Farming of any sort is far from easy in any year and 2018 is undoubtedly proving more fickle than most with the cold, late spring and subsequent drought not only affecting numbers of livestock people have to sell, but also the amount of homegrown forages available to feed them.

Breeding the right type of sheep and cattle to cope with such conditions can make a huge difference though, and it is one of the reasons why Aberdeenshire breeder, Rodney Blackhall has been relying on the Texel, both as a terminal sire and a female breeder, for 25 years now.

“Texel cross ewes require very little feeding before lambing, you can kill them with kindness by feeding too much.” said Rodney who lives with his wife Gillian, a community nurse and their two daughters, Kirstie (18), who is heading off to vet school in Glasgow and Emma (16) who is still at school, at The Green, Raemoir, Banchory.

“We take a lot of grass close at hand during the winter, so our twin-bearing ewes only get blocks a month before lambing and ewe rolls two weeks before. Our triplet ewes, of which there are normally about 100 every year, are shed off at scanning to allow them access to hay and blocks with rolls introduced a month before lambing depending on condition, and single bearing ewes get blocks only a fortnight before,” he added.

Only the single and triplet bearing ewes are lambed inside, enabling all triplets to be married up with a single lamb, hence very few lambs are left running as singles at the end of the day.

While overfeeding can cause more problems than under feeding Texels and cross-bred Texel ewes on the run up to lambing, the progeny are just as easy finished, too.

“The other good thing about the Texel in a year like this is that they don’t too fat, so when the price is poor as it has been, they can be held over until the price starts to rise again," said Rodney who farms a large, beef, sheep and arable enterprise in partnership with his brother Alex, whose son Euan is employed on a full time basis as tractorman.

While much of the work at this time of the year is taken up by the boys' cereal sector which includes spring oats for home use and milling and barley for malting, the sheep are very much Rodney's baby.

Top of this list is the pedigree flock of 70 Texel ewes which come under the Sheeoch prefix and a further 20 pedigree traditional Bluefaced Leicesters. Outwith these two flocks, the farm is also home to a large commercial sheep unit comprising Bluefaced Leicester cross Texel ewes, all of which are tupped by Texel and Bluefaced Leicester rams to produce home-bred replacement females and lambs that are easily finished off grass.

“Blue cross Texel ewes make fantastic commercial ewes because they produce more lambs and lambs that are quick to get to their feet and sook. They are also really good mothers and great milkers. The first cross Blue cross Texel produces the best commercial ewe, but a three-quarter Texel cross Blue ewe produces the best lambs.

“The Bluefaced Leicester complements the Texel 100% because it has the maternal characteristics and increased prolificacy – our commercial ewe flock regularly scan out at 190% and we’ll sell 170%,” Rodney added pointing out that while the business does like to support the live market, the majority of lambs are sold deadweight through McIntosh Donald at Portlethen, or Woodheads at Turriff, with last year’s crop, which were all finished off grass, averaging 21.4kg with the majority producing E and U 3L grades.

The Blackhalls also buy in a good number of Texel cross lambs every year for finishing off grass. “We only look to buy Texel crosses because they keep that bit cleaner and are easy to finish, and, they produce the carcases the market is looking for,” said Rodney.

Adding to the plus points, is the value of the ewes as draft females, with the business’ Texel cross ewes regularly selling to well in excess of £100 per head at Thainstone.

Having first used a Texel ram in 1992 over bought in Highland Mules and Half-bred ewes, it was the huge improvement in the quality and the grades of the resultant progeny that convinced Rodney, who is also president of the Royal Northern Agricultural Society, to establish a pedigree flock.

Hence, in 1994, two maiden gimmers were purchased at the Thainstone multi-breed sale in September from the Milton of Noth and Strathbogie flocks. A further five ewe lambs were bought privately from the Cambwell flock along with three Knock ewes, however, with the exception of stock rams, both the commercial and pedigree flocks having been closed ever since.

Since then, the flock has produced ram lambs to 9000gns for a Garngour Nobleman son in 2009, when Sheeoch Perfection sold at the main breed sale at Lanark. A year later, Sheeoch Ringmaster, by Kelso President, made 5000gns, with others regularly attracting four-figure prices.

A former winner of both the small and large flock competitions in the North of Scotland Club’s events and winner of the Club’s show trophy league, the first year it was introduced, Sheeoch Texels are regularly at the forefront at local shows too.

It is nevertheless the shearling market that the family concentrate on most though, and outwintered on grass and swedes, they attract a ready market at Thainstone, Forfar and privately. Such is the demand for these big, hardy Texels tups that virtually half are sold at home every year! It’s a Sheeoch shearling ram that holds the centre record price at Forfar too, when in 2014, an entry from Rodney’s flock realise 1100gns.

The flock which attained it's name from the Sheeoch burn where the two Blackhall boys grew up at The Milton, Durris, also regularly secureds one of the lead averages at Thainstone, at in excess of £800 for eight-10.

"We look to breed long, well fleshing sheep with good tight skins, a leg in each corner and a head well up in the air," said Rodney.

"You need some cover on sheep if they are outwintered or in a wet year, but I don't like to pamper sheep because they just don't last if you do."

It’s a policy which is certainly bearing fruit for the buyers of his tups too, as they have previously lasted up until nine years of age, which is not always a good thing if you’re looking for repeat custom!

Similarly, the Blue shearlings sell just as well with all readily cashed privately at home.

Not feirt to spend a pound or two on stock rams either, some of the best breeding rams in the past have been Tophill Spartacus; Kelso President; Courthill Rambo; Knock Vantastic and Arkle Ying Yang, a 32,000gns joint purchase at Lanark in 2016 and the sire of most of the Sheeoch shearling rams this year.

“Ying Yang was a really square sheep with a great top on him and really good on his legs. He’s also still going strong, which is a bit of a rarity these days,” said Rodney pointing out that the Texel breed is in a lot better shape now than it used to be.

“The breed is certainly moving in the right direction now with more producers looking to breed sheep with scale and power. A good head is not as important as it used to be. A growing number of producers are also now looking to buy Texel rams reared by Texel ewes.”

Despite the horrendous year of weather, and Brexit fast approaching, he also remains confident for the breed and the sheep industry. “Even in a drought year, Texels perform better on grass because they don’t require the same inputs as other breeds or crosses – I’ve never had to provide them with trace elements and most of my lambs don’t have to be wormed because they’re on good, clean grazing.

“Sheep farming in Scotland can work away fine, and, provided MPs don’t throw a spanner in the works over Brexit, it should continue to do so, especially for those working with Texels. If you want to maximise profits, use a Texel,” concluded Rodney.