Robin Blatchford is the fifth generation to be farming at Peckons Hill Farm, near Shaftesbury in Dorset where, in conjunction with his grandfather John Blanchard, the marketing of three-way crossbred heifers is becoming a major enterprise within the business.

Simmental X Beef Shorthorn heifers will be sold with calf at foot at 21/2 years old

In addition to the current Beef Shorthorn and South Devon crosses, Robin has tried the Angus in the past. However, finding a profitable market for the Angus cross heifers proved difficult and, when comparing all the variety of breeds he has used, Robin still finds that the pure Simmental steer delivers the best performance.

Goal to finish steers by 14 months.
All male progeny are castrated and sold as finished beasts through the live market at 18 months. Robin does not allow his steers to go into a store period, solely to collect the second BSP payment, but makes the most of his cattle’s potential to keep fleshing, thereby maintaining the high daily liveweight gain potential inherited from the Simmental based suckler dams. Robin’s vision is to continue breeding for improvements in efficiency so that the steers slaughter with a 350kg carcase weight by 14 months of age.

Robin Blatchford, centre, discusses his breeding policy with some of the visitors to Peckons Hill

Heifers to calve at 21/2 years old.
Robin is equally as optimistic and confident for the future of his heifers now. From his autumn calving herd he will market the surplus three-way cross heifers with calf at foot when they are 21/2 years old.

“ The demand is greater from commercial farmers in the spring and this suits my system well,” explains Robin. “ Calving at 2 years old is not the best option, in my opinion. It is not possible to see the difference in genetic potential expressed to its’ full if heifers are put in calf at 15 months of age,” he continues.

All breeding females have their first service to AI before being run with a bull for another 9 weeks.

“ The use of AI gives us access to the best genetics with proven performance records,” says Robin. “ Equally, our autumn calving pattern makes the management of AI much easier; we can watch for oestrus and inseminate when the cows are housed. In summer most of the cattle are away grazing the Downs and it would not be practical to have the handling facilities necessary for AI,” continues Robin.

Of the functional traits, sound feet are an essential for the cattle bred to summer on the extensive grazings of this holding.

Diet is important.
The diet of the cows is rigorously controlled prior to the calving period between September and November. This good management ensures simple, problem-free calvings and, post calving, the cows and calves are housed with cows wintered on a mixture of grass silage and barley straw supplemented with 2-3lbs of meal from one month prior to the service period. Once again, the rising plane of nutrition improves conception rates. For the calves, creep feed is offered from one month of age.

The benefit of greater hybrid vigour is the rationale behind the three-way crossing programme with thrifty, prolific cows offering greater longevity in the commercial suckler herd.

Arable acres play second fiddle.
Peckons Hill Farm also has 250 acres of wheat and barley, but the arable is now secondary to the beef enterprise. In addition there are grassland breaks in the arable rotation on the lower land that lies in the fertile Blackmoor Vale. However, one third of the farm is steeper banks and downland permanent pasture which has been managed under an ESA Agreement for the past ten years.

For the future, Robin Blatchford intends to build on the foraging abilities of the pedigree Simmentals, using the complimentary breeds of the South Devon and Beef Shorthorn to provide local suckler farmers with a source of quality replacements from selected bloodlines.

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