Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 13th April 2026. Forward were 299 cattle and 501 sheep.
46 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 378ppk or £3504
3 Stock Bulls sold to 382ppk or £4381
44 Young Bulls sold to £2520
87 Store Steers sold to £2390
119 Store Heifers sold to £2480
104 Ewes with Lambs sold to £410
175 Store Hoggs sold to £226
64 Feeding Ewes sold to £268
Cast Cattle – Cast cattle another very solid trade, something for all budgets as ten or a dozen superb sorts at the top were counterbalanced by a similar number of lean cows at the bottom; all said and done the averages returned at a pleasing 277ppk and £1912 per head. We better begin with a bull this week as an absolute humdinger hit the days highest price at a brilliant 382ppk and £4381. The colossus in question at 1147kg was an outstanding 6-year-old British Blue from C & R Metcalf, Park House Farm. Some fine females followed and twice reached 378ppk, firstly a smart Limousin OTM heifer from JN Swinbank, Cold Comfort and then a thick fleshed 7-year-old Limousin cow from F & R Simpson, Square House Farm. The Simpson superstar also proved to be the days highest grossing cow when she tipped the scales to 927kg and totted up to £3504; five in the Square House squad averaged an excellent £2961. The best of this week’s native bred cows was a tidy Hereford from W & R Kemp & Son, Wigdon Walls when she sold at 282ppk and £2007 whilst a moderate show of sixteen milkers sold to £1686 from CN & P Penk, Pitfield Farm or 244ppk from Little Newsham Farms. Back to the bulls to finish as on any normal week a stretchy Limousin stock bull from CG Robinson, South View would be more than worthy of mention selling for £3517.
Cast Cows- Top Prices PPK 378 286 JN Swinbank. 378 362 358 326 324 F&R Simpson. 360 318 S&J Dent & Son. 330 J&MJ Walton. 328 TN Callender. 316 G Beadle. 308 MH&J Walker & Son. 304 x2 286 JR&B Anderson & Son. 300 298 Allison Devereux Farms. 290 GP Addison. 282 262 240 W&R Kemp & Son. 266 BJS Farms. 264 E Wilson. 258 MW Bainbridge & Sons. 250 RN Armstrong. 244 Little Newsham Farms. 242 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows- £3504 £2971 £2928 £2849 £2556 F&R Simpson. £2559 MH&J Walker & Son. £2516 £2334 S&J Dent & Son. £2404 TN Callender. £2342 £1881 £1722 Allison Devereux Farms. £2306 J&MJ Walton. £2143 £2009 £1830 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2113 £1644 JN Swinbank. £2104 G Beadle. £2080 BJS Farms. £2007 £1826 W&R Kemp & Son. £1961 E Wilson. £1842 RN Armstrong. £1722 GP Addison. £1686bCN&P Penk. £1648 WK Wilkinson & Sons.
Stock Bulls- Top Prices PPK 382 C&R Metcalf. 316 CG Robinson. 316 EW Grieves. Lead Grossing Stock Bulls- £4381 C&R Metcalf. £3517 CG Robinson. £1712 EW Grieves.
Store Cattle – Trade moving every bit as freely as I Am Maximus did after jumping the last in the Grand National, an abundance of buyers at ringside ensuring that the forward sorts stay very strong and the grazers look absolutely immense. Young bulls began proceedings and a really good showing left a sale average over £2000, factor in that only half a dozen were aged over 13-months and the bouncing bull trade speaks for itself. Top at £2520 were a super pair of 13-month-old Limousin’s from J Richmond, Dunsa Bank Farm; the Dunsa delights checked in with another pair at £2420 alongside a couple of crackers from JC Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm. The clean store cattle were steaming along, top spot at £2480 was a lovely 30-month-old Limousin heifer from J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley. Next in line at £2400 was a really smart 17-month-old Limousin heifer from TH Robson & Sons, Stoney Flatt as these two form firms shared the top ten heifer spots all reaching over £2200. Six Aberdeen Angus dominated the steer standings, best of all at £2390 were a quality quartet of two-year-olds from GA & C Jopling, Eastgate House. Grass bound cattle are in scintillating form, the yearling prices were led by a Limousin steer from I Newton & Son, Gibbet Hill Farm at £2260 whilst an impressive run from F Ward, Rogerley Hall hit the heights of £2140 with steers and £2100 with heifers.
Store Bulls- £2520 x2 £2420 x2 £2400 £2380 x2 £2180 x2 £2060 x3 £2020 £1850 x2 £1800 £1760 J Richmond. £2420 x2 £2400 £2380 £2320 £2180 £1950 JC Thwaite & Son. £2220 x2 £2080 £2040 x3 CG Robinson. £1840 J&MJ Walton. £1750 x2 £1700 x2 Messrs Ewebank Ltd. £1740 £1690 x2 £1610 £1600 £1590 Wilkinson & Son.
