0818 Luing Journal.indd

Transcription

“The Premier Market for the Premier Breed”
FRIDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2011
Forty Sixth Annual Show and
Sale of Registered Luing Cattle
(held under the auspices of the Luing Cattle Society)
Wallets Marts are delighted to host the 46th Annual Show and Sale of
Registered Luing Cattle. Once again we will have forward consignments
from all the leading herds from within this popular breed. Purebred
Luings and Luing crosses are recognised as one of the most versatile and
prolific suckler cows available in todays market. Therefore a visit to Castle
Douglas on 11th February is essential to anyone looking to source top
quality suckler replacement stock.
2010 saw bulls sell to a top of 13,000gns averaging £4,136 with bulling
heifers selling to 3,000gns and averaging £1,631 and in-calf heifers topping
at 2,500gns and averaging £2,018.
We also have a strong demand for Luing Store Cattle at our fortnightly
Store Sales as well as our Annual Suckled Calf Sale in October.
WALLETS MARTS
CASTLE DOUGLAS LTD
New Market Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1HY
Tel: 01556 502381
Fax: 01556 504414
e-mail: walletsmarts@auctionmarts.com
visit our website on www.walletsmarts.co.uk
The Luing Cattle
Society Limited
Wester Drumlochy, Lornty, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6TD
CONTENTS
Office Bearers and Members of the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Diary Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
From the Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Promotional Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Secretary Writes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Society News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Around the Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
West Preston Open Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Out and About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Luing Shorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Royal Highland Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Ballyoan Heifer Raffle Prize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Royal Ulster Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Canadian Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Charlie Bell Interview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
AGM Dinner and Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Premier Bull Sale Line-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Cattle Breeding in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Promoting Luing Cattle in Northern England . . . . . . . . . . 48
Photographic Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Price of Pride – Dr Norman Weatherup . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Directors’ Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Extracts from Rules, Regulations and Bye-Laws . . . . . . . 56
List of Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
ADVERTISERS
FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: STEPHEN LITTLE
Heifer in the snow January 2010
Printed by Shore Print & Design Ltd
Office 4 Clinton’s Yard, Rigs Road,
Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS1 2RF
t: 01851 702993 e: shona@shore-print.co.uk
THE LUING JOURNAL – JANUARY 2010
Bank of Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
Barr, Milkieston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cadzow Brothers Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31
Caledonian Marts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cameron, Monzie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Clement & Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fawcett, Merkland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Fox, College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Galloway & Macleod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Girvan, Buckholm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Henry & Co, Ettrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Hi Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Hugh O’Neil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
John Watson Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outside Back Cover
MacArthur & Co, Nunnerie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
McCorkindale, Scammadale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
McGowan, Dirnanean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
McNee, Benhar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Merial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Moffat, Wooplaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Murray, Rockcliffe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Penny, Harehead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Park, Drinkstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Portequip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
SAC Veterinary Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Symons, Attonburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Towns & Carnie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
United Auctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Upper Chatto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wallets Marts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
Welbeck Scottish Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
www.luingcattlesociety.co.uk
R. A. Clement & Co
Chartered Accountants
Accounts Preparation, • Book Keeping, VAT, PAYE
Income Tax – all aspects • Business Plan and Forecasts.
Specialising in
All aspects of Farming including
Entitlements/Single Farm Payments/Herd Basis etc
Main Contacts
William Wyllie
Vivian Clement
1 Seaford Street Kilmarnock KA1 2BZ
Tel: 01563 522783/528486
Email: office@ClementAndSon.co.uk
Website: www.ClementAndSon.co.uk
Perth Bull Sales 2011
7th - 9th February
Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford, Luing Limousin, British Blue and Blonde
21st – 22nd February
Simmental and Charolais
Monday 2nd May
Special Sale of Pedigree and Commercial Luing and Luing Cross Females
Multi breed Show and Sale of Pedigree Bulls and Females
Entries close Monday 21st March
Saturday 22nd October
Annual special sale of Pedigree and Commercial Luing Cattle
STIRLING AGRICULTURAL CENTRE, STIRLING FK9 4RN
TEL: 01786 473055
EMAIL: stirling@uagroup.co.uk
2
e: secretary@luingcattlesociety.co.uk t: 01250-873882
LUING CATTLE SOCIETY LIMITED
Wester Drumlochy, Lornty, Blairgowrie,
Perthshire, PH10 6TD
Tel:01250-873882
E-mail: secretary@luingcattlesociety.co.uk
HONORARY PRESIDENT
R.A. Cadzow, Rannoch, 2 Home Bank, East Ord, Berwick on Tweed. Tel: 01289 331996
Office Bearers and Members of the Board 2010
CHAIRMAN
M. Mauchlen, Woodburn, Crieff, Perthshire, PH7 3RG
Tel: 01764 654364
VICE CHAIRMAN
S. Murray, West Preston, Kirkbean, Dumfries, DG2 8AU
Tel: 01387 880630
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN
C.J. Symons, Attonburn, Yetholm, Kelso, Roxburghshire, TD5 8PX
Tel: 01573 420242
Board Members
TO RETIRE 2011
D. Barr, Milkieston, Peebles Tel: 01721 730213
W.R. Girvan, Buckholm Farm, Galashiels Tel: 01896 752185
J. Newell, 6 Park Lane, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim Tel: 02827 665695
TO RETIRE 2012
D.G. Henry, Oakwood Mill, Selkirk Tel: 01750 23202
J. Colston, Arisaig Farms, Glen House, Arisaig Tel: 01687 450609
L. Robson, Kilchatton, Toberonochy, Isle of Luing, by Oban, Argyll Tel: 01852 314210
TO RETIRE 2013
T. Fox, Elsdonburn, Kirknewton, Wooler, Northumberland Tel: 01668 216341
W. Miller, Welbeck Scottish Farms, Ousdale Farm, Berriedale, Caithness Tel: 01431 821243
A. Smith, Low Moor Howe Farm Ltd., High House Farm, Winster, Windermere Tel: 01539 444060
FIELDSMAN
F.J.A. McGowan, Incheoch Farms, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH11 8HJ
Tel: 01575 560236 Fax: 01575 560771
BREED DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS
N.F. McGowan, Shealwalls, Alyth, Blairgowrie Tel: 01828 633652
R.H. McNee, Dumbuils, Forgandenny, Perth Tel: 01501 731980
BREED SECRETARY
J.C. Mackey, Wester Drumlochy, Lornty, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6TD
Tel: 01250 873882 E-mail: secretary@luingcattlesociety.co.uk
3
DIARY DATES
2011
17th December 2010
Closing date for Premier Luing Sale Entries
31st January 2011
Last day for 2010 born calf registrations
(All registrations received after this date will be
charged double registration fees).
Thursday 10th February 2011
The Urr Valley Hotel, Castle Douglas
5.30pm 45th Luing Cattle Society AGM
7.30pm Annual Dinner
Guest Speaker: Mr Ernie Coe
Entries are invited for the Photographic competition held annually at this time.
