Local bulls are put through their paces at Armagh testing centre (1983) farminglife.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from farminglife.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A BLACKSMITH has played a major role in the farming and business life of Alasdair Houston, of Gretna House Farms, Gretna Green, in Dumfries-shire – the fourth generation of the family to farm there. While probably best-known globally for owning the Famous Blacksmith Shop and its equally celebrated anvil to conduct thousands of marriages as part of what’s now a major Scottish visitor destination, on the farming side, his Gretnahouse prefix has become a byword for excellence in no fewer than three breeds – Simmental, Charolais and Aberdeen-Angus. That latter breed is where the other Blacksmith comes in. Gretnahouse Blacksmith L500 has made an indelible mark on the breed, both in this herd and many others.