0818 Luing Journal.indd

Transcription

Upper
Chatto
Heifers sold at Stirling & Castle Douglas.
Hardy hill-bred Stock 2nd year member
of the Premium Cattle Health Scheme.
Closed herd.
Hon R B Loder Children’s Settlement,
Upper Chatto, Hownam, Kelso, TD5 8AN
Telephone Stephen Little: 01573 440235
Consultancy Services
Consultancy
Services
Disease Control
& Eradication
for
Consultancy
Services
t Johne’s t Services
BVD
Consultancy
Consultancy
Services
t IBR t Leptospirosis
SAC
CHeCS licensed / all tests ISO 17025 accredited
t Remove costly disease from your herd
t Provide health assurance for your customers
t Safeguard the health status of your herd
Contact: SAC Veterinary Services
Greycrook, St Boswells, Roxburghshire, TD6 0EU
T: 01835 822456 E: [email protected]
www.sac.ac.uk/cattlehealth
THE LUING JOURNAL – JANUARY 2011
www.luingcattlesociety.co.uk
23
Merkland Luings
We will have a good selection of
Bulling Heifers at
Castle Douglas Sale in February 2011
VISITORS AND ENQUIRIES WELCOME
J.
Fawcett
&
Co
MERKLAND, THORNHILL, DUMFRIESSHIRE DG3 4AR
Tel: (01848) 600207
24 e: [email protected] t: 01250-873882
DRINKSTONE
Drinkstone — breeding
Luings, and Sim-Luings
— also Suffolks,
Texels and Bluefaced
Leicesters
Aiming at the top
commercial market
JOHNES ACCREDITED
BVD TESTING
Drinkstone Edmonton
ARNOLD and JOHN PARK
DRINKSTONE, HAWICK, ROXBURGHSHIRE TD9 7NY
TEL: 01450 370795 MOBILE: 07860 389773
Email: [email protected]
www.drinkstone.com
THIRD ANNUAL SALE
OF
PEDIGREE & COMMERCIAL LUING CATTLE
ON
WEDNESDAY 18TH MAY 2011
--------------------------------Following the tremendous success of our first two sales we look forward to continuing and expanding this
prestigious event.
Also annual sale of Hi-Health cattle including Sim./Luing & SH x bulling heifers
and annual sale of Highland cattle
--------------------------------Weekly sales of prime and store stock held throughout the year. Special sales of store lambs, weaned calves, store
and breeding cattle and sheep held throughout the Autumn as per our sales booklet (available on request). Ample
lairage available before and after sales. Satellite markets at Lochmaddy(Isle of North Uist), Portree (Isle of Skye), Fort
William and Stornoway (Isle of Lewis).
Dingwall & Highland Marts Limited
Tel. 01349 863252
Fax. 01349 865062
www.dingwallmart.co.uk
25
Born and reared on the
hills of Peeblesshire
BVD and Johnes
Accredited and a
member of Hi-Health
Bulling Heifers for sale
at Castle Douglas
Sim-Luing Bulling Heifers
for sale at Stirling
D & A Barr
MilkiestonFarm
Peebles
Tel: 01721 730213
Photo courtesy of The Scottish Farmer
MilkiestonLuings
Luing influence on
Monitor Farms
Luing bulls are having quite
an impact on the renowned
Scottish Monitor Farms
Programme (MFP) run by
Quality Meat Scotland. The
rolling programme, which has
recently appointed the 25th
Monitor Farm, has had three
farms running Luing bulls
– Balanloan (part of Atholl
Estates, Perthshire), Plan Farm
(Isle of Bute) and Acrestrype
(Turriff). An excellent website
(www.qmscotland.co.uk and
follow the links to Farming &
Processing > Monitor Farms
Programme) is regularly
updated with articles and
reports from the MFP so it
might be worth adding to your
favourites list if you want to
read up on some interesting
studies involving Luings. A
Scottish Government study
carried out by ADAS in 2008
calculated the benefit of the
MFP to the Scottish Economy at
£6.50 for every £1 of funding,
backed up by their use as a
vehicle for Knowledge Transfer
and the widespread awareness
(c.80%) of their purpose by the
farming community.
Out of small
acorns……...
Ever wondered why
someone is in Luings?
