Decades of Suffolk success at Collessie

Just like their Clydesdales, though, the sheep breed has been a part of the family’s life for some time now as Ronnie’s late father Hugh, founded the Collessie flock 55 years ago with the purchase of five in-lamb gimmers bought at a sale in Aberdeen from the Strathkinness, Kilmany and Southfield flocks. Since then, they’ve rarely bought in females and the family say they have maintained a consistent breeding policy over the decades, aiming to produce quality, fleshy tups mainly for the commercial market, with the hope of selling a few each year to pedigree flocks. 

“We have always liked the Suffolk breed – they’re my hobby and my passion,” said eldest son Mike, who farms the 850 acres across Newton of Collessie, which the family have farmed for almost 80 years, as well as two other units, with father Ronnie, mother Dorrie, and brother Pete. “You can’t beat the Suffolk for its birth to killing weights and they really suit our farming system here as we have them lambed early and weaned before we need to shut grass off for making hay and haylage. Their land-use is minimal and the lambs which don’t make the flock grade usually hit the early lamb market when the price is good thanks to their superb growth rates.”

Ronnie, who has been selling Suffolk tups at Kelso since the mid-1960s, added: “We’ve met so many people and made so many friends in what we do, whether it be sheep or Clydesdales. It’s great watching your stock grow and develop but it’s equally as fun socialising with other breeders.”

While the Collessie flock has numbered as many as 100 breeding females at one time, they’ve since reduced the flock to 72 ewes to work a more manageable number around the farm’s other enterprises including their flock of 26 pedigree Texels and a newly established Beltex flock which numbers seven females. In their arable enterprise, they grow 550 acres of wheat, barley, oats, beans and oilseed rape, while 300 acres is kept as grass. Hay and haylage is sold through their on-farm horse and pet store, Collessie Feeds, which opened 12 years ago, while some of their grain is also sold through the store.  

Some of the 14 strong tup lambs by Limestone Legacy and Bannview Barbarian, which are destined for Kelso, next week

The Blacks aim to buy stock tups with good tops, skins and back-ends and a nice head, with the majority bought at the society sale at Stirling. In the early days, the family cite stock tups such as Roseden Review bought in the 1970s, Greyhill Goliath, Bartlehill Cannon, Muiresk Mayhem, Muiresk Machine, Fourdiefourie Footprint and the home-bred Collessie King Kong, as having made a big influence on their flock. In fact, King Kong bred a previous Kelso record holder for the Blacks, the £3500 Collessie Dominator sold in 1977, while Mayhem bred their top price to date, the £18,000 Collessie Cut Above sold in 2002. Bred out of a Cairness Crossfire dam, the Blacks AI’d some of their own ewes with Cut Above which went on to breed sons to £6000, £3200 and £1100 sold at Kelso in 2003. Other top prices include £6500 for a son of Muiresk Machine and £3400 for one by Greyhill Goliath. 

This year’s lamb crop includes offspring from the current stock sires – the 9500gns Limestone Legacy bought in a three-way split with Stewart Lathangie, Pyeston, and George and Melvin Stuart, Birness, which has already bred sons to 30,000gns, 24,000gns and 9000gns – and Bannview Barbarian, a tup bought at Stirling last year with Pyeston. 

“Stock tups are fundamental in improving your flock. All our ewes are home-bred and bloodlines go back to the original five females, so we like to buy in fresh blood via rams. We just try and buy what we like on the day and the advantage of buying with other breeders is you can usually go and buy something that is that extra bit special,” said Mike, who focuses mainly on the sheep flock with Ronnie, while Ronnie also helps Pete bring out Clydesdales at national shows across the country. 

Admittedly, ewes at Collessie are run commercially but are AI’d so that they lamb inside in January, and weather permitting they head outside in March, before being weaned at the beginning of May.

A selection of home-bred breeding ewes in their working clothes at Collessie which will be AI’d soon to lamb in January

“We keep our ewes lean and in store condition, so we can get them in lamb – they’re functional ewes, not show ewes. They’re given mineral blocks in the run up to being AI’d and nearer lambing are fed home-grown barley, oats and beep pulp with a protein pellet. Feeding usually continues on to mid-April depending on grass growth and the weather,” said Mike, who added that they are lucky enough to have plenty home-grown straw and haylage in stock for when they’re housed inside during lambing. 

An extra pair of hands is brought in for one week at lambing time to ease the pressure at the busiest time of the year, however it is still very much a team effort as everybody mucks in and helps. The Blacks limit any problems at lambing when it comes to getting lambs up to suckle and that’s down to their strict culling policy as any ewes which have difficulties lambing or aren’t proving to be good mothers are sent down the road. Most ewes produce three to four crops of lambs and are sold as cull ewes. Tup lambs and ewe lambs which don’t meet the grade for breeding are sold fat through United Auctions, Stirling.

“You can nearly always tell by the end of February if you’ve got a tup lamb that’s worth holding onto as we find the Suffolk holds its form and rarely changes after that,” explained Mike. “We put them straight onto grass after weaning and then they’re fed a home-grown mix including cereals and minerals – nothing too fancy.”

Ronnie pointed out: “Our farm is gravel base soil which limits the initial growth of our Suffolk lambs compared to other breeders’ lambs, but they hopefully finish up the same size at maturity.”

There’s plenty of width, flesh and style about this Bannview Barbarian son 

The odd female is sold off the farm privately, but the majority are retained within the flock. Having said that, 12 gimmers have been exported to Switzerland for the past two years to a returned buyer. Ronnie did mention that if any female is still at Collessie after the first year, then they’re there to stay. They also sold a tup lamb privately to Ian and Judith Barbour’s Solwaybank flock at Annan, which went on to breed gimmers to 10,000gns and 6500gns this summer. 

The Collessie Suffolk pen are often in the top 10 tup lamb averages at Kelso – not a bad record for a flock that has been selling at the sale for more than 50 years. And, the flock has enjoyed plenty success in the Tayside flock competition too, having won the best overall flock a number of times, as well as champion tup lamb and pen of ewe lambs. They rarely make it out with a show team in the summer due to time restrictions but almost always enter sheep at Fife Show where Mike has been show president for the last two years. They’ve scooped a few championships there too, and this year stood reserve champion at Perth with a ewe lamb. 

Both equally passionate about the breed, Ronnie and Mike have been past chair of the Northern area Suffolk branch, and Ronnie has also taken up the role as society president. 

One of the youngest tup lambs from the consignment for Kelso

“It’s great going to Kelso – the atmosphere is amazing. You’ve got the commercial buyers there but there’s always a selection of pedigree breeders too, so if you have a good one you’ll easily get it away on the day," said Mike.

As one of the leading sires in the country, the Suffolk breed is well known for its ability to grow and finish quickly as well as being able to take to heavier weights, and therefore the Black family believe there is a strong future ahead for the breed. 

“There’s a place in the market for all breeds but I reckon the Suffolk will always be needed – it gets you to kilograms quicker than any other breed. Commercial boys want Suffolks for producing a quicker and faster finished prime lamb,” concluded Mike. 

This year, the Collessie team has 14 Suffolk tup lambs by Limestone Legacy and Bannview Barbarian up for grabs at Kelso, and they’ll also be in the Beltex ring for the very first time with three shearlings. 

Some of the 14 strong tup lambs destined for Kelso