Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 9th March 2026. Forward were 314 cattle, 407 sheep and 59 calves.
60 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 368ppk or £2953
6 Stock Bulls sold to 324ppk or £3019
16 In Calf Cows sold to £2050
3 Cows & Calves sold to £3250
44 Young Bulls sold to £2180
92 Store Steers sold to £2480
90 Store Heifers sold to £2510
215 Store Hoggs sold to £186
192 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £294
59 Rearing Calves sold to £930
Cast Cattle – The cow trade rolls along very nicely, much less flesh forward on the whole this week, a sale average of 267ppk and £1744 was achieved. Top per kilo and in the lump was an excellent 4-year-old Limousin bull from A & AG Moralee, Lowfield Farm when he sold for 324ppk and £3019; staying with the bulls and a couple of strong Charolais also impressed at £2974 and £2950 from P Foster, Guisborough and RE Shield, Willington respectively. Top of the cows per kilo was a smart 5-year-old Limousin from RA & S Darling Farms, Hartlepool at 368 pence whilst the top gross valued cow at £2953 was a well finished Limousin from WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House. Native breeds of all creeds this week were led by the Aberdeen Angus, top per kilo a 10-year-old from D Clemitson, Hamsterley at 294 pence and top gross at £2246 went to a 6-year-old from Edwin Wood, Newbiggin-in-Teesdale. Top of the Friesian’s today was a superb OTM heifer from Deerness Valley Dairy, Tow Law when she reached 330ppk and £2052, the same producers also had a5-year-old at £2087.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 368 RA&S Darling Farms. 358 336 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 330 270 268 266 254 Deerness Valley Dairy. 328 282 JT&M Atkinson. 328 298 DW Humphrey. 316 290 K&MM Henderson. 310 288 282 264 M Madrell. 306 290 JR&P Ward. 302 J&EM Lawson. 298 276 E Wood. £298 J Pearson. 294 270 JC Thwaite & Son. 294 D Clemitson. 292 G Scott. 283 W&R Kemp & Son. 288 G Cant. 282 GL&M Steel. 280 Stainton Hill Farms.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2953 £2829 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2667 £2383 K&MM Henderson. £2496 £1889 JT&M Atkinson. £2302 £2008 DW Humphrey. £2246 £1770 E Wood. £2222 £1864 RA&S Darling Farms. £2207 G Scott. £2178 D Clemitson. £2171 J&EM Lawson. £2120 £2009 JP&R Ward. £2087 £2052 £1843 £1818 Deerness Valley Dairy. £2049 £1943 JC Thwaite & Son. £1849 A Newton. £1836 W&R Kemp & Son. £1751 £1684 M Madrell.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 324 A&AG Moralee. 298 J Pearson. 270 M Madrell. 255 RE Shield. 254 P Foster. 236 W&R Kemp & Son.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3019 A&AG Moralee. £2974 P Foster. £2950 RE Shield. £2437 W&R Kemp & Son. £2249 M Madrell. £1487 J Pearson.
Breeding Cattle – Sixteen in calf cows from MR Madrell, School Cottage began proceedings, predominantly due in the Spring to the Limousin cross British Blue bull they sold to a top of £2050 for a stretchy 6-year-old Limousin. A couple of cracking sorts with British Blonde sired calves at foot from F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm sold very well; a British Blonde 43-month-old heifer and her 1-month-old heifer calf sold for £3250 and a 5-year-old British Blue cow with her 2-month-old bull calf at foot sold for £3200.
Breeding Cattle:
Cows & Calves £3250 £3200 F&JS Gargett.
In Calf Cows £2050 £1900 £1750 £1680 £1620 £1600 £1500 £1480 £1460 £1350 M Madrell.
Store Cattle – No let up in the sharp store trade as buyers for all shapes and sizes remain firmly intent on sourcing both grazers and short keep sorts. A nice entry of young bulls was led by a strong 2-year-old Aberdeen Angus from JV Hodgson & Son, Piercebridge Farm when he sold for £2180, following were a host of bulls under 12-months with £1400 to £1900 very common place on the scoreboard. Topping the store cattle was a well grown 15-month-old Limousin heifer from A Newton, Tutta Beck when she sold for a most impressive £2510. Checking in at £2480 with both heifers and steers was a good run from Five Houses, Hutton Rudby. A quartet of strong steers from W Walker & Sons, High Copelaw chased the leaders as did some strength from DR Smith, East Roughlea and also the far travelled K Mellor, White Lodge Farm, Horncastle.
Store Bulls £2180 JV Hodgson & Son. £1920 £1520×3 £1460×3 TF Bothroyd. £1890 £1880 £1700 £1680 DW Humphrey. £1700 £1690 £1640 £1480×2 £1400×3 £1360×2 £1300 K Mellor. £1660 A&D Heyes. £1600 £1520 £1400 £1320×3 £1310 £1290×3 £1120 M Madrell. £1280×4 B Hutchinson.
Store Steers £2480 £2280 Five Houses. £2360×2 £2350 £2280 W Walker & Sons. £2220 £2000 £1940 DR Smith. £2100 £2010 £1980 £1940 £1920 £1900×2 £1890 £1880×2 £1860 K Mellor. £2000 £1950 KM&S Sayer. £1950 £1920 A&D Heyes. £1900 CG&MA Dedman. £1860×6 R&W Todd.
