Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 19th March 2026. Forward were 304 cattle and 879 sheep.
80 Prime Bulls sold to 458ppk or £3959
75 Prime Steers sold to 439ppk or £3212
148 Prime Heifers sold to 462ppk or £3137
1 Cast Cow sold to 314ppk or £2022
821 Prime Hoggs sold to 488ppk or £230
58 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £314
Prime Bulls (80) – Bull trade certainly sharper again with thirty-one over 400ppk and twenty-five over £3000 to leave an all in average of 388ppk and £2683, the R and O grades also took a lift. The top four sold in the 450’s, the top two of these at 458ppk (Limousin) and 457ppk (British Blue) were tremendous home bred bulls from Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth. LR Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm followed next at 456ppk with a Limousin and F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm next at 455ppk with a British Blonde. More buoyancy for the British Blonde’s in the gross values as the breed produced a very credible five of the seven bulls selling over £3500 today which included the top two. Mr Horn junior was inexplicably donning an audacious pink hat this morning, even that couldn’t halt the continued brilliant recent form of JJ Horn, Bushy Park who led the way once again with a 954kg bull reaching £3959, next in line at £3836 was an excellent 874kg bull from F & JS Gargett whilst the third spot went to an 882kg British Blue from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm which sold for £3748. Aberdeen Angus travelled down from the county of Angus led the native breed bull trade when a super run from E Scott, Linross produced bulls at 388ppk and £2808. Some fleshy Friesian bulls on display, none bettered a great sort from J Armstrong, Southern Law Farm which sold for 361ppk and £2378.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 8 averaged 446ppk
F & JS Gargett sold 3 averaged 435ppk
JE Jordon & Son sold 2 averaged 426ppk
LR Welsh & Co sold 4 averaged 424ppk
W & M Knaggs & Son sold 2 averaged 417ppk
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged 416ppk
Leading Averages Gross
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged £3791
F & JS Gargett sold 3 averaged £3637
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 8 averaged £3294
LR Welsh & Co sold 4 averaged £3213
W & M Knaggs & Son sold 2 averaged £3001
Leading Continental Bulls Per Kilo
458 457 449(x3) 440 439 434 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 456 429 LR Welsh & Co. 455 439 414 F & JS Gargett. 439 413 JE Jordon & Son. 429 P & K Brannen. 427 408 W & M Knaggs & Son. 425 WJ Scott Ltd. 421 414 410 408 400 E Scott. 420 406 402 WI Suddes & Son. 419 415 JJ Horn. 411 JD Forsyth & Son. 406 GH Farms Ltd.
Leading Native Breed Bulls Per Kilo
388 356 E Scott. 385 354 CH & SE Armstrong. 372 J Armstrong. 371 GS Dowson. 364 340 BJ Haigh. 343 R Hall & Son.
Leading Friesian Bulls Per Kilo
361 J Armstrong. 341 337 WE & CA Anderson. 340 336 JM & S Walton. 321 CH & SE Armstrong. 311 C & M Atkinson & Sons.
Leading Continental Bulls Gross
£3959 £3624 JJ Horn. £3836 £3571 £3502 F & JS Gargett. £3748 WJ Scott Ltd. £3543 P & K Brannen. £3493 £3428 £3427 £3336 £3264 £3208 £3105 £3094 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3337 £3255 £3045 LR Welsh & Co. £3214 £3208 £3198 £3048 E Scott. £3087 £3028 WI Suddes & Son. £3065 W & M Knaggs & Son.
Leading Native Breed Bulls Gross
£2808 £2801 E Scott. £2499 J Armstrong. £2396 £2240. CH & SE Armstrong. £2328 R Hall & Son.
Leading Friesian Bulls Gross
£2378 J Armstrong. £2345 £2026 JM & S Walton. £2298 £2185 WE & CA Anderson. £2022 CH & SE Armstrong. £1931 C & M Atkinson & Sons.