Classes included are: Stock; Society Event; Humorous – this may involve a
photograph, cartoon, anecdote, poem or anything related to Luing cattle or people!
Friday 11th February 2011
Wallets Marts, Castle Douglas
46th ANNUAL LUING SOCIETY PEDIGREE SALE
of Luing In-Calf and Bulling Heifers followed by Pedigree Luing bulls
9.30am: Judging of heifers in pens by Mike Halligan, Nether Stewarton, Peebles.
10.30am: Parade of Bulls
12 noon: Sale commences
Wednesday 18th May 2011
3rd Spring Luing Sale at Dingwall Mart
Tuesday 16th August 2011
Joint Open Day at Aikerness Farm and Garson, Orkney (home to Silwick & Garson
Luings respectively) by kind permission of the Ridland and Wood families
Saturday 22nd October 2011
Autumn Sale at United Auctions, Stirling Agricultural Centre
4
From the Chair...
It is not possible to report on the
past year without reference to
what, once again, has been the
main factor affecting farming – the
weather. The bottom line of every
farm business is greatly affected by
it. Believe it or not – 2010 is set to
be the hottest year on record! For
the vast majority of farmers in the
northern parts of the UK, 2010 will
join the other memorable years
-1947, 1963 and 1981-82 for
the amount of time the ground
has been covered with a thick
blanket of snow. For a great many
farmers with out wintered stock
the memory of the extra work
and extra expense, surviving last
winter will still be very fresh. This
was followed by a late cold spring
and early summer drought which
resulted in silage and hay crops
producing less than required for
this coming winter. Which in turn
increased competition for, what
in many areas were light crops of
straw, pushing prices to ever higher
levels. And here we are in the last
week of November with the land
covered once again in deep snow
– more extra work and extra feed.
Let’s hope the rest of this coming
winter is not a repeat of last year
(how often can you rebuild sheds?)
Fortunately for most businesses,
they do not have all their eggs
in one basket, and often need
the help of other enterprises to
support those which are not performing as well. This is certainly
the case for the beef sector at the
moment. In which despite the
recent seasonal lift in prices, it has
suffered a period of downward
drift in returns, over the past
year, due to adequate supplies
of dairy beef. There is growing
evidence to suggest that we may
be about to turn the corner with
global supplies of beef becoming
tighter and demand increasing as
economies recover.
Once again the recently published
report from QMS on enterprise
profitability highlights the true
cost of keeping cattle. It clearly
Matthew Mauchlen
Chairman 2010
illustrates the need for improved
farm gate prices for beef cattle to
deliver positive returns. It is very
interesting to see highlighted the
main factors which helped the LFA
suckler herd achieve improved
returns related to better physical
performance through:
• Higher calf rearing rates
• Higher sale weights
• Lower replacement rates
• Lower concentrate feed use
These are all attributes that are
strongly associated with the Luing
breed and this message must
be getting through. Once again
despite the relatively negative
theme covered, the Luing breed
has enjoyed another successful
year. With substantially more Luing
females available at sales this past
year, including the reduction sale
from Luing, the trade for all stock
forward held up very well and
again was supported by many new
buyers, from both north and south.
The ready availability of quality
cattle of a high health status has
helped make the Luing an easy first
choice, when looking for a new
direction for a suckler herd. The
society continued to promote the
breed throughout the year. The
open day, very successfully hosted
by Steven and Elaine Murray, at
West Preston, Dumfries in August
showed once again that when
you have a good story to tell, you
will get people to turnout. Good
weather, good cattle combined
with the RSPB conservation work
made for a very interesting day. At
the end of October we attended
the Borderway Agri-expo for the
first time. This event is now a
major calf show, attracting many
beef farmers from across the
country and will become a regular
date in the Luing Society calendar.
Many thanks to all who have
provided stock and help for the
various events this past year. The
quality of stock we have been able
to put on show makes the task
of promoting the breed easy and
enjoyable. I would like to conclude
by thanking council members,
both past and present for their
contributions over the last two
years. Particular thanks to Johnny,
whose feet are now firmly established under the Luing Society
desk, and who continues to find
ever more influential circles in
which to promote the breed! May I
wish everybody a prosperous and
possibly snow free – 2011.
The year letter for
calves born in
2011 is
N
5
HUGH O’NEIL & SONS
Ayr
Tel: (01292) 263374
Fax: (01292) 611186
Gates: Huge range of field/yard and internal gates,
5' high holding gates (any style/any size).
Fencing: Large stocks of British timber square and
round stobs (1st and 2nd class), straining posts, stays,
paling rails & crash barriers. Quality British made
Tornado and Sentinel wire netting, barb, plain, rabbit
netting and fencing ironmongery.
Feeding Equipment: Calf and cattle troughs, calf pens,
cattle and sheep feed rings, cattle feed barriers, calf
and lamb creep feeders, silage feed trailers, barley beef
feeders.
Handling Equipment: Cattle crushes to suit any breed,
headstock gates, portable cattle hurdles, cow cubicles
(all types), portable/fixed sheep penning, lamb weighers,
sheep rollover crates, foot baths, calf dehorners.
We specialise in made to measure cattle and sheep
housing and handling layouts.
Regular deliveries throughout Scotland.
Call anytime and let us quote you a keen price.
LUING SOCIETY
PROMOTIONAL
GOODS
Storestock Sales – Every Monday
Prime & Cast Sheep Sales – Every Tuesday
Prime Cattle Sales – Every Thursday
Special Sales of Breeding Cattle & Suckled Calves
Sheep Sales of Rams & Breeding Sheep
ALL KINDS OF VALUATION WORK
LAND AND CROP MEASUREMENTS
UNDERTAKEN BY QUALIFIED STAFF
Ties (green, blue or wine) ..........................£10.00
Sweater – 100% Lambswool (V-neck or
round neck – Sizes 36” – 52” ) .....................£33.00
Sweatshirt – heavy drop shoulder
(Small – Ex.Ex.large) ....................................£20.00
Fleece Jacket – full zip
(Small – Ex.Ex.large) ..................................£28.00
Polo shirts (Small – Ex.Ex.large) ..................£17.50
Prices for T-shirts, rugby shirts, baseball caps
and childrens wear on application.
All of these items are available in various colours.
Above prices include postage, packing and VAT.
Herd names can be added to most items at
an additional cost of £1.50.
Please state size and preferred colour when
ordering from:
J.C. Mackey, Wester Drumlochy,
Lornty, Blairgowrie, Perthshire,
PH10 6TD
6
The Secretary writes…
This report is always the last one I
write for the journal which comes
with a huge sense of relief that
one of the biggest jobs of the year
is completed. It also allows me to
point you in the direction of some
very good articles in this year’s
journal. However, I suspect I’m too
late as I seriously doubt if anyone
reads this report before the rest of
the journal!
We are in the midst of a fairly nasty
start to the winter which makes the
front cover I have recently signed
off all the more appropriate – a
superb picture I’m sure you will
agree from Stephen Little of the
Upper Chatto herd at Jedburgh.
