BCCS September Newsletter 2022
BCCS September Newsletter 2022 BCCS September Newsletter 2022
Part of the Charolais herd at Allanfauld Archie MacGregor and family, along with son John, run a big hill farm with Charolais, a few Limousin, some commercial cows and pedigree Scottish Blackfaced, Texel and Bluefaced Leicester sheep. They have had good success with their Charolais over the past 50 years, but probably more with the sheep having sold a Blackfaced ram for £130,000 (about $200,000 CAD) in the past. Great stockmen, who were one of the few who calve their heifers at 24 months to try to keep the size down We were welcomed by a Dogs and quads are used at Allanfauld to move these Bluefaced Leicester a little on their wet soils. Our supper grandson piping us into sheep while the leading livestock photographer in the UK (Catherine Allanfauld MacGregor) takes pictures included beef, Yorkshire pudding and skirlie (a traditional Scottish dish), with some Scottish background music in their shed, before we were off to Gretna Green for the night. We got to spend most of the morning looking around Gretna Green which is a famous place for runaway brides from England. In the middle of the 18th-century, English law stated couples had to reach the age of 21 before they could marry without their parents’ consent and their marriage had to take place in a church. In Scotland, you could marry Archie MacGregor showing their Scottish Blackface sheep at Allanfauld on the spot in a simple “marriage by declaration or handfasting ceremony” only requiring two witnesses. This soon led to thousands of young couples running away to marry over the border. It is owned by the Houston family, also Charolais breeders, who have turned this historic blacksmith shop into a tourist and wedding destination for visitors from around the world. Candace and I visited with Lucy Houston and there are now 16 chapels, which do 4,000 weddings per year and there are 900,000 visitors to their Gretna Green establishment. This family business has grown over the past 130 years to include a museum, gift shops and hotels. Marriage anvil at Greta Green Handfasting sculpture at Gretna Green 74 - No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet - September newsletter 22.indd 74 16/09/2022 15:01:19
Ian Goldie uses a Shorthorn bull back on the Charolais cross cows Crossbred cows bred Charolais at Solwayfirth From there, we travelled to Solwayfirth Charolais owned by Ian and Dot Goldie and family. The herd has 30 pedigree Charolais cows, which was reestablished in 2001 after they lost all their 80 pedigree Charolais and their 400 ewes in the Foot & Mouth epidemic. Besides the Charolais cows, they have 120 breeding commercial females. Their commercial mix is Charolais/Shorthorn, Limousin/Saler females. They have 280 acres with 50 acres of barley and 80 acres cut for sileage and the rest grass. The grain and straw are all used on the farm, and they try for two cuts of sileage, with an average of 8 to 10 tons/acre, so they can be self sufficient. Due to a ferry mix up, instead of taking the 7:30 pm across to Northern Ireland, we were on a 10:30 pm one which made for a very long day and short night, but there was plenty of time to visit or sleep on the boat. We checked into our final hotel in Belfast for the next three nights. Saturday we were off to the Castlewellan Show about an hour out of Belfast. This one day show again had many cattle, horse and sheep judging. The Charolais show was about 50 head with the judges being respected Charolais breeders from Wales including the current British Charolais Society President (ex-officio) Gareth Roberts. After the show it was back to the hotel and a longer night’s sleep. Fall calving cows on display at Solwayfirth The youth had coloured flags and put welcome in each country’s language at Solwayfirth Champion Commercial Beef Heifer at Castlewellan Show Grand and Reserve Bull & Female in for overall Champion at the Castlewellan Show Grand Champion at Castlewellan Show, Photo by David Hobbs Class winning January heifer calf at Castlewellan Show - No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet - 75 September newsletter 22.indd 75 16/09/2022 15:01:20
- Page 23 and 24: 4 - W Whyte - Innisrush Roan - s. C
- Page 25 and 26: Champion Graiggoch Samuel at 7,800g
- Page 27 and 28: Stirling May Robert burns the compe
- Page 29 and 30: Class 2 - BULL, born on or between
- Page 31 and 32: Harestone Rolex at 14,000gns Harest
- Page 33 and 34: 2 - K J Thomas - Moelfre Sonnybill
