- Location
- Durham, UK
Thursday’s Report 
Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of Prime Stock on Thursday 11th February 2021. Forward were 322 Cattle and 1549 Sheep. 113 Prime Bulls sold to 257ppk or £1999 49 Prime Steers sold to 270ppk or £1675 154 Prime Heifers sold to 284ppk or £1816 6 Cast Cows sold to 209ppk or £1536 1185 Prime Hoggs sold to 326ppk or £154 364 Cast Sheep sold to £152 Prime Bulls (113) – Dearer for all classes, the best bulls very easy to place and despite 40% of those offered Holstein Friesians a whopping sale average of 207 pence per kilo was achieved. Top price this week, a feather in the cap for the British Blonde’s, as a homebred superstar from F & J S Gargett of Westwick Farm sold for a tremendous 257 pence per kilo whilst the highest gross value was an astonishing £1999 from J C Johnson, Beanley Carr Farm with a tremendous 840kg homebred Limousin. An incredible 20 bulls today with a value over £1700, of those 5 were in the £1800’s and an amazing 5 sold beyond £1900; the pence per kilo column also reads well as 2 topped 250ppk with a further 5 in the 240’s and 14 more beyond 230ppk. A welcome change this week for any Newcastle fans as watching the Black and White’s was indeed a pleasure, the 43 of them averaged a very healthy 176ppk with top spots going to J M & S Walton, Brettanby Farm at 194ppk and the super consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall reaching £1223. Some of the top contenders in the bull ring this week were – J B Luck, Bowes sold 3 bulls to average 249ppk and £1835 A G Watson & Sons, Rushyford sold 6 bulls to average 230ppk and £1768 L S Staley, Marwood sold 2 bulls to average 224ppk and £1765 J J Horn, Richmond sold 2 bulls to average 228ppk and £1736 F & J S Gargett, Barnard Castle sold 3 bulls to average 233ppk and £1705 R W & R Henry, Worsall sold 4 bulls to average 234ppk and £1578 Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 257 240 F&JS Gargett. 255 249 244 JB Luck. 248 225 224 JJ Kemp & Son. 248 234 230 227 RW&R Henry. 246 236 230 227 AG Watson & Sons. 239 236 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 238x2 231 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 238 JC Johnson. 235 G&E Herdman. 235 227 224 AS&SM Kemp. 232 230 227 226 C Harle & Sons. 231 226 JJ Horn. 230 GH Farms. 230 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 229 LS Staley. 226 JK&CE Farming. 223 JA&A Herbert. 222x2 T Line. Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £1999 JC Johnson. £1953 £1922 F&JS Gargett. £1923 £1807 £1798 £1711 £1686 £1682 AG Watson & Sons. £1902 £1817 £1787 JB Luck. £1870 £1661 LS Staley. £1866 JJ Horn. £1785 £1702 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £1777 £1653 JJ Kemp & Son. £1768 £1628 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1745 RW&R Henry. £1742 R Hall & Son. £1709 £1663 £1641 £1633 AS&SM Kemp. £1686 £1679 £1651 £1636 C Harle & Sons. £1669 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1620 JK&CE Farming. Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 194 190x2 189x2 187 186x3 183 179 171 JM&S Walton. 192 191 R Hall & Son. 188x2 174 166 D&CA Henry. 186 183 172 165 JE&B Morgan & Sons. 180 164 154 C&M Atkinson & Sons. 179 156 148 J&JH Musgrave. 177 174x3 173 163 158 D Walker. 175 Berryfield Farms. 171 168 GW Dobson & Son. 169 JA&A Herbert. 152 148 R Carter & Son. Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1223 £1212 R Hall & Son. £1220 £1201 £1077 £1039 D&CA Henry. £1180 £1123 £1111 £1109 £1094 £1091x2 £1069X3 £1058 £1056 JM&S Walton. £1149 £1008 GW Dobson & Son. £1019 £966 £858 £830 JE&B Morgan & Sons. £1011 £888 £837 C&M Atkinson & Sons. £1002 Berryfield Farms. £997 £936 R Carter & Son. £997 JA&A Herbert. £995 £982 £979 £967 D Walker. Native Breed Bulls – Top prices ppk 236 219 JA&M Boyes Ltd. 226 207 203 190 AS&SM Kemp. 210 JK&CE Farming. Lead Grossing Native Bulls £1857 £1550 JA&M Boyes Ltd. £1718 £1693 £1683 £1622 AS&SM Kemp. £1449 JK&CE Farming. Clean Cattle (203) – A truly stunning trade this week, the terrific display of local cattle were complimented by vendors who had travelled from Fife in the North and as far South as Northamptonshire; all in attendance enjoyed a hot ringside with a full parliament of buyers surrounding it. Congratulations today must go to the Renton family of High Highlaws who not only secured the leading price per kilo but also the highest gross value, a remarkable achievement with homebred cattle on a day with over 200 clean cattle forward. The Renton’s top price per kilo was a very sweet 529kg Limousin heifer which sold for 284 pence (£1502) whilst their top gross value was truly something special, so much so that at the grand old age of 33 months the beautiful British Blue heifer still sold for 254ppk and £1816. Topping the steers today per kilo was a very smart Limousin from W Armstrong, Coxhoe which sold for 270ppk whilst the Henshaw family of Mainsgill Farm Shop got in on the act selling the leading gross valued steer at £1675. Some fabulous returns today as the heifers averaged over 239 pence, some 46 clean cattle beyond £1500 and more than 60 over 250 pence per kilo. Some of our superb runs of cattle today are listed below, special mention must go to the Hirst’s of Neasham who produced 26 heifers that any yard would have been proud to show. Renton Highlaws, Morpeth sold 5 (4h,1s) to average 270ppk and £1671 T N Callender, Stockton sold 3 Heifers to average 268ppk and £1489 B Walker, Dalton-on-Tees sold 3 Heifers to average 266ppk and £1579 T W Clark & Son, Durham sold 4 Heifers to average 257ppk and £1494 R Hirst, Neasham sold 26 Heifers to average 254ppk and £1393 J E Suddes, Cornsay Colliery sold 5 Heifers to average 253ppk and £1450 M F Hall, Ponteland sold 6 Heifers to average 252ppk and £1499 Askwiths, Crook sold 5 (2h,3s) to average 251ppk and £1510 J V & J A Hodgson, Summerhouse sold 12 Heifers to average 250ppk and £1532 Continental Steers – Top prices ppk 270 245 240 238 W Armstrong. 264 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 264 253 230 Askwiths. 250 MI Wainwright. 247 JC&P Tallentire. 245 214 B Nichols. 244 236 230 222 218 217 216 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 232 227 218 193 A&MJ Henshaw. 215 Berryfield Farms. Lead Grossing Continental Steers £1675 £1597 £1382 A&MJ Henshaw. £1634 £1605 £1528 Askwiths. £1617 £1557 £1526 £1352 W Armstrong. £1598 £1578 £1557 £1476 £1414 £1403 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. £1585 JC&P Tallentire. £1549 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1482 B Nichols. £1370 MI Wainwright. Friesian Steers – Top prices ppk 191 A&CA Stanwix. 186 180 177x3 175 174 172 Berryfield Farms. 185 B Nichols. Lead Grossing Friesian Steers £1309 B Nichols. £1142 A&CA Stanwix. £1077 £1057 £1047 £1045 £1040 £1023 £1014 Berryfield Farms. Native Breed Steers – Top prices ppk 216 214 A&MJ Henshaw. 216 214 200 198 188 180 Berryfield Farms. 212 B Nichols. 185 D Collins. Lead Grossing Native Breed Steers £1442 £1414 A&MJ Henshaw. £1411 B Nichols. £1258 £1177 £1166 £1007 Berryfield Farms. £997 D Collins. Heifers – Top prices ppk 284 278x2 254 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 277 268 259 W Armstrong. 275 267 251 247 MF Hall. 275 250 TW Clark & Son.272 270 264 TN Callender. 269 266x2 265x2 261 260 259x3 257x2 255x3 254 R Hirst. 268 249 Askwiths. 268x2 264 B Walker. 266 247 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 266 264x3 259 257 256 JV&JA Hodgson. 265 252 248 MI Wainwright. 262 IW Cairns. 261x2 258 253 JE Suddes & Son. 260 GH Farms. 255 T Collins. 254 J&A&DA Horn. 250 249 K&J Heslop. 