Regarding the content of this year’s
journal, there are some excellent
guest articles from Claire Powell on
one of our former Directors Charlie
Bell, a very thought-provoking
piece from Dr. Norman Weatherup
from Northern Ireland on beef
production and two articles from
Iain Aitken in Canada and Neil
McGowan who visited Germany
– both giving us an insight into
cattle breeding in those countries.
An Englishman, a Scotsman and
the Welshman walk into a pub,
the barman (me) asks them what
they would like to drink but before
handing over the poison asks them
all to write an ‘Out and About’
article for the next Luing journal.
Admittedly that joke still needs
quite a bit of work however I’m
sure you will enjoy reading the
articles from Richard Manley, Shane
Cadzow and Gareth Lawton in the
Out and About section. Members
and commercial companies have
once again shown great support
to the Society this year by taking
out advertising and I’m sure you
will enjoy reading the publication
whilst taking in some of the superb
pictures and adverts inside.
Promotional activity at various
events this year has been very
rewarding. Two events in particular
stand out – the annual Beef Expo
at Hexham and the annual AgriExpo at Carlisle. Both proved to
Johnny C. Mackey
be excellent venues for getting
our message across to commercial
beef producers. We were also
regularly visited at both events by
new members who have joined
the Society within the past year
– a lot of them from the north of
England. One aspect of these events
that becomes very noticeable is the
dedication of the local members
to keeping the Luing stand in tiptop shape all day. Whenever we
set up our stand in advance of a
promotional event and pen the
cattle up, that is just the start of
the process. Local members can
usually be found fluffing up straw,
combing cattle or moving in and
out of pens to walk stock around to
allow visiting farmers a better look.
I usually try to get a look around
the other breed society stands at
these events, inevitably towards
the end of the day, and I’m always
surprised to find cattle in pens with
straw pushed back against the sides
leaving the stock standing lower
down and certainly not looking as
good as they did a few hours earlier.
Luing breeders are very conscious
of the main purpose of these events
which is to promote and ultimately
sell our cattle to potential new
breeders. So I’m hugely grateful for
the help I’ve had over the past year
at these events and in particular for
the dedication to the job in hand
shown by the members attending.
Fielding fresh enquiries from
farmers wishing to buy Luing cattle
or even join the Society is a regular
occurrence here at Luing HQ. This
activity has resulted in membership
being significantly up this year with
28 new members having joined,
and 24 of those having set up new
herds.
As well as a significant increase
in membership this year, there
has also been quite a jump in the
number of registered cattle active
on the pedigree database. The
number of herds registering calves
hasn’t changed significantly on
the year due to the recent influx
of new herds not yet registering
their own calves, however, we are
seeing a significant increase in the
number of herds using the on-line
registration service via Grassroots.
For 2009 registrations, 71% of herds
registered on-line accounting for
83% of the cows (an increase on the
year of 52% and 60% respectively).
Not only is this cheaper and easier
for breeders, it also allows us to
collect a lot more information on
each calf as explained in the short
article on page 53.
As always I am very grateful to
everyone who has helped me
and the Society out over the past
year. Whether supplying stock for
an event, helping out on various
stands, hosting a very successful
event such as the West Preston
Open day, writing articles for
this journal or, in the case of the
board and office bearers, generally
running the show and keeping me
right, it is all much appreciated. I
look forward to meeting up with
many of you over the coming
year – hopefully in Orkney at next
summer’s Open Day (week).
7
SOCIETY NEWS
44th Annual General Meeting
The 44th Annual General Meeting was held in the Urr Valley
Hotel, Castle Douglas on Thursday 4th February 2010 when a
high turnout of around 80 members and guests attended.
The Chairman commented on a very positive year for the Society.
Sales involving Luing cattle had gone well starting in Castle
Douglas the previous February and culminating in a very strong
trade for Luing and Sim-Luing heifer calves in Oban at the end
of October. Luing bulling heifers had averaged £1,350 over the
various sales throughout 2009. The Chairman made particular
mention of the first official Society sale at Dingwall which had
gone extremely well – largely due to the very high standard of
stock consigned. Promotional activity had also gone well with
particular mention made of the Society’s first attendance at the
Royal Ulster Show and also the successful open day at Charles &
Mary Symons Attonburn herd near Kelso.
Accounts for the year ended 31st October 2009 were presented
showing a profit for the year of £2,238 and General Reserves at
that date of £53,302.
Charlie Bell, Bruce Gilchrist and Andrew McNee stood down
from the board having served their term of office and being ineligible for re-election. They were warmly thanked for their support
and contribution and Ted Fox, Bill Miller and Alec Smith were
appointed to serve for a three year term.
2010 Dinner
Held in the Urr Valley Hotel on the evening prior to the Premier
Sale, over 100 members and friends enjoyed a fabulous occasion
amongst old and new friends. Jim Brown from Fettercairn,
Kincardineshire, who made a living as a grain trader, gave a very
entertaining after-dinner speech in which he talked about his
home county and the influence of the renowned Scottish author,
Lewis Grassic Gibbon.
Raffle proceeds of just over £1,000 were presented jointly
to Chest Heart Stroke Scotland and the Grassic Gibbon
Centre. Another very good entry in the annual photographic
competition, kindly sponsored by WCF Country Centres, was
judged by Wilbert Girvan and Molly Hodges who awarded prizes
to Steven Little, Marie MacKenzie and Neil McGowan in the
Stock section, Sarah Little, Neil McGowan and Steven Little in the
Society event section and Steven Little, Tooti Cadzow and Wendy
Mackey in the Humorous section.
Premier Sale 2011
The 46th Premier Sale will take place in Wallets Mart, Castle
Douglas on Friday 11th February 2011. You are reminded that:
• All bulls must be in the market by Wednesday night and heifers
must be penned by 12 noon on Thursday 10th February.
• The minimum age for bulls sold at Society Sales is 18 months
on the day of the sale and each bull must be in possession of
a certificate indicating that it has been approved for pedigree
use by the Society. In addition, bulls will be weighed at the sale
and must meet the minimum height measurement of 52” at
the shoulder. Bulls will be sold in age order with oldest bulls
sold first.
• Minimum scrotal circumference measurement for bulls
is 38cms. Measurements will be taken in the market and
displayed on the pen card along with the weight and height.
• All bulls presented at the Premier Sale must have been
vaccinated against BVD. Any bull testing virus positive runs the
risk of a very large claim for consequential loss.
• The minimum age for pedigree Luing females presented for
sale in February is 18 months on the day of sale. Prizes will
8
be awarded to the best pair of in-calf heifers and best pair of
bulling heifers – to be judged in the pens on the morning of
the Sale. Any animal with a black nose will be rejected by the
inspection panel.
• Vendors are totally responsible for ensuring that all animals
forward are correctly double tagged.
• All cattle will be sold under the terms and conditions of the
National Beef Association Warranties.
