Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 18th May 2026. Forward were 492 cattle, 582 sheep and 95 calves.
84 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 360ppk or £2799
10 Stock Bulls sold to 314ppk or £3067
1 Cow & Calf sold for £2500
37 Young Bulls sold to £1890
108 Store Steers sold to £2160
151 Store Heifers sold to £2100
96 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £368
52 Ewes & Lambs sold to £385
114 Store Hoggs sold to £250
130 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £250
95 Calves & Stirks sold to £880
Cast Cattle – A nice show of both feeding and fed cattle this week, trade down a touch but still sharp really given the freefalling finished article; an all-in sale average of 257ppk and £1747. Top per kilo at 360 pence was a Hereford OTM steer from B Cave, Whitehall Farm; this run of hard sorts provided five of the seventeen occasions that bidding surpassed 300ppk. Top of the older cows per kilo was a classy Limousin from C Peckitt & Son, College Farm at 324 pence (£2209), following her at 316ppk (£2774) was a smart Bazadaise cow from WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House. Top of the cows in the lump was a hefty Limousin from F Ward, Rogerley Hall when she sold for £2799 (310ppk). Plenty of bulls forward with all shapes and sizes represented, none bettered an excellent 7-year-old Limousin from R & S Purdham, Low Boonwood, West Cumbria weighing 977kg and selling for 314 pence and £3067. Two tidy ten-year-olds topped the Friesian’s from G Thompson & Son, Softley Farm as one sold for 220ppk and the other led the gross values at £1821.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 324 310×2 C Peckitt & Son. 316 278 270 260 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 310×2 308 F Ward. 302 284 JWR&M Suddes. 300 290 284 R&S Purdham. 300 TW West. 286 278 B Watson. 282 JN Swinbank. 282 JH&M&NW Brown. 278 Upsall Castle Farms. 276 WA Wardman Ltd. 272 FJ Forrest. 272 CG Barraclough. 266 E Taylor & Son. 264 W Emerson. 262 GA Rogerson & Son. 260 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2799 £2396 £2162 F Ward. £2774 £2510 £2378 £1999 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2499 CG Barraclough. £2366 £2059 £1917 R&S Purdham. £2209 £2205 £1912 C Peckitt & Son. £2093 Upsall Castle Farms. £2072 £1962 TW West. £2031 WA Wardman Ltd. £2022 JWR&M Suddes. £2015 FJ Forrest. £2015 CH&MC Phalp. £2002 E Taylor & Son. £1993 JH&M&NW Brown. £1976 B Watson. £1902 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 314 R&S Purdham. 300 TW West. 282 WA Wardman Ltd. 252 210 C Peckitt & Son. 240 238 230 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3067 R&S Purdham. £2884 WA Wardman Ltd. £2724 TW West. £2543 £2479 £2187 Skelton Farming Ltd. £2205 £1632 C Peckitt & Son.
OTM Cattle – Top prices ppk 360 358 320 312 292 260 252 B Cave. 290 276 260 240 J Purvis. 230 GA Rogerson.
Lead Grossing OTM Cattle £2196 £2070 £1790 £1540 B Cave. £2024 £2009 £1679 £1661 £1617 J Purvis. £1347 GA Rogerson & Son.
Store Cattle – A really good show of quality and quantity for the time of year, trade certainly bucked the trends seen elsewhere of late and looked dearer than they have done for a couple of weeks. Top of the day by a whisker at £2160 was a smart 23-month-old British Blue steer from D & M Scott, Redesmouth Farm, Bellingham; the same feeding also had steers at £2070 and £2030. Next in line at £2150 was a sensational 12-month-old Limousin steer from the Eastern edge of Cumbria and the good home of M & TE Graham, West Foreshield, Alston. Top of the heifers was at £2100 was a strong 27-month-old Simmental from B Watson, Baal Hill Farm, Wolsingham; following her at £2000 was a West Cumbrian superstar, a very sweet 10-month-old Limousin from JC Hope & Son, Cornhow, Cockermouth. Native breeds remain in demand, top of the steers at £1980 was a smart 14-month-old Beef Shorthorn from J & EM Lawson, Harpington Hill whilst the pick of the indigenous bred heifers came from another Cumbrian crusader as TW West, Picket Howe, Egremont reached £1770 with an Aberdeen Angus heifer. Earlier in the day an eclectic mix of young bulls also looked well sold, topping at £1890 were a pair of 14-month-old Aberdeen Angus from F Fabi, Broad Lea Farm with a 13-month-old next best from R & S Purdham, Low Boonwood at £1820. Just a single offering in the cows and calves, a nice 10-year-old Limousin with a baby heifer calf from C Moffett, Backandsides sold for £2500.
