SOUTH DEVONS The commercial native choice
The breed that’s quietly going places!
Welcome to the 2nd edition of The Commercial South Devon!
SOUTH DEVON HERD BOOK SOCIETY Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ 01392 447494 | www.sdhbs.org.uk | info@sdhbs.org.uk
This, our 2017 edition of this breed-specific publication features seven different beef units which use South Devons as an integral part of their production.
With thanks to all our contributors for their help in compiling this publication.
Each unit focuses on the varied South Devon characteristics that are such an important contributory factor to the profitability of beef production.
Herd profiles written by:
As you will read inside, these important characteristics include docility, performance, mothering ability, and conversion of forage into excellent quality beef.
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The breed also crosses well with other breeds – native and continental – where additional hybrid vigour is an important consideration.
Design & Artwork:
The Society encourages breeders to make use of appropriate technical tools to enhance profitability and performance – including Breedplan recording, DNA testing, and health schemes.
5 Broomybank, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2SF
Just recently we have also started to offer our members (through NBDC) a female type classification service which will reveal important information relating to the dam’s breeding potential.
Contributors:
The South Devon breed is a versatile beef producer, capable of meeting market requirements for fast finishing bull beef, as well as slower grass-fed steer and heifer beef. As breeding animals the females are strong, long-living and productive suckler replacements, with growing popularity also as embryo recipients because of their strong maternal qualities and docility. Terminal sires placed in commercial herds will bring strong returns, lower maintenance, increased docility, higher levels of milk in heifer progeny, with no compromise on beef quality or on conformation. South Devons – quietly going places!
Caroline Poultney Breed Secretary
Acstede Design 01926 851195 | www.acstededesign.co.uk | alan@acstededesign.co.uk
Mr P Cowling, Trebelsue Farm, Newquay, Cornwall Ms C Davis, Cucklington, Wincanton, Somerset G K Griffin & Son, St Dominick, Saltash, Cornwall E G & S M Hawkins, Trull, Taunton, Somerset Mr J Mills, Winwick Grange Farm, West Haddon, Northamptonshire Mr I Mitchell, Carsluith, Newton Stewart, Dumfries & Galloway Mr D Pither, Droys Court Farm, Witcombe, Gloucestershire Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in articles where the name of the author is published are those of the author and not necessarily those of the South Devon Herd Book Society.
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
Charlotte Davis - Safely
George Griffin - Quality
Peter Cowling -
Iain Mitchell - South
managing a 130 suckler
butcher breeding and
Maximising maternal
Devons thriving on
cow grazing herd single-
rearing his own beef,
strengths using the latest
the exposed uplands of
handedly and turning a
and selling 100%
commercial practices
Dumfries & Galloway
profit
through his shop
10-11
12-13
14-15
Edward Hawkins -
James Mills -
Derek Pither - Finishing
Making the most of
Cross-breeding in
easy to keep South
performance recording
Northamptonshire on a
Devons for Dovecote
730-acre mixed arable
Park
and beef unit
Contents
www.sdhbs.org.uk South Devons | 1
“With 130 suckler cows run on an extensive, grass-based system, Charlotte likes to keep things simple.” Charlotte Davis - Cucklington, Wincanton, Somerset
“They’re my only
source of income, so they’ve got to stack up
”
commercially.
Fast growth rates, milky mothers and the ability to perform well off grass are three of the greatest secrets to success at Charlotte Davis’s farm in Somerset. Running the 400-acre tenanted Clapton Farm by herself, Charlotte produces 12-24 month old store cattle to sell at nearby Shaftesbury market. And she regularly tops the trade, so she’s clearly doing something right. With 130 suckler cows run on an extensive, grass-based system, Charlotte likes to keep things simple. “It’s as low input as possible – I’m running it all by myself so I don’t want difficulties,” she explains. The cows are about seven-eighths South Devon, having been bred with South Devon bulls since the 1970s, when Charlotte’s father Jim switched from dairy farming to a suckler herd. Bloodlines from the original Friesian x Hereford cows therefore remain in the herd, yielding the occasional black calf. “However, looking at them, you would think they’re pure South Devon now.” Charlotte calves the herd in two blocks – spring and autumn – although the calving period is relatively extended to spread the workload. “I keep the bulls in for quite a long time to make sure the cows are in-calf; if they need to run over into the next calving period they can,” she explains. “I have a lot of older cows which always get in calf – they’re just wonderful. My replacement rate is therefore quite low; usually about 15 head a year, although it’s been less than that recently as there has been strong buying demand for my breeding heifers.”
