MOST youngsters would jump at the chance to farm in Australia, rather than face the uncertainties surrounding the industry following the Brexit vote and another possible Independence referendum, but our Ashley Bothwell is sacrificing just that in a bid to put the Suffolk back on the map as the No. 1 crossing sire.
Having worked down under on arable units where land is so much cheaper and good profit margins are easy come by, Ashley and his parents, Ian and Joyce Bothwell had always planned to sell Smithston and emigrate to Oz. However, that would mean putting their up and coming Smithston Suffolk flock from Patna, Ayrshire, up for grabs.
“We always planned to move to Australia, but the Suffolk sheep are far too fine over there and there is no real management or expertise in breeding them,” said Ashley who together with his parents, farms the 300-acre unit at Smithston.
“We’re stock farmers with a passion to breed Suffolk sheep with shape, size, milk and character – attributes which you can get in this country. All they want in Australia is easy managed sheep that are easy lambed but these sheep have absolutely no shape or character,” he insisted.
While Ashley admitted, this big black native breed has struggled to increase it’s market share in recent years, he is confident the tide has turned too, with a new wave of young breeders investing in the Suffolk for it’s much improved attributes both as a terminal sire and that of a commercial female breeder.
“In previous years, breeders were concentrating too much on heads and ignoring the body, but that has all changed. There are a lot more big boned Suffolk sheep with good big bodies and sleeky hair now which are not only easy lambed, they also have milk and produce lambs with plenty get up and go,” he said adding that the novice class at breed shows and sales are often now the biggest at such events.
Such improvements are also filtering down to the commercial market with Suffolk cross females being the easiest to manage, lamb and finish at Smithston, compared to other breeds and crosses.
Over the years, the family has farmed on several units having originally moved from Northern Ireland in the mid 1990s to farm around Castle Douglas, and then to Smithston in 2004.
During this time, they have nevertheless, always concentrated on beef and sheep, with the upland unit just outside Ayr, originally being home to 100 black Limousin cross cows bulled to a Charolais or a Limousin and 200 commercial ewes comprising mostly Scotch Mules tupped either to Texel or Suffolk rams.
With the suckler enterprise struggling to make ends meet in recent years, the decision was made to sell off the cows earlier this year to concentrate more on sheep. Hence, Scotch Mule ewe lambs were bought the following year in Castle Douglas to add to the flock’s Texel and Suffolk cross ewe flock. 
As a result, flock numbers now stand at 600 Scotch Mule, Texel cross and Suffolk cross ewes, which are put to either Beltex, Suffolk or Texel rams; and 20 pedigree Suffolk ewes. In addition, 150 store cattle are bought in to tidy up spring and summer grass.
“Basically, our cows were not making money and they were calving at the same time as as our ewes were lambing, which was a nightmare. 
“We were probably making as much from one ewe as we were from one suckler cow, which when you consider you can keep a lot more sheep in comparison to cows, was not good. So, we sold off the cows in preference of sheep although we did keep some of the best cows to breed a few show calves,” said Ashley.
Having experimented with various cross-bred ewes, the Suffolk cross is proving the best too, being able to be lambed as a hogg, with the ability to rear and finish three cross-bred lambs off grass, compared to her whiter faced rivals.
“Our Suffolk and Texel cross ewes which run together scan out at 190+% lambing at the end of March, with the Suffolk crosses producing slightly more lambs than the Texels. The Mules will always produce the most lambs but they can’t rear threes as well and they are not worth nearly as much when you sell them in the market place as drafts.
“Our Suffolk cross ewes are the best breeding females as they are the quietest sheep, the easiest lambed, and they have the most milk. They are also the easiest sheep to work with and they don’t tend to take mastitis either, so they make the best recipient ewes for embryos.”
Just as importantly, their three-quarter-bred Suffolk lambs are the most profitable, and being able to be finished in the shortest period of time off grass, produce the highest margins.
Not surprisingly, the aim at Smithston now, is to retain more of the Suffolk cross ewe lambs, tup them and keep them for replacement females. 
“It’s better tupping Suffolk ewe lambs, as it prevents them getting too big and fat to lamb as gimmers. They’re no bother to lamb as hoggs anyway,” Ashley said.
Next year, the family also intends lambing half their commercial ewe flock in January next year to catch the early lamb market and boost lamb margins further, with the remainder at the end of March-April.
But while the commercial ewe flock has increased, pedigree numbers have been reduced, to concentrate only on the best breeding lines. 
Initially, the Smithston flock was founded on the three gimmers purchased for Ashley’s 18th birthday, from the Lawrie family’s Brieryside flock from Monkton.
Pointing out his reasons for choosing Suffolks, Ashley said: “I just always liked the Suffolk and the Suffolk cross ewe. She’s easier to lamb than other breeds, her lambs are away quicker to finish and she lasts so much longer than any other breed or cross as she doesn’t get the udder problems.” 
Twelve years down the road, and the youngster is still a huge fan of this big black, charismatic sheep, albeit for the type of Suffolks with shape, size, bone and good silky hair.
“The size and body is the most important characteristic but you need flashiness for showing and good hair to breed milky females, which you can get. I don’t like Suffolks with brown, or coarse muffy hair, which often produces females with poor milking qualities,” he said.
Having increased flock numbers to almost 60 at one stage, this has been curtailed to nearer 20 by flushing the best breeding females, most of which have been bought from Gary Beacom’s Lakeview flock from Northern Ireland, over the past five years.
One of his most successful purchases has been an 1100gns Lakeview ewe, bought five years ago in Belfast, which produces twins every year and is still going strong at nine years of age.
A Roundacre ewe bought privately from Devon breeder, Ross Lawrence, has also made her mark as she is the dam of three of this year’s five Smithston tup lambs for the breed sale at Stirling on Saturday, July 30. All are by the AI sire, Cairness Great Expectation – a lamb sold in 2013 for 21,000gns, by Jimmy Douglas.
“We tried to buy him when he was sold in 2013, but he was too dear for us and because we couldn’t find anything we liked to buy last year, we decided to AI with him,” said Ashley.
“I’m looking to breed a Suffolk with a Texel carcase/body behind him and he had exactly that. He’s also full of character, with a good bare coat and has that that silky but strong hair which can be hard to find in Suffolks.”
Progeny from Great Expectation is already proving popular in show ring too, with one of the tup lamb entries for Stirling securing a third prize at the Highland Show, while his full sister stood fifth in the ewe lamb class.
But then Smithston has already enjoyed a cracking year, with Ashley’s 4000gns gimmer bought last year at Carlisle from Gary Beacom, standing champion at Dundonald and second at Ayr to the champion. He also scooped a third prize at Ingliston with the gimmer Limestone Roxy, a £6000 private purchase from Gary. Ashley has a cracking pen of lambs for sale at Stirling too ... Just watch this space ...