Situated just outside the village of Broughton near Biggar in the Scottish Borders is Dreva Farm – home to the Warnock family who farm 1550 ewes and 210 commercial cows and heifers over 1800 acres.
The three units of Dreva, Rachan Home Farm and Pyatknowe are managed between brothers, Andrew and Jim, and Andrew’s son, Alan.
The sheep enterprise is based primarily at Dreva where Alan and Andrew manage their sheep on a commercial scale.
“We have 1550 ewe, including 500 pure Blackfaces, 400 crossed Blackfaces, 290 cross ewes, 100 hill-type North Country Cheviots, 25 Suffolks and Texels, 25 pedigree Bluefaced Leicesters, and 200 cross ewes contract farmed at neighbouring farm Broughton Place. My wife Emma also has a small flock of 10 pedigree Blue Texels.”
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
The Farm works a stratified sheep system but it is important that everything produced has a commercial value whether it’s sold through the prime ring, on contract, or at pedigree breeding sales.
“Our business is primarily for the commercial market. I aim to sell lambs at 42-46kg with as many being finished off grass as possible. The Suffolk and Texel lambs are mostly finished off grass, with the first lambs already away at 12 weeks old averaging 42kg. Once trade drops, I usually keep them a bit longer so they grow to heavier weights.”
Lambs sold deadweight are cashed through Vivers Scotlamb and Woodhead Brothers, Turriff, while those sold through the live ring, head to Lanark Auction Mart. Suffolk mule ewe lambs are kept for replacements or sold privately for breeding.
When it comes to breeds at Dreva, they use a selection to suit the system.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
“Our Blackfaces stay out on the hill and are kept pure until they reach five years of age and are then brought in by and crossed with the Bluefaced Leicester to breed Scotch Mules. We don’t tend to keep ewes past the age of six and we are pretty ruthless with our cull policy.
“We work a tagging system where one blue tag is a warning strike and two strikes and they are out. This works well across the farm as everyone knows what the tags mean.”
Hill Blackfaces scan at 150% and lamb outside from April 15 onwards. The best of their lambs are retained for breeding, with the next best kept for crossing. They sell wedder lambs in January and February finished out of the shed on a mix of Maxammon barley and compound feed. They average around 42kg liveweight.
“It’s not the cheapest way of finishing lambs, but to get the weight onto the Blackface on our type of land I’ve found you need to use a bit of feeding. At least you know the feeding is going straight onto their backs.”
North Country Cheviots are split 50:50 between being kept pure and crossed to a Logie tup to breed replacements for the contract farming flock. They scan at 170%, with the pure-bred ewe lambs kept for replacements.
An integral part of the sheep enterprise revolves around breeding Scotch Mule ewe lambs from the Blackface ewe crossed with a Bluefaced Leicester tup. They lamb from April 1 onwards, mostly inside. Most of these ewes are of regular ages with around 80 ex-hill being six years and over and are used to test the blue tup lamb’s crossing ability. They scan at around 175%.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
“There is a lot of pride and satisfaction in the breeding of the Scotch Mule ewe lambs. The top 100 are sold through St Boswells and we were hitting tops of £170 per head last year. Around 140 are sold privately and we averaged £140 per head last year. We also need 80 for our own stock. The Mule wedders also sell well at 42-46kg with up to 80% of them finished off grass,” Alan said.
Texel tups are used on the mule gimmers alongside the Suffolk cross ewes. The Scotch Mule ewes are run with a Suffolk tup and usually produce scanning figures of 190%.
Cross ewes start lambing from March 20 with most ewes coming inside from February onwards for a bit of TLC and a TMR feed to ensure good nutrition and allow grass growth.
Outwith the commercial flock, the Warnocks also run MV accredited Suffolk, Texel, Blue Texel and Bluefaced Leicester flocks the latter of which Andrew, has a particular fondness for.
“It’s really a love/hate relationship I have with them,” Andrew explained. “The flock was established in 1979 when I purchased an in-lamb ewe.
“I had only ever used Bluefaced Leicester shearlings bought from Kelso for commercial reasons. Many years later I ventured to Hawes to try out the crossing kind. I have now been working with them ever since.”
Andrew’s focus with the flock is producing high quality crossing lines and selling rams for the shearling trade.
“We show Bluefaced Leicesters and Mules at the Royal Highland as well as locally at Biggar and Peebles. Traditionally the shearlings were all destined for Kelso but in recent years we have started to sell at the well supported sales at UA Stirling to expand our client base.”
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
The small flock of Blue Texels which are mostly managed by Alan’s wife, Emma, when she isn’t working as a small animal vet.
“I bought my first three gimmers at Carlisle, around seven years ago,” Emma said. “We buy and sell at the society sales in Carlisle and Stirling where I’ve achieved good prices for both gimmers and shearlings. We are also able to retain tups as a terminal sire at Dreva and Brougthon Place which keeps Alan happy!”
Despite having small pedigree flocks, there is no preferential treatment when the business is commercial driven.
The 180 commercial cross cows and 30 replacement heifers are predominately managed by Jim, at Rachan Home Farm. They are split calving with 140 in the spring and 70 in the autumn.
They also have a small herd of pedigree Charolais. Bull and heifer calves are sold as stores at 11-12months with replacement heifers being bought in.
Looking to the future, Alan is hoping to take over both sides of the business, allowing his father and uncle to take a step back.
He is also fortunate to have two full time employees in the form of shepherd, Blair Moffat and tractorman, Andrew Armstrong.
“Obviously we know farmers never really retire but in the future as I take over further management responsibilities from dad and Jim we will need to continue to invest in our staffing. I forsee changes in the cattle enterprise to make it easier managed.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
In terms of diversifying the business Alan stressed that it would need to not get in the way of farming.
“Farming is the main reason I get up in the morning, so any sort of diversification would not have get in the way of the main farming business. If it can fit around the farm with minimal disruption I would explore it, but I have yet to find something that would work.”
For now the Warnocks are kept busy, as Alan put it: “If you are standing still you aren’t progressing, It’s good to be busy.”
Farm Facts
Farm size and topography: 1800 acres owned with 200 acres of seasonal grazing. Highest point rises to 1500 feet above sea level.
Holdings: Rachan Home Farm, Dreva, and 130 acres at Pyetknowe.
Livestock: 180 heads of commercial cattle, 1550 ewes including 500 pure Blackface, 400 crossed Blackface, 290 crossed ewes, 100 hill North Country Cheviots, 200 cross ewes contract farmed, 25 pedigree Suffolks and Texels, 25 pedigree Bluefaced Leicesters, and ten pedigree Blue Texels.
Scanning percentage: Pedigrees at 200%, pure Blackfaces at 150%, crossed Blackfaces 175%, Suffolk and Texel 190%, Cheviots 170%.
Who’s all involved: Brothers Andrew and James Warnock in partnership with Andrew’s son Alan. Alan’s family including wife Emma, and three children Lucy (5), Andrew (3) and Finlay (3 months). Two full-time labourers Blair Moffat and Andrew Armstrong. Seasonal assistance from David Robertson and Fin Hope.
On the spot
Best investment? Alan: The labour staff.
Something you can’t live without? Andrew: The bike and my two new knees.
Favourite sheep breed? Alan: Mules. Andrew: I have a love hate relationship with the Bluefaced Leicester.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Alan: We will be seeing big changes regardless of what happens but definitely moving towards easier managed stock as we will have less staff on hand, and even though farmers don’t retire I would want dad to be doing less than what he is now and enjoying retirement.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here