Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 12th October 2026. Forward were 334 cattle and 1929 sheep.
125 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 384ppk or £3208
1 Stock Bull sold for 282ppk and £3192
8 Stirks sold to £1110
6 Bulling Heifers sold to £1650
5 Cows & Calves sold to £4100
26 Young Bulls sold to £2200
78 Store Steers sold to £2640
80 Store Heifers sold to £2130
1568 Store Lambs sold to £190
361 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £230
Cast Cattle – The cow trade continues in good form, an increased offering sold to similar levels seen of late, the fed sorts looked in high demand and a full ringside of feeding buyers ensured that all classes were well sold. The sale averaged 250ppk and £1733. Two dozen traded over 300ppk, a great pair of heifers led the way as WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm sold one at 376 pence only to be outdone by a beautiful 34-month-old Limousin from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm at 773kg and an impressive 384 pence per kilo. Topping the gross values was an incredible 1009kg Limousin cow from JE Jordon & Son, Longhirst when she added up to a formidable £3208; the on-song Simpson’s of McNeil Farm followed with a great cow at £3024 which was followed by more joy for the Jordon’s with a 10-year-old at £3002. Native breeds were out in force, none bettered the Aberdeen Angus breed today as F Fabi, Broadlea Farm sold a cow at £2422 and the top per kilo went to J Layfield, Nackshivan with a well fed 5-year-old at 322 pence. More than forty milk cows in attendance today, Friesian cows clocked a best today of £1969 and 235ppk from Little Newsham Farms whilst Fleckvieh cows topped at 250ppk and £1772 from GP & E Lillie, Forest Farm. One bull well worthy of mention, a thumping 1132kg Simmental from JM Shotton, Catlow Hall sold for 282ppk and £3192.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading PPK – 384 338 318 310 AC Simpson & Son. 376 WA Wardman Ltd. 346 322 320 312 302 296 J Layfield. 342 318 316 308 JE Jordon & Son. 340 310 300 GH Farms Ltd. 338 300(x2) GK, KN & GJ Hird. 314 RE Dickson. 314 J & C Barker. 308 304 Messrs Bell. 298 JA & UM Fawcett.
Stock Bull Leading PPK – 282 JM Shotton.
Cast Cows/OTM Leading Gross – £3208 £3002 £2787 £2553 JE Jordon & Son. 2968 £2761 £2359 AC Simpson & Son. £2671 £2524 £2337 £2316 £2272 J Layfield. £2610 AC Bentham. £2577 J & C Barker. £2422 F Fabi. £2415 J Brown. £2364 £2263 £2260 RE Dickson. £2350 FH Hutchinson. £2322 £2321 GH Farms Ltd. £2246 WA Wardman Ltd.
Stock Bull Leading Gross – £3192 JM Shotton.
Breeding Cattle – Half a dozen of the seldom seen pedigree Northern Dairy Shorthorn heifers began proceedings today, much interest from far and wide saw them top at £1650 with others at £1100 and £1050. From the somewhat old fashioned to the very modern as a great quintet of British Blue and Limousin cows and calves appeared from L Booton, Manor Farm; topping these at £4100 was a thumping 9-year-old British Blue cow with her Limousin sired bull calf at foot.
Bulling Heifers – £1650(x2) £1100(x2) £1050(x2) G Dixon.
Cows & Calves – £4100 £3850 £3750 £3400(x2) L Booton.
Store Cattle – The fine trade in the store ring continues with plenty of buyers ringside and a healthy trade available for all breeds and ages. The young bulls began proceedings and a great run from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm claimed all three of the top spots; strong Charolais from Calf Close sold to a top of £2200 and the same good home had a Hereford hit £2120. On to the clean store cattle, top of the pile was a pair of hulking steers from Johnston Racing’s Caledonian Angus herd when the 30-month-olds sold for £2640 apiece. Limousin steers topped at £2450 for an 18-month-old from RG Richardson, East Farm followed by another vendor with a strong Angus, F Crawford, Park Farm. A Hereford topped the heifer trade when GL & M Steel, Bunker Hill Farm sold a 22-month-old at £2130 and the dairy breeds were headed by a marvellous Montbeliarde steer from GA Willey, Broomfield Farm which sold for £2120. Earlier in the day a scattering of 5-6-month-old stirks saw Steers sell to a top of £1110 for an Aberdeen Angus from Messrs Bell, Wethercote and heifers reach highs of £1020 from AW Sanderson, East Holling Carr.
Leading Prices
Stirks – £1110 £1080 £740 Messrs Bell. £1020 £810 £800 £750 £740 AW Sanderson.