247 T Collins. Lead Grossing Heifers £1816 £1776 £1712 £1502 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £1791 £1666 MF Hall. £1744 AS&SM Kemp. £1655 £1517 TN Callender. £1647 £1623 £1610 £1579 £1577 £1572 £1568 £1529 £1488 JV&JA Hodgson. £1645 £1613 B Walker. £1628 £1563 £1526 JE Suddes & Son. £1610 J&A&DA Horn. £1598 £1540 £1498 £1494 MI Wainwright. £1579 £1556 TW Clark & Son. £1577 £1516 £1505 £1457 £1451 R Hirst. £1564 £1451 IW Cairns. £1540 £1459 K&J Heslop. £1538 T Collins. £1527 W Armstrong. Cast Cows (6) – A scattering of cows forward this week, the pick of them a terrific empty bellied weighing machine from A S & S M Kemp of Whitwell Farm as the 5 year old Limousin sold for an impressive 209 pence per kilo and £1536. It turned out to be a good day for the Whitwell firm as they also produced an Over Thirty Month heifer (sold through the clean) at an impressive £1744 and 9 prime bulls to average over £1650. Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 209 187 AS&SM Kemp. 146 138 135 119 J Norman. Lead Grossing Cast Cows £1536 £1387 AS&SM Kemp. £1149 £988 £927 £812 J Norman. Prime Hoggs (1185) – The sheep trade continues to prove the post Brexit doom-mongers wrong, todays average over £121 and a splendid 264ppk with an SQQ of 275ppk, no weight caps, reductions or deductions as demand was high for all shapes and sizes, creeds and colours. Top price per kilo for an astonishing 4th week running were C S & V Whitfield of High Castledene, Knitsley as they reached an impressive 326ppk with a trio of Beltex, 20 today from this home averaged 292ppk and £120, the top gross value today came out of Weardale and the good home of Fletcher & Coates who sold a tremendous Texel for £154. Some expertly fed runs of sheep today, none more so than regular visitor A C Simpson & Son of Witton-le-Wear who turned out 40 heavyweights to average £141.55. Other good local runs of hoggs from Whitby, Newton Aycliffe, Ferryhill and Cornsay to mention but a few were joined by a nice run of 200 all the way from Worksop. Hoggs – Top prices ppk 326 325 311 296 CS&V Whitfield. 317 289 TN Callender. 306 290 GMT Foljambe. 303 292 291 TH Richardson & Son. 298 290 280 SC Brown. 294 D Stainthorpe. 294 EA Martin. 291 280 JH&D Wise. 289 D Turford. 284 HN&R Tweddle. 282 RH Wilson & Son. 281 JR Knox & Son. 281 CJM Hedley. 281 278 JK&CE Farming. 278 RD&D Elders & Son. 277 C Dawson. 276 B Storey. 276 275 SJ Love. 276 273 272 C Orton. Lead Grossing Hoggs £154 £143.50 £138 £134 Fletcher & Coates. £151.50 £146.50 £143 £138.50 £135.50 AC Simpson & son. £146 JK&CE Farming. £143.50 W Denham. £142.50 HN&R Tweddle. £140 £132 CS&V Whitfield. £137.50 £135.50 £128.50x2 A Williamson. £136.50x2 £130 TN Callender. £135 R Wood & Son. £134.50 GMT Foljambe. £133.50 £129 C Dawson. £133 K&MM Henderson. £132.50 D Stainthorpe. £132.50 £129.50 JR Knox & Son. £129.50 TH Dowson. Cast Ewes & Rams (364) – The ewe trade might not want to take off however as it tries desperately to hang on to the coat tails of the fast moving hogg trade it has little choice but to keep rising. All classes dearer this week with the top Texel from W Denham, Dent Gate a terrific £152 whilst the fit Mules sold from £88-£99 and the better end of the horned ewes £55-70 on the day. Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £152 £110 £98x2 W Denham. £150 £119 £104 £99 J Pallister. £139 TH Richardson & sons. £119 £116 £93 EA Martin & Son. £109 W Wearmouth & Son. £108 £105 £93 F&JS Gargett. £99 K&MM Henderson. £99 HS Petch. £98 £96 £91 TK Smith & Sons. £98 B Alcock. £98 T&AE Miller. £97 E Scott & Sons. £97 RO Gilson. £92 W Tyreman & Sons. £90 CW Cutler. Prime Pigs – Top prices ppk 100x2 J Mitchell & Son. Lead Grossing Prime Pigs £84 £81 J Mitchell & Son.
, they were an equal set of lambs that went both ways so hard to work the job out!
