Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 6th August 2026. Forward were 214 cattle and 1442 sheep.
72 Prime Bulls sold to 417ppk or £3592
39 Prime Steers sold to 428ppk and £3205
103 Prime Heifers sold to 472ppk and £3189
1344 New Season Lambs sold to 470ppk or £227
98 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (72) – Bulls arguably a touch sharper, certainly no less than what was a good trade last week; thirteen sold at 400ppk or more and fifteen broke £3000 which helped them to a sale average of 358ppk and £2548. Three bulls hit the teens, two smart Limousin’s from A & D Proctor, Swarland Old Hall led the way at 417ppk and 414ppk just ahead of a classy lad from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick at 413ppk. Some powerful bulls commanded the biggest gross values, impressing at £3592 was a thumping 926kg Limousin from AS & SM Kemp & Son, Heugh Hall; also reaching £3592 was a tremendous 898kg Limousin from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm. Five bulls followed over £3300 as a further pair from the marvellous McNeil Farm run were joined by another two from Heugh Hall and also a smart lad from Cole Hill Farm Ltd. Flying the Friesian flag this week by twice passing £2000 was GW Dobson & Son, Wood Close whilst the best black and white per kilo at 315 pence hailed from HM & JS Hutchinson, North Close Farm.
A few of today’s top Bull averages ppk:
A&D Proctor sold 2 (587kg) average 415ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 3 (691kg) average 409ppk
AS&SM Kemp sold 4 (846kg) average 397ppk
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (825kg) average 396ppk
Today’s lead grossing Bull averages:
AS&SM Kemp & Son sold 4 (846kg) average £3362
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (825kg) average £3275
JJ Horn sold 2 (830kg) average £3072
BA&C Pearson Ltd sold 7 (757kg) average £2991
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 417 414 A&D Proctor. 413 410 409 400 AC Simpson & Son. 405 401×2 397 393 388 380 BA&C Pearson Ltd. 403 400 399 388 AS&SM Kemp & Son. 399 389 GH Farms Ltd. 385 380 375 AG Watson & Sons. 385 382 370 368 PJ&ES Rogerson. 384 JJ Horn. 383 FW Hodgson. 378 LR Welsh & Co. 376 372 JM Ramsay & Son. 370 DH Lawson.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3592 £3316 £3300 £3293 AS&SM Kemp & Son. £3592 £3314 £3308 £2887 AC Simpson & Son. £3357 £2872 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £3177 £3151 £3140 £3053 £2972 BA&C Pearson Ltd. £3102 £3041 JJ Horn. £3000 £2983 £2878 £2822 AG Watson & Sons. £2926 £2798 £2697 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2838 JM Ramsay & Son. £2818 £2785 LR Welsh & Co. £2808 SH Watson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 347 J Armstrong. 336 GS Dowson. 335 JK&CE Farming. 330 Messrs Sayer.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2133 JK&CE Farming. £2082 J Armstrong. £1992 GS Dowson. £1828 Messrs Sayer.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 315 308 HM&JS Hutchinson. 311×2 GW Dobson & Son. 289 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2037 £2021 GW Dobson & Son. £1943 £1817 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1696 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (142) – The butchers beast followed up last week’s flyer with another excellent return, the out of spec heavies, R and O grades would be a touch sharper than seven days ago to see the steers average 360ppk and £2588 and the heifers 408ppk and £2443. Two hot heifers made it to the 470’s, five followed in the 460’s and a dozen more sold between 440ppk and 459ppk. Top of the day at 472ppk was a delicious 551kg Limousin heifer from W Miller, High Aketon which sold to H Taylor & Sons, Darlington. Next in line at 470ppk was another beauty bound for the Taylor’s shop window, a smart 546kg sort from R Hirst, Neasham Grange. The five in the 460’s included another High Aketon high-flyer, two from the hot Hirst’s and a homebred cracker from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm. Top of the steers per kilo at 428 pence was a class act from Commondale; a superb 630kg homebred Limousin from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm nudged ahead of great steers from AS & SM Kemp & Son (423ppk) and Cole Hill Farm Ltd (419ppk). Top of the gross values at £3205 was a magnificent 848kg 32-month-old Limousin steer from A Crowder, Butsfield Burn. Five others sold over £3000 including two terrific heifers from WA Richardson Ltd, Hutton Fields at £3189 and £3055. Selling at £3148 was a gigantic Cumbrian crusader, a 926kg British Blue steer from P & SA Nelson, Rosegill Head with the chasers including the aforementioned AS & SM Kemp & Son, Heugh Hall at £3032 and Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick at £3062. The auctions are on an upward trajectory again and leaving the deadweight someway short, two dozen sold over £2700 and twenty more between £2600 and £2699. No farm assurance needed, no waiting list, no age prejudice; sell live and thrive.
