2023 Limousin Annual Journal

This year the farm went under a review and
a new 5 year plan was created, the cattle
enterprise was a key enterprise that needed
development and regeneration and that is how
the journey started with the Limousin Cattle.
The new plan is to continue with a suckler herd
of British Blue x Limousin cattle and set up a
small Pedigree Limousin herd. The rationale
behind this comes down to 3 key elements;
reviewing market trends and current enterprise
data the Limousin and British Blue cattle were
proving to be good prospects for the suckler
herd, the college is well set up to develop
and increase numbers within its suckler herd
to improve student experience, increase
profitability and fully utilise the fantastic
facilities the college boasts. Finally the pedigree
was decided to give the students an experience
in a different side of cattle, opening their eyes
to the importance of breeding and genetics,
giving them experiences to show cattle,
produce and manage cattle for different means
and develop their handling skills further.
FEATURES
Why Limousin?
We have already purchased a Limousin bull
that has shown positive traits we look for within
the herd and had previously had Limousin
crosses. Being able to combine the Limousin’s
growth rates and feed conversion traits with
the British Blue’s milky and docile traits made
them good prospects for the suckler herd. The
decision to use the Limousin’s as a pedigree
herd came from seeing that the society’s values
and aims aligned with what the college would
like to embed within their learners. The Young
Breeders club was attractive to students and
the focus and information on genetics provided
incredible teaching resources for the students.
We made initial contact with the society
and Alice came out to visit the college, the
engagement from the society straight away
reassured us that the Society was as excited
about this as the college. Alice has been
a fantastic support for all of us, providing
information and knowledge as well as
supporting the college with searching for new
cattle to bring into the herd.
This year we have purchased two lovely bulls
from a fantastic society member who has been
nothing but supportive and helpful. We are on
the search for further cows to bring in over the
summer to kick start the pedigree herd.
www.limousin.co.uk
ANNUAL JOURNAL 2023 | 87