Farmer Focus: Grazing system switch presents bull quandary

There is a saying locally: “Dinnae cast yer cloot until May is oot”. There is some debate as to whether this refers to the month of May or the May blossom.

Certainly, this May has required extra layers of clothing as daytime temperatures have struggled to hit double figures, while nighttime temperatures have frequently dropped to freezing.

The frosts, along with the dry weather, have curtailed grass growth as well as spring-sown crops.

Being only a month away from Midsummer’s Day, this is rather concerning.

See also: How to start rotational grazing with beef and sheep

About the author

James Playfair-Hannay

Pedigree Angus and Shorthorn breeder James Playfair-Hannay runs 400 suckler cows and 1,600 Lairg-type North Country Cheviots in the Scottish Borders with wife Debbie and son Robert. They farm 1,780ha (4,400 acres), of which 728ha (1,800 acres) is contract-farmed. They also have a 283ha (700-acre) farm contract-farmed for them further north.

Read more articles by James Playfair-Hannay

This year, we are trying a rotational grazing programme with the pedigree Aberdeen Angus cow herd here at Morebattle Tofts.

With what were three bulling groups on a set-stocked system now running as one mob, they are chasing the grass around the farm, which, with this cold and dry May, is not recovering as well as we would have liked.

It is also giving us a little challenge in what to do regarding service sires. Do we run three Angus bulls together and DNA test the progeny to establish parentage?

Or run one Angus bull together with a white Shorthorn (to produce blue calves) and a Murray Grey bull (to produce dun calves) without the need for DNA testing?

Or do I purchase a Hereford and produce some Black Baldies?

We have not planted any spring barley this season because of the lack of decent prices and demand for malting barley.

We have planted spring oats and beans, with a contract for milling oats for human consumption.

The beans we can feed or sell as protein foods, either for livestock or humans.

It will be interesting to see if these crops will hide a hare at the May term (on 28 May).

It is not looking promising, as we require warmth and moisture. As the old farmers used to say: “Rain in May makes the hay”.

Our hay and silage crops will not be heavy this year, unless the weather improves dramatically.

Lambing and calving have gone pretty well this season, as March and April were kind to us weather wise.

We are down to the last 20 cows to calve, so it is now a bit of a drag. But before we know it, it will be time to put the bulls out and start all over again.