Clean Cattle (223) – A big show of numbers this week gathered from far and wide selling to a lesser trade across the board, more weight and more steers noticeable again as the live ring continues its growing appeal against the weigh and pray deadweight options. A good offering from vendors as far North as Aberdeenshire and South as Nottinghamshire and from Cumbria in the West all the way over to the North East coast; all included the heifers levelled at 405ppk and £2421 with the steers 386ppk and £2694. Credit to all the vendors as even on a falling trade no less than one hundred and twenty-eight cattle sold over 400ppk and the top eleven surpassed £3000, the next two dozen then sold between £2800 and £3000. Leading the prices per kilo at 462 pence was a sweet 543kg Limousin heifer from GK, KN & GJ Hird, Meadow View. Next in line at 460ppk was a handy sort from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows and of the four in the 450’s two hailed from W Miller, High Aketon and one apiece came from R Hirst, Neasham Grange and AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm. Top of the steers per kilo at 439 pence was a beautiful 613kg Limousin from BA & C Pearson Ltd, Stanisby Hill Farm; a four-way tie for second place occurred between another Stainsby Hill steer, one from WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead Farm and two from MI Wainwright, Todhall Farm, Cupar. Grabbing the top gross value was a brilliant 763kg Limousin steer from the consistent WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm when he sold for £3212. Next in line was the aforementioned firm from Fife of WI Wainwright with steers at £3197 and £3161 just ahead of our top female a thick fleshed Limousin from NE Dyson, Gebdykes Farm, Masham at £3137.
A few of today’s top grossing cattle averages:
E Buchan sold 8 (750kg) average £2907
MI Wainwright sold 12 (681kg) average £2871
NE Dyson sold 7 (700kg) average £2867
WJ Scott Ltd sold 8 (672kg) average £2783
AJ Dickie sold 6 (779kg) average £2756
Today’s top cattle averages ppk:
Askwiths sold 4 (610kg) average 434ppk
GK KN & GJ Hird sold 4 (578kg) average 431ppk
W Miller sold 17 (550kg) average 430ppk
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 (588kg) average 429ppk
R Hirst sold 14 (601kg) average 425ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 439 429 425×2 423 410×2 408 BA&C Pearson Ltd. 429 426 421 419 WO Grix & Partners. 429×2 428 395 MI Wainwright. 427 421 420 391 WJ Scott Ltd. 426 W Miller. 424 418 Askwiths. 421 Sykes Produce Ltd. 420 418 NE Dyson. 415 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 412 TN Callender. 411 410 392 390 388 E Buchan. 409 400 399 394 WR Thompson. 407 WF Hustwit. 403 394 WL Robinson & Partners. 394 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3212 £3078 £2873 £2815 WJ Scott Ltd. £3197 £3161 £3028 £2970 MI Wainwright. £3096 £3008 £3005×2 £2937 £2882 E Buchan. £3082 £2963 £2725 NE Dyson. £2977 £2777 WO Grix & Partners. £2962 £2960 £2800 £2775 £2691 BA&C Pearson Ltd. £2888 £2828 Askwiths. £2884 £2857 AJ Dickie. £2815 JD Forsyth & Son. £2805 JB&N Harrison & Sons.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 462 438 GK KN & GJ Hird. 460 446 Askwiths. 456 454 444×2 442 438 435×2 434 W Miller. 451 AC Simpson & Son. 450 446 437 432 430 R Hirst. 447 439 436 435 433 WO Grix & Partners. 446 439 430 JV&JA Hodgson. 446 WJ Scott Ltd. 444 438 435 MI Wainwright. 442 A Swinbank & Son. 440 JE Jordon & Son. 439 437 P&JH Davison. 437×2 NE Dyson. 437 430 429 428 G&JY Marshall. 433 W Swinbank & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3137 £2958 £2789 NE Dyson. £2990 £2961 £2921 £2776 £2756 £2736 MI Wainwright. £2924 £2752 £2705 £2671 £2667 £2651 WO Grix & Partners. £2883 £2837 £2799 £2623 J Gracey. £2821 £2713 £2685 £2671 £2640 R Hirst. £2789 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £2764 £2709 £2702 £2670 £2658 £2652 JV&JA Hodgson. £2739 AC Simpson & Son. £2700 TN Callender. £2646 W Swinbank & Sons. £2645 GK KN & GJ Hird.
