Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their opening fortnightly sale of fodder incorporating a full herd dispersal from PT Stephenson & Son, Moorhen Farm on Monday 28th September 2026.
Forward were 328 cattle, 1909 sheep and 319 bales of fodder.
55 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 350ppk or £2999
2 Stock Bulls sold to 240ppk or £3007
1 Stirk sold for £1080
2 Breeding Bulls sold to £3500
12 In Calf Heifers sold to £2800
39 Cows/Heifers & Calves sold to £3750
18 Young Bulls sold to £2320
71 Store Steers sold to £2600
88 Store Heifers sold to £2340
1573 Store Lambs sold to £200
337 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £208
319 Bales of Straw/Fodder sold to £40
Herd dispersal on behalf of PT Stephenson & Son, Moorhen Farm
An excellent dispersal of predominantly Beef Shorthorn breeding cattle from Messrs Stephenson attracted notable interest from far and wide, a sharp trade ensued as this rare opportunity to acquire such genuine cattle brought with it free bidding from start to finish. Top call of the day went to a 7-year-old cow with a strong bull calf at foot when she was knocked down for £3750 to T Hodges, Whitby. A four-year-old cow with a heifer calf sold at the same price, two heifers with calves followed at £3650 which all helped the very consistent thirty-five cows with calves’ average £3267 per outfit. A dozen delightful in-calf heifers sold to a pleasing average of £2429 with the top lot selling for £2800 to A Hall & Son, Hexham. The two Beef Shorthorn stock bulls also sold well, both 3.5-years-old they sold for £3500 and £3000.
Breeding Bulls – £3500 £3000 PT Stephenson.
In Calf Heifers – £2800 £2700×2 £2650×2 £2400×3 £2300 £2200×2 PT Stephenson & Son.
Cows & Calves – £3750×2 £3650×2 £3600×2 £3550 £3500×4 £3450×2 £3400×5 £3350 x3 £3300×2 £3250 £3200 £3150 £3100 £3000×3 £2950 £2850 £2800 £2550 £2450 £2300 PT Stephenson & Son.
Cast Cattle – A plainer show on the whole, trade notably dearer with all classes up a gear or two; the sale average of 244ppk and £1548 means very little as the trade needed seeing to be believed. A brilliant 12-year-old British Blue cow from J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm deservedly set the pace when she led both the pence per kilo at 350 and the pounds per head at £2999. All the top continental cows this week hailed from either Nackshivan or from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Farm as these two vendors with hard fed cows romped away with the leading prices. Top native bred cow at £2369 and 290ppk was a super Aberdeen Angus from the aforementioned Layfield run; G & JH Tomlinson & Son, Sunniside impressed with Angus of their own with a heifer at 296ppk and a cow at £2115. Top of the bulls was a giant, a phenomenal 1253kg Beef Shorthorn from W Denham, Dent Gate sold for a marvellous £3007 (240ppk).
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 350 344 324 312×2 290 J Layfield. 330 322 TW Clark & Son. 296 284 G&JH Tomlinson. 292 280 J Fletcher. 290 252×3 250 244 236 232 230 Whitehead Farm Ltd. 266 JV Hodgson & Son. 252 244 D&PH Brown. 244 L Booton. 244 DC Souter. 232×2 R Valks. 226 TT Hall & Son. 208 K James. 202Little Newsham Farms.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2999 £2542 £2400 £2399 £2369 £2299 J Layfield. £2877 £2807 TW Clark & Son. £2115 £1918 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. £2086 £1971 J Fletcher. £1935 £1812 £1713 £1605 £1564 £1477 £1414 Whitehead Farm Ltd. £1900 £1566 D&PH Brown. £1771 TT Hall & Son. £1755 JV Hodgson & Son. £1661 L Booton. £1496 R Valks. £1476 DC Souter.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 240 W Denham. 236 J Brannen.
Lead Grossing Cast bulls £3007 W Denham. £2008 J Brannen.
Store Cattle – The supersonic stores stay seriously solid as the confidence from the feeding fraternity is absolutely unwavering. Top of the day were a great run from the Essex based firm of Whitehead Farm Ltd, Lyons Hall; the far travelled consignors led the way with their 18-month-old Limousin’s selling steers to £2600 and heifers to £2340. Native breeds were plentiful again and very much in demand, Aberdeen Angus steers sold to £2260 from B & L Robson, Gawen House; six at 19-months-old from this good home averaged £2186. Plenty of the shorter keep stores are trading well in excess of £2000 and very few cattle are selling under £1500 regardless of their size. Some superb young bulls forward today were also in high demand, top at £2320 was a 16-month-old Limousin from D Dixon, Middle Heads, the same good run followed at £2260 along with a smart pure Limousin from WI Suddes & Son, South Farm.
Stirks – £1080 L Booton.
