Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held a special sale of breeding cattle in conjunction with their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock and their fortnightly sale of rearing calves. Forward were 315 cattle and 64 sheep.
50 Cast Cattle/OTM sold to 344ppk or £3409
1 Breeding Bull sold for £4000
10 Bulling Heifers sold to £1900
1 In Calf Heifer sold for £1950
27 Cows/Heifers & Calves sold to £4500
35 Young Bulls sold to £2000
29 Store Steers sold to £1780
60 Store Heifers sold to £3000
39 Feeding Sheep sold to £218
10 Ewes & Lambs sold to £290
75 Rearing Calves sold to £860
Cast Cattle – Cows dearer on the week to see averages rise to 270ppk and an impressive £1849 per head. Bidding twice reached 344 pence per kilo, a Limousin OTM heifer from JA & UM Fawcett, Manor House was joined at the top by AJ Marr & Son, Old Ravensworth with a super 991kg Limousin bull reaching £3409. Other vendors impressing included K & MM Henderson, West Witton Row with a Limousin bull at £3007 whilst WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House produced a great run of cows to tops of 328ppk and £2852. A smart pair of South Devon cows from Sykes Produce Ltd, New Farm and also DL & D Lovegreen, Prospect House topped the native breeds when they sold to tops of 280ppk and £2260 respectively. Sykes Produce also topped the dairy breeds with impressive Fleckvieh steers selling to 320ppk and £2083, the black and white cow accolades went to Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm with highs of 280ppk and £1808.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 328 324 318 260 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 318 278 J Dixon. 312 JN Swinbank. 292 286 WA Wardman Ltd. 292 290 KO Stones. 282 260 B Watson. 280 Sykes Produce Ltd. 280 274 258 TW Clark & Son. 280 Wilkinson & Son. 278 GK KN & GJ Hird. 274 DL&D Lovegreen. 272 A Crowder. 272 Taylor Bros. 268 G Cant. 264 AJ Marr & Son. 260 RA&S Darling Farms. 256 JS Foster & Son. 254 JR Addison & Son.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2852 £2731 £2650 £2241 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2542 JN Swinbank. £2260 DL&D Lovegreen. £2215 £1918 KO Stones. £2168 £1876 JS Foster & Son. £2094 Sykes Produce Ltd. £2063 J Dixon. £2048 A Crowder. £2034 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2028 G Cant. £1988 £1926 TW Clark & Son. £1953 G Scott. £1927 £1899 WA Wardman Ltd. £1895 B Watson. £1862 JR Addison & Son. £1837 AJ Marr & Son. £1835 RA&S Darling Farms.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 344 AJ Marr & Son. 306 K&MM Henderson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3409 AJ Marr & Son. £3007 K&MM Henderson.
OTM Clean Cattle – Top prices ppk 344 322 JA&UM Fawcett. 320 302 296 Sykes Produce Ltd.
Lead Grossing OTM Clean Cattle £2083 £2016 £296 Sykes Produce Ltd. £1458 £1441 JA&UM Fawcett.
Breeding Cattle – A large crowd assembled for the special sale of breeders, all classes sold away very well. The only bull on offer was a well put together 16-month-old Aberdeen Angus from RC Turnbull & Son, Foxfoot Hay Farm; he sold for a pleasing £4000. A run of 15-month-old Aberdeen Angus heifers fit to bull from RC Bramwell & Sons, High Barns topped with a smart pair at £1900 whilst a bonnie Beef Shorthorn heifer in calf from GL Riby, Low Stonehills sold for £1950. Those with claves on the ground were headed by a lovely 4-year-old British Blue with a 1-month-old Limousin sired heifer calf at foot from W Tindale, Paradise Farm when she was knocked down for £4500. Two vendors followed at £4000 as J Sisterton, Newlands Haugh matched M Gallon, High Crows. Plenty of other tidy continental outfits followed over £3000, top of the native breeds at £2700 was a lovely Beef Shorthorn heifer and calf from the aforementioned GL Riby, Low Stonehills.
Breeding Cattle:
Cows & Calves – £4500 £3900 W Tindale. £4000 £3200 J Sisterson. £4000 M Gallon. £3700 G&JM Blackburn. £3100 £3000 £2950 £2800 £2650 £2600 Foley Bros. £2700 £2450×2 £2400×2 £2350×3 £2320 £2200×2 £2050×2 GL Riby.
In Calf Heifers – £1950 GL Riby.
Bulling Heifers – £1900×2 £1800×2 £1660×2 £1640×2 £1600×2 RC Bramwell & Sons.
Breeding Bulls – £4000 RC Turnbull & Son.