www.sdhbs.org.uk 2 | South Devons
All the cows calve outside for optimum health, and although they are housed on straw yards over the winter, the calves can let themselves out to grass through a creep gate. “We have traditional buildings around a yard, so the calves also have a choice of their own sleeping quarters,” says Charlotte. “Weaning is not a problem at all; I keep them on their mothers for as long as possible to maximise growth rates and
prevent the cows from getting too fat before calving again, so they almost wean naturally.” Charlotte takes one cut of silage a year to feed over the winter, with the cows and calves grazing permanent pasture over the summer. The only supplement they get is minerals. “That way, when buyers take the stores for finishing, they just need to pump some food in to fatten them quickly.” She sells all the stores in October, with some heifers and all steers sold for finishing. “Buyers want stores to be well grown, and mine are a really good size by October, at 450-500kg; most of them will be finished and slaughtered by Christmas.” When it comes to selecting bulls, Charlotte always buys pedigree South Devons due to their high health status. “Apart from bulls we’ve always run a closed herd, which really helps reduce the risk of disease – we’ve never had Johnes or IBR, and we vaccinate against BVD and leptospirosis,” she explains. “TB is all around: I think not feeding anything apart from grass silage means badgers aren’t coming into the yard to eat, but it’s always a worry.”
Charlotte selects her bulls for good conformation, strong feet, and rapid early weight gain, and is currently using Lumbylaw Magnus 69 and Stretchford Icarus 2. “I’ve had all sorts of different bulls over the years: I used to use Angus bulls on the heifers for ease of calving but the modern Angus has become too big, so now I use a South Devon on my heifers as well,” she says. “I calve my heifers at two and a half years old – any earlier and I think it stunts their growth.”
Some of the cows carry the double muscling myostatin gene, so Charlotte now opts for zero myostatin bulls for easier calving. “Assisting a calving by yourself at 3am is always risky, but the South Devons are just so nice natured,” she explains. “My father liked them for their big frame and good meat, but their gentle character is just as important. My buyers love their calm nature – there’s never a cross word from any of them.” But the bottom line comes down to profitability. “They’re my only source of income, so they’ve got to stack up commercially.”
South Devons | 3
“Butchery is about the whole carcass, not just the hindquarter – 100% of home-produced beef sold through butcher’s shop” George Griffin - St Dominick, Saltash, Cornwall
“They are such
characters – you don’t mind getting up at 5am to check them when calving, and they’re amazing mothers. I’ve had three sets of twins this year and where I’ve lost a single the dam has just accepted the foster calf straight away – I can’t rate them highly
”
enough.
Adversity can be a powerful driver of success, and George Griffin has certainly turned difficult times to his advantage. Previously finishing continental crossbreds for supermarkets, he now has a thriving butcher’s shop and a pedigree South Devon suckler herd. “I never really planned to diversify, but after the foot-and-mouth outbreak the beef market took a real turn for the worse,” he says. In an effort to be the master of his own destiny, he opened a small butcher’s shop at Saltash Garden Centre in 2006, which has now moved into a permanent building employing three full-time staff. However, it took the horsegate scandal and subsequent tightening of the beef market to encourage George to give up simply finishing stock in favour of breeding his own. “We were buying continental cross stores to finish but as store prices went up the margin was really under pressure,” he explains. “I was trying to source good quality cattle for the shop but alongside TB restrictions it became increasingly difficult.” As the butchers liked South Devon x Limousin cattle, and having known Peter Rowe’s family for years, George bought five in-calf heifers and 20 bulling heifers from the Trewint herd in October 2014. He has since bought more females from Peter Rowe, Douglas Scott and Ernie Hemmings, alongside a pedigree Limousin bull from Patrick Greed’s Killerton herd and two South Devon bulls: Trevoulter Piran 1 and Trewint Sovereign 1. “I went for pedigree stock partly for the high health status – it’s easier to start with a healthy herd than not,” he says. “We vaccinate for BVD and leptospirosis and are aiming for a low Johne’s rating.” Having initially used a Limousin bull on heifers, George struggled with some difficult calvings, so he now uses the South Devon bulls on heifers and any cows with high myostatin (double muscling) scores.
