The Laird family from Sunnyside and Carbello share their perfect cross

Although still a very much family business, T Laird and Son comprises of Tom and Maisie with their son, Tom and daughter, Shona with her husband, Alan, along with Gib Black who has been a part of the team for nearly 40 years.

“There are always a few ingredients in making a good recipe work, firstly it’s a family business that everyone pulls together to do their bit, and secondly all are key to any success we have,” said Shona, who was born and bred at Sunnyside Farm ¬– neighbouring farm to Carbello – which was purchased by her grandpa, from her now husband, Alan’s grandpa, William Smith in 1964 – a small world!! With the couple marrying in 2010 Shona and Alan soon moved up to Carbello from Alan’s home farm of Balcaimie at Dailly, where his two brothers and their sons remain farming.

Now running 230 cows plus followers across the two units there is always something for everyone to keep busy with.

The Limousin breed has been the number one choice for the Laird family for more than 40 years. With the first Limousin bull, Bellfield Samson purchased in 1982 followed by Bellfield Uhlan in 1985 which have both left their mark especially Uhlan having bred the 1987 Smithfield reserve overall champion in the hands of Tom and Gavin Scott, Gateside, plus many more successful prize winners.

The bulls will be put to different cows to suit their types, with the smaller cows going to a growthier bull to get the balance and quality through the herd. The five Limousin bulls and two British Blue bulls will be put to 230 cows which are mostly ¾ or 7/8 beef with a few pure Limousins also running commercially.

Between 25-30 heifers will be retained with more sold for breeding with any remaining going through the store cattle ring alongside the bullocks mainly at Lanark Auction Market in March, April and October.

“We find the Blue influence adds to the milk of the Limousin and complements the confirmation of the carcase too. Customers are looking to buy that ideal animal that they can finish, and the Limousin is the one that seems to be in high demand. We are aiming to breed that type of calf that is going to be the right article for the live prime ring,” said Alan.

Shona added: “Aiming to breed the type to suit the finishers for the live butcher’s market. All our customers are very much appreciated from the ones buying our tops right through to the ones that might not feature on facebook. We like to follow their progress along the way at times and get some good feedback from finishers and the butchers too, who make such a great job of marketing the quality of the product that they are selling over the counter to their customers.”

Some of the extra special ones will head down to Borderway Market, Carlisle, with a few being kept for Ayr Auction Market in October and Young Farmers’ calf rally sales at Lanark, as well as keeping four or five themselves to finish for the Christmas prime show at Ayr.

“When we are selling our store cattle, we want a quality level batch that are well balanced. The Limousin cross calves for the finishing jobs need to have good wide tops on them along with shape and style, whilst for the breeding cattle we want something extra special with a sweet head,” said Shona, with the British Blue and Limousin crosses complementing each other for their market, where store cattle will be sold at 10-12 months of age, generally averaging between £1100-1150, not counting the show ones.

Calving takes place all year round due to having more options of which bulls to put to what cows, the family feel if you have a calving block you are restricted to putting certain cows to bulls due to their own daughters being retained. The second reason being restricted to room, with cattle inside during the winter, and with typical Ayrshire weather that can sometimes mean from September right through to June due to the rainfall.

The main shed is cubicles at Sunnyside with rubber matts that houses cows with strong suckling calves. Carbello has high level slats holding calving cows but once calved will be put onto straw.

“Our system here at Carbello is in much need of an investment into a large cattle shed to help make our system of winter housing a lot more efficient. We have put up a general purpose shed two months ago to replace my late grandfather’s sawmill, which is currently a lambing shed!

“The costs around the business have rocketed up at an unbelievable rate this year as they have for everyone else. We hope to hang in and produce the best we can in hope that things settle down in the world and allow business growth,” said Shona.

Alan added: “Just as we think we are doing a bit better, all costs soar high. We are just working away commercially and just need to pay up – there is no alternatives. We can’t carry the number of stock we have without putting fertiliser on this year, although we have used more soil sampling and plan to add lime to improve production and for extra cover this year. Lime was usually only applied on our grass reseeds.”

With cows being in for so long through the winter, it requires 180 acres of silage plus 40 acres of second cut silage as well as leaving enough grass for them through the summer along with trying to carry 550 sheep.

The 550 commercial sheep are a mix between pure Texel, Bluefaced Leicesters, Suffolks, a few Belex and the Blackface ewes which carry over to breed the Mule ewe lamb that will be sold with lambs at foot the following year whilst the wedders are finishing between 45-50kg. Half the Texels are kept pure with the others going to the Suffolk and vice versa with the Suffolk ewes their cross-ewe lambs are put to the Beltex and sold with their lambs the next year too.

“Due to the lack of grass, we do have to end up selling a lot of hoggs and lambs at foot at Lanark Auction Market. We will buy Blackface ewes in September from Lanark and put them to the Bluefaced Leicester.”

The last three years the team have also started breeding their own commercial cross tups for Kelso Ram Sales, with 12 heading there every year. Texel tups will also head to Ayr market and usually have a successful days trading there.

Due to the time constraints the family now just attend local shows – Ayr, Newmilns, Dumfries and more – with further travelled ones to Stranraer and Biggar, through the winter the main event is LiveScot as well as the local Christmas shows at the auction market.

