Beef Finishing Monitor Farm Attracts Large Crowds
SCOTLAND - Around 150 farmers and industry executives were attracted to the first meeting to take place at a Hartbush monitor farm in Amisfield, Dumfries.
10 January 2013
2 minute read
Hartbush farm is the 35th monitor farm that forms part of a Scotland-wide beef finishing scheme. The addition to the programme attracted processors Highland Meats and A K Stoddart. They will work alongside the Paterson family at Hartbush farm to assess cattle production, sourcing and marketing.
Kenny Adams, a past monitor farmer from Torhousekie, Wigtown, gave a brief talk on his experiences as a monitor farmer, which were very positive. He encouraged the community group and management group, when they were elected, to keep focused and keep momentum as the project developed.
Mark Allan from Highland Meats and John Craig from A K Stoddart both expressed how pleased they were to be involved in this new venture and hoped that by exchanging ideas more supply chain information could be collected and used.
Hartbush has been in the Paterson family for nearly 100 years and is currently run by John and Amanda Paterson. The farm runs to 600 acres with a 260 cow suckler herd of mainly Limousin or Simmental cross Limousin cows and around 30 followers.
The heifers together with 190 cows are spring calving with the remainder of the cows summer calving from 1st July. Charolais bulls produce the finishing cattle with the Limousin covering the heifers and the Simmental used to produce replacement heifers to join those bought annually from the same farm in Aberdeenshire.
The spring born bull calves are reared as bull beef, while the remaining steers and the heifers which are not kept for breeding, are finished on the farm.
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