Prime Hoggs (821) – Wow, few would have seen the hogg trade rising after the end of Ramadan but that’s exactly what has happened; less forward given the uncertainty of what this week might hold but those in attendance certainly reaped the rewards. All in, weighed straight the sale average returned at 408ppk and £198.17 per head with an SQQ of 436ppk. Big hoggs brilliant, medium weights marvellous and the light ones lively as all classes took a £20 to £40 rise on what looked a very sharp shot seven days ago. Fifteen bonnie 45kg Texel hoggs from PR & V Barlow, Sycamore Farm, Nottinghamshire topped the prices per kilo when they sold for 488.9 pence (£220). The chasing pack per kilo included some super sorts from TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth with 44kg at 477.3ppk (£210) and 41kg at 473ppk (£194). Top of the gross values at £230 was a stunning 52kg Beltex hogg from WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood Farm. Following closely by hitting £228 three times (24 hoggs in total) were the good weekly run from J & A Layfield, New Row Farm whilst some excellent root fed hoggs from Steve Hugill at Wytherstone Farm, Skiplam also look well worthy of mention selling twice at £226 and again at £225. Away from the continentals there was Suffolk success for I Walker, Boggle Beck at £225, North Country Cheviots sold to £212 from WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood and 53kg Mules sold to £208 from JC & A Hutchinson, Featherhill. Final mention goes to a great run of clipped Suffolks out of Mules from JE Lockey & Son, Suffield which had perhaps the trade of the week as you will see in the averages below.
Today’s top grossing Hogg averages:
J&A Layfield sold 50 (55kg) average £221
A Crowder sold 46 (53kg) average £219
Wytherstone Farm sold 84 (57kg) average £217
PR&V Barlow & Son sold 28 (46kg) average £214
JR Knox & Son sold 29 (55kg) average £210
Today’s top Hogg prices ppk averages:
PR&V Barlow & Son sold 28 (46kg) average 465ppk
JE Lockey & Son sold 101 (41kg) average 442ppk
W Swinbank sold 56 (41kg) average 442ppk
TA Greensit & Son sold 55 (45kg) average 434ppk
WL Robinson & Partners sold 16 (46kg) average 427ppk
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 488 442 433 PR&V Barlow & Son. 477 473 466 438×2 434 428 408 TA Greensit & Sons. 462 451 438 435 423 411×2 G Whittington. 462 447 439 425 W Swinbank. 458 442 428 WA Wardman Ltd. 454 451 446 421×2 415 WL Robinson & Partners. 452 450 446 439 JE Lockey & Son. 446 426 RH Wilson & Son. 440 412 410 W Allison & Sons. 435 J&A Layfield. 434 JC&A Hutchinson. 428 411 A Crowder. 428 GP&A Carter.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £230 £220 £212 £211 £210×5 WA Wardman Ltd. £228×3 £222 £215×2 £210 J&A Layfield. £226×2 £225 £224.50 £220 £218 £215×3 £210 Wytherstone Farm. £225 I Walker. £223 £218×2 A Crowder. £221 £210 WL Robinson & Partners. £220 PR&V Barlow & Son. £220 W Denham. £218 £216×2 £210 JR Knox & Son. £217 JC&A Hutchinson. £213×3 R Nattrass & Sons. £212 £210 R Lawson & Son. £210×2 TA Greensit & Sons.
Cast Ewes/Rams (58) – As with the hoggs not many forward and a supersonic trade for the vendors who attended to see them average £171.24. Sailing to the top was a cracking Charollais ewe from Double O Livestock, Bridge House Farm when she sold for £315. Plenty of the lowland bred ewes followed in the £200’s. Charollais also led the tup trade at £262 from JD Seymour, Bogma Hall whilst Mule ewes topped at £182 from Wytherstone Farm and the breed averaged £153.35.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £314 £222 £100 Double O Livestock. £291 £200 W Denham. £262 JD Seymour. £244 £208 R Lawson & Son. £237 £192 £182 £174 Wytherstone Farm. £192 £158 £100 GP&A Carter. £191 £150 £142 N Edmondson. £178 £150 £139 CM&TF Seymour. £172 JR Knox & son. £150 WA Wardman Ltd. £127 £118 JE Lockey & Son.
