Genetics essential at Wedderburn
WEDDERBURN has always been renowned for producing top quality livestock, and Sandy Hunter, aims to up that game further in his quest to breed easyfleshing sellable pedigree Limousins from the family’s Huntly-based farming operation.
Sandy’s parents, Jim and Alyson, have always focused on the commercial aspects and Sandy is looking to push the pedigree side of the operation.
“The Limousin works well in our system. The breed’s mothering ability and milkiness ensures the cows are able to rear a good strong calf. They are also easy fleshing with a good shape which is what the modern market is all about. They also have a great commercial aspect being able to breed an animal for the store ring.
“We want something with a fair bit of shape, but everything else needs to be there as well. When breeding bulls you need to have what the market wants, with the aim to breed that something special,” said Sandy, who’s father, Jim, purchased his first Limousin French cow, Roulette, in 1982.
Two years later, Banside Twilight was bought in calf at Perth Bull Sales in 1984, with the resulting heifer calf being Wedderburn Vesta. Since then no other females have been bought in and everything goes back to Wedderburn Vesta.
Wedderburn Vesta bred the dam of the team’s first Perth Bull Sales’ champion in October 1993, Wedderburn Haig which went on to make 6500gns.
Stock bulls that have made their mark in recent times have been Newhouse Bannockburn – bought in February, 2008 at Carlisle, and Dyke Gladiator purchased in February, 2013, at Stirling.
“Both have been really influential on the female front breeding the type of females we want, easy fleshed and milky, pairing well with what we were already working with,” said Sandy.
He added that the new stock bull, Westpit Ollie, a son of the notable brood cow, Brockhurst Holy, bought privately from Andrew Gammie, is also making his mark, with his first son, being the dearest sold to date. That was Wedderburn Rob Roy, which made 12,000gns last October.
“The first Ollie daughters will be calving in November and we are really happy with how they are looking.”
This year the family has two bulls on offer at October Bull Sales at Carlisle – Wedderburn Stormzy and Wedderburn Some Boy. Some Boy is by home-bred bull, Wedderburn Oochaboy, which was used in the spring of 2020 before being sold in October for 7500gns, whilst Stormzy has already made a name for himself when he stood junior male inter-breed champion at Turriff Show and overall male champion at the Scottish grand Prix. He is a son of the AI sire, Goldies Novelty.
“Although we don’t do a lot of showing, I do feel it is a good shop window for letting fellow breeders see what bulls you have available. Especially if we have ones for sale in October it definitely helps sell them and we are feeding them anyway.
“We will continue to take cattle out in small numbers to the shows just to keep a hand in and to promote our herd.
“You can learn so much from fellow breeders at the shows with a wee dram or two – and social aspect is fantastic,” said Sandy, who this year ventured to the Royal Highland Show for his first ‘proper’ Ingliston event as an exhibitor with Limousin bulls which stood third and fourth in strong classes.
Last year, for the team’s first Great Yorkshire Show, they landed the award for the reserve junior male championship with the new stock bull, Sarkley Ronaldo. He was bought as a weaned calf at the Red Ladies sale at Carlisle for his depth of breeding, with the first offspring born this year looking promising.
The dam side is just as important if not more so as the sire, according to Sandy, who said:
“If the dam’s line is right, then everything else usually follows, which is why the best breeding cows are flushed at Wedderburn.
“By undertaking embryo work, we get the most out of the cows that are breeding well which can be served to different bulls to improve the genetics throughout the herd without having to run as many females.
“We like the flexibility of using various combinations and seeing what is breeding well in the sale and show rings.
“If we get the right females and bulls to click we should have uniform calves throughout the herd,” said Sandy, pointing out that calving takes place all year round to ensure there are bulls to sell at different times of the year.
The best of the heifers are retained in the herd for breeding, with any not good enough, put to a Charolais bull, with all resultant male calves left entire.
The Charolais cross heifer calves are mainly sold through the store ring at United Auctions’ Huntly, with the bull calves finished through ABP, Perth.
“The Charolais and the Limousin are a great combination of shape, flesh and weight gain – what more could you want!” said Sandy.
The family also run a large closed sheep enterprise of various breeds and crosses which aims to be as self sufficient as possible, with only occasional stock rams purchased.
The flock is MV accredited too – pedigree and commercial – which makes it easier to manage and opens another market for selling MV accredited stock.
“The Blackface sheep are here for a job, as they are one of the hardiest breeds for the hill and have strong mothering abilities to rear lambs in extreme terrain. They produce all of our own replacements for the flock,” said Sandy.
He added that 400 are bred pure with the remaining 300 being crossed to the farm’s own home-bred Bluefaced Leicester ram lambs to produce Scotch Mule lambs.
All Mule and Blackface wedder lambs are sold finished while the Mule ewe lambs are cashed through United Auctions, Huntly or privately.
About 100 are retained each year to top up the 200 Mule ewe flock which run with Suffolk rams at tupping time to produce the popular Suffolk Mule.
“Suffolk Mules are in high demand for embryo work up here. They are good prolific mothers, and are earlier maturing sheep and they cycle earlier for ET work,” Sandy said. This year Suffolk rams have been purchased from Glenrock, Jalex and Carwood.
Wedderburn has also stepped up its game amongst the Texels, breeding pedigree rams as opposed to purebreds which it has done for many years.
“I enjoy breeding Texels with the main aim to produce a sellable tup with a good skin and carcase. If you can get the magic head along with that you’ll not be too far away, but it all takes time,” said Sandy, who purchased four foundation ewes in 2019 – three from Andrew Clark, Teiglum and one from Jim Innes, Strathbogie.
This year, Sandy sold his first Texel tup lamb at Worcester for 3500gns and next year he aims to take a few more to all the society sales and the club sale at Carlisle. A few tups will also be kept as shearlings for Kelso and Huntly.
Bluefaced Leicester ram lambs will be sold at Carlisle and Hawes, with shearlings sold at Stirling and Huntly. Sandy also intends selling ewe hoggs and gimmers at Carlisle in January.
“We do a bit of flushing work with the Blues too but anything not good enough is culled. We would never sell anything we wouldn’t use ourselves. But then, the main purpose of our system is to be as self sufficient as possible – breeding good females and sellable tups and bulls to repeat customers,” concluded Sandy.