Stories from the farm May 26

Quigley, our new stock bull

Jawa, our first calf

Newsletter by Sabrina:

If someone had told me ten years ago that one day I would be spending weeks, even months, fussing about getting a new stock bull, I would have had a good laugh. But here we are 😊, though it’s not just about Belties as a breed, it’s about the complexity of how cattle fit into the ecosystem. A cow isn’t just a cow. Just as much as the cow will impact your land, the land will impact how well your cow thrives.

Farmers and conservationists often pick Belties for their hardiness, but what does that mean? First, their ability to weather the cold and rainy outdoors with their double insulated coats and relatively compact structure. Second, their ability to calve easily, with strong mothering instincts. The latter in contrast to dairy breeds like my pet Jersey, who are bred to happily let the farmer take over the calf feeding duties (although I am expecting my Jersey to put in the effort and rear her calf while we just share a little of the milk). But back to Belties and the third, maybe more easily forgotten aspect of hardiness: the ability to efficiently convert grass (and a wide range of other plants) into energy. Someone on a podcast talked about small, fat, hairy cows being the future, and I do believe there is some truth to that. While they may be smaller, there are a growing number of people finding that smaller cows are much better converters of forage, require less supplementation and have a reduced impact on the ground, compared to the more modern commercial breeds which can easily be 50% heavier.

But how does all of that relate to our new stock bull? When we select our breeding cows, we pick the ones who thrive, so basically the ones who best fit the above 3 aspects of hardiness (along with longevity and good fertility). So over the years, we get a more optimal population, adapted to our ground. When we bring in a new bull, half of the genetics of the calves for the next 3 years are going to be his, so when we pick him, we want to pick carefully! Obviously, the first check box is breed standards. And yes, vanity-can’t-be-helped, I did want Belted Galloway ‘showing’ potential 😊 While we’ve never done shows with our cattle, due to other priorities, I would like to think we’ve managed to get to a pretty nice level with our herd, so we picked a bull which we thought would at least maintain our current standard, and hopefully bring it up another notch. But most importantly, we wanted a bull that would fit our ecosystem. A bull with genetics that will thrive year round on diverse forage, that moves well, that hasn’t been pampered and heavily fed. Having taken on the challenge to find that package, and being hopeful that I had, when he was delivered this week I was… smitten!!! I had quizzed the breeder extensively, and he’d sent me endless pictures and videos before our decision, but when he arrived, he simply surpassed my expectations. He has a lovely combination of good temperament, a very sweet face but a very masculine body with good muscle and length. It’s over to the genetic potluck now and I am really looking forward to seeing what he will do for us in the coming years. I have really high hopes! May the force be with us 😊 Talking of which, I have one last bit of news; our first calf this year was born on Star Wars day, so Holly got to name her Jawa 😊 And just as smitten as I am with Quigley, the new bull, Holly is with Jawa, so below are pictures of Quigley and Jawa for you to enjoy.

UPDATED ORDER FORM ONLINE NOW

PROMO THIS MONTH: 10% discount on frozen brisket to clear freezer space

BACK BECAUSE THEY WERE SO POPULAR: Hebridean lamb merguez sausages!!

The May order form is now updated and online. You can find the link below to the order form with all our different meat cuts available, along with practical info about delivery/collection dates.