Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 2nd July 2026. Forward were 202 cattle and 1636 sheep.
55 Prime Bulls sold to 404ppk and £3912
47 Prime Steers sold to 422ppk and £3150
100 Prime Heifers sold to 450ppk and £3079
1487 New Season Lambs sold to 480ppk or £245
21 Prime Hoggs sold to 250ppk or £140
128 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £258
Prime Bulls (55) – A better show and a better trade to go with it as the bull averages rose significantly to level at 353ppk and £2632 per head. The excellent top end on offer resulted in five at 400 pence or more and a fantastic fourteen over £3000. Today transpired to be a good day for Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick and it was they who duly led the bull prices per kilo when they sold a super 700kg Limousin at 404 pence. Two smart sorts from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm sold at 401ppk and 400ppk and then two vendors with the same surname joined in at 400ppk; TN & J Hall, Ainstable Hall and RS Hall & Sons, Ivy House Farm. Some thumping bulls led the prices in the lump, none more so than our leader, a marvellous 1069kg British Blue from E Wilson, White Hills sold for a brilliant £3912. Next best at a non-too shabby £3735 was a classy British Blue from TN & J Hall, Ainstable Hall with strong challenges also evident from AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange and Scottish raiders WM Fleming, Moss Tower. Top of the native breed bulls this week was a smart Hereford from J Armstrong, Southern Law when he sold for 336ppk and £2503 whilst the Friesian’s were topped at 316ppk by yet another Hall; namely R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall and the Friesian bulls topped per head at £2038 from JK & CE Farming, Blue House.
A few of today’s top bull averages:
TN&J Hall sold 2 (914kg) average £3567
AG Watson & Sons sold 4 (831kg) average £3150
JJ Horn sold 2 (861kg) average £3047
WM Fleming sold 4 (782kg) average £3021
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 404 369 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 401 400 395 373 S&J Dent & Son. 400 382 TN&J Hall. 400 RS Hall & Son. 396 392 386 370 WM Fleming. 390 347 BA&C Pearson Ltd. 387 PJ&ES Rogerson. 385 380×2 371 AG Watson & Sons. 382 FW Hodgson & Son. 379 354 WA Wardman Ltd. 378 R Hall & Son. 369 JM Shotton. 366 E Wilson. 362 347 F&JS Gargett. 358 351 GH Farms Ltd. 358 350 JJ Horn.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3912 E Wilson. £3735 £3400 TN&J Hall. £3370 £3361 £3116 AG Watson & Sons. £3139 £3080 £3021 £2845 WM Fleming. £3075 £3020 JJ Horn. £3026 £2692 BA&C Pearson Ltd. £3011 £2807 F&JS Gargett. £3003 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2846 R Hall & Son. £2833 SH Watson & Son. £2828 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2745 JM Shotton. £2708 FW Hodgson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 336 290 J Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2503 £2235 J Armstrong.
Dairy Bulls – Top prices ppk 319 J Armstrong. 310 316 R Hall & Son. 295 JK&CE Farming. 286 280 232 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Lead Grossing Dairy Bulls £2207 J Armstrong. £2038 JK&CE Farming. £1984 £1965 R Hall & Son. £1604 £1541 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Clean Cattle (147) – The clean beef moved up a gear or two with five this week over £3000 and eight over 440ppk to see sale averages for heifers rise to 397ppk and £2434 per head and the steers up also to average 357ppk and £2558. More class from Cole Hill Farm Ltd set the pace, top heifer per kilo at 450 pence for a 573kg Limousin and also top steer per kilo at 422 pence, also for a Limousin. Congratulations to the team at Cole Hill, a rare occurrence well worthy of high praise to top the bulls, heifers and steers per kilo in the same week. Others high up on the pence per kilo list included heifers from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House (449ppk) plus WF Hustwit, Morden Southside (447ppk) and the on-song TN & J Hall, Ainstable Hall (447ppk). Some smart steers also worthy of mention in the pence per kilo stakes hailed from RS Hall & Son, Ivy House Farm (417ppk & 413ppk) and also the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows (414ppk). The grandest of the gross values went to a marvellous 875kg Limousin steer from Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall when he sold for £3150. Top heifer in the lump was a stunner from the Morpeth based Renton Highlaws Ltd, High Highlaws; the excellent 768kg Limousin sold for £3079. Three further vendors ventured over £3000 this week, a cracking 39-month-old 715kg Limousin heifer from WM Fleming, Moss Tower sold for £3031, a smart 760kg heifer from JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm sold for £3009 and a fleshy 725kg steer from the Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows followed at £3001.