www.sdhbs.org.uk 4 | South Devons
“Initially I didn’t want to run a purebred herd, but you live and learn. I think we’ve been a bit obsessed with continental stock, but butchery is about the whole carcass not just the hindquarter,” he says. “The South Devon is a native grazing animal and a good converter of grass, and the eating quality is excellent.” It’s also the breed’s famously good nature that George, his father George and son Dominic, all love. “They are such characters – you don’t mind getting up at 5am to check them when calving, and they’re amazing mothers. I’ve had three sets of twins this year and where I’ve lost a single the dam has just accepted the foster calf straight away – I can’t rate them highly enough.” Calving from early February, George turns the stock out in late March and April to graze until October. “Our ground runs from the Tamar river to 650 feet above sea level, so is a real mixture.” He buffer feeds with hay to avoid grass staggers and creep feeds to prevent a lull in intakes at weaning. “We wean on housing and run them in groups of 15-20 calves,” he explains.
The cattle don’t have far to go for slaughter at Tideford, and George then hangs the carcasses – which typically grade at U and E 4L - before selling through the shop around 21 days later. “The supermarkets are driving down the target weights to reduce the overall value of the animal, but I’m pushing for a 400kg plus average at 18-23 months old.”
George also has 425 Texel cross ewes to produce lamb for the butchery, and is aiming to increase the cattle herd to 100 head in a few years’ time. “We’re selling 100% of our beef through the shop and feedback from customers is very good. They say the South Devon is a breed that’s quietly going places and that really sums it up.”
“We include a bit of soya with grass silage and crimped barley to boost growth rates over the winter: This year we weaned at an average of 375kg and they put on 1kg/day over the winter – despite being TB tested every 60 days so I’m happy with that. We then aim for 1.5kg a day over the finishing period.” George grazes rotationally, and tops the paddocks regularly to maximise grass quality and regrowth. “I’m hoping to finish the bigger steers and heifers at grass with a bit of cereal fed in the field, and then I’ll hold the smaller stock into the winter for year-round supply to the butcher’s shop – although I may end up autumn calving as well.”
Farm facts: • Tipwell herd, Heathfield Farm, St Dominic, Cornwall • 425 acres, all tenanted. 70 South Devon cows plus followers. • Selling through own butcher’s: Tamar Valley Meats South Devons | 5
“Maximising South Devons’ maternal strengths using the latest commercial practices” Peter Cowling - Newquay, Cornwall
“We’re a straight
commercial herd and my excitement is seeing the grade sheet coming back
”
well.
When Peter Cowling returned from college to work on the family’s Trebelsue Farm, Newquay, Cornwall, he was itching to introduce the latest commercial practices. And he’s certainly done that, winning St Merryn’s producer of the year in 2010 and steadily improving the farm all the time. But there’s still plenty of history about the place, with South Devon cattle having been on the farm since Peter’s grandfather took over the tenancy in 1934. So what is it about the breed that sets this commercial farmer alight? “The main thing is their temperament; they’ve very docile,” he explains. “This is a coastal farm overlooking Watergate Bay, so we have a lot of public footpaths; we have to be very aware of the livestock we run.” Peter uses the South Devon cows as sucklers, keeping one South Devon bull to breed replacements alongside two Limousin bulls and one Charolais, as terminal sires. “The South Devons are excellent mothers and they produce good quality milk. We’ve always gone for larger framed animals: Until recently, weight pays.” As well as the 120 suckler cows Peter keeps all his own replacements and finishes the remainder of the stock, alongside lambing 400 Suffolk x Mule ewes and 100 Dorset ewes in January and February. He calves 80% of the cows from 7 March to the end of April, with everything finished by the end of May. “We pregnancy diagnose everything – that’s one thing I introduced when I came home from Duchy College,” he says. “There’s no point keeping empty cows over the winter, so we PD in October and cull anything barren unless it’s a really cracking young cow.”
www.sdhbs.org.uk 6 | South Devons
This year he put 102 cows to the bull, eight of which were empty – and a couple of those were 14 years old. Of the 18 heifers that went to the bull, just one was barren. Another change which Peter introduced was calving the heifers at two years old rather than three. “My father thought it stunted them, but I’ve been doing it for the past nine years and it works – I’ve seen no growth check whatsoever. It seems daft to keep them for an extra 12 months with no return.” However, he is very careful to select the best grown heifers. “I won’t put anything to the bull under 370kg, and prefer them to be nearer 400kg at 13-14 months old,” explains Peter. “Anything that I don’t select for breeding is finished – I can’t afford to wait for the younger ones as I want to keep the calving pattern tight.” He vaccinates the heifers for BVD and puts them to the bull at the end of June, with the cows being served at the end of May. “I always use a Limousin bull on the heifers as they’re easier calving, with the South Devon for replacements and the Charolais over third calvers or older.”