• There will be an upset price for bulls of 1,500gns.
A two year rolling commitment has been given to Wallets Marts
to stage the Premier Sale, to be confirmed yearly at the first
board meeting after the sale.
Bull Inspection – The board would like to encourage breeders
to have bulls inspected for Society Approval prior to private sale
– to avoid the potential problem of a bull being turned down
after being sold. Only bulls with dam scores for feet, locomotion,
udder and teats all of 5 or above (out of 10) will be approved for
use.
Breed Development – The Society will bear 50% of the cost of
DNA testing tail hairs from any bull; kits and further information
available from the office. Cost to the breeder is £13/sample.
Registrations – All calves born in 2010 must be registered
with the Society before 31st January 2011. Late registrations
will be charged double fees and will only be allowed if the
animal is under two years of age. The Society recommends
members use the on-line registration process via the website
(www.luingcattlesociety.co.uk - as well as to advise of deaths and
transfers). Those who have not yet done so, please contact the
office for further information and to obtain passwords. Note the
increased charges which apply to 2010-born registration fees of
an extra 50p/cow for those registrations received on paper.
Transfer Fees In order that registered pedigree Luing cattle born
after 1st January 2002 can be transferred into new ownership,
pedigree certificates must be returned to the office for updating.
Any female sold privately incurs a transfer fee of £10 per head
plus VAT, payable by the new owner. For bulls the transfer fee
has two tiers with a cut-off at 30 breeding cows (as listed on each
herd’s most recent annual return): herds from 1-30 cows will
pay a per cow transfer fee of £2/cow with a minimum fee payable
of £25. Those herds of 31+ cows will pay £100 + VAT. Bulls
and females sold at official Society sales (Premier Sale in Castle
Douglas, Spring Sale in Dingwall, Autumn Sale in Stirling) are
transferred free of charge.
Luing Website (www.luingcattlesociety.co.uk) The Society
website continues to prove a useful source of information on the
breed from commercial beef producers wanting to find out more
about Luing cattle and for breeders needing to download sales
entry forms, application forms or catalogues. Another very useful
feature is the ‘stock for sale’ pages which have seen dozens of
cattle advertised on behalf of breeders and are usually sold very
quickly on the back of contacts made from those pages.
Cattle health policy From 2011, all official Society sales
(Castle Douglas, Dingwall and Stirling) will have the same
entry conditions in terms of cattle health; i.e. cattle will only be
accepted for entry if they come from herds which are members
of a CHeCS (Cattle Health Certification Standards) accredited
health scheme such as HI Health herdcare or the Premium
Cattle Health Scheme. In addition to being a member of such a
scheme, herds must be dealing with the threat of BVD in their
herds by testing and vaccinating against the disease.
45th Premier
Pedigree Sale
Friday 5th February 2010
Wallets Marts, Castle Douglas
A very strong line up of both
breeding females and bulls bore fruit
at the 45th Premier Luing Sale which
took place on Friday 5th February at
Wallets Mart, Castle Douglas. Once
again there was a total clearance of
the 148 females forward.
AROUND THE
SALES
In-calf heifers were the real highlight
of the sale in setting a new breed
record average price of £2,018 for 36
sold. The previous record average of
£1,962 was set in 2007. It was clear
from the moment these heifers, all
from the Benhar and Rockcliffe herds,
came into the mart that they would
command a special trade. Robert
McNee Ltd. from Armadale achieved
an excellent average of £2,373 for ten
in-calf heifers forward. This included
a top of 2,500gns for a pair of Luing
Eclipse sired daughters, sold to Paddy
Crerar of Stenton, East Lothian. A
pair of Benhar in-calf heifers had
taken the prize for best in-calf heifers
as judged by Messrs Cosgrave and
sold for 2,200gns to Rob Storey of
Netherwood Farm, Bathgate. Steven
Murray of Rockcliffe Luings also had
a very strong trade with 26 in-calf
heifers selling to average £1,882
including a top price of 2,100gns
achieved twice – first for a pair sold
to Stewart Wood in Orkney and
secondly to Malcolm McCall of
Inverbrora, Sutherland. The record
average of £2,018 for 36 was £567 up
on the year for 14 more sold.
Bulling heifers
Pedigree Luing bulling heifers
were bid to 3,000gns with 112 sold
averaging £1,631 – up £240 on the
year with three more sold. This
average was nearly, but not quite,
at the record average of £1,683 also
from the 2007 sale. The top price was
paid by Messrs Burke of Stewarton
Farm, Peebles for a pair of heifers
from W.Graham & Son, Craigdarroch,
both sired by Clunie Figo and out of a
home-bred cow and a Wooplaw cow
respectively; this pair of heifers had
been placed second in the annual
Bank of Scotland sponsored heifer
competition as judged by Messrs
Cosgrave of Castle Luings, Co. Meath.
The same consignors, selling at the
Photo courtesy of The Scottish Farmer
In-calf heifers
Benhar Kansas sold for 13,000gns.
Premier Sale for the first time, had
the highest average at the sale of
£2,572 for four heifers sold. Earlier
on in the sale, strong competition
for Milkieston heifers from D&A
Barr led to a very impressive average
of £2,191 for 15 sold; this average
included a top of 2,500gns for a pair
of Harehead Chieften sired daughters
bought by David McRae of Coulshill,
Aucterarder as well as 2,100gns paid
by Paddy Crerar of Stenton, East
Lothian for the first prize winning
pair of heifers. A very strong lineup of bulling heifers also saw good
averages for Cadzow Brothers Ltd.
who sold 27 to average £1,998;
Galawater who averaged £1,680 for
four; Merkland averaged £1,584 for
11; Arbigland averaged £1,533 for
five; Upper Chatto averaged £1,470
for nine and Nunnerie who averaged
£1,443 for eight sold.
Kansas from Robert McNee Ltd. at
Armadale. Kansas was the second
youngest bull in the sale, weighing
in at 840kg and measuring 56” at
the shoulder with a good scrotal
circumference of 42cm, this June
2008-born son of Dirnanean Geldof
(current joint-top price record
holder for the breed at 14,000gns
from 2007) and out of a home-bred
Luing Soldier sired dam had come
from a very strong line up of Benhar
bulls. The Benhar herd were also
successful with their sale of Benhar
Kyle to Steven Murray for 6,000gns.
A memorable day was completed
for the McNees with the sale of
Benhar Kite at 5,000gns to new Luing
breeder Tom Wilson of Brampton,
Cumbria. They went on to reinvest
some of their hard-earned cash with
the purchase of College Kracker for
6,500gns from EJ & AM Fox.
