Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 26th February 2026. Forward were 232 cattle and 1424 sheep.
56 Prime Bulls sold to 444ppk or £3858
33 Prime Steers sold to 460ppk or £3329
142 Prime Heifers sold to 498ppk or £3223
1 Cast Cow sold for 212ppk and £1272
1376 Prime Hoggs sold to 407ppk or £185
48 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £150
Prime Bulls (56) – A few more offered this week,quality terrific and trade absolutely excellent as the all-inclusive average of 401ppk and £2914 per head puts the DfAM live ring way out ahead of most other outlets. Well over half of the bulls sold over 400 pence per kilo, a dozen sold in the 430’s and the top three in the 440’s. Our top trading trio per kilo were all outstanding homebred Limousin’s from Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth; the flying Northumbrian firm with bulls between 733kg and 773kg sold twice at 441ppk and once at 444ppk. Some brilliant big weighted bulls impressed atop of the gross value list as four climbed over £3500; pick of them all at £3858 was a superb 955kg Limousin from W Barron, Morrow Edge. Two British Blonde bulls followed as JJ Horn, Bushy Park reached £3790 and P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield Farm £3749, the final of the fab four over £3500 was a cracking Limousin from D Richardson & Co, Bracken House which sold for £3629. The nicest of the natives this week was an Aberdeen Angus from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall at 374ppk and £2849 whereas Friesian bulls topped at 345ppk and £2404 from JC & A Hutchinson, Featherhill.
Bulls- Lead Grossing Top Averages
P Weightman & Sons sold 2 (871kg) Average £3576
D Richardson & Co Ltd sold 4 (807kg) Average £3349
F&JS Gargett sold 3 (803kg) Average £3275
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 9 (721kg) Average £3151
Bulls- PPK Top Averages
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 9 (721kg) Average 436ppk
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (712kg) Average 427ppk
LR Welsh & Co sold 3 (741kg) Average 420ppk
J&K Woodward sold 2 (685kg) Average 420ppk
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 444 441×2 439 438×2 433 430 426 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 439 404 J&K Woodward. 439 428 394 LR Welsh & Co. 438 417 376 F&JS Gargett. 437 435 427 407 AC Simpson & Son. 434 413 411 405 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 433 406 SH Watson & Son. 419 391 389 TW Clark & Son. 416 412 406 N White. 413 408 P Weightman & Sons. 410 399 JJ Horn. 404×2 W Barron. 391 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3858 £2678 W Barron. £3790 £3407 JJ Horn. £3749 £3403 P Weightman & Sons. £3629 £3403 £3393 £2972 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £3490 £3409 £3408 £3285 £3254 £3162 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3455 £3281 £3087 F&JS Gargett. £3447 £3310 AC Simpson & Son. £3274 £3231 £2852 LR Welsh & Co. £3167 TW Clark & Son. £3073 £3035 SH Watson & Son. £2901 £2864 J&K Woodward.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 374 367 358 R Hall & Son. 362 ABP Wilsons.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2849 £2458 £2369 R Hall & Son. £2671 ABP Wilsons.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 345 333 JC&A Hutchinson. 340 304 JM&S Walton. 325 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2404 £1954 JC&A Hutchinson. £2159 £2100 JM&S Walton. £2089 JK&CE Farming.
Clean Cattle (175) – Slightly dearer on the week and numbers very healthy again as the oldest, most reliable way of selling continues 2026 in tantalisingly terrific form. The lively live ring is week by week dismantling the slim pickings on offer from the downbeat deadweight firms, lest we forget we have no weight cap, no age prejudice, no waiting list and farm assurance is very much an option rather than necessity. Despite a fair proportion of first dairy crosses included the hot heifers averaged 419ppk and £2552 whilst some strength in the steers saw them level at an excellent 404ppk and £2787. Six smart heifers sold in the 480’s per kilo however they failed to keep pace with our top two in the 490’s as a pair of absolute beauties from WJ Scott, Low Leam, West Woodburn set an uncatchable pace. The pick of the West Woodburn wizardry was a 600kg Limousin at 498ppk and £2988 whilst her 604kg stablemate sold for 495ppk and £2989. Top of the steers per kilo was a delightful 639kg Limousin from WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead, the same feeding followed at 459ppk ahead of W Miller, High Aketon at 458ppk and MJ & EA Sedgewick, Long Myers farm at 452ppk. Gross values, the top ten flew beyond £3000 and a remarkable thirty-three followed between £2800 and £3000. Top of the tree were super steers from the flying team at Low Leam as they sold an 812kg British Blue at £3329 and a 737kg Limousin at £3264. Next in line at an excellent £3247 was a smart 775kg Limousin steer from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm just ahead of our leading lady, a really well finished 718kg British Blue heifer from TJ Dennis, Howgrave Lodge at £3223.
