Welsh mountain unit - very low inputs + smaller efficient sucklers
“Llerneuaddau, a 600ha high mountain unit, 12 miles inland from Aberystwyth, signed up to the Glastir agri-environment scheme in 2013; it’s currently delivering one third of the unit’s income, whilst one third is from BPS and the remainder from stock sales. The latter income is where the profit lies and it’s the only portion that we can influence which is why we have adopted a very low input strategy which features smaller Highland suckler cows and their Beef Shorthorn cross, and why we place a big emphasis on measuring stock efficiency to improve farm output”.
Christopher Evans and farm manager, Rheinallt Jones
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Putting milk back in to a Continental suckler herd
“Putting milk back in to our Continental sucklers was amongst the measures we’ve taken towards improving the unit’s efficiency and making more profit. Whilst we like the Continentals, seven years on and we also like our Beef Shorthorn crosses; they are demonstrating real hybrid vigour, they’ve reintroduced the milk we were looking for and they’re proving to be the most efficient in terms of overall performance.”
David Monkhouse
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A criss cross breeding strategy at Dalswinton
“Beef Shorthorn Angus cows currently make up 65% of Dalswinton Estate’s 500 cow suckler enterprise. The breed’s natural hardiness and maternal traits combined with temperament are being blended with the unit’s Angus genetics to deliver a profitable enterprise trading 10 to 12-month-old calves, and it is one on which to build for the future.”
Dalswinton’s Peter Landale
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SRUC Kirkton Farm
“We introduced Beef Shorthorn to our Angus cross cows in 2016. Whilst the cows were working well, I felt that some of them - those with thinner skins were not coping as well as they should in our extremely harsh environment, our average rainfall is nearly 3m. The decision has paid off.”
SRUC Kirkton Farm Manager, Ewen Campbell
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Grazing the Somerset Levels
“We are breeding a functional suckler cow, one that’s sustainable on our hard land, and has a good temperament; I have a full-time job so it’s vital our cattle are easy to handle and virtually look after themselves. We select for milk and frame. We are aiming for a mature cow ranging between 550kg to 650kg and weaning a calf 40-50% her body weight; that’s efficiency.”
Ross Whitcombe.
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