Cows & Calves £2500 C Moffett.
Store Bulls – £1890×2 F Fabi. £1820 R&S Purdham. £1750 £1660 £1620 BO Cockburn. £1620×2 £1530 C Peckitt & Son. £1610 £1600×4 Wilkinson & Son. £1540 B Watson. £1520 JWR&M Suddes. £1370×2 £1320×2 £1300 DG Sayers. £1290×2 DJ Harrison. £1260×3 JK Gregory.
Store Steers – £2160 £2070 £2030 D&M Scott. £2150 £1950×2 £1920×2 £1900 £1880 £1850×2 £1780 M&TE Graham. £1980 £1900 £1880 £1860 £1840 £1750 J&EM Lawson. £1980×2 GW&L Marsay. £1920 IW Cairns. £1880 TW West. £1780 A&AG Moralee. £1780×2 F Fabi. £1780 A&AG Moralee. £1770 £1750×2 D&HM Hodgson.
Store Heifers £2100 £1980 B Watson. £2000 £1820 £1810×2 JC Hope & Son. £1970 MV N & D Cutler. £1930 WA Wardman Ltd. £1920 £1880 £1860 £1800 £1720 M&TE Graham. £1890×3 C Peckitt & Son. £1850 £1770 IW Cairns. £1880×2 £1720 TW West. £1820 W Emerson. £1820 £1720 GL&M Steel. £1750 Wilkinson & Son. £1710×2 KW MJ & SW Ward.
Breeding Sheep – The ewes and hoggs with lambs remain keenly bid for, todays ewes averaged 96.83 per life whilst the in demand hoggs levelled at £159.66 per life. Top of the hoggs at £368 were a smart pen of five Texels with singles from TW Thompson, Lealholm Lawns; following twice at £350 were stretchy Texel crosses with singles from D Carr & Son, High Wood whilst the Mule hoggs twice hit £325 from both TW Thompson and G Ward, Clover House. Texel hoggs and lambs ended the day averaging £174 per life and the Mule hoggs and lambs levelled at £155 per life.
Hoggs & Lambs:
Texel – £368 £345×3 £325 TW Thompson. £350×2 £348 £345×2 D Carr & Son. £325 £280 MW Reed.
Mule – £325 TW Thompson. £325 G Ward. £320 £305 £300 RG Johson & Son. £300 HS Hutchinson. £300×2 MW Reed.
Ewes & Lambs:
Continental – £385 £332 £245 K Raine.
Suffolk – £365 £330 M Radford.
Mule – £300 HS Hutchinson. £280 M Raine. £252 £250 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Store Sheep – The fireworks continue in the store ring as all classes remain in majestic form, the feeding ewes averaged £165 whilst the hoggs, aided by nineteen nice gimmers, averaged a frankly ridiculous £174 apiece. Two pens of marvellous Mules from MH Hodgson, East Greystones set an unprecedented pace when the first ten sold for £250 and the next nine £245. Gimmers gone and the genuine feeders appeared absolutely incredible, Texel’s to £235 from the hot Hodgson run, then £228 from F Ward, Rogerley Hall. Mule hoggs to £182 from TE Dobson, Unthank and Swaledale’s from the same home at £148. Feeding ewes a flyer again, four at the top were Texels from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm selling for £250; F Ward followed with a Texel tup at £245 as plenty sailed over £200. Cheviot ewes to a top of £205 from RRC Andrew, Blueface Leicester’s to £200 from TE Dobson and Mule ewes to a high of £198 from WK Wilkinson & Sons, Mains House. Swaledale’s arguably the trade of the day as the breed averaged £131 with a top of £150, unbelievable returns as the Qurbani celebrations fast approach.
Feeding Sheep:
Texel – £250 £230 £221 £200 £172 £154 A&R Thompson. £245 F Ward. £218 R Worthy.
£192 Mc Rutter. £195 JD Teasdale.
