In the heart of the Lake District it is the Herdwick breed that is famed for its hardiness to thrive on the fells but when it comes to cattle, it is the commercial attributes of the Limousin that shines through for one farming family.
At Storms Farm just outside Keswick, the herd of Limousin cattle has to make the most of rough grazing to thrive and produce quality calves not just for the store ring but also have the potential to make breeding bulls.
Fearon family – Gavin and Laura together with sons, Craig and Matthew – have farmed at Hollows Farm down the Borrowdale valley for some 31 years and were able to buy land at Storms in 2000, before building sheds and a farmhouse in the following years.
While the land at Hollows and the grazing rights on Catbells are ideal for sheep, it was the purchase of Storms that allowed the family to extend their cattle herd and the foundations of a Limousin herd.
With Laura’s own pedigree – her parents, Geordie and Margaret, and subsequently her brothers, Tom and Phil, run the noted Cloughhead herd that has produced bulls to 50,000gns – it is perhaps no surprise that Gavin and Laura were given three Limousin cows when they got married.
The herd now numbers 21 Limousin cows plus six young heifers and is run very commercially alongside a small herd of Luings with calves not offered any hard creep feed until they’re brought inside for the winter. This has enabled the Fearons to focus on producing good square cattle that are easily fleshed without being too extreme, which also eases the pressure at calving time.
“By using the Limousin we can produce a better quality calf that is guaranteed to sell well in the market place, and also gives us a chance to sell an odd bull or two,” said Gavin, adding that bulls have been sold privately as well as through Cockermouth and Wigton auctions.
“When we sell a bull they might not be pushed hard with feed and be as fit as some you see, but they go on to do well for the buyer and it’s always nice to hear feedback and see pictures of their calves with some going on to do well in the show ring.”
“One fella buys a lot of heifers likely for breeding and we sell a few to local producers too. Prices were that good last year that we sold every calf through the store ring as we couldn’t justify keeping bulls and feeding them for another 12 months when we were getting in excess of £1500 for them as yearlings,” said Gavin.
“We run our Limmies very commercially and most cows are pretty milky and easy fleshing which they’ve got to be to do well on the ground here. We did try a Blue bull on them for a couple of years and while it was a good cross with calves that were easy to sell, we went back to the Limmy as we felt it suited us and our system better.”
Current stock bulls include the Foxhillfarm Irishlad-sired Petteril Oz that has left a strong stamp as well as the Carnew Oscar son, Cloughhead Shamrock, but one of the most influential bulls at Hollows was Rockfirth Hellifield which was bought at Penrith.
“He was a nice stamp of a beast,” explained Gavin of the Cloughhead Eddie son that went back to Objat. “He wasn’t too extreme which is what we look for in a bull but had a fantastic square carcase with a great top that he passed on. We kept a lot of his females and they were great to calve too.
“Matthew has been guiding us a bit with the myostatin data and we try to keep away from the extreme muscling,” he said, adding that Matthew has a keen eye for the breed and helps out his uncles at Cloughhead as well as the Ridleys at Haltcliffe.
The small herd of Luing cows numbers 30 head and now includes just nine cows as they’ve been crossed to the Limmy bull with the resulting calves proving to be shapelier and easier to sell thought the auction.
“The biggest issue we’ve had in the last few years is the cost of everything. Yes stock has been a good price lately but it needs to be to cover the costs of all the inputs such as diesel, fertiliser, hard feed and straw. That’s why our cows have got to work for us and producing shapely calves while also keeping an eye on calving ease is our main priority, and the Limousin ticks those boxes,” pointed out Gavin.
It’s been a busy year for the Fearons as Craig married his long-term partner Faye, and they together recently took on the tenancy at Nook Farm, just a few miles down the road from Hollows, while Matthew will soon take over the tenancy of Hollows along with his partner, Ruby.
“We’re grateful Craig and Matthew have both had the opportunity to take on farm tenancies as it is very difficult for young farmers to get going under their own rights with the cost of land through the roof and competition for tenancies at an all time high. We do worry that we’re going to end up with a lot of large land owners with a lack of young farmers coming through, so we are pleased to see the boys farm in their own right,” said Laura.
With Craig and Matthew both getting started on their own farming careers, this will allow Gavin and Laura to take life a bit easier, or so they say, with just 500 ewes and 25 to 30 cows at Storms to keep them busy.
No doubt Laura will enjoy some more free time after looking after the bed and breakfast, self-catering cottage and campsite at Hollows and Gavin may get to build on his appearance for the English team at the International Sheep Dog Trial earlier this year, but if one this is for certain, Limousin genetics will feature strongly in the cattle herd in the years to come.
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