It's one thing selling off a herd of dairy cows. It's another to have to sell off a highly productive, well sought after pedigree unit purely because there is not the staff to milk or attend to them.
It's a situation which is becoming all too familiar in agriculture as people no longer need or want to work unsociable hours after 5pm or at weekends. It is particularly hard hitting on farmers who don't have family to help, with the shortage of labour affecting all sectors – beef, sheep, dairy, arable, even pig and poultry units.
For Robin Templeton and his father John, it's particularly disturbing as their Carnell herd of pedigree Ayrshires – one of the oldest in the herd book tracing back more than 100 years – is having to be dispersed for those very reasons. The date however, has been brought forward significantly as Robin has been struggling with health issues for a number of years now.
"I had problems with my back in my early 30s and they're getting worse due to the stress and work involved with the cows," said Robin, adding that he has been on the list for an operation for two years, with the result being his back is now significantly worse and such a procedure might not be of any benefit.
"It would be fine to keep the cows on, if we had people we could rely on to milk them and look after them, but we've had continual issues with staff and even part-time help. I also need more time with my partner, Jill and her family," added Robin a former young ambassador for the Ayrshire breed in 1999-2000.
Hence, on Wednesday, June 29, at Harrison and Hetherington's Borderway Mart, Carlisle, some top breeding 120 Ayrshire milking cows; 50 in-calf heifers and 100 maidens from the herd, all boasting the best of Ayrshire and Red and White Holstein genetics, will be cashed.
At least 50% are from the well known Snowdrop family with several in the sale stemming back to the top two breeding females in recent times, Carnell Snowdrop 185 Ex92 5E 9* LP60 and Carnell Snowdrop 156 Ex94 7E 5* LP80.
The former, which was a previous senior heifer in milk winner at AgriScot and champion at the West of Scotland Dairy Show as a second calver produced no fewer than seven Excellent-classified daughters. These included Snowdrop 258 Ex94 6E, which in turn was the dam of Snowdrop 308 Ex91 2E, a Carnell Warrior daughter that secured the overall champion of champions at Craigie Show in 2015. Notably, her daughter Carnell Snowdrop 368VG86 won the same title in 2018.
The other noted breeding line, Carnell Snowdrop 156 Ex94 7E 5* LP80 was flushed to produce several show winners and high production cows. She was the dam of several AI sires on the Cattle Services Young bull proving system and more impressively, Carnell Warrior Ex92, a former stock bull at Pocknave that was also used in the Brieryside, Sandyford and Knowe herds before going to High Mark at 10 years of age.
The same cow also bred Snowdrop 234 VG87, a former champion winner at Ayr Show and dam of past stock bull, Carnell Brigadoon Ex94.
Another star performer from the same family, Carnell Snowdrop 274 Ex93 2E having produced average milk yields of 12,409kg at 4.47%BF and 3.23%P, over four lacations. She is also the dam of the current stockbull, Carnell Greenboy.
Although big fans of the show ring, the Templetons have not shown cattle for at least five years purely because they haven't had the time. The herd itself which at present boasts 17 Ex-classified cows and 43 VGs, is however a regular winner in the Ayr County Cattle Club Herds' competition, having won the supreme last year.
Instead, the boys prefer to concentrate on the breeding and overall management at Pocknave which over the past year has seen average milk yields increase by 500litres per head to 8848litres at 4.13%BF and 3.30%P, with calving interval of 390days. Much of this increased milk yield Robin feels is due to the better quality silage made over the past few years by switching from a three to a multi-cut system.
Milk yields also improved by in excess of 500litres when Robin started bringing the cows inside every night during the spring and summer months, thereby increased dry matter intakes by avoiding variable grass quality and unpredictable weather.
The milking herd is fed the one ration comprising mostly grass silage and crimped wheat or barley and a protein blend for maintenance plus 23litres. Up to 6kg per heifer and 8kg per cow is fed in the parlour according to yield, which is further topped up with out of parlour feeders for the highest yielders.