Calving ease is an important trait, following a spate of C-sections from Charolais bulls in the past. “A cracking dead calf is no good to man or beast,” says Peter. Length and growth rates are also important, as most beef stock are finished at 20-24 months old. Peter houses the stock over the winter, with dry cows fed on poor to average quality silage with straw and minerals. “We turn them out about 24 hours after calving once we know the calves are suckling,” he explains. “We start them in groups of 12 to minimise the risk of scours – it used to be an issue but we’ve improved the buildings and hygiene, and we don’t have a problem now.”
“We bring the steers in first and separate them on weights – the most forward ones have two weeks to settle and then get 8kg a head of rolled barley, silage, straw and minerals, and finish within about eight weeks,” says Peter. “The smaller group ramp up to 8kg between six and eight weeks before they’re sold.”
Having found a system that works so well, Peter is loath to change too much now. “We might increase numbers a bit further, but I have no plans to change the South Devons. We’re a straight commercial herd and my excitement is seeing the grade sheet come back well.”
Last year the steers averaged 390kg, with 50% at U grade or better. “There’s not as much difference between the breeds as there used to be, because the conformation of the South Devons has improved so much,” he explains. The Charolais crossbreds are heaviest, but achieve lower grades than the Limousins, with the South Devons somewhere in the middle.
The calves are creep fed at grass and weaned abruptly at housing in male and female groups, and then graze for their second summer before being housed ready for finishing.
SouthDevons Devons| |7 7 South
“Producing good calves with little input; and converting rough grazing easily to meat and milk – in the exposed uplands of Dumfries & Galloway” Iain Mitchell - Carsluith, Newton Stewart, Dumfries & Galloway
“They’re milky, docile,
maternal and hardy
enough to be outside over winter; they’re ideal for
”
what we’re doing.
Farming on the exposed uplands of Dumfries & Galloway can be challenging, but with the right system – and the right breeding – profits can still be made. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and now in partnership with his parents, tenant farmer Iain Mitchell has found the perfect system to suit his land, with a breed choice that at first glance may be surprising. “It was really by chance that we first got involved with South Devon cattle – but once we started using them we never looked back,” he says. “They’re milky, docile, maternal and hardy enough to be outside over winter; they’re ideal for what we’re doing.” Bagbie Farm comprises 800 acres of less favoured area ground, split between 500 acres of rough grazing, 220 acres of permanent pasture and 80 acres of temporary silage leys. It ranges from 800 feet above sea level right down to the coast. On it, Iain runs 90 Blackface x North Country Cheviot ewes, and 400 Blackface ewes, alongside a herd of 90 suckler cows. Within that is a nucleus of 20 purebred Galloways, another of 10 purebred South Devons, with the remainder being Galloway x South Devons. “In the 1980s my parents used Whitebred Shorthorns on the Galloways to produce Blue Grey suckler cows, but they couldn’t find a replacement Shorthorn bull,” explains Iain. “Someone recommended South Devons and we’ve loved them ever since – they have a wonderful temperament and are just as tough as the Galloways.”
www.sdhbs.org.uk 8 | South Devons
Iain’s main requirement of his suckler cows is to produce a good calf without too much input, and convert rough grazing easily to meat and milk. “I want a cow that not only calves easily but looks after her calf too. They need to milk well without losing too much condition, and they need to last – if they can produce a good calf every year for more than 10 years then I’m satisfied,” he says. “Plus, I don’t want a cow I can’t get near – I want to be able to work with them in the field without having to use handling facilities.”
Iain uses Limousin and Charolais bulls as terminal sires over the crossbred cows, with his two South Devon bulls - Enterprise Bagbie Jackson and Enterprise Avalon – working over the nucleus females. “When selecting bulls – and females – I want good feet; I don’t want to be trimming them,” he says. “I use estimated breeding values to select for maternal traits including easy calving and short gestation – but you have to balance that with terminal EBVs like good growth rates and eye muscle area.” Length and breadth are also important, with Iain preferring a solid body overall to something with huge hindquarters. Although Iain used to finish Galloway x South Devon steers at 500600kg and around 28 months old, he now tends to sell them as stores at about 12 months old. “There’s more demand for native breeds now. In 2016 we were selling 12 month-old stores at 370kg for £780; if you kept them for an extra year to finish you wouldn’t have got a lot more money.” The Limousin crossbreds go at 8-12 months old; with 300kg stores fetching about £700, while Charolais crossbreds have been making £950 at 360kg.
