A beef farmer from Dunbar and another from Shropshire, have won a nationwide competition for having the fastest growing beef cattle.
The Breedr Weigh to Win competition, which ran from November 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, saw 240 farmers record their cattle weights on a regular basis, so they could tailor feed rations and management accordingly.
Winning the under 12-month category was Jamie Paterson, farm manager at Little Spott Farms, Dunbar. He manages 130 Limousin cross Charolais suckler cows across 400 acres of grassland, rearing the calves to sell as stores at seven to eight months old and 400kg liveweight.
“We try to keep things simple – we calve inside in March and April before turning them out to grass over the summer,” he explains.