Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 25th May 2026. Forward were 189 cattle and 242 sheep.
32 Cast Cattle/OTM sold to 320ppk or £2491
6 Breeding Cattle sold to £2900
25 Young Bulls sold to £2280
43 Store Steers sold to £2010
83 Store Heifers sold to £2340
67 Ewes & Lambs sold to £490
16 Store Hoggs sold to £216
61 Feeding Ewes sold to £218
Cast Cattle – Numbers depleted on the Bank Holiday however no difference in price as the cow trade continued in very similar fashion to see an all-in sale average of 257ppk and £1739. Top per kilo at 320 pence was an excellent Limousin cow from R Simpson & Sons, Temperance Farm. Top gross value was another excellent Limousin, this on from I Marshall & Sons, Hope House Farm sold for 305ppk and added up nicely to £2491. A strong Beef Shorthorn bull from P Foster, Guisborough impressed when he sold for £2456 whilst the top native per kilo was a tidy OTM Hereford heifer from W & R Kemp & Son, Wigdon Walls at 298 pence. Just a few Friesians’ forward, the best hailed from AR & C Booth & Sons, Village Farm with a heifer at 266ppk and a cow reaching £1628.
Cast Cows- Top Prices PPK 320 289 272 263 R Simpson & Sons. 305 I Marshall & Sons. 298 264 W&R Kemp & Son. 288 246 GP Addison. 288 266 S&J Dent & Son. 272 P Foster. 268 267 266 I Newton & Son. 266 262 I Fraine. 266 250 AR&C Booth & Sons. 266 J Fletcher. 258 T&R Quinn & Son.
Stock Bulls- Top Prices PPK 230 P Foster.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows- £2491 I Marshall & Sons. £2090 £1854 I Fraine. £2056 P Foster. £2047 £1655 GP Addison. £2023 £1747 £1709 I Newton & Son. £1958 £1731 S&J Dent & Son. £1932 T&R Quinn & Son. £1909 J Fletcher. £1907 £1737 W&R Kemp & Son. £1904 £1868 £1796 R Simpson & Sons. £1667 FW Hodgson & Son.
Lead Grossing Stock Bulls- £2456 P Foster.
Store & Breeding Cattle – A scattering of breeders began proceedings, the highlight looked to be a 32-month-old Limousin bull from J & F Hartley & Sons, Low Shipley when he sold for £2900. The young bulls followed and a nice show looked very well sold on the day, top at £2280 was an excellent 15-month-old British Blue from Messrs CB Parsons, Slealands, Longtown; following the leader were a super run of 13 to 14-month-old Limousin bulls from JR Fell, North Oxen-le-Fields. Store cattle peaked at a whopping £2340 when Wolsingham based B Watson, Baal Hill Farm produced a stunning 27-month-old Limousin heifer, following were another smart pair of Limousin heifers when RL Walker, East Highwood sold at £2170. Top of the steers at £1420 was an excellent 14-month-old Beef Shorthorn from J & EM Lawson, Harpington Hill. The beef bred cattle of all ages and sizes looked a really solid trade, some resistance to the first dairy crosses as the slip sliding deadweight returns are naturally influencing.
Cows & Calves- £1700 £1550 W Love Ltd.
In Calf Cow- £1180 W Love Ltd.
Breeding Bull- £2900 J&F Hartley & Sons.
Store Bulls- £2280 £1880 £1780 £1540 Messrs CB Parsons. £2150 £2140 x2 £2000 £1970 x2 £1960 £1930 £1850 x2 £1840 £1800 £1760 £1720 JR Fell. £1750 £1700 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £1520 M Liddell. £1410 x2 W Wearmouth & Son.
Store Steers- £2010 £2000 £1900 £1780 £1730 J&EM Lawson. £1960 x2 £1880 x2 £1700 x2 JC Smith. £1960 £1880 D&M Scott. £1960 Messrs CB Parsons. £1910 x3 D Clemitson. £1910 C&M Burnett. £1750 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £1610 £1510 £1440 x3 £1420 T Coulthard & Son. £1600 B Watson. £1590 x2 High Mains Partnership. £1510 TT Hall & Son. £1480 B Lowson.
Store Heifers- £2340 B Watson. £2170 x2 £1890 £1880 RL Walker. £1890 x2 £1740 £1730 £1720 £1680 £1640 A Wilson. £1880 x3 £1870 £1860 JC Thwaite & Son. £1880 £1670 £1650 £1630 J&EM Lawson. £1730 £1700 x2 £1680 JS Wiper. £1720 JD Bentley & Son. £1710 £1670 C&M Burnett. £1690 x2 £1680 x2 £1600 x2 JC Smith. £1690 x2 D Clemitson. £1600 £1600 W&J Herbert.
Breeding Sheep – An incredibly versatile mix made up the sale this week with just about every breed represented, trade remains very strong for all classes. Top of the day at £490 was a fabulous pedigree Blue Texel ewe with twins from M Lindley, Willowdene; another outfit from the same home followed at £440 and the run also topped prices per head with a cracker and her single lamb selling at £410. Zwartbles ewes and lambs sold to a top of £200 per life from T Dowd-Simpson, Fairview whereas the Mules and continentals remain £100 to £130 per life and the eclectic mix of Swaledale’s, Herdwicks, Badgerface and Hebrideans sold anywhere from £50 to £80 per life.
Ewes & Lambs- £490 £440 £410 £390 M Lindley. £400 x2 T Dowd-Simpson. £310 x2 £290 S Beeforth. £285 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £280 £270 £260 £195 M&G Hodgson. £250 J Atkinson.
Store Sheep – The feeding sheep remain off the clock, a scattering of hoggs topped at £216 from Victoria Wilson, Calf Close with a North Country Cheviot tup. Feeding ewes rumble on relentlessly, a plainer show still averaging over £140. Three vendors reached £218 as JR Knox & Son, Charlotte Jervis and P Kirk all impressed. Mule ewes sold to an excellent top of £200 from A Martin & Co, Brandon House.
Store Hoggs- £216 Victoria Wilson. £178 J Atkinson. £170 Dan Clark. £144 £116 W Coatsworth. £144 £136 P Kirk. £132 C Townson.
Feeding Ewes- £218 £192 Charlotte Jervis. £218 £172 £136 £130 P Kirk. £218 £210 £178 £160 JR Knox & Son. £206 £188 M&G Hodgson. £200 A Martin & Co. £198 £160 J Atkinson. £186 £172 S Beeforth. £178 D Dowson. £170 £130 W Coatsworth.
