Page 94 - Britich Blue Year Book 2023

The aim is to maximise the D value of silage with two cuts,
the first of which is taken towards mid-June. Stonebyres
Mains also grows some 60 acres of winter and spring
barley and together with a bought-in balancer concentrate,
that is the basis of the one 15% protein ration fed to
everything from two month old young stock on creep,
through to adult cows. The winter is normally about six and
a half months with housing from October.
These days more use is being made of AI, with recent sires
including two Aultmore bulls, Jumble and Powerhouse,
together with Kelowna Ferdinand, but Blair and Shona say
they remain confident in the British Blue’s ability to
maximise their returns from both the pedigree and
commercial worlds.
Sales aside, the showring is where the Comries like to
promote their stock and where the whole family is
involved, including son Ross who currently works for a
local contractor, and university student daughter Sarah.
Says Blair: “We have been at the Royal Highland regularly
since 2006 and we also like to do the Stars of the Future
at Stirling, the Expo at Carlisle and also LiveScot, but
beyond these, it is mainly seven or so more local shows
and we have on occasions taken the inter-breed title in
some of those. We also like to travel down to the Great
Yorkshire, but it is as spectators there !”
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