Bulls
The bull trade was strong with 19
of the 24 forward selling to average
£4,136 – up £167 on the year with
four more sold. The top price of
13,000gns was paid by EJ & AM Fox
of College Luings, Wooler for Benhar
Haltree Farm at Heriot paid
6,000gns for Harehead Kojak
from Professor Penny of Harehead
Farms in the Lammamuirs. D&A
Barr of Milkieston, Peebles went
to 5,000gns to get Harehead Kirk
9
Premier Sale Summary and Top Herd Averages
In-Calf Heifers
36 sold to average £2,018 (up £567 on the year for 14 more sold)
Robert McNee Ltd, Benhar
sold
S. Murray, Rockcliffe
sold
Bulling Heifers
112 sold to average £1,631 (up £240 on the year for three more sold)
W. Graham & Son, Craigdarroch
sold
D. Barr, Milkieston
sold
Cadzow Bros., Luing
sold
J. Wilson, Galawater
sold
J. Fawcett & Co., Merkland
sold
Major J.W.B. Blackett, Arbigland
sold
Hon. R.B. Loder’s Children’s Settlement,
sold
Upper Chatto, Kelso
C.C. MacArthur & Co., Nunnerie
sold
10
26
to average
to average
£2,363
£1,882
4
15
27
4
7
5
9
to average
to average
to average
to average
to average
to average
to average
£2,572
£2,191
£1,998
£1,680
£1,612
£1,533
£1,470
8
to average
£1,443
Bulls
19 sold to average £4,136 (up £167 on the year for four more sold)
Benhar sold at 13,000gns to College
College sold at 6,500gns to Benhar
Benhar sold at 6,000gns to Rockcliffe
Harehead sold at 6,000gns to Haltree Farm
Benhar sold at 5,000gns to Geltsdale
Harehead sold at 5,000gns to Milkieston
Welbeck sold at 5,000gns to Luss
The second sale for the Luing breed
at Dingwall produced a healthy trade
for the 78-head of cattle forward. A
very impressive average of £1,474
was achieved for 42 pedigree Luing
bulling heifers sold.
Pedigree Luing bulling heifers
were bid to 2,200gns with 42 sold
averaging £1,474 – down a mere £68
on the year with 7 more sold. The
Monzie herd of J.J. & R. Cameron
from Blair Atholl achieved the top
average of £1,821 for 14 sold – with
12 of these heifers going to Mark
Kemp from Hampshire who was
setting up a new herd in the New
Forest. The outstanding Monzie
consignment contained a pair of
heifers sired by Wooplaw Glen Affric
College Kracker sold for 6,500gns.
2nd Spring Sale
the 14 yearlings all selling to average
£1,025.
A very strong line-up of bulling
heifers also saw good averages for
Culmaily who sold two to average
£1,759; Lochbroom averaged £1,137
for four and Deveron averaged
£1,084 for 8. The Deveron herd from
Turriff also did well with their eight
Luing cross Beef Shorthorn and
Luing cross Aberdeen Angus bulling
heifers selling to average £899.
The demand for bulls was limited
with four of the six forward selling
to average £1,609 – a top of
Wednesday 19th May
Dingwall Auction Mart
that were awarded the inaugural
Lady Anne memorial cup for the best
pair of bulling heifers as provided
by Welbeck Scottish Farms. The top
price in the sale of 2,200gns was
paid by Sheila Campbell-Lloyd of the
Lealty Luing herd at Boath, Ross-shire
for a pair of heifers from Cadzow
Brothers Ltd. sired by the home-bred
bulls Luing Crusader and Luing Dirk.
Cadzow Brothers Ltd. went on to
have a very strong trade for their split
consignment of two-year old and
yearling pedigree heifers with their 11
two-year olds averaging £1,785 and
from the same stable. This price was
matched by Luss Estates who paid
5,000gns for Welbeck Kracker from
Welbeck Scottish Farms. Other top
prices included 3,400gns paid by
Alan Crockett of Claremore Luings,
Castlederg, N.Ireland for Dirnanean
Kenmore; 3,200gns by John Higgs
Farms for Attonburn Krakatoa
and 3,000gns was laid out by Ben
Challum Ltd. for Attonburn Kings
Ransom.
10 e: secretary@luingcattlesociety.co.uk t: 01250-873882
Premier Sale Summary and Breed Record Prices
Buyers
9 buyers from Northern England
16 buyers from Southern Scotland
9 buyers from Central Scotland
5 buyers from West Scotland
4 buyers from Northern Scotland
2 buyers from Northern Ireland
3,000gns was paid by the Crofters
Commission for Nunnerie Kahn
from C.C. MacArthur & Co.; a twoyear old son by Harehead Davy-Dee
and out of a home-bred cow. This
bull had stood out in the pre-sale
bull parade standing 56” at the
shoulder, weighing 915kg with a
scrotal circumference measurement
of 39cm; combined with a set of
very good scores from the Society’s
Dam Classification scheme for his
dam, Nunnerie Kahn should go on
to breed some good females via the
Crofters bull stud.
37th Autumn Sale
Saturday 23rd October 2010
United Auctions, Stirling
Agricultural Centre
The breed held their ground and
experienced a good trade at the
Society’s 37th Autumn Sale held on
Saturday 23rd October at United
Auctions’ Stirling Agricultural Centre.
Prices held up well given the much
higher number forward of 177 (up 55
on the year). Pedigree Luing bulling
heifers were sold to a top price of
£2,050 with an average of £916
– down £261 on the year for 20 more
sold; in-calf Luing heifers were bid
to £1,950 (with an average of £1,491
– down £189 for seven more sold);
in-calf Sim-Luings were bid to £1,800
(£1,418 – down £569 for 16 more
sold) and Sim-Luing bulling heifers
sold to £1,350 (£982 – down £89 for
15 more sold).
A total of 85 pedigree bulling heifers
sold with the top price of £2,050 paid
by Hanbury & Porritt of Gilsland,
Brampton who are starting a new
Luing herd, for a pair of 17-month
29 cattle
42 cattle
46 cattle
22 cattle
25 cattle
3 cattle
Top Price
3,400 gns (2004)
3,400 gns (2007)
14,000 gns (2007/8)
Average
£2,018 (2010)
£1,683 (2007)
£7,917 (2007)
old heifers from William Graham &
Son of Craigdarroch, Sanquhar. They
were polled red heifers, one by the
homebred bull Craigdarroch Hakka
and out of a Luing Ballycastle cow
with the other by Merkland Barkis
and out of a homebred cow. The
Graham’s retained the honour of
going home with the highest average
in their category, selling 14 pedigree
bulling heifers for an average of
£1,270. Other highlights in averages
for pedigree bulling heifers were the
Upper Chatto pen brought out by
Stephen Little of the Honourable R.B.
Loder Children’s Settlement who
sold seven to average £1,192; Messrs
Finlay McGowan who preceded
the strong Craigdarroch trade to
sell their consignment of six for an
average of £1,116. R.H. Bell & Co. of
Plenderleith Luings, Kelso sold six to
average £933 and Cadzow Brothers,
Luing, maintained the good trade to
average £906 for 15.