Clean Cattle – Lead Grossing Averages:
WJ Scott Ltd sold 7 (675kg) average £3077
TN Callender sold 5 (747kg) average £3034
MJ&EA Sedgewick sold 4 (670kg) average £3005
F&R Simpson sold 4 (633kg) average £2909
Clean Cattle – PPK Top Averages
F&R Simpson sold 4 (633kg) average 459ppk
WO Grix & Partners sold 12 (600kg) average 458ppk
JV&JA Hodgson sold 10 (605kg) average 456ppk
WJ Scott Ltd sold 7 (675kg) average 455ppk
W Miller sold 12 (561kg) average 454ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 460 459 450 WO Grix & Partners. 458 437 W Miller. 452 449 448 444 MJ&EA Sedgewick.450 443 410 WJ Scott Ltd. 438 419 397 389 388 TN Callender. 420 412 Askwiths. 398 368 D Hodgson. 395×2 Messrs R Miller. 366 364 362×2 358 FS Sturrock.
Lead Grossing Steers £3329 £3264 £3024 WJ Scott Ltd. £3247 £3187 £3105 £2909 £2723 TN Callender. £3213 £2939 £2898 WO Grix & Partners. £3138 £3019 £2947 £2917 MJ&EA Sedgewick. £2978 £2877 Askwiths. £2934 £2741 £2650 Messrs R Miller. £2826 £2626 D Hodgson. £2727 FS Sturrock.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 498 495 488 WJ Scott Ltd. 489 487 478 469 458×2 JV&JA Hodgson. 486 474 455 449 R Hirst. 485 479 463 462 460 455448×2 WO Grix & Partners. 480 449 P&JH Davison. 478 468 455 F&R Simpson. 473 461 460×2 459 458 456×2 W Miller. 468 459 449 JE Suddes & Son. 462 458 Taylor Bros. 461 448 NE Dyson. 459 WA Richardson Ltd. 449 TJ Dennis.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3223 TJ Dennis. £2989 £2988 £2976 £2970 WJ Scott Ltd. £2987 £2952 £2929 £2768 F&R Simpson. £2972 £2873 £2820 £2780 JV&JA Hodgson. £2943 £2888 £2867 £2821 £2795 NE Dyson. £2941 £2878 £2871 WO Grix & Partners. £2918 £2826 £2776 JE Suddes & Son. £2875 DP Wood. £2873 WA Richardson Ltd. £2860 £2837 £2784 £2770 R Hirst. £2832 £2779 A&MJ Henshaw.
Prime Hoggs (1376) – The rejuvenated hoggs whilst not quite emulating last week’s barnstormer all but maintained their recent forward momentum as the sale averaged 333ppk and £158.03 with an SQQ of 362ppk. Heavy hoggs definitely a touch less this week, lighter weights remained in very good order. Top pen per kilo at 407 pence were eleven sweet 39kg grass fed Texel’s from William Tindale, Paradise Farm; seventeen more from the same run followed at 405ppk ahead of five tidy Beltex apiece for both TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth and GW Whittington, Railway View. Topping the pounds per head at £185 were a thumping trio of 60kg Texel hoggs from PR Weaver, Little Manor Farm. Following at £180 were three vendors as the Little Manor Farm run sold pens of 52kg and 54kg along with some 54kg Beltex from RE & L Frank, Crabtree Farm and eight patiently fed 54kg Texdale hoggs from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm.
Leading Averages
JR Knox & Son sold 21 (56kg) averaged £174.48
RE & L Frank sold 20 (53kg) averaged £173.70
PR Weaver sold 78 (50kg) averaged £171.97
J & A Layfield sold 50 (52kg) averaged £171.78
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 407 405 389 378 368 W Tindale. 400 389 367 361 360 350 G Whittington. 400 395 382 366 365 TA Greensit & Sons. 390 366 JE Parlour. 385 368 364 357 N Barker. 385 353 CJM Hedley. 382 355 MJK Dods. 381 GP&A Carter. 380 367 RO Gilson. 376×2 369 364 W Swinbank. 371 364 J Mitchell & Son. 371 362 355×2 351 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 361 359 348 PR Weaver.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £185 £180×2 £176 £174 £172×2 £170×3 PR Weaver. £180 £172×2 JR Knox & Son. £180 £176 RE&L Frank. £177 £175 £170×4 J&A Layfield. £176 GS Bainbridge. £174 £167×3 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £174 TA Greensit & Sons. £172×2 JE Parlour. £172 MJK Dodds. £170 TJ Herron. £170×2 JK Gill & Son. £170×3 RO Gilson. £170 CA Mottram & Sons. £169 R Nattrass & Sons. £169 TE Dobson.
Cast Sheep (48) – A plain show this week as the Monday sales continue to attract numbers. Top of the day at £150 was a Texel from J & A Layfield, New Row Farm, following at £144 were a pair of goats from C Everitt, Jollbody Farm.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £150 £120 £90×2 J&A Layfield. £144 £78 CEveritt. £130×2 £90 CG Teasdale & Son. £128 J Mitchell & Son. £120 CK&D Muir Ltd. £100 K&M Elders & Son
