Faughhill Beltex take on Carlisle

“The Beltex has so much to offer because of their carcase quality. They attract premium prices in the live ring and when selling deadweight because they are the ideal butcher’s lamb. They’re also becoming increasingly popular with wholesalers and for export,” stated Grant.

the sheep flock is an efficient way to utilise grass and fits very well with the overall farming enterprise at Faughhill Ref:RH290721097 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

He runs 70 pedigree Beltex ewes, with a further 230 cross ewes used as recipients and for breeding fat lambs. An additional 1500-2000 store lambs are purchased each year for fattening.

“We aim to breed tups for the commercial market as the premium farmers receive for a good Beltex cross lamb compared to any other fat lamb which is attracting more farmers to the breed.

“The misconception of them being slow to finish has been proven wrong given the improvements in the breed over the past few years. Beltex sheep have improved hugely since they were first imported and the majority of sheep are now correct and good on their legs,” explained Grant.

“Along with having quality carcases, Beltex also produce cracking lambs that have the vigour and the get up and go to suckle well. We wouldn’t change the breed for the world, we have enjoyed breeding and building up our flock and have met some good friends through it,” said Grant.

the sheep flock is an efficient way to utilise grass and fits very well with the overall farming enterprise at Faughhill Ref:RH290721098 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Grant’s foundation females were mainly purchased from Brickrow and Corstane in 2003 and 2004. Other female lines were acquired at the Thimbley dispersal which have made a real stamp on the flock, along with a couple of females from Kingledores.

The flock was initially established to breed tups for the farm’s 3000 ewes at that time, and were therefore founded on their commercial attributes.

“Females have got to be very correct, have good skins and be kind mothers. We are looking for Beltex to have a bit of stretch, size and length about them, for us to breed with,” said Grant, whose flock is mainly closed with the exception to stock tups.

Current stock tups include Heatheryhall Fireman Sam – the first son sold off the 30,000gns Buckles Dark Dawn ET – purchased as a tup lamb in a private deal last year from Alfie Taylor, Thankerton. Ryder DIY, another stock ram, is shared with four other breeders and his first sons from the Faughhill flock will be sold next week at Carlisle.

all about the bums, some of the boys that are bound for the sale at Carlisle Ref:RH290721086 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

“We tend to buy in tup lambs as opposed to shearlings, the lambs are usually out of shearlings we rated to ensure we breed good quality shearlings ourselves. We always look at the breeding behind potential stock rams, so they must have consistent breeding that we know is going to work well in our flock,” said Grant.

The first influential tup at Faughhill was Kingledores Alfie which was purchased in 2015 and has now left some cracking older ewes in the flock. The following year Callacraig Barbarian made a real stamp on the flock, with a son selling to 6000gns and the pen of 10 cashing in at £2520 at Carlisle in 2018.

Grant and Andrew Baillie then teamed up in 2017 to purchase Mortons Cheeky Boy, from Andrew Morton, Lochend, which has produced the dearest tup to date at 8000gns and a gimmer at 4000gns.

That top priced tup at 8000gns, Faughhill Elephant In The Room, was sold last year at Carlisle as a shearling, with the flock’s pen of 10 averaging £2550.00.

Top price tup to date

“The stock tups have got to show strong breed character and be very correct throughout. We are looking for tups with a good skin, solid top and gigots. We also like good blueness throughout the head without being too extreme – everything you would expect in a Beltex,” said Grant. He aims to sell 30 shearlings annually, with the top draw going to the Premier Sale at Carlisle as well as Kelso Ram Sales, Lanark and Skipton.

Prior to sale time, everything is fed Davidsons Animal Feeds Rough Mix to give them that final show polish.

This year is also the first time Faughhill is selling tup lambs, with Faughhill Godfather and Gladiator forward for the Premier Sale at Carlisle just next week. All the lambs being sold are the first sons of Heatheryhall Fireman Sam.

“Fireman Sam has really left some strong offspring, so we are excited to see how the sale goes.

“Last year, we sold a whole years’ worth of gimmers as they were all of similar breeding lines which we already had in the flock, so we weren’t losing out on any breeding and it allowed us to offer females for sale for the first time,” said Grant, adding that his 37 gimmers sold at Carlisle averaged £1240.00, with a top of 4000gns received for Faughhill Eye Candy.

This gimmer sold to Ellie Miller as a foundation female for her newly established Ellies flock, Midmar, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.

By flushing a select few females and using AI, Grant has seen real improvements in the flock. However, he tends not to flush gimmers, as they need to ‘prove their worth’. Instead, he relies on the more consistent breeders, usually two or three crop ewes, with even a seven-crop ewe in the flushing programme.

“We are very selective when flushing, and they need to be breeding well for us to keep that bit of longevity in the females. We need to focus on the good consistent breeders to get strong females on the ground to enhance the flock,” added Grant.

Some of the ewes that have been selected for flushing Ref:RH290721082 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Recipient ewes are a little unusual at Faughhill being Zwartbles and Suffolk crosses.