Store Heifers £2510 A Newton. £2480 £2460 £2400 £2340 Five Houses. £2270 £1900 £1870 DR Smith. £2080 £1990 £1930 £1800 A Gregg. £1980 £1970×2 £1920 IW Cairns. £1900 £1890 KM&S Sayer. £1900×2 £1840×2 £1780 High Mains Partnership. £1880 £1760 £1740 LW Martin. £1770×2 £1760×2 BJS Farms.
Store Sheep – Wow, the hoggs vendors are hallucinating and the ewe sellers euphoric as the feeding sheep look to close out Ramadan at a ridiculous level. The hot hoggs averaged a bewildering £141.29, top of them all at £186 were a quality pair of Texels from WM Allison & Son Ltd, Quarry Works; the same good home followed with seven at £180 and eight at £179 just nipping in front of a smart pair from MW Cook & Son, Park Farm at £178. Suffolk hoggs sold top £167 for a pen of fifteen from AP Martin, Manor Farm Bungalow and Mules topped at £138 from RB Watson, Strand Foot and Zwartbles hit the same heights from N & A Hunter, Woodlands Hall Farm.
Feeding ewes and rams were a ferocious trade from top to bottom to average over £150, best of the bunch at £294 was a Texel ewe from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook Farm; next in line at £260 was another Texel, this one from Duell Partners, High Middlefield before Nun Cote Nook checked in again at £260 and a strong Charollais tup from K A & V Armstrong, Church Hill at £250. A mesmerising Mule trade saw the fifty forward averages just over £155, two vendors reaching the top Mule spot of £178 were TB Walton, Linburn Hall and AP Martin, Manor Farm Bungalow.
Store Ewes:
Texel – £294 £260 £248 £220 KO Stones. £282 Duell Partners. £232 £216 £192 £190 £182 £146 M&A Gaskin. £208 £178 £160 AJ&KM Foster & Son. £204 JA&UM Fawcett. £172 £146 L Daley. £170 KO Stones. £156 3142 KA&V Armstrong.
Charollais – £250 KA&V Armstrong.
Dorset – £186 Duell Partners.
Cheviot – £186×2 £166 KO Stones. £148 L Daley.
Zwartbles – £180 T Dowd-Simpson.
Mule – £178 AP Martin. £178 TB Walton. £172 J Pallister & Sons. £166 ACM Spalding. £158 L Daley. £142 RB Watson.
Suffolk – £158 L Daley.
Continental – £150 JA&UM Fawcett. £146 J Pallister & Sons.
Store Hoggs:
Texel – £186 £180 £179 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £178 £163 MW Cook & Son. £156 M&A Gaskin. £153 £150 £140 High Mains Partnership. £150 TB Walton. £146 JA&UM Fawcett. £140 RB Watson.
Continental – £172 WM Allison & Son Ltd. £160 M&A Gaskin. £150 £142 JA&UM Fawcett. £148 £144 Ainsty Farms Direct. £146 £144 MW Cook & Son. £144 £138 TB Walton.
Suffolk – £167 £150 AP Martin.
Charollais – £165 £150 £144High Mains Partnership.
Beltex – £144 JA&UM Fawcett.
Mule – £138 RB Watson.
Rearing calves- A terrific trade yet again in DfAM’s calf ring, with top price calf of today going to RA&S Darling Farms, High Tunstall Farm, with a terrific 1.5-month-old Charolais bull, reaching £930, whilst the same home had another Charolais bull at £850. British Blue Heifers reached £790 from JL Miles & Sons, Little Bridge Farm, whilst British Blue Bulls topped at £700 from Deerness Valley Dairy, High Hedley Hope. Simmentals topped at £700 from JL Miles & Sons. Aberdeen Angus heifers from JL Miles & Sons topped in the Angus section at £620 and Aberdeen Angus Bulls from Deerness Valley Dairy reached £610. Friesian bulls from SJ Kellett & Son, White House Farm, topped at £460. Herefords from John Archer, New Moor Farm, reached £350 for bulls and £330 for heifers, all of which were 15-21 days of age.
Bull Calves:
Charolais- £930 £850 RA&S Darling Farms.
British Blue- £700 £650 £570 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Simmental- £700 JL Miles & Sons.
Aberdeen Angus- £610 £600 £550 £540 £520 x2 £500 x2 Deerness Valley Dairy. £610 £480 JL Miles & Sons.
Hereford- £350 £340 £310 £290 John Archer.
Friesian- £460 £440 £430 x2 £390 £340 x3 SJ Kellett & Son. £290 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Heifer Calves:
British Blue- £790 JL Miles & Sons. £670 £640 £630 £550 £520 £510 £470 Stockdale Partners. £620 £600 £570 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Aberdeen Angus- £620 £500 £440 JL Miles & Sons. £540 £510 £470 R Tookey & Son. £460 £455 £440 435 £400 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Hereford- £330 £310 x2 £305 £300 John Archer.
