Wedderlie Farm

The land is best suited to traditional farming methods and Aberdeen Angus cattle are ideal, with low maintenance costs, good fertility and longevity. As the herd is currently the largest in the UK with 170 cows, we always have a large number of females available. To ensure the bulls we sell meet strict standards of conformation, soundness, growth & temperament, we register only 15 - 20% of male calves. These are sold privately or at Perth Sales in February & October and purchasers can be confident they will perform and breed well. Autumn born weaned steers are sold at our local market, St. Boswells, in October, while spring born steers are finished off grass and attract a significant premium as pure-bred AA beef. Selected heifers were to be sold at our annual draft sale in September but with the devastating effects of FMD we can offer a large choice on farm.

T27 W. Ebbora by Horatio out of Ebb

U3 W. Pricelle by Horatio out of Poppy

Selection in the herd is governed by the commercial beef industry requirement for carcase weights of 350kg at a minimum grade of R4L under the EUROP grading system. However, to sustain a sound, productive cowherd, growth and weight must be balanced by maternal abilities and weaning weight is a good indication of growth and the dam's milking ability. Marbling, acknowledged worldwide as the prime factor in eating quality is not considered important by the MLC so we look at carcase figures for related bulls from other countries. Our herd sires are carefully selected to compliment and/or improve a combination of these important traits. Temperament is also a high priority and the cattle are well known for their docility.

Young bulls using an imported fly repellent system - Easiway!

The herd is MLC Signet recorded and individual traits are considered in our homebred stock but as there is no international system to compare EBV’s & EPD’s, figures for imported bulls are initially penalised by being allocated the average of the UK herd in the base year 1980. The Spring calving cows are currently involved in the Suckler Cow Replacement Project in which height, pelvic length & width, weight, production etc are measured to produce genetic figures for the maternal traits of pure and cross-bred cattle.

Wedderlie also runs 1700 Blackface & Greyface ewes with their replacements. A small Texel flock was introduced in 1999 with purchases from the Whitemire dispersal sale and more recently from the Barness flock. As Texel tups have replaced the Bluefaced Leicester for prime lamb production from grass or kale, we can now breed our own. A reduced acreage of spring barley is grown for our own use.

Welsh Section B and part-bred ponies, under the Wedderlie prefix, are all descended from 'Megan' purchased by Jenny in 1943. They are well known throughout the UK for their success in the show ring.

Keeping up with the ever increasing bureaucracy would not be possible without the comprehensive Beef and Sheepcheck software programmes of Bob Nelson. (Nelson Educational Services). This caters for all the Ministry Schemes, registrations to the Society, data transfer to Signet, movements by e-mail to BCMS and it automatically downloads weights and treatments from our electronic programme.