pedigree aberdeen angus – wessex herd

We recently moved into breeding pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle, as part of a policy of adding value to our business as government support for farming is being reduced.

We feel that the Aberdeen Angus has a strong future because:

• It has a reputation for quality beef production for taste and cooking quality and marbled high value beef.
• It is superbly suited to extensive, low input, forage-based production with a very low carbon footprint.
• It is by far the easiest calving of any breed we have experienced.
• The polled genetics eliminate the need for stressful dehorning.

We have established our pedigree herd with females from the well-respected Grandon and Standlynch herd, using Hawkley Red Angus bulls with a long term aim to breed a Red Angus herd of moderate weight (600-700kg) cows, that produce fast growing progeny from grass alone.  When purchasing new stock bulls we favour an influence of American and New World genetics.   There is an outdated but widespread misconception in the UK that American Angus are bigger cattle – in fact its the British ones that are now significantly bigger.  The American Angus were bred for size during the 1960s but since then the Americans have focussed on fast growth to a small-moderate mature size (i.e. highly efficient cows) as well as very small birthweights for easy calving.  These are the qualities we are looking for within our herd and we feel this is where the Angus breed has the greatest advantages over other breeds to offer modern cattle farmers.  

We will have high quality and high EBV young bulls for sale at around 12-15 months old.  These will be ideally suited dairy producers and beef suckler producers alike.

Our herd is:

• Only sourced from herds which are accredited as high health status (males and females).
• Accredited by SAC for health status with respect to BVD, Johnes and TB.
• Performance recorded through Breedplan with EBVs available.
• Selected for low maintenance, low input, performance from grass.
• Selected for cow-calf efficiency (forage performance), in priority to EBV maternal indexes which currently tend to favour large mature size of cattle.