Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 26th March 2026. Forward were 192 cattle and 1621 sheep.
43 Prime Bulls sold to 445ppk or £3637
30 Prime Steers sold to 452ppk or £3556
119 Prime Heifers sold to 525ppk or £3335
25 New Season Lambs sold to 515ppk or £232
1535 Prime Hoggs sold to 466ppk or £230
61 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £200
Easter Show & Sale of Clean Cattle
Sincere thanks go to our judge this morning Mr Paul Taylor of H Taylor & Sons Ltd. The longstanding high-class butchers boast numerous shops and outlets across the North East and we always appreciate the time and of course the expert opinion of Paul on these occasions. A terrific offering gathered with high quality on display from start to finish, at the business end the chosen champion was a beautiful 626kg British Blue heifer from Alan Barnett, Brinns Farm, Shap and the reserve ticket went to WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead with a sweet 573kg Limousin heifer. Other class winners included two tremendous steers from R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall and a very smart homebred heifer from the Callender family of Ox Eye Farm. Congratulations to all the prize winners, a sale report follows the show results.
Champion:
British Blue Heifer from A Barnett, Brinns Farm sold to 525ppk & £3286
Reserve Champion:
Limousin Heifer from WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead Farm sold to 510ppk & £2922
Class 1- Limousin Heifer
1st– WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead Farm sold to 510ppk & £2922
2nd– A Barnett, Brinns Farm sold to 500ppk & £3290
3rd– Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows sold to 486ppk & £2566
Class 2- Any Other Breed Heifer
1st– A Barnett, Brinns Farm sold to 525ppk & £3286
2nd– A Barnett, Brinns Farm sold to 460ppk & £3201
3rd– A Barnett, Brinns Farm sold to 428ppk & £3248
Class 3- Limousin Steer
1st– R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall sold to 435ppk & £3084
2nd– WL Robinson & Partners, Prospect House sold to 412ppk & £2896
3rd– Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows sold to 443ppk & £3087
Class 4- Any Other Breed Steer
1st– R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall sold to 431ppk & £3310
2nd– JJ Crichton, Loughrigg Farm sold to 452ppk & £3141
3rd– JJ Crichton, Loughrigg Farm sold to 449ppk & £3556
Best Homebred Beast
1st– TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm sold to 498ppk & £2803
2nd– JM Ramsay & Son, The Grange sold to 465ppk & £2813
3rd– GK KN&GJ Hird, Meadow View sold to 475ppk & £2698
Clean Cattle (149) – Some stunners at the top end lifted the averages considerably on the week, trade was certainly a touch sharper throughout with the big steers and the very best heifers enjoying the most notable rise. All in the sale averages returned for steers at 412ppk and a massive £2922 with the heifers checking in at a tasty looking 426ppk and £2600. Top per kilo was quite rightly our Easter Champion from Brinns Farm, Shap, Cumbria when she sold to John Penny & Sons, Rawdon. The reserve champion followed closely at 510ppk and sold to the judge Paul Taylor from H Taylor & Sons, Skinnergate, Darlington. Another super sort from Alan Barnett also reached 500ppk just a whisker in front of the homebred heroics from the Callender’s of Ox Eye Farm, Whinney Hill at 498ppk. Four heifers followed in the 480’s, four in the 470’s and then twelve more over 450ppk. Top of the steers per kilo was another Cumbrian success story as Janes Crichton, Loughrigg, Egremont sold a stunning 695kg British Blue for 452 pence. Two further steers sold in the 440’s and only seven of the thirty failed to reach 400ppk as the bullocks look immaculate compared to the dying deadweight. No less than nineteen cattle sold over £3000 top of them all at an impressive £3556 was another cracker from JJ Crichton, Loughrigg with a superb 792kg British Blue steer which climbed to a marvellous £3556. Following the leader with some sumptuous feeding was NE Dyson, Gebdykes Farm, Masham who sold terrific Limousin steers to top at £3315 and heifers to £3335.