Store Cattle – The store cattle bucked the national trend and went dearer; some cattle would be £100 to £150 up. A breathtaking run of high-quality heifers from Five Houses, Yarm look deserving of first mention; the best of them a 14-month-old Limousin sold for £3000, others from the same excellent run sold for £2900, £2750, £2720 and £2700. Two vendors shared the top spot in the steers at £1780, am 11-month-old British Blue from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook was twice matched by SC Barron, Maunby House with Limousin steers aged 17-22-months. Earlier in the sale the young bulls looked a sharp shot, top at £2000 was a 16-month-old British Blue from RL Dent, Mount Pleasant; the same good home also had bulls at £1920 and £1900 although second spot went to JJ Kemp & Son, Elstob Hill at £1980, the top native breed bull went to GL Riby, Low Stonehills with a 15-month-old Beef Shorthorn at £1880.
Store Bulls – £2000 £1920 £1900 RL Dent. £1980 £1840 £1740×2 JJ Kemp & Son. £1880×3 £1580 £1560×3 £1420×2 GL Riby. £1880 £1860 £1700GS Dixon. £1760 £1720 £1620 £1540 £1480 £1180 Wilkinson & Son. £1420 SC Barron. £1300×2 £1100×2 JK Gregory. £980 £820 W Burton. £940 SG Hall.
Store Steers £1780×2 £1770 £1680 £1650×3 £1570 SC Barron. £1780 £1680 £1640 KO Stones. £1760×5 Beckwith. £1670 TT Hall & Son. £1660 WA Wardman Ltd. £1570 £1420 £1400 GP Addison. £1540 D Clemitson. £1440×2 £1420 BA Swallow. £1430 N Basey & Son. £1420 JD Teasdale.
Store Heifers £3000 £2900 £2750 £2720 £2700 £2550 £2200 £1900 A Kitson & Son. £1940 £1850 £1830 £1790 MV N & D Cutler. £1850 £1800 GW&L Marsay. £1820×2 £1780 £1730×2 £1710×2 £1700 Wilkinson & Son. £1770 £1600×2 GA&C Jopling. £1690 £1660 £1650×2 £1620 £1610×3 WA Wardman Ltd. £1620 GP Addison. £1610 B Watson. £1580×2 D Clemitson. £1550×2 N Basey & Son.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The numbers are naturally dwindling now, that mattered little as the fiery trade of late certainly continued. Top of the ewes and lambs at £290 were a pair of continental crosses suckling singles from R Wharton & L Nelson, Borren House when they sold for £290. A small offering of store hoggs topped at £210 from A Wilson, Calf Close Farm and the feeding ewes were flying again, topped twice at £218 from KO Stones, Nun Cote Nook.
Ewes & Lambs – £290 £275 £200 £185 £180 R Wharton & L Nelson. £200 D Wearmouth.
Feeding Ewes – £218×2 £80 KO Stones. £198 £180 £168 £160 £140 KA&V Armstrong. £196×2 £176 N Armstrong. £182 3178 A&D Heyes. £122 J Featherstone.
Store Hoggs – £210 £78 A Wilson. £178 N Armstrong.
Rearing Calves – Extraordinary scenes in the calf ring today, with a predominantly younger show and still showing terrific prices all round, arguably the dearest we have seen the calves in a long time. Top price of today goes to A Hall & Son, Barker House, with a cracking Angus bull making £860, sharing joint place at the top was JT Forster & Son, Killerby Farm, with another Angus Bull at £860. Following in the bull section, with a British Blue is Deerness Valley Dairy, making £730, whilst the same homes consignment of 45 British Blue, Angus & Hereford calves traded regularly between £550-£700. Sykes Produce Ltd, made £755 with a terrific beef bred Shorthorn Heifer calf, whilst Stockdale Partners of White House Farm, achieved £650 with a 1-month-old British Blue Heifer.
Bull Calves:
7 British Blue Bulls averaged £696
16 Aberdeen Angus Bulls averaged £651
9 Hereford Bulls averaged £635
4 Friesian Bulls averaged £357
Angus – £860 £705 £660 £645 £620 £615 JT Forster & Son. £860 A Hall & Son. £660 G Thompson & Son. £630 £620×2 £610 £590 £580 Deerness Valley Dairy. £590 £560 Stockdale Partners.
British Blue – £730 £710×2 £680 £670 Deerness Valley Dairy. £705 £670 Stockdale Partners.
Hereford – £700 £660 £650×2 £640 £630 £620 £600 £570 Deerness Valley Dairy.
Friesian – £400 Stockdale Partners. £390 £300 G Thompson & Sons. £340 JT Forster & Son.
Heifer Calves:
2 Beef Shorthorn Heifers averaged £672
3 British Blue Heifers averaged £598
20 Aberdeen Angus Heifers averaged £541
14 Hereford Heifers averaged £539
Shorthorn £755 £590 Sykes Produce Ltd.
British Blue – £650 £610 Stockdale Partners. £535 JT Forster & Son.
Angus – £630 £620 £600×2 £570×2 £555 £540 £530 £510×2 £490 Deerness Valley Dairy. £550 £540 £530 £520 JT Forster & Son. £540 £500 £470 G Thompson & Sons. £450 A Hall & Son.
Hereford – £630 £610 £600 £555×2 £545 £540×2 £530×3 £500 £430 Deerness Valley Dairy. £460 T Stephenson.