The cows calve in two blocks; 60 in October / November and 30 in April / May. “They all calve outside and until two years ago everything remained out over the winter,” explains Iain. “However, we recently had to build a shed to cope with the changing weather patterns. When it’s wet it’s really wet now, and the ground can’t cope, so we house about 40 autumn calvers over the winter.” Grass growth is also slow in the spring, which is why Iain has a bias towards autumn calving. “With the sheep lambing at the same time there isn’t enough grass to support them all.” In the winter, the cattle get grass silage and 1kg a head of a 16% protein pellet, with spring calves also getting creep feed from November onwards, before being sold in February.
“We feed the autumn calves over the winter and select them in August straight off their mothers, which can be easier than weaning them,” says Iain. “Anything that doesn’t go in August gets 1kg a head until the October sales.” South Devon and Galloway calves are weaned at 9-10 months old, with the heifers and bullocks grazing the hill land over the summer, and heifers calving at two and half years old. So what does the future hold for this not-so-traditional farm? “We may sell our Blackface sheep as the breed isn’t going in the direction I want, but cattle-wise, why change something that works? I’d like to see more South Devons in Scotland, so we may keep more purebred bull calves entire to sell,” says Iain. “The folk who keep South Devons are very happy with them; as a maternal line you can’t beat them.”
South Devons | 9 7
“Measuring, recording and improving – using all of the latest tools in the box ” Edward Hawkins - Trull, Taunton, Somerset
“If you don’t measure it, what hope is there of improving.”
For Edward Hawkins who farms in Trull, just outside Taunton, measuring, recording and improving his South Devon suckler cattle is at the heart of all that he does on his Somerset farm. With a tight 12 week calving pattern the 36-cow herd is closely monitored using all the latest tools in the box. Every week the plate meter comes out to help plan the herd’s grazing; every month, the youngstock are weighed to check they are meeting their 200, 400 and 600 day targets; and once a year Cutsey Farm has a visit from a qualified Breedplan technician, where ultrasound scanning for eye muscle area, fat depth, intramuscular fat, and the calculation of retail beef yield have come to form an integral part of the farming system. “If you don’t measure it, what hope is there of improving,” says Edward, who believes the beef industry should take its lead form dairy farming where performance recording and other technical tools have become second nature. However, he is disappointed that not more beef producers take up performance recording, and would particularly like to see more use of ultrasound scanning for carcase quality traits. Believing that higher participation would improve the reliability of genetic indexes and propel the breed forward he says, “People sometimes feel they haven’t the time to weigh their cattle, but even if only for worming it’s useful to know exact weights to get exactly the right dose of treatment.” But the real value, he believes, is in knowing an animal’s Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) in order to select heifers for breeding replacements, and to choose herd sires – with the obvious regard also made to visual appraisal and pedigree assessment.
www.sdhbs.org.uk 10 | South Devons
“EBVs are a great tool and they are 60% of the battle, but appearance is also important,” Edward says.
“We are looking for locomotion and good feet, and we want to see the bulls we buy in working condition – in other words what they’ll look like without their show clothes.” He says the performance of the progeny of the two natural service sires on the farm – Kestle King Leo and Cutsey Red Ensign 1 – is almost perfectly predicted by the bulls’ EBVs. “Ensign’s calf weight EBV is -1 whereas Leo’s is +5.6,” he says. “And if you look at the heifer calves born on the farm, this year they average 41 kg and 45 kg respectively – exactly what the EBVs are telling you.” Edward shares his passion for performance recording with his brother William who has developed a colour coding system to quickly identify the strongest and weakest performers in the herd. Youngstock growth is perhaps the most important barometer of all and in this area too, the South Devon herd is producing convincing results. Having favoured the South Devon breed over continentals for its docility, ease of management, ease of calving and mothering ability, its growth rates are also impressive.
Bulls are kept entire and finished on the farm to supply a butchery in a local farm shop. Heifers are either retained as replaements or sold for breeding. Growth rates are precisely measured, currently averaging 1.7 kg/day for the bulls ranging from 2.4 kg/day for the best down to 1.3 kg/day for the slower-growing animals. The finishing ration on which they achieve this performance is ad lib grass silage with 5 kg/head of rolled barley and 0.6 kg of a rumen bypass rape-based protein per day. However, as calves Edward has found the South Devons do better without creep feed. “We used to creep feed but we found calves would spend a lot of time in the feeder and less on their mothers,” he says. “The mothers’ milk would dry up and the calves would eat more and more cake yet growth rates remain the same.”