Today’s top grossing clean cattle averages
A Barnett sold 7 (656kg) average £3140
JJ Crichton sold 3 (706kg) average £3130
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 5 (721kg) average £3040
NE Dyson sold 7 (674kg) average £2905
WL Robinson & Partners sold 3 (687kg) average £2897
A few of today’s clean cattle averages – ppk
A Barnett sold 7 (656kg) average 478ppk
B Walker sold 2 (556kg) average 471ppk
TN Callender sold 2 (600kg) average 466ppk
GK KN & GJ Hird sold 4 (553kg) average 450ppk
Askwiths sold 5 (599kg) average 447ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 452 449 JJ Crichton. 443 412 Askwiths. 439 418×2 416×2 410 394 WO Grix & Partners. 438 TN Callender. 435 431 422 418 399 Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby. 430 408 405 NE Dyson. 421 420 414 Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall. 420 412 WL Robinson & Partners. 393 364 350 JM Smith
Lead Grossing Steers £3556 £3141 JJ Crichton. £3315 £3174 £2636 NE Dyson. £3310 £3084 £3009 £3000 £2796 Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby. £3139 £3043 £2998 £2957 £2841 £2599 WO Grix & Partners. £3087 £2760 Askwiths. £2955 £2935 £2909 £2633 Messrs Miller, Allerby Hall. £2923 £2896 WL Robinson & Partners. £2880 £2866 £2685 JM Smith. £2794 TN Callender.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 525 500 489 480×2 460 A Barnett. 540 WO Grix & Partners. 498 TN Callender. 486 464 446 Askwiths. 478 466 B Walker. 477 476 456 JV&JA Hodgson. 475 458 GK KN & GJ Hird. 465 452 441 JM Ramsay & son. 462 446 445 NE Dyson. 458 455 450 446×2 441 R Hirst. 450 A&MJ Henshaw. 447 443 MF Hall. 446 AC Simpson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3335 NE Dyson. £3290 £3286 £3249 £3248 £3201 £2968 A Barnett. £3077 £2922 £2779 WO Grix & Partners. £3011 £2857 A&MJ Henshaw. £2980 £2813 £2757 £2756 R Hirst. £2931 £2813 RE Miller. £2873 WL Robinson & Partners. £2871 £2840 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2856 £2840 £2829 £2813 JV&JA Hodgson. £2827 £2805 £2783 AC Simpson & Son.
Charitable Donation
Before the nitty gritty of today’s bull sale report, the directors and staff here at DfAM would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Mr Alan Bothroyd of Upton Farm, Loftus. Alan is retiring from cattle farming, as he comes to the end of this chapter he most generously donated a prime bull today with the proceeds going to the Great North Air Ambulance. Alan is a very long standing, loyal and valued customer here and we applaud this kind donation as we wish Alan all our best wishes for the future. The Limousin bull in question was sold for £2732 and was purchased most generously by Michael Jewitt of JA Jewitt Ltd, Spennymoor.
Prime Bulls (43) – The bull trade bounces along very nicely with numbers remaining tight, today’s offering averaged 386ppk and £2685. The best beef bred bulls remain in high demand with the top ten over 420ppk and a baker’s dozen over £3000. Top per kilo at 445 pence was a cracking homebred 770kg Limousin from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Farm, following the leader just a penny adrift was the form firm of late JJ Horn, Bushy Park with their 803kg Limousin. The Horn’s remained red hot in the gross values, it’s no secret that John Horn has a penchant for a Blonde and so no surprise that the Marske based firm edged out their own aforementioned Limousin (£3565) with an excellent 848kg British Blonde selling for £3637. Native breed bulls were led per kilo by a Hereford from J Armstrong, Southern Law at 379 pence and topped in the lump at £2503 by a Longhorn from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall. Pure dairy bulls looked a sharp shot, Holstein Friesian’s sold to 324ppk and a whopping £2522 from JM & S Walton, Brettanby Farm whilst Montbéliard’s sold to 326ppk and £2435 from J Armstrong, Southern Law.
A few of today’s leading bull averages:
JJ Horn sold 2 (825kg) average 436ppk & £3601
F&JS Gargett sold 3 (805kg) average 413ppk & £3331
TW Clark & Son sold 3 (762kg) average 428ppk & £3267
C Binks & Son sold 2 (768kg) average 422ppk & £3241
WI Suddes & Son sold 4 (721kg) average 430ppk & £3103
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 445 430 411 TW Clark & Son. 444 429 JJ Horn. 438 429 427×2 WI Suddes & Son. 430 414 C Binks & Son. 427 408 406 F&JS Gargett. 399 388 J Armstrong. 393 392 390 GH Farms Ltd. 388 365 JC&P Tallentire. 385 379 JM&S Walton. 383 BJ Haigh. 376 374 368 JA & A Herbert 375 369 364 Williamson. 362 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3637 £3565 JJ Horn. £3426 £3205 £3169 TW Clark & Son. £3360 £3292 £3341 F&JS Gargett. £3336 £3146 C Binks & Son. £3298 £3221 £3108 £2784 WI Suddes & Son. £2925 £2765 £2435 J Armstrong. £2728 £2703 £2652 GH Farms Ltd. £2523 R Hall & Son. £2478 £2448 JC&P Tallentire. £2383 £2352 JM&S Walton. £2374 BJ Haigh.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 379 J Armstrong. 366 321 R Hall & Son. 347 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2503 £2492 R Hall & Son. £2452 J Armstrong. £2258 JC&P Tallentire.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 324 312 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2533 £2326 JM&S Walton.