John Kitchen of the
Lowerisle herd in West
Yorkshire puts it down to
a previous holiday on the
West coast of Scotland. He
was staying in a cottage on
the Arisaig Estate (home
to current Society Director
James Colston’s Arisaig
herd) and found himself
“walking amongst these
wonderful quiet red and
roan cows……….I decided
then to seek out some
Luings in Yorkshire and get
into them.”
Fiona Wilson (third from right) with some of her fellow runners.
Fiona Wilson’s Charity run
Fiona Wilson would like to thank her many Luing Friends, who
sponsored her to run the Chris Hoy Half Marathon in Edinburgh on
Sunday 18th April.
“I am very pleased to report that I did indeed manage to finish the
13.1 mile course, albeit in 3 hours 7 mins, just outside my target,
but I’m thrilled to have completed it, as I’ve done no serious running
(other than running around after Jim and the kids) since leaving
school 41 years ago.
I have to say it was more difficult than I imagined but the sponsorship
I’ve managed to raise - to date £3100 - was a great incentive and kept
me going. Many thanks to all of you who contributed, and in case
any of you are daft enough to feel like doing likewise, I have spaces
available for the same race for the next two years for The Gail Wilson
Trust.
Look forward to seeing you all again soon, Love and Thanks again,
Fiona xx”
Late night unloading
Proof, as if it were needed, of the
quiet nature of Luings comes from
Pip Simpson – a relatively new
member from Poole Bank Farm,
Troutbeck, in Cumbria. Picture the
scene……..11pm on 1st December
2009 and a double-decker wagon has
just backed up to the bottom of the
village road of Troutbeck (realising
that he can’t get any closer to Poole
Bank) containing Pip’s starter pack
of 30 cows and a bull from Cadzow
Bros.) Its pitch black and blizzard
conditions. Man power amounts to
Pip, his father, brother and eldest
son – they drop the door and brace
themselves for a rodeo. The cows
amble down the ramp, wait at the
bottom until the bull is off, then
proceed to saunter up the road
turning up the farm drive and into
the straw bedded pen to lie down
(first time they’d ever been under
cover remember). Pip commented,
“We couldn’t believe it, it’s as if
they’d be born here. If they’d been
(breed name deleted upon legal
advice) we’d still be looking for ‘em.”
27
Royal Highland Show
by Johnny C. Mackey
Breed Secretary
Location, location, location is what
the Highland Show was all about
this year. We were in the usual area
of the showground, however (unfortunately for them) our friends
in the Bazadaise Society were not
attending, and as a result our pitch
had been shunted one space to
the south and right up against the
main cattle show ring. Combined
with the fantastic weather on the
Saturday in particular, it meant
that we could open up the side
of the marquee next to the show
ring and have a great view up
close and personal of the judging.
Whilst it was great for us, perhaps
not so much for the judges who
were subjected to lots of useful
comments such as ‘why don’t you
pop in here for at look at some
real cattle’ any time they made the
mistake of hanging around in ‘our
corner’.
All of a sudden, the Luing Society
gained a lot of friends we never
knew we had as several farmers
visited our stand with a view to
easing themselves over to the side
for a brief lean on the barrier to
watch some judging.
It may have only been my second
show with the Society but it was
definitely a lot busier on the
stand than last year. I know this
as despite buying up the same
amount of catering supplies in
advance, by Saturday morning milk
and biscuits had run low so clearly
we were looking after a lot more
members and friends this year
which was great to see.
Apart from our free viewing gallery
of the show ring and reputation
as a good stop-off for a brew,
there was obviously something
else pulling people onto the stand
and that credit must go to the
excellent stock on display. Two of
the Attonburn bulling heifers that
had made their exhibiting debut at
Beef Expo the previous month in
Hexham were there together with
the College Sim-Luing cow and
Limousin calf from the same event.
We are once again very grateful to
Charles & Mary Symons and Ted
& Anne Fox for taking the time to
bring out such good stock for our
biggest event of the year in terms of
visitor numbers.
Unfortunately I could not get a
good enough picture of our stand
to show you the view of the show
ring so you will have to come along
next year and see it first hand for
yourself.
Ballyoan Luing heifer offered
as prize in raffle draw
by Johnny C. Mackey
Breed Secretary
Members may recall coverage
on the website and in the
summer newsletter about Drew
Peoples of Ballyoan Luings, Co.
