SETTING UP any new business takes a huge amount of hard work and dedication, but when that new venture is a farm, having the guts to fork out the initial investment, coupled with the long hours that follow, require relentless enthusiasm and a great determination to succeed.

Luckily, Callum Baird and Chirstie Paterson have those traits by the bucket-load. The young couple took on the rent of the 130-acre Laughtmuirside Farm, owned by Buccleuch Estate, at Thornhill, Dumfries, last year, and from there they’ve developed their pure Galloway herd, which produces beef for their company ‘A Taste of Galloway’.

In addition to favouring the breed for the quality of meat it produces, they have also acquired a great deal of respect for the native Galloway and its ability to thrive on even the poorest of land. They say that no other breed would suit their system quite so well.

“You really couldn’t ask for a better cow than the Galloway – they calve themselves and the calves are up and sooking straight away. Plus, they are happiest when they’re outside and still do well, even in the winter. We don’t have a lot of housing for the cattle, so they’re ideal for us,” said Callum, who worked as an assistant farm manager for the Duke of Buccleuch, keeping cattle on grass lets, before securing the tenancy of Laughmuirside.

The five-year rental agreement has given them a base from which to build up their business, but with no Single Farm Payment to assist them on their way, it is vital that they get the best possible return for their produce. Tapping in to a niche market has helped them do just that, but it’s required them both to be devoted to the cause.

To sell home-produced beef and lamb, butchery skills were a must, so Chirstie cut her working days (as an inspector for the Department of Agriculture) from five to four, and for two years, she spent one day a week gaining experience in a butcher’s shop in Thornhill. Now, armed with that vital know-how, plus an intermediate level food hygiene certificate, she is able to cut up and package meat in the butchery unit that has been set up on the farm – aided by an SRDP grant.

The 25 Galloway cows and eight heifers, run alongside 85 Blackie ewes (some put back to the Blackie and some crossed with the Texel), and 25 pure Texels. Apart from the Galloway heifers and pure Texels kept for breeding, the calves and lambs, plus some Saddleback pigs, are all finished on-farm, sent to Lockerbie abattoir and then back to the farm to be cut up.

“We finish the cattle at two-years-old, mainly off grass, with some home-grown silage and 1kg of concentrates, aiming for around 260kg deadweight,” explained Callum.