Spring born calves remain on grass until weaning in December, by which time they are mostly close to their target of half their mothers’ weight. With dam weights averaging 750 kg this accomplishment on grass and milk alone is impressive. High quality grass plays a central role in reaching these targets, and the herd is paddock-grazed in 0.96 ha (2 acre) blocks with a close watch kept on maintaining around 3,000 kg DM/ha, grazing residuals to 1,500 kg DM/ha, and conserving any surplus by monitoring the grass wedge. Future efficiencies will include looking more towards kg of meat produced per hectare. Edward would like to bring the herd into the top 25% average for the breed, “But”, he says, “this won’t be done by doing one thing 100% better, but by doing 100 things 1% better.”
South Devons | 11
“Crossing with continentals to make the most of South Devon docility and mothering ability, whilst maximising carcase grades and value” James Mills - West Haddon, Northamptonshire
“For me, sound
temperament and good conformation are the most important qualities.
”
Midlands farmer James Mills only started using South Devon cows in his beef herd seven years ago – but they have proven such a success that he is increasing numbers all the time. Crossing them with continental breeds he is making the most of their docile nature and mothering ability, whilst maximising carcase grades and value. Having run a beef unit on Winwick Grange Farm since 1974, this fourth generation farmer is no stranger to making a living from a commercial beef herd, breeding his own stock as well as buying in youngstock to finish. The 730-acre mixed arable and beef unit is situated in the heart of Northamptonshire – and with public rights of way running through a lot of the land, it was the South Devons’ placid nature that first attracted James to the breed. “Having pathways on the farm means we have a lot of members of the public passing through with dogs,” he says. “We had had some issues, so to reduce the risk of injury to walkers we knew we needed a quiet, docile breed - and South Devons fitted the criteria perfectly.” Today, James runs a herd of 200 suckler cows, including 60 South Devon x Limousins, 30 purebred South Devons and 25 purebred Limousins, as well as a flock of 60 Mule ewes. He purchased his foundation stock in the form of the crossbreds at Newark market; and three years later began home producing purebred South Devons. “The South Devons work brilliantly to cross on to,” he says, “particularly when crossing with continentals. They breed something with very good conformation, which personally I prefer to the purebreds. After their third calving, we put all the South Devons back to a Belgian Blue and from this see a further increase in conformation.”
www.sdhbs.org.uk 12 | South Devons
The herd runs on a spring calving system and after weaning in the autumn the bulls are put straight on to creep feed, while the heifers wait until Christmas time for their creep feed.
Everything is finished intensively inside, on a straw bedded loose yard at 14-15 months. Youngstock are fed on a ration of home-grown barley from the farm’s 630 acres of arable land and a 20% protein blend. James aims for finishing weights of 600-650kg for bulls and 450-500kg for heifers, with everything sold live through Newark Market. “The benefit of finishing cattle on this system means we have a much quicker turnover on farm,” says James. “On a grass based system, cattle finish at a slower rate and require a greater availability of grass – however, doing things this way means that we’ve been able to finish cattle as young as 12 months and 20 days. In terms of feed conversion, they seem to be doing very well on this ration and we’ve been very pleased with the weights they’ve been coming in at recently, despite a lower bushel weight on last year’s barley crop.” When selecting replacements, James chooses the best of the herd to keep back and buys in purebred calves privately from Julian White plus crossbreds from Newark Market. Any cattle that aren’t deemed good enough are then sold fat, again through Newark Market, with bulls weighing between 590-699kg and heifers 480-565kg. “When it comes to selecting stock for replacement, I only want to bring forward the finest cattle,” says James. “For me, sound temperament and good conformation are the most important qualities.”
“Having South Devons on the farm has helped to improve the overall herd at Winwick Grange,” says James. “Looking forward, I would like to maintain stock levels at 200 head, but will be looking to increase the percentage of South Devons within the herd. Using South Devons has worked very well with our system, and they have many good traits,” he adds. “Particularly with the crossbred South Devons we’re able to get that higher standard of conformation whilst also maintaining the gentle nature that the breed is renowned for – it’s the best of both worlds.”
