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Article printed by courtesy of the Scottish Farmer
IT TAKES a brave man to break into the ‘glamorous’ world of pedigree livestock breeding, let alone prove himself and his breeding skills amongst Scotland’s world-renowned stockmen and women. But come up with the goods and a vision for the future and breeders soon sit up and take notice.
That is exactly what young James Porter from Lisburn, Co Antrim, in Northern Ireland, aims to achieve in breeding top quality pedigree Aberdeen-Angus from his Old Glenort herd, and Beef Shorthorns, which now come under the renowned Uppermill prefix. And, having acquired some of the best genetics within the two breeds, he is already well on his way to producing champion winning animals at shows and sales, not to mention achieving his long-term goal of creating a brand label for Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn beef in Ireland.
Notably since James first started showing pedigree Angus in 1997, his Old Glenort herd, which numbers 40 cows, has twice triumphed to win the breed championship at the coveted Royal Ulster Show. Two years ago, the Scottish-bred stock bull, Haymount Wessuro, and home-bred Old Glenort Katie, scooped the top two Angus awards and went on to make up part of the reserve inter-breed group of three.
Last year, Old Glenort Lavender secured the breed championship at Balmoral. There are no classes, as yet, for Beef Shorthorn although James hopes to rectify that within the near future.
Just as importantly, his Angus and Beef Shorthorn herds have also made their presence felt in the sale ring, with Angus prices having peaked at 6000gns for the junior champion at Perth in 2005. Meanwhile, his Beef Shorthorn herd, established just two years ago, has sold to 6000gns at Perth last February for the supreme champion, Uppermill Laird.
“We always wanted to breed low maintenance, easycare, pedigree beef cattle and, having seen Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn at shows, they seemed the ideal solution,” said James whose father used to run a few commercial cattle.
“Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn produce the best quality beef and they’re so much easier managed and finished compared to other breeds. They’re quiet and easy calved and, therefore, require less labour and concentrate feeding, which has to be the way forward for the industry,” added James, who left school at the tender age of 16 purely to build up a herd of pedigree cattle.
Six years down the line, not only is he at ease with the farm business, which at present encompasses 650acres, he also has a firm grasp of the intricacies of pedigree beef cattle breeding and, more importantly, his own cattle.
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But then, he is fortunate to have some of the best cattle in the business to work with. Over the past decade, James and his father, Bill, who owns the Northern Ireland construction business, Porter and Co, have purchased several top quality Angus cattle, both privately and at public auction, with many of their purchases costing well into four and five figure prices, each.
Initially, they acquired six heifers from Gilbert Craig, Co Fermanagh, and then 10 cows from the late Crawford Henderson, which included three Monkwoods and a Netherton cow. Their dearest acquisition to date at 36,000gns however, has been for the stock bull, The Moss Mr Eshton, bought in partnership with the McLarens from Netherton, in 2006. Other bought-in females include two Fordafourie cows — Katie and Kathleen — purchased from Sandy Lee and the Canadian female, Wia Creek Evilene, which have been flushed in recent years.
Over the past two years, James has also ventured into Beef Shorthorns having purchased several at Alan Rose’s dispersal sale at Perth and then buying Stuart Durno’s noted Uppermill Beef Shorthorn herd from Aberdeenshire, combined with the famous Uppermill prefix.
“Buying the Uppermill herd was such a unique opportunity because it is one of the oldest and most established herds in the world. We went to see the cows and were so impressed that we decided to buy the entire herd rather than see it split up,” James added, pointing out that since acquiring these cattle they have had visitors from as far afield as Russia and South Africa.
But in contrast to many beef farmers who remain convinced the future lies with Aberdeen-Angus, it is his Beef Shorthorn herd that James has highest hopes for.
“There is very little difference between the two breeds — they complement one another well. They are similar in terms of overall management and meat quality, but I think the industry will eventually witness a greater demand for the Beef Shorthorn because the breed is slightly bigger, quieter and the cows have more milk.
Shorthorns also appear easier finished off grass compared to the Aberdeen-Angus.
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Young Shorthorn Heifers and Bulls bound for the Perth Sales |
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“Our Beef Shorthorn bullocks will finish at least 30kg heavier on the same feed ration and at the same age as Angus bullocks. We recently sold 16month-old Angus bullocks at 700-750kg, whereas our Beef Shorthorns at the same age will scale 780-800kg,” he said.
Commenting on the longevity and ease of management of the two breeds, James admitted that both easily last into double figures coming through the winter on silage only. However, he added that while both appear equally fertile, the Beef Shorthorn can be calved at a younger age easier. Consequently, his Shorthorn heifers calve down at 24-26months of age, while the Angus join the main herd three weeks later.
Not surprisingly, Beef Shorthorn numbers are more than double that of the pedigree Angus herd. At present, James and his right-hand man, Ian Rea, manage 90 pedigree Shorthorns females of which the majority are kept pure, while the bottom end are crossed to an Angus as there is a growing demand for cross-bred females in Ireland.
The Angus herd is to be maintained at 40 cows with herd quality further improved through various ET programmes and the use of top quality bulls.
Outwith the livestock enterprise, James and Ian have a further 130 acres of cereal crops to attend to producing home-grown feeds and bedding for the cattle. They also do contract harvest work.
However, it’s pedigree cattle that will always take precedence for this young man, who at just 22 years of age is not only making the boys sit up and take notice, he’s also proving he is more than capable of breeding some of the best cattle in the business, backed by leading bloodlines from both sides of the Pond.
You only just have to take a look at the three Beef Shorthorn bulls and four in-calf heifers he has forward for the sale at Perth and you can’t be anything but impressed.