- Page 35 and 36: eeding Charolais for hundreds of ye
- Page 37 and 38: Loch-Ends on a high after reaching
- Page 39 and 40: 6 - R McWilliams - Stranagone Siobh
- Page 41 and 42: Overall champion Bessiebell Nana an
- Page 43 and 44: Strawberry - s. Balmyle Oscar Class
- Page 45 and 46: Beef Team reserve champions Airthma
- Page 47 and 48: Female champion Tophill Roxanne Sca
- Page 49 and 50: Overall champion Seawell Olympian a
- Page 51 and 52: Royal Welsh - Judge John Christie S
- Page 53 and 54: Class winner Breos Nel Class S.441
- Page 55 and 56: Owenroe marches to the top at Castl
- Page 57 and 58: Reserve junior female champion Brig
- Page 59 and 60: NOSTALGIA Can you remember what hap
- Page 61 and 62: 3rd place: Kelly Stott, age 25 - Ch
- Page 63 and 64: - No bull works harder for the farm
- Page 65 and 66: something a lot of ranchers look fo
- Page 67 and 68: Numbers were sprayed on the animals
- Page 69 and 70: Pasture tour at Teme Charolais Afte
- Page 71 and 72: Slides from the presentation by Rom
- Page 73: Danny Sawrij, of Swalesmoor Farms,
- Page 77 and 78: The 2022 Participants Australia Can
- Page 79 and 80: Thank you to all the Sponsors of th
- Page 81 and 82: Sell Live & Thrive With Welshpool L
- Page 83 and 84: Scotland’s leading livestock auct
- Page 85 and 86: Obituaries BILLY TURNER 1935 - 2022
- Page 87 and 88: as a mark of the esteem they were h
- Page 89 and 90: Brigadoon host finale to World Char
- Page 91 and 92: Harestone Royallady. This royal pri
- Page 93 and 94: sales and love being on the farm. I
- Page 95 and 96: Advertising in the 2023 Charolais P
- Page 97 and 98: Steve Hookway accepts the Trophy fr
- Page 99 and 100: and 7th place went to David Miller
- Page 101 and 102: Other News Congratulations to Georg
- Page 103 and 104: Wales Eva Jones Shwmae pawb! It is
- Page 105 and 106: The Chairman said we are taking leg
- Page 107 and 108: September newsletter 22.indd 107 16
Part of the Charolais herd at Allanfauld<br />
Archie MacGregor and family, along<br />
with son John, run a big hill farm<br />
with Charolais, a few Limousin, some<br />
commercial cows and pedigree Scottish<br />
Blackfaced, Texel and Bluefaced<br />
Leicester sheep. They have had good<br />
success with their Charolais over the<br />
past 50 years, but probably more with<br />
the sheep having sold a Blackfaced ram<br />
for £130,000 (about $200,000 CAD) in the<br />
past. Great stockmen, who were one<br />
of the few who calve their heifers at 24<br />
months to try to keep the size down<br />
We were welcomed by a Dogs and quads are used at Allanfauld to move these Bluefaced Leicester<br />
a little on their wet soils. Our supper grandson piping us into sheep while the leading livestock photographer in the UK (Catherine<br />
Allanfauld<br />
MacGregor) takes pictures<br />
included beef, Yorkshire pudding and<br />
skirlie (a traditional Scottish dish), with<br />
some Scottish background music in<br />
their shed, before we were off to Gretna<br />
Green for the night.<br />
We got to spend most of the<br />
morning looking around Gretna<br />
Green which is a famous place for<br />
runaway brides from England. In the<br />
middle of the 18th-century, English<br />
law stated couples had to reach the<br />
age of 21 before they could marry<br />
without their parents’ consent and<br />
their marriage had to take place in a<br />
church. In Scotland, you could marry<br />
Archie MacGregor showing their Scottish Blackface sheep at Allanfauld<br />
on the spot in a simple “marriage by<br />
declaration or handfasting ceremony”<br />
only requiring two witnesses. This<br />
soon led to thousands of young<br />
couples running away to marry over<br />
the border. It is owned by the Houston<br />
family, also Charolais breeders, who<br />
have turned this historic blacksmith<br />
shop into a tourist and wedding<br />
destination for visitors from around<br />
the world. Candace and I visited with<br />
Lucy Houston and there are now 16<br />
chapels, which do 4,000 weddings per<br />
year and there are 900,000 visitors to<br />
their Gretna Green establishment. This<br />
family business has grown over the<br />
past 130 years to include a museum,<br />
gift shops and hotels. Marriage anvil at Greta Green Handfasting sculpture at Gretna Green<br />
74<br />
- No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet -<br />
<strong>September</strong> newsletter 22.indd 74 16/09/<strong>2022</strong> 15:01:19
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