Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves on Monday 20th April 2026. Forward were 248 cattle, 405 sheep and 83 calves.
50 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 368ppk or £3146
1 Stock Bull sold for 390ppk and £4340
2 Breeding Bulls sold to £2700
35 Young Bulls sold to £2410
56 Store Steers sold to £2340
103 Store Heifers sold to £2320
57 Ewes & Lambs sold to £402
115 Store Hoggs sold to £235
135 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £278
1 Stirk sold for £1050
83 Rearing Calves sold to £880
Cast Cattle – Dairy cows possibly dearer, certainly no less. Beef cows similar for the well fed but a touch easier for the feeders and the one bull absolutely tremendous, the sale averaged 269ppk and £1922 per head. Beginning with the bull, an outstanding 3-year-old British Blue, full of meat from Bridge House Farm tipped the scales to 1113kg and sold for a wonderful 390ppk and £4340. Some cracking beef cows from F & R Simpson, Square House dominated the top spots on the list of females, the pick of them were two British Blues; a 9-year-old sold for 368ppk and £3128 and a 13-year-old sold for 358ppk and £3146 whilst the same feeding sold Limousin’s to 362ppk and £2881. Aberdeen Angus led the native breed charge when A & AG Moralee, Lowfield Farm sold an OTM heifer to 344ppk and C Dawson, Nunstainton had a cow reach £2368. Fifteen Friesian’s this week were led by a tidy 6-year-old from G Thompson & Sons, Softley Farm when she reached 248ppk and £2003.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 368 362 358 344 330 324 F&R Simpson. 350 A&PA Jopling. 344 292 280 A&AG Moralee. 330 324 JF Cornforth & Sons. 318 Bridge House Farm. 310 298 292×2 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 296 292 J Brannen. 292 288 C Dawson. 280 255 JD&G Hugill. 272 N&A Hunter. 266 J Richmond. 262 RA&SL Wearmouth. 256 GS Dixon.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3146 £3128 £2881 £2810 £2755 £2708 F&R Simpson. £2847 £1879 JF Cornforth & Sons. £2699 £2645 £2390 £2263 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2368 £2257 C Dawson. £2353 Bridge House Farm. £2128 £2098 J Brannen. £2112 J Richmond. £2079 A&PA Jopling. £2003 £2002 £1958 £1898 g Thompson & Sons. £1988 N&A Hunter. £1953 A&AG Moralee.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 390 Bridge House Farm.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £4340 Bridge House Farm.
Store Cattle – Remarkably buoyant given the easing of the prime beef recently, still the forward stores sell really well and the grass bound beasts look no less whatsoever. Top of the day at £2410 was a superb 13-month-old Limousin bull from JC Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm, the same terrific pen dominated the top bull prices with others at £2380 and £2300. Top of the clean stores at £2340 was a very smart 11-month-old Limousin steer from I Newton & Son, Gibbet Hill Farm. A strong Limousin from RL Walker, East Highwood topped the heifer trade at £2320, the same feeding followed with two more at £2300 alongside a cracker from P Leese, Fryup Hall. As always plenty of native breeds were offered, top spots went to Aberdeen Angus as IW Cairns, Pesspool Hall sold a heifer at £2110 and K Hall, North Farm led the steers at £2080.
Stirk – £1050 GW Chapman.
Breeding Bulls – £2700 RN Armstrong. £2000 Mark Johnston Racing Ltd.
Young Bulls – £2410 £2380 £2300 £2180 JC Thwaite & Son. £2140(x2) £2060 £2040 £2000 IR Appleton. £1920(x2) £1780(x4) W & R Kemp & Son. £1910 A & AG Moralee. £1690 £1680 RA Patterson & Son. £1610 JK Gregory. £1610 WD Richardson.
Store Steers – £2340 £1960 £1930 I Newton & Son. £2160(x2) GW & L Marsay. £2080 £2000 £1920 K Hall. £2060 £1930 GE Raw. £2000(x2) TAE & ARJ Dobell. £2060 MVN & D Cutler. £2000 £1960(x2) £1900 TW Brown & Sons. £1980 £1900 L & BM Kidd & Son. £1970 T Coulthard & Son.
Store Heifers – £2320 £2300(x2) £1900 RL Walker. £2300 P Leese. £2110 £1880 £1870 IW Cairns. £1990(x2) TAE & ARJ Dobell. £1990(x3) £1910 DR Smith. £1960(x3) D Clemitson. £1920 I Newton & Son. £1850 K Sayer. £1850 L & BM Kidd & Son.
Ewes & Lambs – High demand as the grass begins to appear across the region, dearer on the week with many bidders and buyers falling short of requirements. Top call of £402 went to I Hedley, Bartlemere with a pair of Texel ewes with strong twins at foot, the same home followed at £395 with a superb Rouge ewe suckling a thumping single lamb. Mules topped at £358 for a strong pair with twins from D & M Buck, Carthagena whilst the same good home sold four Mule shearlings with eight lambs for £355. A show of predominantly Mule ewes averaged £114.41 per life.