Heifers join the milking herd at 2.5years and cows milk for an average of 4.5lactations, with a couple of cows still milking at 13 years of age.
Sexed semen has been used for the past eight years on the top 50% of the herd, with the remainder AI'd to either a British Blue or an Aberdeen-Angus sire. The best of the heifers are AI'd with sexed semen with the remainder bulled to an Aberdeen Angus for ease of calving.
Robin does all the AI work, which coupled with good fertility, results in some pretty impressive conception rates with first service from 50 days. On average cows are AI'd 1.5 times to produce conception rates of 72.7%. The vet/scanner is out every five weeks to PD served cows, and those with fertility issues are sold privately.
Cows are dried off 50 days pre calving, given a mineral/trace element bolus and either put onto a high roughage diet in the winter, or out to an old grass field in the summer. Three weeks before calving they are introduced to a pre-calving ration.
While all bull calves are sold privately at eight weeks of age, alongside beef heifers which are sold for breeding at the same age, all dairy heifers are retained, with the best kept for replacements and the remainder, meeting a ready demand privately. Carnell heifers regularly sell either fresh or in calf down to Somerset, Yorkshire and into Cumbria, with one client buying up to 10 at a time.
One of the oldest pedigree units in the Ayrshire herd book, the Carnell prefix traces back to 1914, when George Templeton, Robin's great grand-father, who farmed at Catcraig, Craigie, with foundation females coming from the Willoxton herd from Mauchline.
However, it wasn't until 1923 that the Carnell prefix was founded when Mr Templeton acquired Carnell farm, Hurlford. It was here that the family's reputation grew for breeding top show cows, when a first red ticket was awarded at the prestigious London Dairy Show in 1932 with Carnell Snowdrop 2. Interestingly, she was sired by Carnell Footprint, which in 1933, had 16 daughters milking in the herd.
Pocknave was acquired in 1941, with the decade also celebrating the first export of bulls from Carnell to Auckland, New Zealand and Kenya. It also saw the Northern Ireland Ministry of Agriculture's first AI centre based at outside Cookstown, purchase Carnell Tourist, which had a huge impact on the dairy industry across the Irish Sea.
Between 1955 and 1965, George Templeton and his son Robert, who formed the G and R partnership in 1941, as it remains today, exported no fewer than 77 animals comprising 36 females and 41 bulls to countries such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, South America, Germany, USA and Canada.
Much obviously has changed since those days, but by using leading Ayrshire and Red and White sires, such as Bankend Lord Ontario and Carousel Regiment Red and Horizon Red, not to mention a large number of home-bred bulls from leading cows families, there is no doubt John and Robin, have done as much for the breed as their fore fathers.
The sad thing is, despite the Templetons' huge enthusiasm for the breed and their ability for breeding the best, without capable staff, the cattle were affecting both John and Robin's health. With next week's sale behind them, it is nevertheless hoped that life will become that bit easier for them. The Templetons are not giving up the farm, but with a bit of time out, Robin will at least be able to rest his back and John will be able to take it easier in his well earned retirement.
FARM facts:
Farm acreage: 200 acres.
Herd numbers and milk yields: 123 cows averaging 8848litres at 4.13%BF and 3.30%P with a 390day calving interval.
Health status: Vaccinated for BVD, Johnes free.
Herd sale: Wednesday, June 29, Borderway Mart, Carlisle, 11am.
ON THE spot:
Best on farm investment? Youngstock shed built in 2012 which improved health and doubled the amount of slurry storage available
Biggest achievement? Winning Ayrshire Young Breeder Amabassdor's award and Young Farmers competitions
Best breeding AI sire/bull? Carnell Warrior
Best cow you've ever seen? Des Prairies Toutou Ex96-3E 3*
What you are looking forward to most after the sale? Stepping off the treadmill and a slower pace of life
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