Store Steers- £2390 x4 £2290 £2180 x2 GA&C Jopling. £2320 £1940 x2 £1900 £1800 x3 N&AD Brass & Son. £2260 I Newton & Son. £2250 £1970 £1900 £1750 R Stainthorpe. £2200 £2140 x2 £2120 x5 £2080 £2040 F Ward. £2180 x2 W&J Herbert. £2160 x2 C Wharton. £2100 £1980 DR Smith. £2080 x5 D Clemitson. £1950 ER&GI Younger. £1920 x2 High Mains Partnership. £1910 x3 R&W Todd.
Store Heifers- £2480 £2380 £2300 £2240 J&F Hartley & Sons. £2400 £2340 x2 £2300 £2280 £2220 x2 £2140 TH Robson & Sons. £2190 £1980 £1960 £1810 DR Smith. £2140 £1950 £1880 GA&C Jopling. £2120 x2 £2040 £1880 £1800 JC Johnson. £2100 x2 £2020 x2 £1940 F Ward. £2070 W&J Herbert. £1970 x2 £1860 x3 £1840 x2 Wilkinson & Son. £1960 £1880 I Newton & Son. £1900 x2 W Denham. £1900 A Newton. £1790 x2 P Leese. £1780 High Mains Partnership.
Breeding Sheep – The ewes and lambs begin to appear in slightly higher quantities, trade continued last week’s fast start as an eclectic mix all found new homes with ease and many more could have easily sold to the large gallery of budding bidders. Top of the day at £410 were a tidy trio of Charollais ewes with five lambs at foot from I Hedley, Bartlemire. Strong Hexham type Mule ewes from the ‘Fishburn philanthropist’ Ian Curry suckling tidy Texel twins followed at £380 per family whilst more Mules with twins from D & M Buck, Carthagena chased closely behind at £375 and £370. Ewes suckling strong single lambs traded £130-£140 per life regularly, as always, the stronger the lambs the sharper the trade looks.
Ewes & Lambs:
Charollais – £410 I Hedley.
Mule – £380 I Curry. £375 3370 D&M Buck. £320 £300 W&C Iceton. £262 £225 W Wearmouth & Son. £200 T&C Smith.
Continental – £360 £300×2 £220 D&M Buck. £360 £285 £265 R Bellwood. £345 I Hedley. £312 W Wearmouth & Son. £280 £275 £225 J Wigham. £275 RM Guy. £260 W Wearmouth & Son. £250 £245 3202 AF Smith. £240 £190 C Everitt. £215 T&C Smith. £210 G&L Wood.
Suffolk – £345 W Wearmouth & Son. £265 T&C Smith.
Feeding Sheep – The store hogg trade is out of this world, some good, some bad and some ugly were all flying. Sale average of £146.86, top price £226, six pens over £200, North Country Cheviots to £216, Mules to £162 and Blackface to £160. All six of the top spots were occupied by a great run from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook, Marrick, the best proved to be a wonderful Texel and the sixteen from the Marrick maestros averaged a blistering £197.50.
Feeding ewes followed the flying fat sheep trade and continued at unstoppable rates, Beltex from NG Beveridge, Low West House led the way at £268, Mules sold to £185 from WK Wilkinson & Sons, Mains House and horned ewes produced Blackface to £142 and Swaledale’s to £118.
Store Hoggs:
Texel – £226 £216 £206 £204 KO Stones
Cheviot – £216 £200 £184 £154 KO Stones. £158 C I’anson.
Continental – ££198 G&L Wood. £188 J Atkinson. £180 RM Guy. £180 £126 C Moffett. £169 JR Mann. £168 MJK Dods. £161 £147 TB Walton. £160 £134 J Terry. £154 £150 £143 B Valks. £150 K Liversedge. £132 AF Smith.
Suffolk – £194 MJK Dods. £142 B Valks.
Mule – £162 £148 J Terry. £148 £139 £127 B Valks.
Blackface – £160 RM Guy.
Feeding Sheep:
Beltex – £268 £222 NG Beveridge.
Continental – £255 £248 £188 £158 NG Beveridge. £252 £168 G&L Wood. £222 £172 TG Rigg. £222 JR Mann. £212 MJK Dods. £200 J Wigham. £198 £170 T&C Smith. £190×2 £180 J Atkinson. £190 J Sewell. £178 £168×2 JR Mann. £175 £168 GA&C Jopling. £172 DW Robinson.
Mule – £185 £145 WK Wilkinson & Sons. £170 A Swinbank.
Cheviot – £172 C I’anson
Suffolk – £158 NG Beveridge.