Today’s top grossing clean cattle averages:
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 4 (711kg) average £2912
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (700kg) average £2857
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 10 (793kg) average £2777
LS Staley sold 2 (757kg) average £2771
WM Fleming sold 4 (696kg) average £2767
Today’s top averages ppk for clean cattle:
TN&J Hall sold 7 (622kg) average 430ppk
W&M Knaggs & Sons sold 3 (556kg) average 428ppk
R Hirst sold 9 (577kg) average 426ppk
I Marshall & Sons sold 6 (600kg) average 421ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 10 (623kg) average 420ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 422 409 394 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 417 413 RS Hall. 415 JR&B Anderson & Son. 414 404 Askwiths. 404 377 366 WJ Scott Ltd. 391 361 360 358 349 346 341 Messrs R Miller. 390 NL Dalton. 386 381 379 374 372 351 345 344 JD Forsyth & Son. 385 359 346 R&LJ Simpson. 384 345 JB&N Harrison & Son. 378 355 LS Staley. 350 AJ Marr & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3150 £2946 £2909 £2864 £2828 £2719 £2688 £2606 Messrs R Miller. £3001 £2868 Askwiths. £2877 RS Hall & Sons. £2860 £2539 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £2844 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2840 £2702 LS Staley. £2808 £2725 £2719 £2656 £2644 £2610 £2600 JD Forsyth & Son. £2741 £2584 R&LJ Simpson. £2597 NL Dalton. £2556 WJ Scott Ltd.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 450 442 436 426 424 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 449 I Marshall & Sons. 447 435 433 428×2 425 TN&J Hall. 447 WF Hustwit. 441 440 435 427 425 R Hirst. 440 425 W&M Knaggs & Son. 438 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 437 I Marshall & Sons. 436 428 Askwiths. 436 NL Dalton. 433 M Robinson & Sons. 433 B Walker. 428 JE Suddes & Son. 424 WM Fleming. 423 422 419 418 JV&JA Hodgson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3079 £2982 £2848 £2737 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3031 £2778 £2689 WM Fleming. £3009 £2914 £2792 £2714 JE Suddes & Son. £2962 £2897 £2828 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2900 £2775 £2771 £2730 TN&J Hall. £2820 £2735 £2673 A&MJ Henshaw. £2713 £2680 £2669 I Marshall & Sons. £2684 TJ Dennis. £2676 WJ Scott Ltd. £2662×2 R Hirst. £2660 JV&JA Hodgson. £2650 £2649 NL Dalton.
New Season Lambs (1487) – Big is best at the moment, the lamb trade remains lively for all classes, still over 60ppk and £30 per head better than this week last year but make no mistake it is the heavies which are really ringing the bell. All in this week, weighed straight as always, the sale averaged 413ppk and £185.07 per head. Two tidy 45kg Beltex from TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth led the prices per kilo when they sold for 480 pence (£216). Following at 477ppk were a quality quartet at 45kg (£215) from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin with two further vendors at 476ppk being M & J Smith, Common Farm with 47kg at £224 and Anna Herbert, West Shaws with 46kg at £219. With weight the winner throughout the sale it was no surprise that the top gross value went to a hefty pair of 60kg lambs from WR Wilson & Partners, Manor Farm when they sold for £245; next on the list at £238 was F Shield, Uckerby Grange at 56kg and then smart sorts from J Wigham, 1 Stone Row 48kg at £228 and 50kg at £226. Weight then is the order of the day, no necessity to be particularly posh just the bigger the better, of the four hundred and nineteen lambs at £200 or more today, only nineteen weighed under 45kg.
Today’s top grossing lamb averages:
J Wigham sold 2 (49kg) average £227
M&J Smith sold 38 (48kg) average £212
W&M Knaggs & Son sold 42 (46kg) average £211
SC Brown sold 25 (50kg) average £209
Anna Herbert sold 5 (46kg) average £207
WR Thompson sold 44 (49kg) average £206
JC Simpson sold 24 (44kg) average £206
Lambs – Top prices ppk 480 459 441×2 TA Greensit & Sons. 477 463 461 458 450 W&M Knaggs & Son. 476 453 444 442 440 M&J Smith. 476 Anna Herbert. 475 452 J Wigham. 471 468 463 454 JC Simpson. 466 456 447 M Bell. 460 HT Davies & Partners. 452 DR&RL Burns. 452 440 439 JA&A Herbert. 449 DR Smith. 447 Williamson. 447 446 JR Knox & Son. 445 SW Thompson. 445 Wytherstone Farm. 444 441 JV&JA Hodgson. 442 440 D&PH Brown. 440 WR Thompson.
Lead Grossing Lambs £245 £218 WR Wilson & Partners. £238 £219 F Shield. £228 £226 J Wigham. £225 PR Weaver. £224 £221 £213 £212 £211 £210 M&J Smith. £222 £220 £213 RS Hall & Sons. £221×2 I Kirk. £220 JR&J Crowe. £220 WR Thompson. £220 £215 DR Smith. £219 £211 Anna Herbert. £218 £215 DR&RL Burns. £218 £214 SC Brown. £218 JV&JA Hodgson. £217 JC Simpson. £217 £216 £215 W&M Knaggs & Son. £217 £215 I&A Holmes. £217 £216 D&PH Brown.
Cast Ewes & Rams (128) – Much more life in the trade for leaner ewes this week, little change for the fat, the sale averaged a very pleasing £181.25 per head. A tidy Texel from M Robinson & Sons, East Alwent led the prices when she sold for £258; plenty of the other better sorts sailed over £200. Mule ewes sold to a top of £185 for a pen of eight from JR & J Crowe, Bishops Close Farm. Hard sucked ewes with less flesh look the trade of the day, remarkably only four sheep failed to reach £100.
Lead Grossing Cast sheep £258 £225 M Robinson & Partners. £238 £205 £193 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £229 Anna Herbert. £228 ND Morgan. £220 £196 £184 RS Hall & Sons. £219 £190 DG&PD Ayre. £218 £200 £197 PR&V Barlow. £216 £211 £209 JC Simpson. £209 £207 £199 £185 JR&J Crowe. £205×2 RA Patterson & Son. £200 JV&JA Hodgson. £200 £198 JA&A Herbert. £184 £180 J&B Stanwix & Son.