South Devons | 13
“Finishing South Devons for Dovecote Park’s West Country Beef scheme” Derek Pither - Witcombe, Gloucestershire
“They’re so calm and
nice-natured, and they’re a lot easier to pick out in
”
the field.
Managing 3,500 acres and finishing 1,200 cattle a year, farming is serious business for the Pither family. With an arable contracting and share farming venture, they own 250 acres and rent a further 800 acres of grassland – on top of the arable land - employing 15 members of staff in the summer and six in the winter, including two full-time stockmen. Having produced Aberdeen Angus beef for the Dovecote Park scheme for the past 18 years, Derek Pither branched into the South Devon breed three years ago following an approach by the scheme to supply native West Country beef. “Although we were encouraged by Dovecote Park to keep them, now we have South Devons I really like them,” he says. “They’re so calm and nice-natured, and they’re a lot easier to pick out in the field.” Derek buys stores from 14-months to 20-months old, both from regular suppliers and at Cirencester and Frome markets. “I don’t go for the cheapest, I go for the best – and I prefer steers.” Upon arrival at Droys Court Farm, Witcombe, Gloucestershire, the stock are wormed and injected against liver fluke, and then sorted into groups of about 30. Anything under 12 months old will get a Rispoval 4 vaccine, with older stock vaccinated against IBR. Over the winter the cattle are housed on straw and fed a ration comprising home-grown grass and maize silage, home-grown barley and hay, wheat feed, minerals, urea and rapemeal. Derek grazes the cattle over the summer, although all finishing stock are housed for the final 12 weeks on a finishing diet. “We try and add to our buildings every couple of years – four years ago we only had 700 cattle on the farm – now there are 1200,” he says.
www.sdhbs.org.uk 14 | South Devons
The steel-framed clearspan buildings have wooden walls up to head height but are light and airy above, with central feed passages for feeding up twice a day. “This year we put in a new cattle handling system, which has vastly improved labour time and safety,” he adds. “The business is doing well so it’s important to invest while you can.” At turnout the stock are treated with a Blackleg vaccine, wormer and a fly tag, and graze permanent pasture along the sides of the Horsbere valley. “We open up the fields around the valley, and slowly bring the cattle back in towards October,” says Derek. “We’ll get the nearest field in first and feed them a bit of hay to encourage the stock to move back in from further away. I hate them losing any condition so would rather house too early than too late.” Derek aims to finish steers at about 370kg deadweight (with a killing out percentage of 50-60%), and selects finished stock regularly alongside a Dovecote Park field person. “We target an R4L grade: The South Devons get Rs more easily than the Angus, but they are more difficult to get to a 4,” he says. “They do have more frame so they’re a bit harder to finish – we feed them more concentrates than the Angus so keep them in separate pens inside.”
About 70% of the herd comprises Angus or Angus crosses, with 11% Herefords, 7% South Devons, and the rest a mix of Continental and Devon crossbreds. “The South Devons are certainly the calmest to deal with, which is nice when they’re in the pens,” says Derek. Farming such a large arable acreage, the Pithers – including Derek’s wife Joy and son Ryan – produce all their own straw, and make silage from temporary rotational leys. “We take three cuts of grass silage and put it in the same pit as maize silage,” says Derek. He aims to cut the first grass on 10 May to maximise quality, and analyses the silage three times a year to balance the ration. “We are a highly mechanised, modern farm – I like to have as easy a system as possible,” he explains. “The South Devons are certainly easy to keep, and if you get the feeding right they grow into lovely big cattle to finish, with the right profit as the end result.”
Silage quality • 42% dry matter • 10.8MJ/Kg metabolisable energy • 67% D Value • 14.2% crude protein • 5 pH
South Devons | 15
SOUTH DEVONS – Grazing Their Way Into Making YOU a Profit!
TECHNICAL TOOLS
The South Devon breed is very adaptable to differing production systems, whether early finishing bull beef, or slower steer and heifer beef produced mainly or entirely on pasture derived feed.
The South Devon Society encourages its breeders to make use of performance recording under licence from Breedplan to assess the breeding potential of their cattle.
