Page 80 - Shorthorn Magazine

CHLOE PALMER REPORTS
In-calf heifers from the Amber herd of pedigree Dairy Shorthorns.
Dairy Shorthorns have stood the test of time
The Amber herd is one of the oldest Dairy Shorthorn herds in the country but the cows are proving their worth across a wide range of modern farming systems.
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Shorthorn
Dairy Shorthorns have been the breed of choice for the Hole family for almost eight decades.
James Hole’s grandfather established the herd a couple of miles from the family’s current home, Eddlestow Hall Farm near Ashover, Derbyshire, where they have farmed since 1956. James believes the breed has stood the test of time and is still one of the most versatile, particularly well suited to their farm, perched on top of a chilly east-facing hill on the edge of the Peak District.
He says: “Shorthorns are easy to manage and will adapt to any type of system. They are very well suited to our local environment and are an exceptional grazing animal, especially for extensive systems.
“We have seen renewed interest in our animals from people who have gone down the grazing route and are looking for a good grazing animal.
“We have also recently sold two bulls to Ireland where they were looking to improve fertility across their herd.
“Longevity and excellent legs and feet are just some of the attributes of this breed and we have always bred for good udders.
“Our cows average six lactations, but we have several cows in the herd which are on their tenth lactation and are back in calf. We are not looking for a cow which is too tall or extreme, but rather we want a powerful cow which is compact.”
Mick Taylor, their herdsman and only full time employee, agrees, adding they
are looking for sires which will ‘breed a good type of cow with reasonable yield and components’.
The Dairy Shorthorn Society’s genetics company, Shorthorn Sires UK, has rented several bulls from the farm over the years, and semen is currently available from Amber Firefox and Amber Magnum.
Commission
James says the arrangement works well for them.
“They cover the costs of collecting, producing and selling the semen and we receive a small commission and also a certain number of free straws for our own use.
“We find some private customers will see our bulls advertised and will then enquire whether we have any other bulls by the same dam for sale.
“We use our bulls’ semen on our cows, and also buy semen from other bulls.
“We usually keep two stock bulls here which we will use on the heifers until the bulls grow too big and then we sell them privately,” says James.
Mick has been working with the Amber herd for 18 years and knows the history and performance of each of the cow families.
Bulls
He says: “The Amber Dainty Princesses are the most prolific cow family, having produced 330 cows and we often select our stock bulls from this family.