Aberdeen Angus has been the beef sire of choice for more than seven years at the Bates family’s Lakeview Farm in Ballyronan, County Londonderry.
“The native breed is an excellent choice for dairy farmers, as valuable beef-bred calves provide an additional revenue stream on top of milk sales,” explained Adrian Bates, who runs the 300-cow commercial herd in partnership with his father John, and brother Andrew.
The day-to-day management of the farm is a family affair, with Andrew’s son James working full-time, while Adrian’s daughters, Lauren and Lily, help out at weekends and during the school holidays.
The herd calves nine months of the year, producing the majority of its dairy herd replacements in the autumn. “We AI the cows with proven Holstein genetics before introducing the Aberdeen Angus stock bull as a sweeper. Over the years we’ve also used sexed Aberdeen Angus and triple-mix AI straws.”
Stock bulls are sourced locally from pedigree Aberdeen Angus breeders. “We like to buy a growthy bull with sound legs and feet, good locomotion and nice breed character. Breedplan figures are a useful tool, providing an indication of gestation length, calving ease and progeny growth rates,” added Adrian.
“We’ve used several continental beef breeds in the past, but Aberdeen Angus bulls offer a lot of desirable traits, including longevity, fertility and a shorter gestation period. The bulls are docile which is an added advantage, especially in a dairy herd.
“The more moderate weight calves are born unassisted and are lively and vigorous at birth. There is also less stress on the dairy cows, which leads to increased milk production and reduced veterinary costs.”
Baby calves are fed colostrum at birth and reared on an automatic calf feeder for 60 days. The native beef breed is naturally polled which eliminates the need for dehorning.
The Bates family have witnessed a ready demand from repeat customers for Aberdeen Angus calves off-farm. “We used to sell the majority of calves at a younger age, but we’re currently rearing batches of calves with the aim of finishing them at around fifteen-months-old. Beef is an excellent trade and Aberdeen Angus progeny will command an extra premium,” explained Adrian.
Aberdeen Angus bulls and heifers are easy fleshed and economic to rear on a low-input grass-based system. Adrian added: “Angus progeny from the dairy herd are versatile and suitable for a range of management systems. We’re achieving excellent daily liveweight gains using high quality forage and minimum quantities of a beef blend mix.
- Pedigree Aberdeen Angus bulls are included in the catalogue for the annual autumn Native Breeds Show and Sale at Dungannon Farmers’ Mart on Friday, 3rd October. Judging gets underway at 10.00am, followed by the sale at noon. The Aberdeen Angus bulls on offer were born in March and April 2024 and come from breeders participating in a Checs-approved herd health scheme. Online bidding available via Marteye. Catalogues available on request from the auctioneers tel: 028 8772 2727.