Londonderry, Northern Ireland,
running a raffle to win a pedigree
Luing heifer. The raffle was to
raise funds for Friends of the
Cancer Centre, a charity based
in Northern Ireland whose good
work Drew witnessed first hand
when being successfully treated
for prostate cancer in Belfast early
in 2010. Friends of the Cancer
Centre (www.friendsofthecancercentre.com), known as ‘Friends’,
is the leading local cancer charity
based at the heart of the Cancer
Centre, in Belfast City Hospital –
a world leading centre for cancer
treatment. The charity relies
entirely on voluntary donations
and with help and support
‘Friends’ makes a real and mean-
ingful difference for thousands of
cancer patients and their families
across Northern Ireland.
Drew’s raffle was generously
supported by friends and
family in Northern Ireland as
well as several Luing members
from the Isle of Barra all the
way to Lancaster. Readers may
remember Drew stationed at the
West Preston open day where he
managed to raise a lot of money
from tickets sold that day. The
draw took place in the offices
of Friends on Thursday 28th
October, and raised a fantastic
£3,400 for the hospital charity.
Staff of Chefs Mate in Campsie
Real Estate, Londonderry, won
the top prize but have opted for a
cash alternative of £1,000.
Drew was delighted with the
total raised having experienced
such professionalism at the
Cancer Centre himself and was
keen to give something back.
Drew extends his thanks to
everyone who supported him and
described the amount raised as
“truly heart warming”.
‘Pictured at the draw, l-r:
Drew Peoples, Colleen Shaw
(Fundraising Manager), Darren
Mitchell (Consultant, Clinical
Oncology).
Photo courtesy of Judy McGowan
Royal Ulster Show 2010
The two heifers destined for the Royal Ulster Show from the Laganview herd.
by Johnny C. Mackey
Breed Secretary
“D’you have any sucklers
yourself?” If I heard this once,
I heard it a dozen times whilst
attending the 2010 Royal Ulster
Show at Balmoral in mid-May.
These words were regularly
uttered by Robin Wells of
Laganview Luings, Magheralin,
Co. Armagh and were clearly his
‘opener’ when approaching a
farmer who had stopped by the
Luing stand at the show. Much
the same as a salesman will have
a line that they will use to start
a conversation with a potential
customer, a line that will put
both parties at ease and hopefully
result in a long and fruitful conversation with a transaction at the
conclusion.
Robin Wells is an absolute master
of this technique and managed
to have several such conversations with the large numbers
of visitors to the Luing stand. It
was of course a bit more straight
forward for Robin as the cattle
on the stand were his own so of
course he knew them well and
was able to pass on plenty of
useful information. The Society
was also represented through
Steven & Elaine Murray, Andrew
& Lorna McNee, myself and ably
supported by local members,
including director James Newell.
We had a very busy few days at
the show with a noticeable shift
in the emphasis of the enquiries
from the background to the breed
(last year) to this year much more
interest in actually buying Luing
or Sim-Luing cattle. Whilst the
trade has been strong throughout 2010 at the Society sales,
that can bring a slight downside
in so much as bulling heifers at
c£1,350 can appear out of reach
to Northern Irish suckler farmers
by the time blood testing and
transport costs are considered as
well as their home-market trade
which is usually back on the
mainland trade.
In saying all that, when you have
cattle of the calibre that the
Society had kindly supplied by
Robin Wells - a pedigree Luing
bulling heifer and a registered
Sim-Luing (both averaging 485kg
at 14 months, see picture) – they
do most of the work for you. With
such quality cattle being bred
in Northern Ireland, hopefully
in the not too distant future
local breeders will have enough
excess females to satisfy the high
demand for Luing-bred stock.
Radio Ulster
Working on the theme that
publicity, no matter what the
context, is always positive I
exploited some family contacts
and got myself a quick interview
slot on the Gerry Anderson show
on Radio Ulster during the show.
Gerry and his team, who produce
one of the most popular radio
shows broadcast in the province
with almost 100,000 listeners
daily, attend the show every year
and wander about with a microphone interviewing random
people about their experiences
at the event. Queue lots of basic
questions about where Luings
come from etc. and hopefully
now a few more people in
Northern Ireland will have heard
about the breed.
29
C
B
W
O
Z
AD
A New
IBR + EBL + BVD Accredited Herd
Ardlarach, Isle of Luing, By Oban, Argyll PA34 4TZ
BROTHER
S
n
w
a
D
w
Shane Cadzow
01852 314234
Email: [email protected]
Manager
Leslie Robson
01852 314210
31
THETHE
BUCKHOLM
HERD
BUCKHOLM HERD
Fine Luing cattle managed by Scott Girvan but now owned by
Torwoodlee & Buckholm Estates.
