166 WR Wilson. £160 Josh Burton. £160 D Smith.
Feeding Ewes – £270 £192 Jack Sewell. £242 B Cowton. £238 £198 £192 £188 S Love. £235 S Straughan. £230 A Swinbank. £220 £218 D Coupland. £218 £200 £182 S Beeforth. £215 £205 NG Beveridge. £190 GP & A Carter. £190 MW Cook & Son. £188 £184(x2) JW & GP Furness. £188 D Alderson. £182 J Waters. £182 R Bell.