Clean Cattle Top Averages PPK
R Hirst sold 11 (569kg) Average 447ppk
W Miller sold 12 (548kg) Average 437ppk
J Layfield sold 8 (567kg) Average 427ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 8 (639kg) Average 426ppk
Clean Cattle Lead Grossing Averages
WA Richardson Ltd sold 4 (716kg) Average £2977
AM&SM Kemp & Son Ltd sold 2 (739kg) Average £2949
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 8 (639kg) Average £2729
A Crowder sold 3 (731kg) Average £2681
Steers- Top Prices PPK 428 390 342 LW Martin. 423 376 AS&SM Kemp & Son. 419 x2 400 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 412 406 Askwiths. 399 390 382 341 RO Gilson. 388 386 381 WJ Scott Ltd. 376 374 346 RA&BA Ridley & Son. 373 350 P&SA Nelson. 367 352 A Crowder.356 Anothony Swinbank & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3148 £2730 £2664 £2663 £2521 £2488 P&SA Nelson. £3062 £2867 £2768 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £3032 £2865 AS&SM Kemp & Son. £2850 £2618 £2580 £2569 £2512 £2491 £2482 £2413 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £2807 £2576 WJ Scott Ltd. £2804 £2696 LW Martin. £2717 £2624 £2615 £2578 RO Gilson. £2679 £2678 Askwiths. £2502 £2337 A Crowder.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 472 466 449 442 436 432 430 x2 W Miller. 470 468 463 456 454 445 444 436 434 430 R Hirst. 468 458 437 WJ Scott Ltd. 462 439 438 x2 435 J Layfield. 450 442 437 436 432 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 448 Anthony Swinbank & Son. 447 446 436 435 432 430 JV&JA Hodgson. 438 NE Dyson. 435 Askwiths. 431 M Shepherd.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3189 £3055 £2842 £2823 WA Richardson Ltd. £2970 £2821 Lawson & Son. £2934 £2566 £2553 NE Dyson. £2851 £2610 £2583 £2554 £2538 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2808 £2780 £2701 WJ Scott Ltd. £2731 £2611 £2597 £2576 £2566 £2561 £2535 £2530 R Hirst. £2689 £2662 £2575 TW Dinning. £2654 £2536 T&N Tattersall. £2654 £2575 £2554 J Layfield. £2628 £2620 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2616 SH Watson & Son. £2612 £2607 TJ Dennis. £2600 W Miller. £2593 Anthony Swinbank & Son. £2584 GH Farms Ltd.
Prime Lambs (1344) – The lambs bounced back to average an increased weighed straight 348ppk and £160.73 per head. Big was beautiful as the creep fed heavier weights were absolutely rocking and rolling, 47kg plus lambs with thick loins demanded a real premium throughout the sale, lighter weights would be just a touch dearer on the week. Quickly scanning (pun intended) the top prices per kilo and we find a pair of peelers from J & S Barnes, Skip Bridge Inn Farm at the top of the list; the brilliant Beltex at 47kg sold for 470 pence (£221). Following the Barnes brilliance at 442ppk were four super 47kg Texel’s from PR & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm with the chasing pack coming from J Pallister & Sons, MR Cass, JA & A Herbert and TA Robson & Son. Gross values, not so often we find a 72kg Easycare but today, Messrs AW Sanderson, East Holling Carr did so and he sold for a staggering £227; a red-letter day for the Easycare breed and surely cause for some much-deserved bragging rights for ‘Sandy’ in the executive lounge at Sedgefield Cricket Club. Behind the extraordinary leader at £226 were a tremendous trio of 52kg Charollais/Beltex lambs from MR Cass, Beacon Farm; following at £221 were the aforementioned Barnes pair just ahead of MR Cass again and also JA & A Herbert at £220. Just shy of 100 lambs sold over £200 this week as twelve active buyers operating on twenty-five active accounts stood ringside.
Lambs Top Grossing Averages:
DR Smith sold 25 (51kg) Average £200
J&S Barnes sold 15 (46kg) Average £193
TA Robson & Son sold 33 (50kg) Average £191
I Marshall & Sons sold 5 (53kg) Average £191
Lambs – Top prices ppk 470 422 418 412 J&S Barnes. 442 391 386×2 PR&V Barlow & Son. 437 J Pallister & Sons. 434 422 410 405 400 392 386 MR Cass. 431 JA&A Herbert. 423 400 TA Robson & Son. 416 410 406×2 G&E Walton. 415 386 P&CM Graham. 414 401 393 DR Smith. 413 402 DG&PD Ayre. 404 D&PH Brown. 400 O Chapman & O Parkin. 400 390 J&RA Speed. 400 386 PR Weaver. 395 S&S Davies. 390 I&A Holmes. 390×2 BR&RI Routledge.
Lead Grossing Lambs £227 AW Sanderson. £226 £220 £215 £203 £200 £190 MR Cass. £221 £209 £194 £190 J&S Barnes. £220 £200 £194 JA&A Herbert. £218 £216 O Chapman & O Parkin. £218 TA&J Swinbank. £216 I Kirk. £213 £192 PR Weaver. £212 D Barron. £211 DG&PD Ayre. £211 J&RA Speed. £210 J Pallister & Sons. £209 £203 £202 £200 DR Smith. £208 PR&V Barlow. £207 I&A Holmes. £206 £199 £197 £194 £192 TA Robson & Son. £205 £195 JR Knox & Son. £200 D&PH Brown.
Cast Ewes & Rams (98) – The ewe trade rumbles along without really lighting up to see them average £133.65. Three times bidding hit £200, twice from BR & RI Routledge, Walworth Moor and also from F Shield, Uckerby Grange. Lowland ewes with flesh typically £150 to £200, leaner meat somewhat harder to place.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200×2 £188 £180 £126 BR&RI Routledge. £200 £170 £152 F Shield. £180×2 D&PH Brown. £174 £170 £150 £120 JW&B Firby. £174 £170 £165 £146 £145 £125×2 £110×2 I&A Holmes. £150 JA&A Herbert. £150 A&H Livestock. £142 £129 Ferry & Sons. £115 £110 Ainsty Farms Direct.