The sale got off to a great start with
the first pair in the ring fetching the
top price for in-calf pedigree Luing
heifers at £1,950 each. These once
again came from R.J. Wotherspoon of
Glen Lyon and were brought out by
Farm Manager John Buglass, this time
purchased by Floors Farming from
Kelso. The two heifers were by Luing
Laggan and out of Upper Chatto and
Buckholm cows respectively and due
to calve to Wooplaw Knoydart next
spring. The Glen Lyon herd sold eight
such in-calf heifers to average £1,575.
These in-calf heifers were followed by
a batch from Ian Moncrieff of Grange
of Berryhill, Invergowrie, who had
a strong sale with four averaging
£1,325.
The Autumn Sale once again proved
the place to buy Sim-Luings with
some outstanding cattle forward
commanding a very good trade. The
Benhar herd of Robert McNee Ltd.
led the trade in the bulling heifer
Photo courtesy of Molly Hodges
Current breed records
In-Calf Heifers
Bulling Heifers
Bulls
bought
bought
bought
bought
bought
bought
Harehead Kojak sold for 6,000gns.
11
JOHN SCOTT
(22nd Dec 1975 - 19th Oct 2010)
The sudden and untimely death of
John Scott age 34yrs. He was born
and brought up in the Lammerview
hills, where his father worked at
Bothwell Farm, Cranshaws. He
started his education at Cranshaws
Primary then Berwickshire High
School, later he went on to further
his education at the Border
Agricultural College Duns, where
he came out top student. He started
work at Burnhouses for Walter
Murray and then went to Harehead
Farms as cattleman under Neil
Anderson, working with Luing
Cattle, he will be remembered when
he lead the Luing Bull Harehead
Davy-Dee round the ring at Castle
Douglas, the then record priced
Bull. He moved to Ferniehurst, Stow,
then latterly at Ormiston Mains for
David McTaggart, where he started
married life with Lyn MacVicar. Our
thoughts are with his wife Lyn and
son Logan, father and mother Wullie
and Margaret and sisters Barbara and
Karen. He will be sadly missed by all.
Benhar Kyle sold for 6,000gns.
One of the prize winning pair of bulling heifers from Milkieston sold for
2,100gns.
section selling four to average £1,225,
including the top price of £1,350
paid by Mrs. J. Morrison of Eliogarry,
Isle of Barra for a pair of 18-month
old heifers. The Benhar herd had
earlier sold four in-calf Sim-Luings
to average £1,750, including the
top price pair selling for £1,800 per
head to Mr. Webster of Woodsley,
Yorkshire. G.D. Proudley, a relatively
new breeder from Whitby and selling
for the first time, did extremely well
selling two bulling heifers to average
£1,250. This followed on from a very
strong demand earlier in the sale for
his in-calf heifers when eight were
sold to average £1,425; these 2 ½
year old heifers had already reared
Charolais cross calves and were
back in calf to the same Charolais
bull. Colin Little of East Bracklinn,
Callander, once again had a very
good sale with his Sim-Luing heifers
in calf to a Limousin bull all selling to
average £1,304 for 12. D&A Barr of
Milkieston Luings, Peebles, achieved
an impressive average of £1,030 for
eight Sim-Luing bulling heifers; John
Fawcett from Merkland, Dumfriesshire also sold eight to average £975
and Torwoodlee & Buckholm Estates
sold ten to average £945.
Prize winning pair of in-calf heifers from Benhar sold for 2,200gns.
Our cattle are bred to promote stature, conformation and
functional correctness
Benhar Logan by Benhar Jaguar
Benhar Lennox by Dirnanean Geldof
Luing Heifers and Bulls for sale at Castle Douglas
Sim-Luing Heifers for sale at Stirling
Visitors Always Welcome
Robert McNee Ltd, Woodend Farm, Armadale, West Lothian, EH48 3AP
Telephone: Andrew - 01501 731980, Roy – 01324 861230, Robert – 07900 221641
13
D G Henry & Co
Oakwood Mill
Selkirk
VISITORS
WELCOME
BVD
IBR
JOHNES
IBR
LEPTO
LEPTO
01750 23202
Accredited
dgiles.henry@btinternet.com
A Selection of Heifers that will be forward at Castle Douglas
Home to Ettrick Herd of Luings
Full Organic Status
15
Photo courtesy of Gordon Rae
WEST PRESTON OPEN DAY
Steven Murray aboard his Land Rover on the Farm Tour route.
By Elaine Murray
and Johnny C. Mackey
Around 300 visitors basked in some
glorious sunshine on the Solway
coast on 14th August 2010 during
Steven & Elaine Murray’s open day at
West Preston. It is worth mentioning
the weather right from the outset,
as like the 2009 event at Attonburn,
the lead up to the day saw some
appalling wet weather and therefore
some very nervous hosts and Society
officials.
The good weather, whilst of course
very welcome, unfortunately meant
some local farmers were too busy
baling straw or harvesting second-cut
silage to attend. However the 300
or so that did enjoyed an excellent
opening address from local farmer
and QMS Chairman, Donald Biggar.
was re-established after the foot
and mouth outbreak in 2001 which
took out all the stock. Originally
cows came from Luing, Springfield
and Castlecreavie. To begin with a
Simmental Bull was used to breed
Sim-Luings and a Luing Bull, Behar
Boxer, was purchased to breed
herd replacements. Boxer is still on
the farm and is used as one of the
main stock bulls due to his positive
influence on the herd.
When West Preston was purchased
in 2003 the steading allowed the
Murrays to finish steer calves. When
the first batch of steers went away
prime, no difference was found in
weights, grades or time to finishing
between pure Luings and cross-bred
Luings, so it was decided to sell the
Simmental bull. The aim was now
to breed pure Luings in order to
increase the herd rapidly due to the
farm suiting cattle rather than sheep.
The next stock bull purchased was
Wooplaw Yangtze and a son of his,
Buckholm Dixie. This bloodline,
especially Dixie’s, has left a big mark
on the herd. Almost two thirds of
the cows will be daughters by Boxer
or Dixie bloodlines. In recent years
when cow numbers were built up
The first stop on the farm tour
was host farmer and Society ViceChairman Steven Murray in a field
with heifers running with the bull
Rockcliffe Hero. Steven described
the farm as being bought in 2003
when 420 acres were split with the
RSPB. Steven and Elaine bought
the better land and RSPB got the
poorer grazing which was ideal for
the barnacle geese to graze over
the winter. The Rockcliffe herd
Rockcliffe Luings first stop
on the Tour
Steven & Elaine Murray in front of their new farm banner supplied by
Biobest Herdcare.
in the area and tips for farmers to
manage cattle whilst benefiting
biodiversity. David’s talk proved to
be incredibly popular with several
visitors commenting on how much
they had enjoyed it upon returning
to the steading. Rhidian Jones of SAC
also gave a very informative talk on
the Murray’s outwintering system
using strip-grazed kale and the cattle
health policy for Rockcliffe Luings
was expertly covered by Susan
Duthie & Kate Mellanby from Biobest
Herdcare together with Hugh
Dickson of the Bard Vet Group.
