The Upsall Beef Shorthorn herd - Gerald Turton
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The Upsall Beef Shorthorn herd - Gerald Turton
| Farm Facts: The Upsall herd |
| Livestock: 74 polled Beef Shorthorn breeding females and 81 followers. |
| The farm: The Upsall and Roxby Estate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, runs to 1,000 acres ( ha), threequarters of which is arable and the rest permanent pasture for the Beef Shorthorns. |
| Contact: Gerald Turton tel: 01845 537202 e-mail: turtongerald@hotmail.com www.upsallshorthorn.co.uk |
The Upsall herd in the heart of Britain’s Beef Shorthorn country, may be Britain’s oldest herd of Beef Shorthorns but owner Gerald Turton has used the newest recording and testing available to aid genetic progress.
Gerald Turton is the third generation of his family to be involved with the development of the Upsall herd which he introduced to performance recording in 1996 to improve genetics and, more recently, has been using DNA testing to improve breed traits.
So it is not surprising that the herd was awarded the first Most Improved Beef Shorthorn herd prize in 2009 in the English Beef and Lamb Executive’s (EBLEX) Beef Better Returns Programme.
The Upsall herd was founded by Gerald’s great uncle, Sir Edmund Turton, when he purchased four pedigree heifers, registering the first bull calf in Coates Herd Book in 1909, when the Beef Shorthorn was in its hey day.
Gerald’s father, Robin Turton - Lord Tranmire - succeeded in the herd’s management as well as in his uncle’s footsteps as an MP for 45 years. Gerald took on the running of the estate and the herd in 1960 and now his son Robin, has become involved with the herd at Upsall.
Gerald has always been interested in performance recording. He started weighing his animals in the 1970s and joined a recording scheme 25 years ago. He is now involved in DNA testing for disease prevention, as well as making routine use of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) – the overall performance measurement which EBLEX promotes.
“Next to animal health, we recognise we need to make performance recording figures a priority in improving our herd. There is much to learn from scanning and the percentage accuracy of EBV figures as a tool to breed better cattle,” said Gerald, who runs the herd with stockman Ian Park.
“In recent years we have been scanning using IGENITY DNA to identify marbling, tenderness, rib eye volume, carcase fat and other traits in our home bred bulls as an added breeding tool.”
The herd is monitored with the SAC Premium Cattle Health Scheme and is vaccinated for BVD, leptospirosis and blue tongue.
Upsall Shorthorns have been bred for length and to a good size - although not too big to cause poaching when out-wintered - with good hind-quarters. Gerald likes to see a broad muzzle and a big head. They must be hardy and have good locomotion.
Gerald is a firm believer in recognising cow families. Four bulls from the Tessa family averaged more than £4,000 in 2005.
The herd’s first polled bull, Hilldale Collynie 100, was bred on the west coast of America and purchased in 1960. AI and embryos have been used to introduce new bloodlines.
Recent stock bulls have included Glenisla Zetor, a son of Fearn Wyvis, which at +25 is in the top one per cent for the breed for self replacing index and a trait leader for weight at +42kg at 200 days and +92kg at 600 days. Most recent is the purchase at the February 2010 ‘Perth’ bull sale at Stirling of Dunsyre Bonapart, another + 25.
Uppermill Recto produced the Upsall Perth supreme champion and senior champion in 2005.
Argonaut of Upsall, was sold at Perth in February in 2009 with a self replacing index of +26 and a trait leader.
Current stock bull is Vortrekker, a roan son of Warlock of Upsall. Semen from Glenisla Zetor and Belmore Fuel Injected has been used in recent years. Bilsdale Anson was used on most of the heifers in 2009 and most of the 2010 calves are by Atilla of Upsall, bred by Australian AI sire Broughton Park Thunder.
