Bringing out any animal to show winning potential is never an easy task and maintaining those championship credentials throughout the season can prove even more difficult.

But, under the watchful eye of a young, able stockman and one who’s keen to learn, individual stars in all breeds can be created.

And, what could go hand in hand better with show quality cattle than the Nisbet family’s – Jim and Margaret, son James and daughter Jennifer – beef farming operation based at Sorn Mains and Orchardton, in Ayrshire, and the family’s reputable butchering business.

“Showing is a great shop window for the business because people see the quality of animals you’re exhibiting and look to come and buy whether we’re selling store cattle or fat lambs in the market or meat from the butcher’s van,” said James (23), who showed his first animal, a Belted Galloway, at eight and has been ‘hooked’ ever since.

“I just love working with animals and bringing out the best in them for shows and sales. You meet so many people and I’m sure the cattle enjoy being taken out. There’s such a great build up for the shows, especially the Highland where the atmosphere in the parade ring is amazing.”

Well-known in the show ring, James has brought out many local winners throughout his career having won the reserve commercial championship at Ayr – one of the biggest shows in the country – four times, including this year with Rough Diamond.

In addition, he’s picked up several champion and reserve titles at the Young Farmers’ Rally at Ayr, winning the top award this year with Little Boots.

His biggest success to date, though, has been standing second to the overall champion at the Highland last year with The President, a Charolais cross steer that scooped numerous championships throughout the year for the business.

It’s more than just a business, though, as the entire family, including sister Jennifer, a qualified primary teacher, also helps out on show days, along with three full-time employees, George Mabon, Anne McVey, Mike Fleming, and part-time worker Billy Orchariston, who are more like family than staff and keen to assist.

Encouraged and inspired at a young age by the capabilities and enthusiasm of their father, Jim, and George Mabon, James has always relished every minute bringing out the best in show cattle, having picked up many tips of the trade from the late Duncan McInnes, Hurlford, and Ian Anderson, from Cumnock.

Of greater significance, though, is the fact that while the family buy in two or three show calves a year, none are bought at ‘big’ money. In other words young James has always had to work hard at buying the right animals that will go on to win red, white and blue tickets

“A good calf of any breed is a good calf but a black Limousin cross is hard to beat,” James added. “I look for calves that are good on their legs and good long, clean calves with a nice head, which hopefully I’ll be able to breed myself in the near future.”

In contrast to most farming enterprises that have diversified into butchering, Jim and Margaret’s livestock operation has been fuelled by an extremely successful butchering enterprise built entirely from scratch by Jim.

Having left school at 15 years of age to work in a local butchers shop in Kilmarnock, Jim bought his own mobile van shortly afterwards in 1982 and has never looked back.

Through sheer hard work and grit determination, the couple then took over the tenancy of Sorn Mains, a 200-acre unit in 1991 in which at that time was home to 50 suckler cows and 150 ewesn enabling them to produce some of their own stock for butchering.

The Nisbets got their real break in 2001 when Jim rented nearby Ochardton Farm from John, the seventh Marquess of Bute’s Dumfries Estate in 2001.

But that was not the end of this productive farming enterprise as the family not only successfully acquired the tenancy of this 525-acre unit, they also secured one of the longest leases ever witnessed in recent years due to their enthusiasm for the future.

With the addition of another 300 acres, which is rented on an annual basis, the Nisbets, with assistance from George Mabon and Anne McVey – who have worked with the family for 19 years and 17 years, respectively – now farm in excess of 1000 acres.

Consequently, stocking has gone up to 300 Limousin cross Friesian cows, all of which are bulled to a Charolais and 600 commercial ewes producing beef and lamb to sell through their expanding butchering business which supplies local shops, restaurants and households in Ayr, Patna, Mauchline, Annbank and Mossblown.

“You’ve always got to keep looking forward, look to tomorrow. It’s no good worrying about what happened yesterday, you have to look to the future and have passion and drive for what you’re doing,” said Jim, who has had to watch the pennies from day one to ensure his business works to its best ability.

That includes the family’s expanding farming enterprise too. “The farm is a business that has to work, so we bull the heifers with a Limousin but the cows are bulled to a Charolais because Charolais crosses are worth so much more than any other breed or cross in the store ring,” added Jim, who is judging the butchers classes at the Winter Fair this year.

Most years, 125 of the Charolais heifers are killed at Shotts producing 340-345kg beef carcases to be sold through the engine room of the business – the Nisbet’s butchering operation based at Sorn Mains which is also home to a large chill, cutting room and kitchen making many meat/bakery products.

All beef is hung for up to three weeks with the roasts being hung for a further week.

Extra cattle needed to fulfill requirements are bought through Craig Wilson, Ayr, but only good quality fed animals are purchased.

“Good beef is all about how it’s fed and while a beef animal has to hang for three weeks, it also has to live well, so we’re looking for quality cross cattle that are 20-24months with a 3-4Lgrade.

“We also look for cattle that are finished inside for the last six to eight weeks, as they always kill out better than grass-fed beef. Our business is based on breeding and selling quality beef, so we have to buy the best we can.”

But the Nisbets also look to sell the best and regularly achieve that too, as the remainder of Charolais cross calves not finished for home use are sold store through United Auctions, Stirling, where they often command premium prices.

For example, in January this year, Jim sold April and May-born calves at 235p per kg, while in the first week of April, a pen of eight July 2009-born stots weighing in at 396kg made £835 per head while another pen of 10 similarily aged stots making £845 per head.

Lambs sold off the farm regularly hit the grade too, with any not sold through the butchery business cashed in at Ayr Market, where earlier this year they sold 40kg Texel and Beltex cross lambs at £86.22 per head while their 49kg Suffolk crosses balanced out at £93.

It just goes to show – there’s always a demand and a growing market for quality livestock and of course superior quality meat from such livestock.