Back at the Steading
There was plenty for visitors to
see and do once back at the very
clean and tidy steading (thanks
to the efforts of the entire Murray
clan and in particular Steven &
Elaine’s daughters Heather and
Hazel). Society Breed Development
Officer Robert McNee once again
ran a very popular demonstration
on the Society’s Dam Classification
Scheme. Having finished at Robert’s
demo, activities such as stockjudging and ‘guess the weight of the
bull’ competitions got underway.
Some fantastic prizes were on offer
from event sponsors such as Solway
Recycling and local artist Josephine
McSkimming. The social side of
proceedings took off with some
delicious roast beef rolls provided
by Hog2roast as well as the increasingly popular fresh fruit once again
supplied by Blairgowrie Farm Shop.
Sponsorship and bar profits
We were very grateful to the
eighteen companies who were
generous in their sponsorship of
the event, namely Wallets Mart,
RSPB, Biobest, Wicks, Tarff Valley,
Tithebarn, Gordons Machinery,
SAC, NFU Mutual, Pzifer, Murray
Farmcare, AK Farm Services, Bard
Vet Group, Tough Trailers, Solway
Recycling, Roshglen Farm Services,
RH Davidsons & Sons Transport
and Galloway Primestock. Steven
and Elaine had arranged for profits
from the bar to go to the local First
Responders group to help with the
purchase of a defibrillator for use
in emergency situations in the area.
The impressive sum of £313.68 was
raised for this very worthy cause.
Open Day 2011
Less of an Open Day and more of an
Open Week this one. The board has
decided to go for a slightly smaller
scale more focused event for 2011
and the Orcadian breeders have put
their hand up and volunteered! The
open day itself will take place on
Tuesday 16th August based around
two herds (Brian Ridland’s Silwick
Luings and Stewart Wood’s Garson
Luings) with a few more events
planned either side such as various
tourist attractions, cattle sales at
Orkney mart and visits to other
Luing herds and commercial herds.
Besides the open day however,
members may wish to coincide
their visit to Orkney with the
island’s biggest agricultural event,
the County Show, on Saturday
13th August. More information to
follow in the spring and summer
newsletters as well as the website.
to 120, bulls like Attonburn Falcon,
Merkland Cracker and Dirnanean
Ensign have been used. The new
stock bulls are Harehead Hickory
who was breeding well, and Benhar
Kyle (purchased very recently at the
Premier Sale in February 2010).
The aim is to breed cows not too
big with a mature weight of around
650kg that out winter well and breed
regularly with few problems. As
the Murrays were re-stocking from
a lot of different sources, it has
taken a while to get the cows to the
type desired. The bulls purchased
are doing the job as bull calves are
finishing heaver and quicker each
year enabling any cows not rearing
a good enough calf to be identified
and moved into the cull group.
Managing the grazing on the farm
can be a bit tricky as most of the
grazing land is owned by RSPB and
their priorities are for managing
the land for bird life and not cattle;
although Steven made the point
strongly of the cattle being needed
to manage the grassland for the
birds! A lot of the grazing land is
only available for 4-5 months after
the ground nesting birds have
fledged and the geese return in late
September by which time the ground
has to be vacated.
The remainder of the farm tour saw
talks from the local RSPB manager
David Fairlamb who covered how
the management works at West
Preston for grazing the RSPB land;
this included the benefits of cattle
grazing on these habitats, information on bird surveys carried out
A good crowd takes in Donald Biggar’s opening address.
17
Wooplaw Luings
Members of SAC Premium Health Scheme
Johnes & BVD accredited
Bulling heifers, and bulls for sale
Monzie Finlay Maol – homozygous polled 6 year old shared bull (with Cameron, Monzie)
sire: Wooplaw Captain Corelli, dam: Monzie C27 Maol
Bob & Janene Moffat
Wooplaw Farm, Galashiels
Tel: 01896 860262 / 07746550531
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19
out and about...
Brookstone cows on their winter grazing.
………….with Gareth Lawton of
Brookstone Farm, a small hill
farm In North Wales with land
ranging from 650ft – 1200 ft
which is the home to Brookstone
Luings.
A total of 128 acres is owned, and
a further 36 is rented. 84 acres is
grassland that is used for silage
production and summer grazing,
the remaining 44 is the rough
mountain ground where the cows
are out wintered and remain until
the summer grazing is dry enough
for them to go on. The rented 36
acres is 12 acres of grazing ground
and 24 acres first cut silage then
grazing for young stock.
Up until 2006 Brookstone Farm
had run Salers cows, originally all
bred pedigree and had enjoyed
some success in show rings up
and down the country, but when
the decision was made to stop
showing, the cows were crossed
to a Charolais bull. The calving
season in 2006 was another
difficult one, and with some of the
weaned calves from the previous
year displaying higher than average
temperament problems, the late
Bill Brook decided it was time for
a change, and he wasn’t the type
of man to do things by halves.
He had been reading about the
Luing cattle sales in the farming
press and after a trip to the Beef
Expo in Carlisle in 2006 with a
view to looking at various breeds,
the Luing stand was the first stop,
and that was where the search
ended. After talking to some society
members his mind was made up.
He went to the Westwater dispersal
sale and purchased five cows and
thirteen bulling heifers and whilst
up in Scotland he purchased our
first Luing bull, Harehead Disco.
He came back and it was a case of
out with the old and in with the
new. The two Charolais Bulls went
to new homes, and every Saler cow
was sold, either in calf or with a
calf at foot. From then on it was
only going to be Luing cattle on the
farm. We returned to Stirling that
same year and bought five more
heifers, and then further purchases
in Stirling and Oban in 2007 and
Castle Douglas in 2008 when six
heifers and the second Luing bull,
Welbeck Hildago, was purchased.
Dirnanean Foreman was purchased
privately in 2008.
The plan was to keep everything
pure Luing, but after the calving in
2009 when 19 of the 24 calves born
were male, and considering the
local market is very much driven
by continental crosses, a decision
was made to buy a Simmental bull.
The thinking behind the idea was
simple; if we have another run
of predominantly male calves we
should be able to produce a steer
more suitable to the local market,
whilst heifer calves, if good enough
will be sold at the society sale in
Stirling or else through the store
ring at the local market. The aim
now is to keep forty pedigree
females, twenty of which will go to
the Simmental, ten to Dirnanean
Foreman and ten to Welbeck
Hildago. Keeping three bulls for
forty cows may seem extravagant to
some, but when your biggest field
is only 12 acres, it is impossible to
run one herd of forty or even two
herds of twenty.
The system is very simple with the
Luing cows, they live out all year
round, and are fed only grass silage
on a hard standing in the winter.
Cows and calves being loaded onto the barge at Cuan ferry,
on the first stage of their journey to Castle Douglas for the
sale of 4th June 2010.
