Kirkton named Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society Focus Farm
Introducing Beef Shorthorn to a suckler herd at Scotland鈥檚 Rural College (抖阴直播) has added an essential hardiness to cope with the extreme conditions at its Perthshire-based research farm.
A herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle was introduced to 抖阴直播鈥檚 Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms, in the West Highlands, seven years ago.
However, farm manager Ewen Campbell felt those with thinner skins were not coping well with the extremely harsh environment out on the hill.
In 2016, he decided to introduce Beef Shorthorn into the herd, leading to a Beef Shorthorn cross Angus crisscross breeding strategy.
This has worked so well, the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society has named Kirkton as one of its new Focus Farms.
These farms feature a number of producers working with the breed within their respective suckler herds.
The information available for each one highlights how Beef Shorthorn fits commercially in the herd and what the subsequent impact on performance has been.
Professor Davy McCracken, Head of 抖阴直播鈥檚 Hill & Mountain Research Centre, said: 鈥淥ur Aberdeen Angus cross cows and Beef Shorthorn cross heifers spend the vast majority of the year out on the hill 鈥� which rises to over 1,000m 鈥� feeding solely on forage.
鈥淗aving the cattle grazing out on the hill is the best place for them on any farm like ours. And it also generates additional income for us through a grazing plan agreed under the Scottish Government鈥檚 Agri-Environment Climate Scheme.
鈥淭he cows only come down into the shed at Kirkton in December, where they calve over a six-week period starting in early February.
鈥淲e then look to get the cows and calves back out onto the hill as soon as the weather and grass growth allows in May.
鈥淥ver the last three years the herd has averaged 100 per cent calving, with 100 per cent calves reared.鈥�
He said the calves were weaned at around 200 days with an efficiency target that each calf should weight half of the cow鈥檚 body weight.
鈥淒espite the fact that the calves don鈥檛 receive any concentrates, the best cows are achieving more than 40 per cent efficiency, while last year some achieved 45 per cent,鈥� he said.
鈥淐alving went very well this year, with all the cows and heifers producing live calves with minimal intervention.
鈥淭he nine Beef Shorthorn cross heifers did very well, calving in a 26-day period and with the calves averaging 39.6kg at birth.
鈥淲e have a second batch of 12 bulling heifers out running with a native bred Aberdeen Angus bull. And a further batch of twelve yearling heifers will be bulled next year.鈥�
Cathryn Williamson, president of the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society, said: 鈥淢anaging efficient productive suckler cows that thrive within a unit鈥檚 unique environment has never been more vital as the beef sector plans for a new period of economic, environmental and political change.
鈥淚ntroducing Beef Shorthorn to a suckler herd breeding strategy will help to make the most of a unit鈥檚 available resources, improve cow efficiency and fit new environmental scheme requirements.鈥�
Posted by 抖阴直播 on 27/07/2020
