Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock incorporating their young handlers super single lamb competition on Monday 17th August 2026. Forward were 295 cattle and 1241 sheep.
58 cast Cows/OTM sold to 344ppk or £2589
30 Young Bulls sold to £1880
87 Store Steers sold to £2470
120 Store Heifers sold to £2060
71 Breeding Sheep sold to £360
874 Store Lambs sold to £180
296 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £224
Young Handlers Super Single Store Lambs
Thanks go to our judge Matthew Davies, also to our sponsors who are listed at ringside and to the parents who ensured that their budding young shepherds and shepherdesses were able to compete this morning. Last but by no means least, thanks must go to Dot in Dot’s Café who generously fed and watered the youngsters, smiling faces and full bellies across the board.
No doubting the star of the show was young 7-year-old Edward Cass of Beacon Farm, Scarborough; partly for winning the tri-coloured rosette but even more incredible was that the generous lad donated his Champion lamb to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The lamb was first bought by Messrs Sucksmith for £250 and immediately re gifted, the same happened again at £250 when the buyer was Ben Cowton, the final hammer fell at £170 to RN Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall leaving a super total of £670 heading to this worthwhile cause. Thanks to all concerned.
Taking the reserve rosette was Henry Dickinson, Old Hall Farm, Middlesbrough with his Charollais sired entry in class four; young Henry also took the top ticket in the native class with a Coloured Ryeland and he deservedly claimed the award for best Showman to round off his excellent day. Other top awards went the way of Edward Cass when he claimed the red ticket in the Texel sired class and to Partick Dodsworth, Woodbrae, Alston who took the prize for the best turned out with his Blackface gimmer lamb.
A great show from the next generation, well done to each and every one of them, a full breakdown of the winners can be seen below.
Best Turned out
Champion
Edward Cass, Beacon Farm (Beltex) sold for £170 (+£500)
All proceeds were kindly donated to the North Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Reserve Champion
Henry Dickinson, Old Hall Farm (Any Other Cont.) sold for £126
Best Single Beltex Sired Lamb
1st Edward Cass, Beacon Farm sold for £170
2nd Henry Dickinson, Old Hall Farm sold for £160
3rd Junior Wilson, Calf Close sold for £128
4th Ethan Sewell, Knavesmire sold for £108
Best Single Texel Sired Lamb
1st Edward Cass, Beacon Farm sold for £166
2nd Henry Dickinson, Old Hall sold for £144
3rd Jack Sewell, Knavesmire sold for £108
4th Junior Wilson, Calf Close sold for £123
Best Single Native Breed Sired Lamb
1st Henry Dickinson, Old Hall (Col Ryland) sold for £108
2nd Patrick Dodsworth, Woodbrae (Blackface) sold for £95
3rd Josh Burton, West Common Top (Cheviot) sold for £110
4th Freddie Dodsworth, Woodbrae (Leicester Longwool) sold for £92
Best Any Other Continental Sired Lamb
1st Henry Dickinson, Old Hall sold for £126
2nd Jack Sewell, Knavesmire sold for £119
Best Turned Out Lamb – Patrick Dodsworth, Woodbrae
Showmanship Award – Henry Dickinson, Old Hall
Cast Cattle – The cow trade continued at very similar levels to see them average 254ppk and £1715 this week. Top per kilo at 344 pence was an excellent Limousin OTM heifer from EW Grieves, Oakdene. Following at 340ppk was our top older cow of the day, a fantastic British Blue from GC & KJ White & Son, Rigg Farm; next in line at 338ppk was a super Limousin cow from J Dixon, Stainton Manor with four more just adrift in the 320’s. None could stop the lovely Limousin cows from J Dixon, Stainton Manor in the gross value race, a top of £2589 and another at £2435 held off the challenge of our top native breed when EW Grieves sold a Beef Shorthorn OTM heifer at £2326 and 320ppk. The Willey family of Broomfield Farm ran riot at the top of the dairy breed price lists this week, the charging Chopwell based firm sold Montbéliard’s to 246ppk and £1988, Fleckvieh to 250ppk and £1802 and Friesians to 248ppk and £1688.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 344 320 G Moor. 340 294 254 GC&KJ White & Son. 338 320 J Dixon. 326 Messrs Bell. 296 278 258 254 MJ Hutchinson. 284 280 250 246 A&AG Moralee. 282 276 ER&GI Younger. 282 274 250 W&R Kemp & Son. 262×2 ER&GI Younger. 260 RG Richardson. 250 GA Willey. 248 246×2 244×3 243 A Willey.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £2589 £2435 J Dixon. £2326 £2301 G Moor. £2300 Juaul Farms. £2270 £2033 £1988 £1802 A&AG Moralee. £2259 Messrs Bell. £2199 £1896 GC&KJ White & Son. £2118 MJ Hutchinson. £2020 RG Richardson. £1988 £1820 £1802 £1793 A Willey. £1984 £1914 ER&GI Younger. £1975 £1959 £1702 W&R Kemp & Son.
