Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 9th July 2026. Forward were 223 cattle and 1463 sheep.
58 Prime Bulls sold to 403ppk or £3351
40 Prime Steers sold to 418ppk or £3186
125 Prime Heifers sold to 486ppk or £3108
1339 Prime Lambs sold to 537ppk or £263
124 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £218
Prime Bulls (58) – A plainer show of bulls offered would sell to similar levels despite the average on paper being somewhat lower, the best bulls are still floating either side of 400ppk and £3000. All included today the sale levelled at 341ppk and £2485 per head. Top per kilo at 403 pence was an excellent home bred 719kg Limousin bull from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm. The chasing pack included three more smart sorts from the Dent’s plus good sorts from PJ & ES Rogerson, Maison Gill and LS Staley, Bluestone House. The on-song Staley pen produced our top gross value with a tremendous 896kg Limousin adding up to £3351; two other bruising bulls followed well over £3000 as Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth sold at £3200 and D Richardson & Co, Bracken House reached £3163.
Bull Averages- Top PPK
S&J Dent & Son sold 4 (708kg) Average 395ppk
LS Staley sold 2 (816kg) Average 383ppk
PJ&ES Rogerson sold 3 (720kg) Average 380ppk
D Richardson & Co Ltd sold 3 (823kg) Average 363ppk
Lead Grossing Bull Averages
LS Staley sold 2 (816kg) Average £3129
D Richardson & Co Ltd sold 3 (823kg) Average £2995
K Trotter sold 4 (833kg) Average £2867
S&J Dent & Son sold 4 (708kg) Average £2803
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 403 394×2 391 S&J Dent & Son. 397 377 369 PJ&ES Rogerson. 395 374 LS Staley. 390 365 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 381 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 371 JK&CE Farming. 368 N White. 368 367 357 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 362 350 JR Tiplady. 357 SH Watson & Son. 356 341 J&A&DA Horn. 354 353 FW Hodgson & Son. 354 350 K Trotter.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3351 £2907 LS Staley. £3200 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3163 £2934 £2888 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £2940 £2614 N White. £2917 £2898 £2892 K Trotter. £2897 £2840 £2773 £2701 S&J Dent & Son. £2783 £2712 £2693 JR Tiplady. £2770 £2745 £2711 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2763 K Trotter. £2748 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2721 J&A&DA Horn. £2708 JK&CE Farming.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 322 321 R Hall & Son. 312 310 GS Dowson. 310 300 J&K Woodward. 310 LW Martin. 307 HM&JS Hutchinson. 303 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2417 £2244 R Hall & Son. £2275 JK&CE Farming. £2241 £1934 J&K Woodward. £1961 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1946 £1705 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 282 JK&CE Farming. 236 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1768 JK&CE Farming. £1321 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Clean Cattle (165) – The butchers shop sorts look considerably sharper on the week; an eclectic show with a plainer bottom end meant that the R and O grades would be no dearer. Focusing on the in demand smarter sorts, fourteen heifers sold over 440ppk and seventy-three cattle reached 400ppk which all helped the females average 391ppk and £2383 whilst the steers checked in at 372ppk and £2566. A super run of heifers from R Hirst, Neasham Grange took inspiration from Arthur Fery and claimed a 3-0 victory in the top prices per kilo race; like Arthur the top trio were all of French descent (Limousin) weighing 582kg to 601kg they sold twice at 469ppk and the ace of the pen served up a mouthwatering 486ppk. Home early from America the Tartan Army were back in DfAM in force this week and they certainly made their mark on the leader boards, steers topped twice at 418ppk as both TD Wight & Sons, St Boswells and Messrs WA Fettes, Clochan set the pace. Five further steers sold over 400ppk as RO Gilson, Old Park Hall; I Marshall & Sons, Hope House and Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows were joined twice by Cumbrian raiders Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall. Gross values and a pleasing four cattle passed £3000, five followed in the £2900’s, a dozen in the £2800’s and sixteen more in the £2700’s. Top of the pile at £3186 was a sublime 815kg Limousin steer from W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones; next in line at £3132 was a great Charolais steer from Aberdeenshire’s Messrs WA Fettes. Heifers topped at £3108 as another Aberdeen based vendor hit the headlines, namely Messrs J Jackson & Son, Riverside.
Clean Cattle Averages- Top PPK
Anthony Swinbank sold 2 (586kg) Average 443ppk
R Hirst sold 10 (580kg) Average 440ppk
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 4 (648kg) Average 429ppk
MF Hall sold 5 (566kg) Average 423ppk
B Walker sold 3 (574kg) Average 423ppk
Lead Grossing Clean Cattle Averages-
J Jackson & Son sold 9 (739kg) Average £2830
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 4 (648kg) Average £2783
Messrs WA Fettes sold 10 (692kg) Average £2745
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 11 (747kg) Average £2720
Steers – Top prices ppk 418 375 Messrs WA Fettes. 418 397 388 TD Wight & Sons. 416 391 373 RO Gilson. 414 396 394 389 388 381 I Marshall & Sons. 412 369 Askwiths. 404 400 389 381 377 364 350 Messrs R Miller Ltd. 391 W Swinbank & Sons. 391 378 358 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 380 DL&D Lovegreen. 373 JM Smith. 368 LW Martin.