Having previously taken on the Royal Highland Show and winning the commercial section in 2008, with two years later breeding the champion, which was brought out by Craig Malone and Stewart Bett. Although having only exhibited at the Highland on three occasions the team have had great memories. Shona has had two Ayr Show champions, and during the winter secured the heifer champion and reserve overall at LiveScot in 2004.

“As much as we love to bring out a champion, we get as much pleasure with a calf going on to do well for someone else - it is every bit as rewarding watching someone bringing out a calf we have bred in the hope they will come back and look for more,” said Shona, who believes in the best of breeding creates a better calf with the bull, Kinniside Mobydick having made a huge influence on breeding in the herd in recent years, purchased at Carlisle in October 2017 he is already fairly leaving his stamp on the herd.

He has had various calves between £2000 and £3000 as well as having bred top ticket winners at Stirling Caledonian, Borderway and two Ayr primestock champions. A steer of his took reserve steer champion at the English winter fair in 2019.

“I spotted him standing in a pen being prepared for the ring on sale morning – he had a tremendous loin, complimented by the shape he looked like the type that would breed something extra special! Nearly dropped out from bidding on him then Alan nudged me to go again, thankfully I did and we joke about that wee nudge at times,” said Shona.

“Having bred so well for us we didn’t want to take any gambles so have recently just taken 600 straws of semen off of him as he has bred various champions and sale leaders for us.”

On selecting a bull, he must carry the right type of flesh and width with a fairly long body followed by correct structure and a wide top, deep loin and shapely end not forgetting a sweet head and cocky lugs,” said Shona, and finding this can be hard but buying it is even harder at times.

Having bought the best of sires, the top price for a suckled calf for the team was £3300 for a Limousin cross heifer sold through Carlisle.

“There is a bright future for the show circuit, after two years of people being stuck at home there has been an increased demand to meet up with likeminded folk, enjoy themselves and make memories at the shows. Although the social side is a huge part of it, it is also a great shop window for livestock,” said Alan.

Shona added: “Folk want to escape from the farm for a day or two for shows again, more people are definitely out buying commercial show calves this year, you just need to look at the price of them in the market.

“We are aiming to breed a quality suckled calf and the show ones are a bonus, although it is always so hard to get the perfect one, so you would like to hope that if you do then it makes good money.”

“People coming into the industry need to keep their eyes open, if you time it right and walk round the pens at the markets you will be able to pick something up to bring out. The top ones are always going to be big money, it is a premium price for what they go on to do.

“There are a few starter farms out there and breeding stock to suit that farm and not what others are doing is important in succeeding. There are plenty of job opportunities to find your feet. You need to focus on your own farm and what type of stock suit the land.

“You need to be focused and interested in farming, there to do it, there will be easier ways to make a living but hopefully the benefits are rewarding,” said Shona, with the next generation of Shona and Alan’s children, Ramsay (10) and Carolyn (8), already showing a strong interest in the agriculture industry.

“Our family certainly seem keen, but they will not be pushed to follow our footsteps, that decision will be theirs to make and we will support whatever they choose. However, at age 10 and eight they have plenty of time to enjoy life and see what the future will bring.

“The only way we can continue the success for the next generation is aiming to produce what the market is looking for and enhance as much as we can. Currently we are at our maximum capacity of livestock for the land that we have, so we are going to continue to aim to produce what the market is looking for and hope to enhance our facilities by updating the steading,” said Alan.

“We are all living in hope. There is a lot going on in the world at the moment, which in turn will make more folk aware of food security and support locally – we’d like to hope.

“Reducing food miles is the only way forward, our own produce must become more appreciated. In saying that during the pandemic with local butchers providing delivery services and keeping the nation fed, it did get the public to appreciate the quality behind fresh products.

“There is always going to be a demand for food, the biggest problem is competing for the land to produce it with other industries – e.g. forestry – which has put a huge rise on the value of land.

“We just need to keep our heads down to get through this tough spell and hope there is light at the end of the tunnel,” concluded Shona and Alan.

Farm Facts

Involvement: The family business, Thomas Laird and son is run by Tom and Maisie Laird with their son, Tom and daughter, Shona, and her husband, Alan. Full time employee, ‘Gib’ Gilbert Black has been with the family for nearly 40 years.

Background: Originally from Greenside, Cumnock, the late Thomas Laird, purchased Carbello in 1964 from Alan’s grandpa, William Smith. Just three years later, they managed to grab Sunnyside where Shona and Tom were brought up, along with sisters, Hazel, Diane and June, who are all married into farming families with Tom getting married to his fiancé, Eilidh this August. Eilidh is currently, in Tom senior’s words, his ‘apprentice lamber’ and her help is much appreciated!

Livestock: 230 cows plus followers – majority Limousin and British Blue crosses, along with 550 commercial sheep, predominately Texels, Blackface sheep and also pure Bluefaced Leicesters, Suffolk and a few Beltex.

Acreage: 700 acres which sits at 650ft above sea level.

On The Spot Questions

Best investment: Alan suggested himself! But it is probably a toss up between him and Kinniside Mobydick.

Best achievement: Winning the Winter Fair in 2004 as it was the really big success and also winning the Royal Highland, although breeding show calves it is every bit of rewarding watching them go on and do well for others and hope they come back and look for more.

Best advice: Never regret buying quality.

Best thing about life in Ayrshire: You never get two days the same – appreciate the sun when you see it.