“We find they are really milky and are very kind mothers even as gimmers, which is what you require for embryo lambs. They do a cracking job and being MV accredited we feel it is important to keep any risks at a minimum which is why we work with these breeds,” said Grant.

Embryos lamb in the middle of February along with the majority of the pedigree ewes, while the commercial lambing kicks of at the end of March.

Prior to lambing, the flock is left outside for as long as possible, being brought inside a week before they are due. All triplet bearing ewes are fed ewe rolls to ensure they are fit enough pre lambing, whilst ewes carrying singles or twins have access to good quality hay and a high energy feed block only.

The majority of home-bred lambs are finished off grass, with the later ones put onto green crop to get them away quicker. Everything is sold through the live ring at Harrison and Hetherington’s St Boswells centre, where Grant has sheep most weeks of the year.

“We start to sell our home-bred lambs in May just as the hoggs start to dry up and come October we will be onto finishing some of the store lambs,” said Grant, adding that his lambs average 39-47kg and cash in at £125-130, with a top of £160 paid this year.

Some 1500-2000 store lambs are sourced privately and through various auction markets.

some of the herd of Beef Shorthorns at Faughhill, cows with their spring born calves Ref:RH290721094 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

The farm is also home to an 80-cow Beef Shorthorn suckler herd split 50:50 with half bulled to a Limousin and the remainder kept pure, to breed replacements. A further 300 store cattle are also bought in with the majority sold finished through the live ring at St Boswells.

Grant aims to sell five to eight beasts a week which will range between 530-620kg and average £1350-£1400. Top price to date this year was £1700 paid for a 14-15month home-bred bullock.

some of the herd of Beef Shorthorns at Faughhill, cows with their spring born calves Ref:RH290721093 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

“Prices have been strong this year for both cattle and sheep as consumers are supporting their local butchers more, but there has also been strong demand from the wholesalers and processors.

“The market has been blooming this year, but the price is only where it needs to be as all other costs of production have been creeping up.

“At present we’re unable to export pedigree sheep due to Brexit and more needs to be done to sort this, but it is an issue that is out of our hands,” said Grant.

“I do believe the industry has a positive future. We all just need to be as efficient as we can be, and produce what the consumer demands as competitively as possible.

“We need to be flexible and open to opportunities and continue to do what we do as environmentally friendly as we can. Promoting the environmental benefits of sheep and their ability to sequester carbon through mixed farming systems needs to be promoted more both politically and publicly to dispel mistruths and fight our corner,” added Grant.

Faughhill Gladiator, Heatheryhall Fireman Sam son Ref:RH290721095 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

There is a strong future ahead at Faughhill with the team working hard to produce good quality stock and cereals. They aim to build up their pedigree Beltex numbers further and to remain as much of a closed flock as possible, along with increasing herd numbers. Grant is also grateful to have benefitted from progressing the business as tenants of Buccleuch estates and contract farming locally.

“Having a variety of enterprises helps us takeout some of the volatility in the market and they all tend to work hand in hand. Our arable crops are improving year on year but we have also been increasing our cattle which has resulted in more FYM being available resulting in improving soil health.

“Soil mapping and analysis has resulted in more accurate and efficient lime and fertiliser (FYM, digestate and bagged) applications combined with rotating forage crops round grazing ground has really benefitted the sheep’s diet,” said Grant.

“There is going to be a lot of changes to come in the next five to 10 years, so we need to be flexible and take on opportunities that arise, and continue to improve on what we are doing,” he concluded.

Faughhill farm is near Bowden in the Scottish Borders and is home to the Maxwell family Ref:RH290721091 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

FARM FACTS

• History: Moved to Faughhill in 2001 as tenants with Buccleuch Estate, in Dalkeith previously at Sherriffhall and Wester Cowden as tenants with Buccleuch.

• Involvement: Grant Maxwell and his parents, Donald and Nancy, as well as occasional help from fiancé, Katy Muir, a local vet who works full time at AB Europe. Helped by a good team of self-employed and seasonal staff.

• Situation: Steading sits at 700ft above sea level with the ground ranging from 400ft to 1300ft above sea level.

• Hectares: 1100 hectares including 120 hectares owned and the rest on various agreements

• Livestock: 75 pure Beltex ewes, with a total of 300 ewes varying from embryo recipients and cross ewes. An additional 1500-2000 store lambs purchased each year to fatten. A 80 cow suckler herd, predominately Beef Shorthorns, as well as buying in 350 store cattle annually to fatten.

• Arable: 500hectrares as well as a bit of contracting in the local area. Working on a mixed rotation of winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, spring barley and oats. With green manure also part of the rotation.

Faughhill farm is near Bowden in the Scottish Borders and is home to the Maxwell family Ref:RH290721099 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

ON THE SPOT

Best investment? Buying half of Mortons Cheeky boy

Best advice? Do what you enjoy, and do it as well as you can

Biggest achievement? Being part of the family buying Faughhill

Favourite holiday destination? The highlands and west coast (if the weather is on our side)