Calves have an excellent start with great growth from plentiful rich milk from their dams, and are usually weaned at around nine months of age. Bull beef Because of its strong performance the South Devon breed lends itself well to bull beef production, with the capacity to finish between 12 to 15 months of age, in both pure and cross bred units. Moreover the breed’s docility reduces any handling difficulties that may result in dark meat rejection from damaged carcases. Rates of weight gain easily exceed 1.3 kg/day, resulting in carcases of between 350 and 400 kg and conformation grading mainly as R’s and U’s, with a smaller proportion of E’s. Fat cover will be 2’s and 3’s. Steer and heifer grass-fed beef The South Devon is a natural grazer, turning pasture and other forage into excellent quality beef with Omega-3 health benefits, and making best use of the natural environment. Steers finish at an average 370 kg, grading conformation mainly R’s and U’s, with fat cover 2’s and 3’s. Heifers will be a little lighter at an average 340 kg. Beef marketing schemes Dovecote Park manage the West Country Beef Scheme for Waitrose stores in the south-west of England, for which South Devons are one of two qualifying breeds. Dovecote Park also take South Devons into their British Beef range from other parts of the country. As one of the main native beef breeds in the country the South Devon also qualifies for a number of retail beef schemes, including Woodheads’ British Beef for Morrisons supermarkets.
Breedplan Performance Recording
This valuable tool gives an insight into genetic capability for suckler replacement and breeding bull selection. Fourteen EBVs (estimated breeding values) and two Indexes are currently published for performance recording herds, and these are available to see online at the Society’s website – www.sdhbs.org.uk and select ‘database’. DNA profiling All South Devon registered bulls are DNA tested for sire verification, myostatin, and polling status, and the results are published on the online database. Breeders have the option to test females and they are particularly encouraged to test for myostatin status for more exact breeding selection. For further information about breeding implications please contact the Breed Secretary. Female type classification The Society now offers its members (through NBDC) an independent service to assess female linear traits – including structure and conformation, mammary, legs and feet. The results are added to the animal database, and can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of female lines. This is of significant benefit to both breeders and buyers of breeding stock.
CONTACTS
BREED SALES
SOUTH DEVON HERD BOOK SOCIETY
Pedigree sales are usually held as follows:
Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon, EX5 1DJ
Society Spring Show & Sale
EXETER, end of March
BREED SECRETARY: CAROLINE POULTNEY 01392 447494 www.sdhbs.org.uk | info@sdhbs.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/ SouthDevonHerdBookSociety
Society Autumn Show & Sale
CIRENCESTER, early October
Midland Club Sale
STONELEIGH, 1st Saturday May
South Devon Cattle Breeders Club
EXETER, last Friday May
Shrewsbury Regional Sale
SHREWSBURY, October
Skipton Regional Sale
SKIPTON, early November
FINDING SOUTH DEVON BREEDERS ON LINE Visit www.sdhbs.org.uk and click on the ‘On-Line Database’ button. From the menu at the top of the page select ‘Member Enquiry’ and enter your search criteria to find breeders in your area. A current list is also published in our Breed Journal. Please contact the SDHBS office to request a copy.
REGIONAL COMMITTEES Region
Chairman
Secretary
Cornwall
Mr Rodger Laity 01736 850020
Mrs Stephanie Rowe 01579 342407
Devon
Mrs Ann Brooks 01548 550300
Mrs Ann Camp 01364 653460
Wessex
Mr Edward Hawkins 01823 421007
Mrs Angela Coward 01935 815652
South & South East
Mr Mike Kettlewell 01608 644693
Mr Chris Page 01295 750237
East Midlands & Eastern Counties
Mr Kevin Finch 01788 822343
Ms Jo Rodger 07801 709415
Wales & West Midlands
Mr Robert Hadley 01926 651687
Mr Richard Hartshorn 01952 770887
North, Scotland & Ireland
Mr Paul Harrison 01347 838725
Ms Alex Welch 01347 838628
If you would like to receive printed sale catalogues for any forthcoming South Devon sales please contact the SDHBS office, 01392 447494 or Kivells auctioneers who conduct most South Devon breed sales, 01409 253275. A list of South Devons offered privately for sale is kept by the SDHBS office and is published on the website – www.sdhbs.org.uk
SOUTH DEVONS - THE BREED THAT’S QUIETLY GOING PLACES! Milky dams with excellent mothering abilities Very quiet temperament Easy and safe to handle Early maturing Hardy and adaptable Long lived
SOUTH DEVONS – THE QUALITY BEEF CHOICE Good beef conformation where it matters most Good length of loin, the butcher’s preferred cut Efficient grass converters Fast growth rates Top grade carcases with marbled, well-grained meat Grass fed, suckled beef, linked to Omega-3 health benefits Low cost production Highly competitive feed efficiency and competitive DLWG Consistently producing R & U grades, and finishing at the carcase weight required by today’s beef processor