A criss cross breeding strategy at Dalswinton
Dalswinton Estate, Dumfriesshire
500 cow suckler herd: Beef Shorthorn cross Angus: criss cross breeding strategy
2,400ha LFA inc
1,000ha of mainly grassland running from the River Nith at 30’ to 1000’
1,000ha forestry
Dalswinton Estate team, from left, Matthew Murray, Andy Williamson, Peter Landale and Mark Lochart
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.
Since 2012 we have worked on introducing a criss cross breeding strategy and improved our grassland management which has enabled us to successfully expand the suckler herd by over 50% and achieve critical mass, and Beef Shorthorn has helped us to minimise fixed costs and improve our efficiency.
Introducing the breed has enabled us to split the herd 50:50 to winter outdoors on the hill and forage crops, consequently we’ve avoided having to invest a six-figure sum in new additional accommodation with accompanying labour and equipment. Farming a quiet breed helps to reduce the overall workload for our four-strong team.
Beef Shorthorn is proving pivotal to successfully achieving our goal. We have focused on finding a way of farming that is not too intensive, yet profitable and sustainable. We’ve reached a position where we are breaking even before payments; we believe the business can now sustain the changes scheduled under a new post Brexit regime, without the current support system.
Peter Landale, who manages in-hand his Dumfriesshire property
Beef Shorthorn cross in-calf sucklers outwintering at Dalswinton
June 2020 update
Our outwintered Beef Shorthorn cross cows fared well. After spaining they were rough grazed on the hill until early November. They were then strip grazed on swift rape until late February. Overall, they came through in good condition in a fairly typical wet south west Scotland winter.
Early March they are on baled silage and 1kg/head/day of suckler rolls hopefully to boost colostrum. Calving started on the 15 March in ideal conditions. Out of a batch of 60 cows only two needed assistance and both were breech. The calves were vigorous and were soon up and suckling. A batch of 50 Blue Greys in calf to the Beef Shorthorn all calved themselves.
We sold the 2019 born Beef Shorthorn cross calves in Stirling between February and March
Bullocks averaged; 400.05kg DLWG 1.06KG 333 days £872.95 x 66
Heifers averaged; 368.52kg DLWG 0.90KG 348 days £768.15 x 27
We’ll shortly be AIing to the Angus, 35 of the 90 Beef Shorthorn cross heifer replacements; they averaged 420kg at 16 months.