John Alpe
John Alpe
John Alpe farms in partnership with his parents at New Laund
Farm at Whitewell near Clitheroe in Lancashire. Besides the
tenanted 80ha (200 acres) at New Laund Farm, the family
own a neighbouring farm of 36ha (90 acres), and rent a
further 40ha (100 acres). About 60 dairy cows and 60
followers, 500 Swaledale and Mule ewes and 250 store lambs
are run on the farms. Bacon pigs are also fed on contract.
THIS autumn, sales of our surplus Mule breeding ewes and shearlings have shown a small increase of price on the year, which is quite reassuring.
The surplus sheep that we sell are the remainders after weve maintained flock numbers and replaced any ewes which have broken mouths or have a problem with an incorrect udder. The latter group is always a high percentage of our culled sheep, which is very disappointing because they are invariably quite young sheep. On this point, though, I tend to be ruthless – a ewe with only one teat, arriving with two or possibly three lambs, is the last thing I want to see during the lambing season.
The high autumn tides at Southport Marshland has forced the 800 head of summering cattle into the dry holding pens. All the owners are notified to make arrangements to collect them. Sorting them though can prove quite a task – trying to find our 15 maiden heifers amongst some 800 is not a job for the faint hearted; and to complete the picture I should also say its usually raining and its very mucky! Its the sort of job that should be delegated.
Unfortunately, several heifers had died during the summering season, drowning being the main cause, but luckily all ours turned up this year present and correct. Three years ago this was not the case – we did lose a heifer far out on the marsh land, but as luck would have it – on examination – it was found to have been struck by lightening, and was therefore covered by insurance.
Having not seen the heifers for some five months they appear to have grown out well. Now theyre home we have arranged for Genus to do the AI work, however, instead of using the Moet herd semen, we have changed to the Cheshire-based organisation Co-gent, owned by the Duke of Westminster.
I am hoping this change will bring about some savings, and as a member there may prove to be some long-term benefits – well have to wait and see.n
John Alpe has been busy sorting through breeding sheep and selecting culls, while the heifers have come home from summer grazings at Southport and are about to be AId – using Cogent semen for the first time.