Shearlings & Lambs – £358 £340 £265 C Everitt. £355 D & M Buck.
Ewes & Lambs – £402 £395 £392 I Hedley. £358 D & M Buck. £320 JW Collin. £305 £280 JL Gill & Son. £262 DM & PM Nelson & Sons.
Store Sheep – The magnificent trade for feeding sheep shows no signs of letting up as the red-hot hoggs averaged £143.32 and the excellent ewes averaged £165.23. Top of the hoggs at an unbelievable £235 apiece were a couple of cracking Beltex from MR Cass, Beacon Farm. Texels from WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood followed at £226 and JD Spensley, East Lingley Moor at £216 just ahead of Blue Texel’s from CH Tindale, Sherburn Hill at £212. Cheviot hoggs sold to £158, Zwartbles to £150 and Hebridean crosses to a high of £140 as all classes remain in extraordinarily high demand.
Feeding ewes are feverish, a quarter of them sailed over £200. Top of the shop at £278 was an excellent Beltex ewe from JE Holliday & Son, Woodland House; Texel’s followed at £272 from Jack Sewell, Knavesmire and C Moffett, Backandsides at £265. Suffolk ewes topped at £240 from NG Beveridge, Low West House and Mules made it to £178 from RA Patterson & Son, White House Farm.
Store Hoggs – £235 MR Cass. £226 WA Wardman Ltd. £216 £208 £196 JD Spensley. £212 £190 CH Tindale. £202 G Sedgewick. £178 £150 £142 C Moffett. £170 RO Gilson. £168 £142 GH Lister. £158 R Peart. £140 JV Hodgson & Son.
Feeding Ewes/Rams – £278 £262 £218 £208 JE Holliday & Son. £272 £202 £192 Jack Sewell. £265 £210 C Moffett. £242 £188 MR Cass. £240 £232 £230 £225 £200 NG Beveridge. £235 £218 RA Patterson & Son. £232 WA Wardman Ltd. £230 £225 £200 £198 RO Gilson. £200 J & S Thompson. £192 G Sedgewick.
Rearing Calves – Trade absolutely exceptional, quite probably one of the sharpest witnessed anywhere in the land; all in the average returned at £579.04. A genuine show of youngsters this fortnight, predominantly 4-8-weeks of age. Top today at £880 was a cracking Limousin heifer from Sanderson & Bell, Valance Lodge. British Blue bulls from H Gibb & Son, Eachwick Red House impressed to a top of £800 with others to £780 and £765. Inra95 heifers sold to £720 from Baysleap Dairy Farm whilst Aberdeen Angus saw bulls to £760 from R & BK Wise, Hall Farm and heifers to £680 from Baysleap.
2 Simmental Bulls av. £715
15 British Blue Bulls av. £700
3 Inra95 Bulls av. £686
13 Aberdeen Angus Bulls av. £601
5 Shorthorn Bulls av. £552
1 Limousin Bull av. £460
11 Hereford Bull av. £457
7 Friesian Bulls av. £309
1 Limousin Heifer av. £880
10 British Blue Heifers av. £671
4 Inra95 Heifers av. £653
7 Aberdeen Angus Heifers av. £550
4 Hereford Heifers av. £440
Bull Calves:
British Blue – £800 £780 £765 £740 £730×2 £720×2 £705 £640 £560 H Gibb & Son. £700 £680 £670 £570 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Angus – £760 £750 R&BK Wise. £650 £570 £550×2 £540 £500 Deerness Valley Dairy. £650 £620 £610 £570 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £500 H Gibb & Son.
Inra – 95 £730 £670 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £660 P&CA Harrison.
Simmental – £720 £710 JL Miles & Sons.
Shorthorn – £660 £640 £580 £540 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £340 RG Johnson & Son.
Hereford – £660 Deerness Valley Dairy. £550×2 £495×2 £460×2 J Archer. £380 £340 £325 £320 RG Johnson & Son.
Friesian – £480 £300 TD Goldie & Son. £420 £245×2 P&CA Harrison. £230 L James.
Limousin – £460 M Gallon.
Heifer Calves:
Limousin – £880 Sanderson & Bell.
Inra 95 £720 £700 £695 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £500 P&CA Harrison.
British Blue – £710 £690 £680×2 £675 £670 £630 £620 Deerness Valley Dairy. £700 H Gibb & Son. £660 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd.
Angus – £680 £610 £570 £560×2 £430 Baysleap Dairy Farm Ltd. £440 JL Miles & Sons.
Hereford – £460×2 £420×2 J Archer.
