Hefted Highland cattle have a long history at Glengorm Castle, on the Isle of Mull, where Tom Nelson is the second generation of his family to manage the fold in this spectacular setting.
Situated on the northern coast of the Isle of Mull, looking out across the Outer Hebrides and Atlantic Ocean, Glengorm is an impressive setting.
The 2,000-hectare (5,000-acre) estate has been home to the Nelson family since the late 1960s Tom Nelson being the second generation of his family at the helm.
He manages the farm at Glengorm, while the castle, as well as being the family home, offers tourist accommodation which it is well-placed for, being just four miles north of Mulls capital, Tobermory; the colourful houses of which some might have seen in the childrens television series, Balamory.
Land at Glengorm mainly comprises Less Favoured Area (LFA) classified heather hill ground, aside from about 120ha (300 acres) of improved in-bye grass.
Breeds that are well suited to the rough and rocky terrain are essential and Highland cattle have long been a fixture at Glengorm with the Nelson family taking ownership of them when they took on the estate.
Stock
With the 60-cow Highland herd, run under the Glengorm prefix, and an 800-ewe Blackface flock, Tom describes the farm system at Glengorm as simple and low input with a high output.
He says: Our aim is to buy-in as little expensive inputs as possible while maximising what were able to produce with the ground weve got.
To get the most from the ground, Tom explains the farm operates a deferred grazing system. This sees livestock grazed on the better fields during summer to take advantage of the best grass for animal growth and fertility, with cattle and sheep then moved onto rougher hill ground where they stay during autumn and winter.
He says: The Highland cattle suit the environment here at Glengorm in every way and they are perfectly suited to living outside in all weather conditions, all-year round.
We dont make hay or silage or feed it out in winter as the pure-bred Highlanders are keen grazers with the ability to turn poorer grazing into energy, but we will supplement the cattle and sheep winter diets with some concentrate.
Most of the rougher hill ground is accessible on quad bikes so we are able to feed this out easily using a snacker behind the quad. Feed rate is relatively low, about 2-3kg/head/day, with cattle generally fed from November until May and sheep from around Christmas through until lambing.
We monitor what were feeding every year to make sure animals are getting enough, but in an average year 2-3kg is adequate.
The Highlanders are all bred pure, with three stock bulls kept in total.
The system sees heifers put to the bull a month before cows at the beginning of May, before two go out with the main cow herd from the beginning of June.
Calving
Calving takes place mainly through spring, beginning in February through to the end of May.
All progeny is retained, with most male calves castrated and dehorned and, together with any heifers not suitable to keep as breeders, finished on-farm at anywhere between three to four years old at 550-600kg liveweight.
Finished animals are all marketed through the farms direct meat sales business, which sells beef, lamb and venison to restaurants, shops and direct to consumers via farmers markets on Mull.
Tom says: The direct sales business is a main earner for us now and provides a far higher return for finished stock than would otherwise be achieved through mainstream marketing routes.
Were lucky to have the abattoir on the island which also does butchery, which makes it possible, and there is big enough market on Mull that we dont need to look further afield for selling the meat.
Stock is mostly finished off grass, although a handful will get a bit of extra concentrate through winter to finish in early spring to ensure an even supply of meat through the direct sales business all year round.
Tom says: Were operating quite a slow finishing system, but wintering is quite cheap for us as were only feeding 3kg of concentrate per day and animals live outside, so there is no housing cost.
You can finish Highland cattle at 30 months but its difficult to do that on the Isle of Mull and within our system as it would require more inputs with silage and hay and potentially more concentrates.
Being on the island, everything has to be brought across on the ferries which is expensive and is a main reason we try to keep inputs down as much as we can.
Up to eight females are retained as herd replacements per year which come into the herd as in-calf three-year-old heifers.
Pedigree sales
A handful of bulls are sold for breeding each year at the pedigree sales at Oban in February and October, where the herd has sold to a 10,000gns high and is generally among the vendors selling top-end four-figure bulls each year.
For us it is important to support the sale. Its our biggest marketing moment of the year to be there and show what were about, says Tom.
The herd has also recently been approached by breeders in the USA about exporting semen and Tom is currently looking into facilitating this with support from UK Sires as a new venture for the farm, if it is successful.
Top-end females, generally in-calf heifers, are also marketed at the pedigree sales while other females are sold privately for breeding.
Those unsuitable are finished and put through the meat sales business, which also takes cull and cast cows that go into producing mainly sausages, burgers and mince.
Blackface sheep make up the sheep flock, with the farm converting to pure-bred Blackface from next year, having previously kept several hundred Cheviot cross ewes.
Labour on-farm consists of Tom alongside two full-time staff members; Alexander Craig, who grew up on Glengorm, and Ross Shaw. Toms daughter, Asha, helps out during lambing and at other busy times of the year and has just finished a HND at Scotlands Rural College in Edinburgh.
Off-farm commitments have also kept Tom busy over the years, among these being a past president and former council member of the Highland Cattle Society until about four years ago. He is also current chairman of Oban Livestock Centre.
Tom says: The Highlanders and Blackface sheep suit the environment we are faming in every way and, on a personal level, it is nice to work with a breed you like. We are also able to produce a fantastic product that we can identify with and are able to explain how it is all reared extensively here in the Mull countryside.
Farm facts
Farm facts:
- Glengorm is a 2,000-hectare (5,000-acre) estate on the northern coast of the Isle of Mull
- Mostly heather hill ground, aside from about 120ha (300 acres) of improved in-bye grass
- 60-cow Highland herd, run under the Glengorm prefix, and 800-ewe Blackface flock
- 30-35 cattle, 100 sheep and 30 deer marketed through the farms direct meat sales business via restaurants, shops and farmers markets on Mull
Patron
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their silver wedding at Balmoral Castle.
The Highland Cattle Society was founded in 1884 by a group of landowners and farmers who wanted to preserve this unique native breed. Her Majesty The Queen is patron of the society, a position held by the crown since 1938.
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