Continental – £232 £190 £188 £168 £158 High Mains Partnership. £220 £198 £172 R Worthy. £200 £165 A&R Thompson. £188 K Sayer. £180 £175 £135 Mc Rutter. £172 3160 J&JA Wilkinson. £170 JD Teasdale.
Cheviot – £205 3172 RRC Andrew. £160 RG McNeal. £138 JD Teasdale.
BFL – £200 TE Dobson. £195 F Ward. £188 K Sayer. £160 IW Cairns.
Mule – £198 WK Wilkinson & Sons. £192 M Raine. £185 RRC Andrew. £182 TE Dobson. £182 £160 F Ward. £165 Mc Rutter. £165 J Davis. £130 J Pallister & Sons.
Blue Texel – £180 J Davis.
Swale – £160 £140 TE Dobson. £138 F Ward.
2026 Born Store Lambs:
Jacob – £120 £80 S Dodsworth.
Store Hoggs:
Mule – £250 £245 MH Hodgson. £182 TE Dobson. £150 TB Walton.
Texel – £235 £220 MH Hodgson. £228 £184 £125 F Ward. £198 £150 £142 A&R Thompson. £172 TE Dobson. £160 DW Robinson. £145 K Sayer. £142TB Walton. £142 GP&A Carter.
Continental – £210 £204 £176 R Worthy. £204 £188 E Wilson. £166 RG Mc Neal. £134 A Eavis.
Suffolk – £182 RG McNeal. £180 K Sayer.
Swale – £148 3130 TE Dobson. £128 K Sayer.
Cheviot £124 K Sayer. £114 McRutter.
Rearing Calves – Rearing calf trade continues to soar, as today’s sale averaged £548. Top priced calf today went to A Green, East Barnwell Farm, with a terrific Aberdeen Angus bull making £880, whilst the same home sold two other Angus bulls at £860. Also in the spotlight was a 20-day-old shapely Inra95 bull calf, also from A Green, achieving a price of £810. British Blue bulls from Deerness Valley Dairy reached £740. Limousin bull calves reached £670 from RW Raper & Sons, High Mulberry, whilst Shorthorn sired calves made up to £620 from Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. Hereford bulls reached £620 from Deerness Valley Dairy Ltd. A cracking Simmental calf from L James, Sycamore Hill, made £680, whilst Friesian bull calves reached £490 from R Tookey & Son.
Heifers were also in high demand today, with British Blues topping in this section at £800 from WK Wilkinson & Sons, Mains House Farm. Following was an Inra95 heifer from Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd, reaching £670. Angus heifers reached £560 from R Tookey & Son, whilst a Hereford heifer from B Hutchinson, Field House, made £490. A Charolais x beef bred heifer from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm, made £430.
Bull Calves:
Angus – £880 £860×2 A Green. £620×2 £600×2 Deerness Valley dairy. £610 £590 £560 £550 JL Miles & Sons. £610 Stockdale Partners. £580 RW Raper & Sons.
Inra 95 – £810 A Green. £760 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
British Blue – £740×2 £720 £710 £690×2 £670 £650 Deerness Valley Dairy. £690×2 £670 H Gibb & Son. £690 £680 £640 RW Raper & Sons. £670 Stockdale Partners.
Simmental – £680 L James.
Limousin – £670 RW Raper & Sons.
Shorthorn – £620×2 £570 £470 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Hereford – £620 Deerness Valley Dairy. £580 £570 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £530 B Hutchinson.
Friesian – £490 £420 R Tookey & Son. £390 RW Raper & Sons. £310 £300 £290×2 £240×3 SJ Kellett & Son. £240×2 Stockdale Partners.
Heifers Calves:
British Blue – £800 WK Wilkinson & Sons. £650 £620 £570×2 Stockdale Partners. £650×3 £640 £630 £620 Stockdale Partners. £610 H Gibb & Son. £610 RW Raper & Sons.
Inra 95 – £670 Baysleap Dairy farm Ltd.
Angus – £570 £560 ME Dowson. £560 R Tookey. £560 £540 £530×2 £520×2 Deerness Valley Dairy. £550 £510×2 £500×2 £480 £470 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £540×2 Stockdale Partners. £490×3 JL Miles & Sons. £450 RW Raper & Sons.
Friesian – £500 R Tookey & Son.
Hereford – £490 B Hutchinson.
Charolais – £430 A Wilson.