Young Bulls – £2200 £2120 £2040 £1900 £1700(x2) £1500 £1250 A Wilson. £1920 £1310 G Williamson. £1900 £1820 £1780 £1770 £1680(x2) Wilkinson & Son. £1680 £1440(x2) £1220 £1200 I & RA Watson. £1420 £1380 £1320 £1280 Springhill Partnership.
Store Steers – £2640(x2) Johnston Racing’s Caledonian Angus. £2450 RG Richardson. £2340 F Crawford. £2300 £2120 £2110 £1940(x6) £1900(x2) GA Willey. £2240 GL & M Steel. £2170 £2120 £1980 L Claughan. £2170 GW & L Marsay. £2160 EA Barker. £2080 £1980(x3) C Wharton. £2000 DR Smith. £1930 S Bolton. £1920 TW Brown & Son. £1900 PD Shepherd.
Store Heifers – £2130 GL & M Steel. £2100 £2070 A & PA Jopling. £2070 J & C Barker. £2030 £1920(x2) £1840 GS Bainbridge. £1970 £1940 L & BM Kidd & Son. £1950 £1900 W Weightman. £1930 £1900 RG Richardson. £1930(x4) £1910 £1840(x3) C Wharton. £1890 AE Barker. £1880 A&M Farms. £1880 PD Shepherd. £1880 L Claughan. £1850 DR Smith.
Store Lambs – No let up in the fiery store lamb trade as buyers from all corners of the country remain keen and confident to create another £120 plus average throughout. The small lambs remain in mesmerising form whilst the bounty on the bigger sorts looked slightly improved if anything. Three tremendous tup lambs from MR Cass, Beacon Farm led the way when they sold for £190, plenty of the strong lambs sold in the £140’s and £150’s, the nicely bred runners are typically £130’s and £140’s with the smaller end all trading £110 to £130; still only the tups and the tiny tots are available under £100.
Leading Prices
Beltex – £190 MR Cass.
Charollais – £190 MR Cass. £142 £135 £130 £124 F Shield. £140 C Readshaw. £132.50 RRC Andrew. £127 J & S Thompson.
£160 £158 £145 £140 £139 £137 £134(x2) £132 RE Coatsworth. £150 A Swinbank. £147 £138 £132 B Lowson. £144 H Foster. £139 £134 A Martin & Co. £138 MT & J Burney. £137 R Fletcher. £132 K Sayer.
Continental – £155 GS Dixon. £136 £128 High Mains Partnership. £136 £130 £126 RE Coatsworth. £134 £126 B Cave. £133 £132 L Daley. £132 D Wearmouth. £126 D & G Spry. £125 J Knight.
Cheviot – £134 JR & J Crowe. £121 GS Dixon. £120 R Fletcher. £118 £110 £109 J Brittain.
Suffolk – £132 £122 B & J Bainbridge. £130 £124 T Bean & Son. £130 C Readshaw. £130 £119 I Newton & Son. £129 L Daley. £126 GS Bainbridge. £122 J & SM Ivison. £121 B Cave. £120 B Edmondson. £116 WH Brown.
Mule – £128 JD Heavisides. £112 £111 S Tuck. £110 B Edmondson. £110 GS Dixon.
Feeding Ewes – The feeding ewe frenzy is the gift that keeps on giving, a tremendous trade again this week to see them average £122 which included over 100 horned ewes and over 100 Mules. Texel ewes topped at £230 for a great trio from MR Cass, Beacon Farm; a pair from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook followed just a pound behind. Bluefaced Leicesters sold to £199, Suffolks to £182, Cheviots to £194, Herdwicks to £118, Swaledale’s to £112, Blackface to £114 and Mules to £171 as all creeds and colours were effortlessly rehomed.
Leading Prices
Continental – £230 £212 £200 £195 £190 MR Cass. £229 £216 KO Stones. £215 £180 JR & M Richardson. £212 High Mains Partnership. £182 £180 £178 B Lowson.
Ryland – £212 Angram Livestock.
Bluefaced Leicester – £199 £156 DG Sayers. £178 K Sayer.
Cheviot – £194 £185 KO Stones.
Suffolk – £182 MR Cass. £150 JR & M Richardson. £148 C & I Watson & Sons. £141 RI Jones.
Mule – £171 £140 JF Harland. £151 CJM Hedley. £147 Bowes Bros. £145 £135 TE Dobson. £137 B Lowson. £134 T Walton. £129 I & RA Watson. £128 F Shield.
Herdwick – £118 J Knight.
Blackface – £114 R Fletcher. £98 £86 Kirkbride & Bell.
Swaledale – £112 £95 TE Dobson. £102 £98 I & RA Watson. £86 C & JC Stephenson. £85 J & MJ Walton. £83 £68 JD Heavisides.