The only time they spend inside
is approx three weeks when they
calve. A cow is brought in ten days
before she is due and remains
inside for ten days with her calf;
they are then turned back out
onto the winter grazing. Calves are
weaned at eight months old, some
heifers are kept as replacements
or to build the herd numbers up
and they are calved at two years
old. Surplus heifers will be sold
at society sales if they are good
enough, everything else will go
through the store ring at the local
market at 18 – 20 months old.
The cattle we aim to present at
society sales are housed for the
first winter after weaning, and then
out wintered for the second winter
until just before Christmas when
they come in so they get used to
being handled and get cleaned up
ready for the Castle Douglas sale
ring.
We have found Luing cows suit
our farming system very well,
their temperament is excellent,
they require very little input, they
out winter on grass silage with
no additional feed etc., produce a
healthy calf on time every year and
mainly with no assistance and then
go on to rear a good calf through
the summer off grass alone.
Whatever route we go down in the
future, the females of Brookstone
Farm will always be pure Luings.
The decision to make the change
was probably the best farming
decision Bill made, and although
he didn’t live long enough to see
his plan come to fruition, I don’t
think he would have regretted it for
a moment.
…………..with Shane Cadzow,
a partner in Cadzow Brothers
Ltd., a business that has
undergone some significant
changes over the past year.
I am pleased to have been invited
by Johnny to write a short article
for the magazine explaining the
recent changes that have taken
place on Luing and with Cadzow
Brothers. Many people have been
asking the “what’s what” question;
therefore this is a good opportunity
for me to describe the new set up.
The Cadzow history on Luing
is probably well enough known
to most readers but, briefly to
recap, my father, Shane and his
two brothers, Denis and Ralph,
purchased the Holdings of North
and South Luing after the Second
World War. They developed the
new Luing breed, which we have
continued to nurture and further
develop here ever since. Ralph
retired from the business in 1983
and Denis passed his share to his
son-in-law Bruce Young. My father
passed his share to me. For many
years, Bruce and I have farmed the
land together and have been the
partners of Cadzow Brothers.
In 2008 the land and properties
were divided between the Youngs
and myself. Luing and some
properties, including Ardlarach,
came to me, and Clachan and other
properties went to the Youngs.
The business of Cadzow Brothers
continued with Bruce Young as my
long-standing partner and Rory,
his son, standing in for him latterly
due to his ill health. We knew that
at some stage it would be logical to
split the business too and this has
now been done.
The division finally took place
on 31st July 2010. No one could
pretend that this was an easy
matter to accomplish and the
period up to the final division was
pretty fraught, whilst everything
was sorted out, agreed and divided
between us. It may not have been
easy but it was done and the new
Cadzow Brothers has emerged like
the Phoenix from the ashes.
My wife Tooti and I are now
operating as a new partnership,
still trading under the name
Cadzow Brothers. Les Robson, our
Manager, and his staff have done
and continue to do a sterling job
with the cattle and sheep. We have
downsized to 300 cows and are
farming only on Luing. This first
year will be difficult whilst we find
our new feet and let everything
settle down. Although we have had
to give up the ground we rented
from Martin Robb for the heifers
at Comrie, they are now going to
be brought up in Leccamore, on
21
Luing. We have kept 1,500 ewes,
running a mixture of Tups from
Blackface to Lleyn to Texels.
The hardest part of the division
was to witness the sale of half the
herd, which we knew so well. It
was not a great moment in our
lives. Many thanks to so many of
you for your support on the day of
the sale; it was greatly appreciated
by both my wife Tooti and myself.
However, now we turn a new page
and, trading as usual, we start to
rebuild the business. We hope to
catch up with everyone at sale time
and are confident that, given a fair
wind and full sail, we will continue
to enjoy our lives and our farming
enterprise on Luing.
…………..with Richard Manley
who, together with Colin Moore,
has established a Luing herd
in the New Forest in Hampshire
over the last couple of years.
Not long after the end of the foot
and mouth outbreak of 2001 I took
the first of many visits to farms in
the Borders area. I was looking
for supplementary stock for my
Galloway herd and researching a
suitable breed to run alongside
them accessing my common
grazing on the New Forest.
I talked to different farmers in
the Borders about the conditions
on the Forest - namely access to
about 20,000 hectares of mainly
heathland and acid grassland
and relatively poor grazing – so
it is nigh on impossible to finish
stock within 30 months purely
using the Forest. However all
New Forest commoners have
traditionally turned out various
types and crosses to suit their own
commoning practices and over the
years have developed some good
animals. Most are Galloway crosses
but you find Whitebred Shorthorn,
Hereford, Angus and continental
breeds as well.
The Forest is owned by the state
and managed by the Forestry
Commission. There are about
450 practising commoners and
most of them keep ponies. The
grazing is managed by the Court
of Verderers of whom there are 10,
overseen by the Official Verderer
who is appointed by the Crown.
Half the Verderers are elected
One of the New Forest foundation females with an Ettrick Jasper calf.
by the commoners who hold the
rights over the Forest and the
Verderers employ four Agisters
who ensure that the required
standards of husbandry and welfare
are maintained. The Forest is
interlinked across two main roads
and one railway line. The open
roads of the Forest have a blanket
40mph speed restriction and
animals have absolute right of way
over all types of vehicles.
I have turned out predominantly
Galloway cattle on the Forest for
about 20 years – there are about
1,500 cattle turned out on the
Forest as well as about 3,500
ponies. Many people have wanted
to breed a recognisable ‘New
Forest’ cattle using the best of
what had been bred to date and
establishing traits that would be
good for the area - hardiness, easy
calving , good doers, outwinterable
and preferably with a white, roan
or brindle colour coat so as to be
seen at night on the roads. I was
considering a Beef Shorthorn but
during one my trips to the Borders
came across a bunch of Luings at
Castle Douglas mart. A quick chat
with the vendor made it plain
that we had found what we were
looking for.
With my fellow New Forest
commoner Colin Moore, I started
to pull the pieces together. We
did think it was going to be
prohibitively expensive to establish
a herd but were very lucky to
gain the support of our local
National Trust Estate at Mottisfont,
especially as we would be able
to provide a source of locally
produced high quality beef for
their outlets. After much research,
negotiation and advice from
breeders and others we brought
down an initial consignment of
Premium Cattle Health Scheme
stock from the Wooplaw herd
to the estate and also started a
breeding programme using bulls
that would be available for local
commoners to use to run over their
established herds. We now have
calves from both of these initiatives
and have also bought young steers
to kick-start the project.
The results have been very
pleasing. Already a near neighbour
to Mottisfont, Mark Kemp, has
bought a significant number of
heifers at the 2010 Dingwall sale to
run himself after seeing the results
that we have achieved. We have a
very nice roan bull now who we
will see calves from in the spring
of 2011 and will increase numbers
as finance allows. The help and
assistance we have received
from many in the Luing cattle
community has been invaluable
and we would like to thank all of
them for their help in setting up
what is no doubt just the small
beginnings of Luings heading
south.

0818 Luing Journal.indd

Transcription

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