Cows & Calves – £2800 £2700 £2600 J Sisterson.
Store Bulls – £2320 £2260 £2220 £2200×2 D Dixon. £2260 WI Suddes & Son. £1740 £1720×2 £1700×3 Wilkinson & Son. £760×6 L Turnbull.
Store Steers – £2600 £2230 £2020 Whitehead Farm Ltd. £2320 £2260 GS Bainbridge. £2320 £2300 £2210 £2170 £2100×2 £2000 £1980 WO Grix & Partners. £2260×2 £2150×4 B&L Robson. £2140 B Needham. £1940 £1900 W Denham. £1890×2 J&EM Lawson. £1880×3 £1820×3 R&W Todd. £1860 £1850 £1830 F Hare & Sons. £1840 L Brown. £1820×5 W Faill. £1820 DC Souter. £1810×2 K James. £1800 N Wilson.
Store Heifers – £2340 £2200 £2110 £1880×2 Whitehead Farm Ltd. £2180 RO Grix & Partners. £2140 B Needham. £2140 £2120 £2080 £1940 RG Richardson. £1990 JW Richardson. £1950 £1910 £1890×2 E Parsons. £1930×3 High Mains Partnership. £1910×2 £1900 J&EM Lawson. £1910×2 £1800 £1780×6 AR Marshall. £1820×2 PT Stephenson & Son. £1810 I Newton & Son. £1770 £1730×2 Wilkinson & Son.
Store Sheep – The store lambs blast their way out of September on a high with a sale average of £122.97. The short keep sheep remain a similar good trade, the long-term projects look an absolutely unbelievable tariff, the smaller they are the dearer they get. Top at £200 was a very generous charitable donation from the Fletcher’s of East Murton Farm; a lovely Texel lamb sold with proceeds going to the ‘My Name5 Doddie Foundation’ traded multiple times to make a total of £960; thanks go to the buyers Rob Atkinson, John Armstrong, Oliver Wall, Thomas Rigg, Daniel Speed, Oliver Chapman and Peter Tindale. The short keep lambs traded frequently over £140, no less than 180 lambs sold between £140 and £149. As mentioned, the little lambs look ludicrous, £110 buys you very little indeed, £120 to £130 is the going rate for tidy runners which will surely see 2027 before they have any aspirations of finishing.
Store Lambs:
My Name5 Doddie Foundation Total £960 to £200 from R Fletcher.
Cheviot – £142 JR&J Crowe.
Beltex – £149 N Armstrong.
Texel – £147 £146 £144 M Hogg. £147 JR&J Crowe. £144 £133 I Newton & Son. £143 £138 £127 GD&AF Adamson. £141 B&J Bainbridge. £138 £130 £129×2 A&R Thompson. £136 T Walton. £135 EMS Engineering. £132.50 £128 T Bean & Sons. £130 D Johnson. £129 £127 N Back. £128×2 £127 SJ Saville. £128 N Armstrong.
Mule – £147 £141 TE Dobson.
Suffolk – £145 B Cave. £137×2 GW Dobson & Son. £129 I Newton & Son. £128 A Pennell.
Continental – £145 £142 £138 £136 B Cave. £141 £129 EW Holmes. £140 £137 3127 D Wearmouth. £131 £129 A Smith. £128 T Bean & Sons. £127 A Pennell.
D.S.S – £128 D Wearmouth.
Feeding Sheep:
Continental – £208 £182 £174 £163 MR Cass. £205 £180 £165 B Cave. £180 WH&KL Wilson. £178 £173 £150 £145 A Smith. £178 D Coupland. £176 £154 N Armstrong. £168 JF Harland. £167 Godschalk Partners. £165 £160 £156 £151 AWSM Farms.
Texel – £206 S&S Davies. £198 £188 £172 £168 £156 HT Davies & Partners. £196 £165 B&J Bainbridge. £190 £180 £148 M Hogg. £182 D Johnson. £180 K Hall. £167 S&S Davies. £148 D Johnson. £146 D Coupland.
Suffolk – £200 £188 WH&KL Wilson. £187 JF Harland. £180 N Armstrong.
BFL – £170 WH&KL Wilson.
Beltex – £168 S&S Davies.
Mule – £160 MR Cass. £160 B Cave. £152 JF Harland. £150 WH&KL Wilson. £147 SJ Saville & Sons. £146 N Armstrong.
Cheviot – £154 B&J Bainbridge.
Fodder – Keen interest in good quality wrapped grass, straw is seemingly plentiful at this early stage and much harder to move. Top price of £40 per round bale for some nice haylage.
Fodder:
108 Bales of Haylage sold to £40 per bale
60 Bales of Barley Straw sold to £16 per bale
30 Bales of Straw sold to £18 per bale
120 Bales of Hay sold to £22 per bale