Easter Show of New Season Lambs
With Easter early the spring lambs were always likely to be in short supply, thanks to the two regular vendors who were in attendance, all the lambs offered were from high-end early lambing flocks of Charollais sheep. The first prize pen of three came from Deborah Whitcher, the others going away with a rosette hailed from CW Marwood & Son. All three of the prize-winning pens went on to be bought for the butcher’s counter at Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton.
The sale of twenty-five lambs averaged an excellent 420ppk and £202.96; plenty of interest from buyers even at this early stage.
1st – D Whitcher 45kg sold for £232
2nd – CW Marwood & Son 51kg sold for £224
3rd – CW Marwood & Son 46kg sold for £195
Leading NSL Prices PPK
515 407 406 404 D Whitcher. 439 437 423 419 377 CW Marwood & Son.
Leading NSL Gross Values
£232 £216 £191 £190(x2) D Whitcher. £224 £204(x2) £195 £193 £188 CW Marwood & Son.
Prime Hoggs (1535) – The hogg trade stays hot without quite hanging on the heroics of last week, still in good order to leave a weighed straight sale average of 386ppk and an SQQ of 415ppk which equated to £187.82 per head all included. Some bonnie Beltex led the prices per kilo as a good run from R Atkinson, High Greenbury saw pens of 45kg twice sell for 466ppk (£210). The same good feeding followed closely with 43kg £200 465ppk and 44kg £200 454ppk. Topping the gross values at £230 was a tremendous Texel tup hogg from PR Weaver, Little Manor Farm, Notts; he might have weighed a stone more than he did but still at 86kg he was quite a lump. The marauding Midlander followed again with half a dozen at 70kg and £229 and then three more at 69kg and £226
Top Lead Grossing Hogg Averages-
PR Weaver sold 18 (69kg) Average £221
R Atkinson sold 93 (47kg) Average £205
A Crowder sold 25 (52kg) Average £202
CR McLaren sold 5 (67kg) Average £200
Top PPK Hogg Averages-
R Atkinson sold 93 (47kg) Average 433ppk
William Swinbank sold 97 (41kg) Average 430ppk
WE Frank & Son sold 15 (43kg) Average 412ppk
GW Whittington Livestock sold 220 (46kg) Average 412ppk
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £230 £229 £226 £224 £220 £210 PR Weaver. £224 £217 £214 £212 £210 x2 £208 £205 £203 £200 x3 R Atkinson. £220 £214 £210 £200 x2 R Hills. £205 £200 x6 Wytherstone Farm. £204 x3 200 A Crowder. £202 JR Knox & Son. £201 J&A Layfield. £201 C Binks & Son. £200 RE&L Frank. £200 CR McLaren. £200 GF Whitfield. £200 Allison Devereux. £200 x2 R White. £200 x2 RA&BA Ridley & Son. £200 x3 DR&RL Burns. £200 x2 GW Whittington Livestock.
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 466 x2 465 454 445 442 439 434 424 x2 R Atkinson. 445 x2 430 428 417 William Swinbank. 444 x2 441 433 430 426 425 x2 GW Whittington Livestock. 444 436 428 423 422 420 J Hicks. 440 437 423 421 413 R Hills. 437 421 420 419 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 428 425 416 GF Whitfield. 427 WE Frank & Son. 422 WL Robinson & Partners. 421 417 Ainsty Farms Direct. 421 JR Dowd. 420 JK&CE Farming. 420 CS Robinson. 416 A Crowder. 414 W Allison & Sons.
Cast Sheep (61) – Ewes few and far between this week, trade continues in fair form to see an indifferent show average £140.79. Topping at £200 were a solid pair of Texel ewes from DR&RL Burns, Lodge Farm, Leicestershire. A pen of eleven from RD & D Elders topped the Mules at £157 whilst horned ewes peaked at £118 for half a dozen from LW Martin.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200 DR&RL Burns. £190 JC&A Hutchinson. £180 £138 £135 W Kirk & Sons. £180 P Tindale. £170 DL&D Lovegreen. £170 £150 W Burton. £158 JR Knox & Son. £157 RD&D Elders. £155 Wytherstone Farm. £150 £135 £122 R Lawson & Son. £148 £140 GF Whitfield. £140 £120 S Thompson & Son. £138 WA Stephenson
