Finishing Shorthorn crosses

Shorthorn crosses suit mixed enterprise’s aims

Beef Shorthorn cross cattle are central to the success of one Gloucestershire farm’s beef enterprise which has grown in size over the last eight years and expanded further since the family ceased milking at the end of 2021.

Max Pullin

FACT FILE

450 acre beef and arable farm

300 finishing cattle brought on farm aged from 8-18 months old

As Max Pullin explains rearing and finishing Beef Shorthorn cattle has been a rewarding and exciting venture. “I buy store cattle from eight months old onwards and the youngest are on farm for a maximum of 12 months. I source cattle from local markets, private sales and also through the Morrisons dairy beef scheme.

“The aim is for cattle to kill out at 300-370kg deadweight as I find once they get any heavier than that profit levels start to diminish,” he explains.

Cattle are weighed regularly to monitor liveweight gains of the cattle on growers ration, with an average growth of 1.2-1.5kg/day.

“This is about where I want them to be and cattle on the finishing ration average 1.62kg/day, being on this ration for a maximum of 90 days.” The finishing ration at Priory Farm is based on home grown crops including straw, grass, rolled grains and maize.

“I find the Shorthorn crosses easy finishing due to being a native breed. This suits my system and limits the amount of bought in feed required, which under the current climate is a huge benefit to my farming enterprise.

“Another benefit of the Shorthorn cattle is that the cattle bought in Spring can be finished on grass. The docile temperament makes them easy to handle, meaning when working alone it makes it a much more pleasant job.

“With the financial pressure on farming currently and the environmental challenges we have to overcome I believe these are the right breed for my system,” adds Max.