The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A financial expert with a passion for farming
Caroline Stocks meets financial expert with passion for farming
A part-time hobby has become a fulltime passion for agricultural accountant and Perthshire beef farmer Robert Young.
While his days are spent dealing with farm finances, his mornings, evenings and weekends are spent working with his 20-head herd of pedigree Charolais cattle on the family’s 160-acre beef and arable farm near Alyth.
The Mornity Charolais herd was first established by Robert’s late grandfather, Jack Nicoll, and his father, Graham Young, almost 30 years ago. Having introduced Charolais genetics into their beef herd some years earlier, they were so impressed by the results they were achieving that they decided to convert to entirely pedigree stock.
“When we started the herd, as today, the Charolais breed was the best in the country,” Robert says. “If you wanted to breed cross calves and finish them as quickly as possible, they were the only breed that could convert the feeding to produce a top-quality carcase.
“The reasons we breed them now are the same as back then. Nothing beats them; they are the number one terminal breed, and the Charolais store calves demand a premium in the store ring as well.”
Jack and Graham initially bought six animals, building their herd up to 50 through breeding and retaining stock.
“We initially used AI, but then decided to keep a stock bull instead,” says Robert. “The first stock bull we
I would rather take the animals to the sale, because that’s where we can build our herd’s reputation
purchased was Baggrave Lysander. Since then we have bought bulls, either sharing them with local breeders or buying them ourselves. Our current stock bulls are Westcarse Houdini and Carwood Lochness, shared with the Elgin and Glenericht herds.”
While using a stock bull makes managing the farm easier for Robert, who works full-time for EQ Accountants in Forfar, it also creates uniformity in the herd, which he prefers.
“If you use AI sires and different bulls then you end up with good cattle, but different types,” he says. “With a stock bull across the whole herd, you get 20 cows from the same bull, so they should all be consistent animals. Uniformity looks better when you are selling animals .”
To produce animals that appeal to buyers, Robert selects for both good length and confirmation.
“For me length is one of the most important things,” he says. “That extra rib can make all the difference to the weight.
“They also need to have shape: Charolais cattle are a big breed, and while I don’t want to lose too much size, I like a shape that has good confirmation to make sure we get good grades as well as a good weight.”
The family’s approach to producing animals with traits that appeal to the market has garnered them a significant amount of success in recent years, something that Robert hopes will continue at this month’s Stirling Bull Sales.
“Over the last decade we have really improved the herd,” he says. “We’ve had a bit of luck and picked the right bulls that have really clicked with our cows, and it has taken us to the next level.
“We reached 10,000gn for one bull, M or ni ty Mushroom, a West car se Houdini son, at United Auctions in Stirling last October, while our other bull at the sale, Mornity Moboy, a Maerdy Hwre son, was placed Reserve Senior champion in the show and sold for 5,000 gn.”
At this month’s sale Robert will be offering four lots: one bull, by Westcarse Houdini, plus three heifers all sired by Stirling junior champion Maerdy Hwre which, he says, are some of the best heifers he has ever produced.
“We’re taking fewer bulls to the sale than usual because we sold three privately thanks to the success we had in October,” he adds.
“I don’t have any issue selling privately, but if the animals are really good I would rather take them to the sale, because that’s where we can build our herd’s reputation.”
Running the herd may be a part-time job for Robert, but his approach to farming and his passion for the breed is no different from the family’s older generations.
His father, Graham, is still involved in operating the farm and takes the bulls to the sales, while his grandmother, Evelyn, feeds the sale bulls every morning.
In future Robert hopes to continue the herd’s successes, combining his passion for the breed with his other role as an accountant. He said: “It’s a passion and a way of life, and I couldn’t see myself not doing it.”