MAKING ends meet in an era of not only reduced commodity prices but also ever declining financial support is no easy task, but by breeding home-bred replacements and improving overall herd health, you can at least significantly curtail input costs.

Sadly, such improvements rarely come close to enable livestock units to become viable without the Single Farm Payment, but they can help reduce overdraft figures.

It's a policy Borders farmers, the Fullertons, from Corsbie and East Gordon, Earlston, have been implementing for a number of years, such they are now reaping the benefits of reduced vets' bills and replacement costs, which, coupled with improved herd fertility, is resulting in higher calving percentages, a more compact calving period and more importantly, reduced barren rates.

The family - Jimmy and Liz, eldest son, James his wife Maggie and their son, Gordon (16), and, second son Colin, wife Isabel and their family of Gemma (11) and six-year-old twin sons Euan and Sean - have been increasing herd numbers for more than 30 years and by relying more on the Aberdeen Angus and the Simmental to breed replacements, they now have suckler herd numbering 420 cows, that is working well for them on this upland unit which sits at 600-800ft above sea-level.

Initially, herd numbers were built up from buying in Simmental females from the dairy herd, which in previous years would be bulled to various breeds including the Aberdeen Angus

However, having purchased large numbers in the past and struggled with incidences of BVD, the decision was made to improve herd health and breed as many of their own replacements as possible for this 2300acre unit which relies upon a further 200 rented acres.

The decision to breed Angus cross females was a no brainer too with the females being renowned for their ease of calving and management not to mention the Aberdeen Angus premium available for their store and finished progeny.

"All our heifers are bulled to an Angus, second calvers to a Limousin, with most of the Simmental cross cows then going to an Angus and all the Angus cows to a Simmental but it's the Angus crosses that are undoubtedly the easiest to keep," said James.

"We never keep Limousin cross females, only Angus and Simmentals and the Angus always come through the winter best. We have to ration the Angus cows on straw and pot ale syrup for calving in the spring to make sure they don't get too fat, whereas the Simmental crosses being that bit bigger need a silage/straw mix."

But, while the Angus' are cheaper to keep, the larger Simmental cross cows, eat more and can be a good 100kg heavier and more valuable to finish at the end of their working life at 10years of age.

Unfortunately, the Angus premium is a fraction of what it used to be with the result Simmental crosses can produce slightly higher returns as they yield better grades and killing out percentages.

Nevertheless, the Fullertons believe the Angus cross cow is worth her weight in gold as a breeding female.

Jimmy added: "The two breeds compliment one another really well. We get the easy calving, ease of maintenance and the Angus premium breeding with the Aberdeen Angus, while the Simmental adds the size and scale."

While the best of the heifers of both crosses are retained, spring-born male calves are kept entire to be finished on silage and barley within 12-16months aiming for 380kg deadweight, while the autumn-born calves of both sexes are cashed at 18-20months with steers to a similar weight and heifers up to 340kg. With 700acres of cereals, all feeds are home-grown with the exception of dark grains and minerals.

Having eliminated BVD from the herd and joined the health scheme some five years ago, fertility has also improved to such an extent that 2015 witnessed just 12-15 barren cows from this mixed spring:autumn calving herd.

At present, roughly 90 cows calve outside between September, October with the remainder calving in the spring on straw-bedded courts from the end of March onwards.

With the aim to calve heifers at two-years, the best of the female calves are pushed to achieve this and given extra feeding the following year to ensure they are still able to rear their calf, grow and come to the bull to produce a second 365days later.

Spring calving cows and heifers are allowed to calve in their various collective pens and whisked away with their new born to an individual pen for a good 24 hours to ensure they are suckled and well enough before they are then transported outside.

Cows join the main herd when they've calved their third at which time they are batched either as Simmental cross cows or Angus crosses, and in lots of 35-40cows thereby enabling them to be bulled either to an Aberdeen Angus and Simmental bull, respectively in individual fields - most of which can accommodate such numbers.

With a further 1200 commercial breeding ewes of which all lamb inside at the end of March onwards, alongside the spring calving herd not to mention arable crops to drill it's a busy time for the Fullertons, but they do at least have three very able staff to assist to include cattleman, Alan Jackson, tractorman, Michael Todd and shepherd, Bill Hedley. Two lambers are also taken on to help out with the bulk of the lambing.

It's a busy place at all times of the year and yet despite huge improvements made in recent years, the family is still struggling to ensure end figures in the black without the Single Farm Payment.

Add to that, increasing amounts of red tape, reduced commodity prices, the new greening issues and the Fullertons believe margins will be squeezed ever tighter.

"We're owner occupiers and we don't have any real control of our own farms which is extremely sad. With so much of our ground temporary grassland, we have been badly hit by the new greening rules," concluded Jimmy.