OBITUARY: Akki Manson beef farmer and respected figure in farming industry By Staff Reporter Published: 15:00, 24 January 2021
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The recent sad death of Alexander R (Akki) Manson of Kilblean, Oldmeldrum, at the age of 89, brought to mind his huge contribution to the beef industry, in the north-east and nationally, and the key role he played in a development in the early 1960s which revolutionised the beef industry.
This was the introduction of what became known as barley beef. Akki was the first farmer in the UK to try out commercially a concept developed by the cavalier scientist at the Rowett Research Institute, Dr Reg Preston â who later went to Cuba to work for the communist dictator, Fidel Castro â of feeding Friesian bull calves from the dairy herd on an intensive diet of barley and finishing them for slaughter at around a year old.