Store Cattle – Another solid show for the time of year, some remarkable returns for the strongest end, plenty of fire surrounds the younger sorts, the mid-range cattle would be no dearer. Top at a whopping £2470 were a thumping pair of Aberdeen Angus steers from Mark-Johnson Racing, Park Farm; following the leaders was an impressive run from JP Phelan, Mill Pond Farm with Hereford steers to a top of £2360 and Aberdeen Angus to £2300. GS Bainbridge, Ketton Lodge sold a smart run of 17-19-month-old Limousin steers which topped at £2300 and twice sold for £2260. Top of the heifers at £2060, £2030 and £2020 were a tidy packet of British Blues from D Robson & Sons, Merryshields. Sticking with the heifers, following the Merryshields trio came smart 16-month-old Limousin’s from Messrs Beckwith, New Hall at £2010 and £2000 and two lovely 14-15-month-old Limousin’s from JC Hope & Son, Cornhow Farm at £1980.
Store Bulls £1880 £1500×2 £1490×3 W&R Kemp & Son. £1860×2 £1700×3 £1590 Wilkinson & Son. £1600×2 £1560×2 £1390×2 SC Barron. £1420 £1400 £1300 £1280 DG&GM Robinson. £1360 GH&RG Stobbs.
Store Steers £2470×2 Mark Johnston Racing Ltd. £2360 £2300 £2170 £2120 £2060×2 £2030 £1960 £1920 £1780×3 JP Phelan. £2300 £2260×2 £2190 GS Bainbridge. £2240 G Beadle. £2030 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1900×2 £1730 £1720 DJ Lister. £1830×2 PJ Glass. £1810×2 £1800×2 £1780×3 £1760 £1750 Messrs Shepherd. £1800 £1780×2 £1740×4 £1720 £1700×4 JC Hope & Son. £1770 GH&RG Stobbs. £1760 I Newton & Son.
Store Heifers £2060 £2030 £2020 £1880 £1820 D Robson & Sons. £2010 £2000 £1980 £1960 £1920 Messrs Beckwith. £1980 £1820 WO Grix & Partners. £1980×2 £1910 JC Hope & Son. £1960×2 £1810 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1920 £1840 £1820 I Newton & Son. £1890×2 £1870 J Dent. £1810×7 JP Phelan. £1800 £1790×5.
Store & Breeding Sheep – The shearlings keep moving nicely to average £303.50, either side of £300 just dependant on scope and skins. Top on its own at £360 was a smart single continental from CA & JG Skidmore, Needless Hall; everything else in the shearlings sold £265 to £320. Store lambs were in stunning form, the best bewildering, the big blistering and the small superb as a very mixed offering averaged £115.40. Two tremendous Beltex from MR Cass, Beacon Farm set the bar when they sold for £180, the best big lambs consistently sold in the £140’s, £150’s and £160’s. The Mules were motoring too, a terrific run from TE Dobson, Unthank Farm saw their top pen of thirty-one sell for £144 and the next thirty-five reach £130. Running lambs £100-£120 and only the very small south of three figures. Feeding ewes continue to fly on a Monday, the whole kit and caboodle averaged £134. Two shapely Texel ewes from DG & PD Ayre, Roger Moor led the way when they sold for £224; other vendors with good ewes beyond £200 included D & PH Brown, Cordilleras plus AWSM Farms, Hutton Magna and first-time vendors MA & IJ Brumby, Elm Cottage, Market Rasen. Mule ewes sold to average £123 to a top of £154 from PJ Anderson & Son, Lydgate Avenue plus we saw Cheviot’s to £152, Teeswaters to £135, Swaledale’s to £110, Jacobs to £102 and Hebridean’s to £67.
Breeding Sheep-
Gimmer Shearlings- £360 £320 £310 £305 £300 x4 £295 £280 CA&JG Skidmore. £305 SG Harrison & Son.
Store Lambs-
Beltex- £180 £162 £158 MR Cass. £170 Edward Cass. £160 Henry Dickinson. £128 J Wilson.
Charollais- £168 Edward Cass. £127 MA&IJ Brumby.
Texel- £166 Edward Cass. £148 £147 £140 MR Cass. £152 Evie Sayer. £146 £139 £128 T Grix. £144 JE Bullock. £133 GH Lister. £130 DM&PM Nelson & Sons. £128 PJ Anderson & Son. £126 I Curry. £126 £124 T Walton. £123 J Wilson.
Mule- £144 £130 TE Dobson. £110 £100 W Burton.
Continental- £129 £118 £117 £116 K Sayer. £127 £113 £110 A Wilson. £126 £108 JE Bullock. £126 JW Collin. £124 £122 £116 MA&IJ Brumby. £119 Jack Sewell. £118 I Curry. £115 JF Harland. £101 A Toward.
Suffolk- £127 £111 JD Teasdale. £110 JR Allan.
Cheviot- £120 K Hutler. £110 Josh Burton.
Coloured Ryeland – £108 Henry Dickinson.
Black Faced- £95 PN Dodsworth.
Leicester Longwool – £92 FJ Dodsworth.
Feeding Ewes- £224 £200 £152 £142 DG&PD Ayre. £216 £212 £190 £148 D&PH Brown. £208 £195 £188 £182 £172 £160 £142 MA&IJ Brumby. £206 £186 £177 AWSM Farms. £190 £154 PJ Anderson & Son. £184 N&LL Brown & Son. £180 JR Allan. £152 Josh Burton. £150 A Swinbank. £148 A Pennell. £148 RI Jones.