Lead Grossing Steers £3186 W Swinbank & Sons. £3132 £2979 £2936 £2812 £2789 £2768 £2654 £2598 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £3030 £2587 Messrs WA Fettes. £2988 £2797 Askwiths. £2853 JM Smith. £2798 £2706 £2692 £2645 £2598 £2587 I Marshall & Sons. £2701 £2691 £2667 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2678 £2583 £2476 RO Gilson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 486 469×2 440 433 428 426×2 R Hirst. 458 453 438 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 450 430 420 418 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 450 TJ Dennis. 445 442 A Swinbank & Son. 444 440 436 424 JV&JA Hodgson. 443 439 424 MF Hall. 440 432 B Walker. 437 Askwiths. 434 430 JE Suddes & Son. 430 TD Wight & Sons. 429 423 416 Messrs WA Fettes. 422×2 W Swinbank & Sons. 419 415 J Layfield. 418 JR Tiplady.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3108 £2973 £2964 £2887 £2854 £2748 £2677 £2655 J Jackson & Son. £2874 £2691 JE Suddes & Son. £2865 £2821 £2770×2 £2694 £2691 Messrs WA Fettes. £2863 £2821 2740 £2709 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £2847 £2818 £2729 R Hirst. £2821 JM Smith. £2776 A Swinbank & Son. £2745 £2728 TJ Dennis. £2726 £2634 £2631 W Swinbank & Sons. £2635 J Layfield. £2622 MF Hall.
Prime Lambs (1339) – Whilst the earlier part of the week trundled along safely, only really swinging with one arm, think Jordon Henderson; Thursday afternoon put in a match winning performance and went full scale Jude Bellingham. The weighed straight sale averaged £191.60 and 431ppk; more than four-hundred lambs broke the £200 barrier, of these more than one-hundred sold over £220. Top per kilo at 537 pence was a magnificent 46kg Beltex lamb from PJ Tindale, Preston Tilery when it sold for £247. Congratulations go to the Knaggs family of East Newbiggin who are today celebrating a new addition to the family, news which certainly overshadows their second place per kilo with a 46kg continental, even so their 521ppk is certainly well worthy of mention. Three pens of excellent Beltex from W Hanson, Highcliffe Farm came next between 500ppk and 511ppk, this run went on to top the days average per kilo, most pleasingly, they are all sired by a sheep from Alistair Sutcliffe bought at our annual Tup Tup Chalice sale here in DfAM. Gross values, come on down the Grice is right, top of the day at £263 were a hefty pair of 59kg Suffolks from R Grice, Staindrop. Next up at £250 were two vendors, first time sellers TA Robson & Son, Newstead Farm, Malton sold a well fleshed 55kg Texel and were later matched by an absolutely remarkable pen of 70kg pure Zwartbles lambs from GP Addison, Hayberries Farm. A fine 51kg Texel from RG Richardson, East Farm followed next at £248 just ahead of the aforementioned PJ Tindale and R Grice at £247. The big prices for big lambs kept on coming with numerous other vendors showing heavier weights sold in the £230’s and £240’s. Light lambs were also dearer by some margin, 410-440ppk regularly; perhaps the stat of the day however is that only seventy-one lambs failed to sell for 400ppk or more. Needless to say, many more could be sold to the forward going ringside of ten active buyers.
Lamb Averages- Top PPK
W Hanson sold 17 (43kg) Average 486ppk
Bridie Fisk sold 3 (39kg) Average 484ppk
JC Simpson sold 43 (45kg) Average 477ppk
J Curry sold 15 (44kg) Average 465ppk
Lead Grossing Lamb Averages-
R Grice sold 7 (56kg) Average £251
RG Richardson sold 26 (49kg) Average £227
J Hird sold 16 (48kg) Average £220
JC Simpson sold 43 (45kg) Average £216
Lambs – Top prices ppk – 537 PJ Tindale. 521 472 468 463 W&M Knaggs & Son. 511 507 500 484 481 W Hanson. 488 486 481 476 JC Simpson. 486 474 472 465 464 RG Richardson. 484 B Fisk. 479 468 J Curry. 475 469 468×2 TA Robson & Son. 473 JM Smith. 473 Dickinson Styford. 468 J Hill. 466 BR&RI Routledge. 466 464 DL&D Lovegreen. 465 JA&B Nappey. 465 D&PH Brown. 461 D&G Spry.
Lead Grossing Lambs £263 £247 R Grice. £250 £234 £220 £216 TA Robson & Son. £250 GP Addison. £248 £237 £232 £228 £225 £222 RG Richardson. £247 PJ Tindale. £245 JK Gill & Son. £241 IR Appleton. £240 £220 W&M Knaggs & Son. £240 £221.50 £220 £219 JC Simpson. £232 J Hill. £232 I Kirk. £230 £225 W Hanson. £230 JM Smith. £230 £224 T Lawson & Son. £229 J Hird. £228 PR Weaver.
Cast Ewes & Rams (124) – Cast sheep a nice go again to average £166.60. Top at £218 were a strong pair of continental ewes from JC Simpson, Hill Top East. Pick of the tups at £205 was a Texel from IE & AC Teasdale, High Farm whereas Mules sold to £161 and Herdwick’s topped the hill ewes at £120.
Lead Grossing Cast sheep £218 £200 JC Simpson. £205 £162 £150 £130 IE&AC Teasdale. £200 J Hill. £194 JM Smith. £194 £190 £186 £170 AWSM Farms. £190 £170 M Pickering. £190 D&PH Brown. £184 AC Kemp. £182 JA&B Nappey. £182 £171 K Tallentire. £180 £162 A&MJ Henshaw. £174 JR&J Crowe. £172 £162 GP Addison. £168 T Lawson & Son. £168 ME Dowson. £161 JE&E Dobson. £160 DL&D Lovegreen.