We maintain the drive for quality pursued by the Girvan Family
which has created the richly deserved reputation of the herd.
Buckholm Farm
Torwoodlee
Galashiels
TD1 2ND
Scott Girvan: 07818 404367
[email protected]
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose………
Mobile Cattle Crushes
Portequip Ltd.
Penninghame
Girvan Road,
Newton Stewart,
DG8 6RD
Mobile Lamb Creeps
Tel: +44 (0) 1671402775
Fax: +44 (0) 1671403791
Mobile - 07712595362
www.portequip.co.uk
Static
Feeders
Static Bulk
Bulk Feeders
Mobile Hogg Feeders
Take the work out of feeding
and handling stock with the
range of Portequip products
Tombestone Trailers
Rockcliffe
Luings
Mobile Bulk Feeders
Static Cattle Crushes
Steven & Elaine Murray
West Preston Farm
Kirkbean
Dumfries
DG2 8AU
Tel: 01387 880630
Cows walking to Summer Grazing on RSPB Nature Reserve.
Wintered on kale along the Solway.
Benhar Boxer
Dirnanean Ensign
Harehead Hickory
33
College Luings graze the slopes of the Cheviot hills in Northumberland, between 900 and
2500ft. We only breed pure from the best functional females that breed on time every year.
e
l
l
g
o
e
C
n
i
g
u
s
L
College will have two bulls by Benhar General (pictured)
entered for the Premier Sale in February at CD. Also
Sim-Luing bulling heifers and in-calf heifers for sale privately
Ted and Anne Fox, Elsdonburn, Kirknewton, Wooler,
Northumberland NE71 6XW. Tel: 01668 216341
Omega Pedigree
Bull Range
BULL GROWER
SWEET MASH
TOPLINE
www.galloway-macleod.co.uk
Customer Focused. Results Driven
Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, ML9 3EH. Tel. 01698 791919
Monzie Luings
IBR, BVD & JOHNES ACC.
Full Organic Status
All cows out-wintered
J J + R Cameron
Monzie Farm
Blair Atholl
Perthshire
07786 381396
For Sale
Bulling Heifers
Young Bulls
35
d
a
F
e
a
h
r
e
m
r
a
s
H
Christmas Day 2009
What a difference 6 months makes!
Luings, Sim-Luings, Blackface, Bluefaced Leicesters and Texels
born and bred on top of the Lammermuirs.
Professor W. A. Penny CBE
Harehead, Cranshaws, Duns.
Contact: Neil Anderson, Farm Manager
Tel: 01361 890342 Mobile: 07747 032545
Why not come along and see for yourself?
Canadian
Luing Cattle
Association
Report
by Iain Aitken
223U rearing her last calf at 23yo.
End of an Era
Fall 2009 heralded the end of an era
in our Luing herd as we shipped
the last of our “granny cows”. Back
in 2001 Dr Church allowed me the
pick of the Lochend mature cows
to form the nucleus of my new
herd. I selected four good looking
cows that demonstrated the characteristics I was looking for and
was surprised when we got the
pedigrees transferred to discover
that two were 14 and two 15 years
old! With no preferential treatment
these four old cows went on to rear
twenty three natural calves between
them as well as another six by
embryo transfer out of my favorite
“223U”. Two of the cows were sold
for failing to get pregnant at 16 and
22 years old respectively. The other
two were sold for finally turning
in substandard calves at 21 and 23
years old respectively. Looking back
over the years to various groups of
much younger dispersal cows I’ve
bought I doubt if any of them have
given me as many calves on average
as these old cows did. I think this
is a remarkable testament to the
Canadian Luings inherent longevity
and fertility. I’ll miss my granny
cows but hopefully I will be able
to perpetuate their characteristics
through the offspring they have left
us.
•••
As I write this in mid September,
2010 is proving to be another year
of weather extremes on the Prairies.
Most of Alberta was record dry last
year but most has bounced back
with at least average precipitation
this year. Eastern Saskatchewan and
Manitoba have been excessively wet
with an estimated 12 million acres
of grain land un-seeded this spring.
