Breeders of our Time - Iain Green

I was born in Elgin and have spent my entire life at Corskie Farm, based in Garmouth. In 1964 my parents – Jimmy and Nan – bought Corskie, when my grandfather, William Green, was very much on the go then too.

After leaving school, I received my National Certificate in Agriculture at college, before returning home to work on the farm full time – and I’ve been here ever since!

What got you into your chosen breeds?

Before the pedigree Simmentals, we mainly worked with Hereford cross Friesians and Angus cattle, where we reared suckler calves back in the late 1970s early 1980s. Gradually, we realised that we couldn’t get the quality we wanted from the Hereford cross Friesians, so we made a change and began crossing the cattle with Simmental bulls.

We were really pleased with the Simmental cross cattle, so much so that we bought our first pedigree cow in 1987 from a draft from Keir.

The pedigree herd has just grown from there, with our farm now being home to 210 pure Simmentals, as well as some Shorthorn cross Simmental cows and a small pedigree Shorthorn herd of five cows.

What qualities do you like about the breeds you have?

The Simmentals just ooze quality. They have a great temperament, fantastic milking ability and are suitable for breeding replacement females as well as being a good terminal sire. We have experimented with a few different breeds over the years but the best option, by far, is the Simmental.

What was your first big breed sale or show?

It would have been Perth Bull Sales in 2004, where we attended with George Clark as our stockman. It was one of our first sales and we did extremely well with George and his wife Helen bringing out the bulls to a high standard and selling the first three sons off Popes Laird to average 10,333gns. We have attended the bull sales every year since then.

Which was the best animal that you’ve ever bred?

It has to be Corskie Disco. She won the Royal Highland Show for us in 2019, standing at seven-years-old and rearing twin calves at foot. She just had fantastic breed character, scale and power and that same year, she won numerous inter-breed titles at various shows.

The Highland judge, Stuart Stronach, of Islavale, commented on her: “This cow is exactly what I want. A seven-year-old that’s rearing twins – a great advert for the breed.”

Best animal that you’ve ever seen?

Peter Donger’s Charolais cow, Kilkenny Celia, with Jimmy McMillan leading her. She was exactly what you wanted in a Charolais cow and was a quality animal.

Best animal you’ve been out-bidded on or lost?

The biggest loss would be Bel Dhu Capercaillie – a Simmental bull that we purchased in 2013 at Stirling Bull Sales for a record 45,000gns. Unfortunately, he broke his pelvis but we’ve got some good young stock on the ground off him.

You’re most abiding memory?

The main one would be purchasing Popes Laird in 2002 for 12,000gns, which has a wee story to go with it. My father and mother always went to the bull sales as part of their holiday and, at this particular time, we had been looking for a stock bull for the pedigree Simmentals. We had viewed a lot of bulls, but none were the right one for us.

However, on inspection day before the big sale, my father phoned me to inform me that he had found the ideal bull – which ended up standing as overall champion in the show.

He asked me what we should do and so we agreed price over the phone. The evening before the sale, I decided that I wanted to come and see this bull for myself, so I just set off to go to Perth. Upon my arrival, I phoned father to tell him I was at the market, to which he replied: “Don’t you trust me anymore?”

After seeing the bull for myself, we confirmed it was the one we wanted, so I started bidding in the tic-tac, with my father poking me from behind to keep on going. I bid 10,000gns before someone else raised it to 11,000gns, to which dad stopped poking! However, I went one more and got him at 12,000gns and before I could celebrate with father, I had noticed he was gone.

I got a little worried he was annoyed but before I got a chance to look for him, Patsy Hunter had jumped on me with questions for the paper. I soon located father in pen already admiring the bull, so it was a good ending to a successful day’s shopping.

Biggest disappointment?

Probably not having more Simmental bloodlines on the farm sooner than what we did. Nowadays, witnessing how well they perform, we should’ve had them sooner.

Most influential people?

It has to be my grandfather and father. I spent a lot of my youth with grandfather and both taught me everything I know today. Although I was never praised for anything good, I was regularly criticised about the bad and was always reminded about anything that was not done right – a tough way to learn!

Favourite sale and why?

I would say the bull sales as it’s just a fantastic event to be able to compare your stock against everyone else’s.

Your choice of best breeder ever?

There have been several in my time but one tremendous individual is Billy MacPherson, of Blackford, solely because of the quality of stock he presents, whether that be cattle or sheep.

Best advice?

To stick with a range of enterprises and not put all your eggs in one basket.

Biggest achievement?

Probably winning junior inter-breed at the Royal Highland Show on three occasions with three different home-bred animals. The fact that they were home-bred made it all the more special. I’d also say winning the Highland with Corskie Disco, too, as she was also home-bred.

Any hobbies?

Farming is my only interest, but I do like pheasant shooting each season.

What’s the future of the breed in your opinion?

The Simmental, as a breed, have got great potential in the beef industry, producing both female replacements and good terminal sires. They are a dual-purpose breed and have already grown in popularity due to their ease of management and farmers realising that they produce quality heifers.