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Beef Farmers Head for Moffat – SAC Run Farm Open Day

SAC News Release Ref. No: 10N80
Published: 05 Oct 2010

Beef producers from Southern Scotland and the North of England will be heading to Moffat on Tuesday 12th, when well respected farming family the Davidson’s host SAC’s Beef Event, just south of the town. On Poldean Farm SAC specialists will use the Davidson’s award winning herd of Saler cattle to focus on issues linked to the running of an upland beef and sheep unit in the current climate.

Using the latest research, SAC experts will address a range of topics from maximising profitability, to herd health and grazing management. These play an important role in overall farm efficiency and efficient farms have a smaller carbon footprint.

Saler cattle originally came to Britain from a hilly region of France. The Davidson’s, Willie, wife Jennie and son Alisdair, bought their first Salers in 1991 and now have a herd of 300, despite the tragic set back of a cull following the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001. The cows are good mothers and well suited to Scottish conditions, spending most of their time grazing on hill ground that climbs to over 1700 feet.

While two thirds of the herd is bred pure to produce Saler cows and bulls for sale, the rest are crossed with another continental breed, the Charolais, to produce store calves for other farmers to fatten. Alisdair oversees the calving single handed, mostly out of doors. 

The family do all the work on the farm and have adapted their system to suite.  Together with Cogries farm, which they also rent from Crown Estates, the Davidson’s manage nearly 2000 acres for the cattle and a flock of 500 Lleyn sheep, another easy breed to manage.  

“I don’t mind hard work”, says Willie Davidson, “but I try not to make work hard.”

SAC’s Beef event will use the farms and livestock to consider issues of herd profitability and fertility, Cattle Health Schemes, cattle handling facilities, hill grazing and biodiversity as well as slurry storage and nutrient management. Joining SAC on the site will be will be other farming organisations and companies

According to SAC Beef Specialist Gavin Hill, “Farmers are increasingly having to consider working with climate change and their role in reducing carbon emissions and for this they must pay attention to every part of their business. We have planned the vent so that every farmer who makes the trip to Poldean will take home some piece of information they can apply to their own system”.

The knowledge exchange open day is supported by the Scottish Government  and entry is free. It starts at 11.00 am with lunch provide. To help with the catering farmers are asked to confirm their attendance buy contacting SAC’s Dumfries office on 01387 261172.

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News Release Issued By

Mr Ken Rundle
Senior Communications Officer
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4196

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