Being
as efficient as possible, and controlling the things which can be
controlled are the keys for Aberdeenshire farmer Harry Brown, who, along
with his wife Helen and children Abbie and Murray, run this year’s
AgriScot Scotch Beef Farm of the Year.
The
family farms 750 acres at Auchmaliddie Mains, near Maud in
Aberdeenshire, with additional seasonal lets. They run about 200
predominantly Limousin-cross sucklers put to one of four Limousin bulls
or an Aberdeen Angus, and buy a further 200 store cattle each year to
finish. Heifers from the best performing cow lines are kept as
replacements, with some also sold with calves at foot at Thainstone,
while all other cattle are finished on-farm.
While
the business sells finished cattle deadweight, and is also well known
for its success in the commercial showring, a new venture during
Covid-19 has given the family a different insight into its cattle
enterprise. Now, about 30 of the farm’s homebred heifers are finished
and sold as direct meat sales, either through farmer’s markets or
doorstep deliveries to local customers. It is sold alongside Texel cross
lamb and eggs from the sheep and hens owned by Abbie and Murray.
“It’s
a lot of work, but it has been really rewarding,” says Harry. Speaking
to the end customer has been a source of great feedback on meat quality
and consistency, he says. “It’s good to speak to consumers to dispell
any myths about how beef and lamb is produced on our farm and Scotland
in general. The farmer’s markets are a great way to engage with the
general public and tell them our story. It’s really rewarding to have a
customer buy our beef and lamb who has been put off red meat or perhaps
not eaten red meat for a while.”
Customers
value the consistent quality of Auchmaliddie Mains beef, he says. When
home-bred cattle come back from the butcher, he also receives feedback
on its quality and how the carcass performed. Traceability means he can
go back to the cow and bull, and uses that information to identify the
best-performing animals and to ensure the family is consistently
focusing on producing high quality, efficient cattle.
Their
attention to detail starts with cattle health, with yearly Johne’s
monitoring, calves being ear notched for BVD at birth, regular foot
trimming and routine nutritionist meetings. A health plan is in place
which is routinely discussed and updated with the vet, while any
bought-in breeding stock is isolated, health checked and tested before
entering the breeding herd. All heifers destined for breeding are pelvic
measured before bulling to ensure they are suitable for breeding with
minimal assistance.
Use
of technology has also helped farm efficiency, with CCTV in the calving
shed meaning cows can calve in peace but be safely observed. A cattle
database has also been introduced to help cut down on manual farm
paperwork, which Harry says has helped speed up data entry and analysis.
“It has also allowed us to speed up the registration process, and helps
planning bulling and calving periods and patterns.”
But
perhaps the biggest gain of all has come from investing in a Ritchie
Beef Monitor, purchased through one of the capital grant schemes, used
in conjunction with compatible eartags to give EID tag reading, weighing
and recording. It is in the shed which houses about 50 finishing
steers, and as cattle need to cross it in order to access the water
trough, the business now has daily weights for these steers.
This
allows the Browns to identify when cattle are at their optimum weight
without the stress and potential set-back of putting them through a
crush, and also reduces the labour requirement. Importantly, it also
highlights when cattle are not performing, says Harry. Before the
monitor was installed, he says some poorer performing cattle were being
fed for a longer time, eating more silage and barley and not gaining
much weight. “Now when we monitor the weights we can check when an
animal has plateaued, identify them at an early stage and do something
about it.”
Heifers
are weighed once a month through the cattle handling system, but Harry
would like to buy another weigh monitor for them. “We are always trying
to improve our efficiency, so we look at weaning weights too, and
identify our better performing cow lines by looking back through our
records. Identifying the best cows and the non-performers really helps
with breeding selection.”
The
business has also recently built a new outdoor silage pit, which has
cut down on the need to wrap silage, as well as increasing the farm’s
storage capacity and efficiency. It has also allowed the old indoor
silage pit to be repurposed as bedded pens.
Other
areas of the farm receive just as much attention. Soils are regularly
analysed and mapped for pH and trace elements, and GPS used for sowing
and fertilizer spreading. The family has also undertaken several carbon
audits, which has increased their awareness of the issue, and prompted
their focus on increasing efficiency.
“We
are always trying to innovate and change and to improve our efficiency.
There is only so far you can go with costs – and a lot is out with our
control, so we are concentrating on the things we can influence, such as
health and herd performance.
“I
think there is a lot we can still do, and when I go to events such as
AgriScot, there is lots of technology and knowledge from other
industries which beef farmers can use to help their business. It’s
important to keep up to date with developments as there is always room
for improvement.”
A Judge’s View – Bruce McConachie, QMS Head of Industry Development
“What
impressed us was how much of a family enterprise the farm business was.
They knew what they were aiming to produce and knew the market they
were producing for. Ultimately, they have decided to take control of
their own supply chain, which is fantastic. They’re also looking to
improve the performance of the livestock business while capitalising on
direct marketing their produce.
“From
a QMS point of view, the family are such fantastic ambassadors for the
Scotch Brand, and for Scottish farming as a whole. They’re passionate,
proud, and very good food producers.”