The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Cattle legend Willie leaves breed legacy
For many in the cattle world, Willie McLaren, who has died aged 89, was Mr Aberdeen-Angus. It was a label that recognised his unstinting efforts over many years to promote one of Scotland’s traditional breeds.
Recognising his contribution to the breed and the Scottish livestock industry, he was given the Sir William Young award in 2011 by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
The Netherton AberdeenAngus herd, Blackford, was established by his father and grandfather in 1924, eight years before Willie was born.
He was born at Netherton and left school at 15 to work a pair of horses, he became a member of Perth Young Farmers and, after a few years, was a founder of Allanwater Young Farmers.
It was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that Willie made his own mark on the Netherton herd and on the breed which was out of favour because it was considered too small and dumpy by commercial beef producers.
In 1973, he went to Kansas where he read out a letter on behalf of the Queen Mother at the 100th anniversary of Angus cattle in America.
While there he realised the breed in the UK had to change and he became one of the first to bring Angus cattle back to this side of the Atlantic and helped transform the Netherton herd and the overall breed.
The bulls bought at that time included Walnut of Edgeley Acres and Wilbar Eaton, both of them putting more scale and fleshing on the home-bred cattle.
Another trip across the Atlantic in 1980 saw the purchase of TLA Northern Samurai for $30,000.
Canadian breeders then brought a two-year-old heifer, Cee Bar Favorite over to the UK on a promotional tour.
When he saw her, Willie was sufficiently shrewd to buy her for 2,000 guineas and her genes are still dominant in the herd 40 years later. These investments provided success in the sale rings with Netherton-bred females breaking the 20,000 and 30,000 guinea mark to set new records for the female side of the breed. On the male side, Netherton Figo was a vindication of Willie’s ability as a top breeder when he was sold in 2005 for 30,000 guineas.
The Angus Hall of Fame in the United States in 2016 listed Willie as one the top 150 Angus breeders in the world in its 192 years.
Willie was accompanied by his wife, Cathy. They celebrated 64 years of marriage and raised their family of two sons and two daughters, Margaret, Duncan, Kay and William.
In later years, he and Cathy enjoyed the company of his grandchildren and a great grandchild.
At Netherton, he was the session clerk for 40 years at the local church. He was a Burns enthusiast and interested in local history. He was also a member of the Clan MacLaren Society.