Unfortunately the situation has got
worse with many crops drowned
out, deteriorating quality and little
prospect of some being harvested
due to waterlogged soils. In my area
of Alberta the crops are still very
immature and a predicted killing
frost this week will cause further
problems. It strengthens my belief
that this area should be growing
grass not grain. The extra moisture
has produced plenty grass but it
has been so cool the grass is still
lush and of lower feed value than
normal.
Feeder cattle markets are just
starting to turn the corner from
the dreadful prices of the last
two years. It remains to be seen if
that is a result of the lowest cattle
numbers across North America
for decades or over eager feedlots
banking on fat cattle prices rising.
Prospects for cow/calf producers are
looking better but the national herd
reduction continues. The margins
have just been too small for too
long and many producers are still
choosing to exit the cow business.
On the Luing front things are
moving ahead slowly but steadily.
Members sold bulls from British
Columbia right through to
Manitoba, a number of them to new
customers including one who grew
up near Dumfries! It’s pleasing
to see 300 cow commercial herds
being bred to Luing bulls – surely
proof that we have the fundamentals right and are producing cattle
that can compete commercially
with the more popular breeds. It’s
pleasing also that we have achieved
this by sticking to a true Luing type
whereas many other breeds have
achieved popularity by changing
their cattle to mirror the fashion of
the day.
37
Face to Face
with Charlie Bell
by Claire Powell
Few people have been associated
with the Luing breed as long as
Luing Cattle Society Honorary Life
Member, Charlie Bell.
Now happily living the retired
life of a grand father and expert
dahlia grower, while enjoying
the scrumptious fare of supercook wife Anne, in the Highland
Perthshire village of Blair Atholl,
Charlie’s involvement with Luing
cattle began before this young
breed was officially recognised by
Act of Parliament in 1966.
Born in 1939 in East Lothian, the
son and grandson of two hard
working farming men – William
and John, who between them
worked a total of 90 years on the
same East Linton farm, Charlie’s
early childhood memories include
coming home from school and
helping to chop turnips for the
housed cattle before going in for
his own meal.
In these days the beef industry
was monopolised by native British
breeds, the Continental cattle
breeds had not yet crossed the
English Channel.
“There were two breeding herds
on the farm at the time” explained
Charlie – “a nucleus herd of 40
Highlanders, some of which were
crossed with a Shorthorn bull to
maintain a herd of 40 cross-bred
cows which went to an AberdeenAngus terminal sire”.
Another of Charlie’s vivid
childhood memories was his first
day at the local primary school.
Aged just five years old, his
mischievous eyes fell on another
five year old who was also starting
her schooling – a very pretty little
girl called Anne. Fourteen years
later, aged 19, Charlie and Anne
were wed and have produced
four, now grown up children
– three daughters and a son, who
Anne & Charlie at their home in Blair Atholl.
in turn have supplied a clutch of
grandchildren.
After leaving school Charlie
worked as an agricultural engineer,
stockman, tractor and caterpillar
driver, until in 1963, aged 27, he
was interviewed for the job of
Farm Manager at Duncrahill in East
Lothian. The interviewer was the
late Denis Cadzow, one of the three
Cadzow brothers who developed
the Luing breed on the small Isle
of Luing, a few watery yards off
Scotland’s mainland west coast.
“Fortunately I got the job”, said
Charlie. “To work with and
for Denis Cadzow was really
exhilarating – the man had visions
way beyond the times”.
In 1947, Denis Cadzow, along with
brothers Shane (also deceased) and
Ralph, the current Luing Society
President, had laid the foundations
to the Luing breed, using a blend
of Highland and Beef Shorthorn
blood, on their tiny 3,813 acre
island, with the basic aim of
economically producing reliably
productive cattle for their finishing
units in East Lothian (at the time
Denis Cadzow was finishing up to
800 head per annum).
Selection for their nucleus
breeding herd on Luing was not
based on show ring rosettes nor
bulbous bums, but on fertility,
efficiency, functionality, ease of
management, in particular calving,
longevity and above all – the ability
to annually produce a top quality
calf while living outside year
round, on a diet of little more than
grass.
“This was my first experience of
working with Luings”, said Charlie.
“And I was amazed at how much
weight the steers put on in their
second summer at grass. Almost
all of them finished by October at
between 450 to 500 kgs liveweight.
All the pure bull calves from Luing
came to Duncrahill in the autumn,
to be halter trained and assessed by
Denis Cadzow.

0818 Luing Journal.indd

Transcription

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