By switching to native breeds of beef cattle and grazing them throughout the summer, James Hawkins and his family can focus on the busy periods of their extensive range of other enterprises. Hannah Noble reports.
The summer months herald the start of the busy season for James Hawkins who farms in partnership with his brother Paul and son Jack with land in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Because of the range in businesses the family is involved in James says Aberdeen-Angus and Longhorn cattle make the perfect choice on their finishing unit. They are favoured due to their hardiness and suitability for grazing.
As well as finishing beef cattle the family's other enterprises include a flock of free-range layers and a lawn turf business. They also produce cereals, hops, strawberries, asparagus and garlic.
They previously ran a dairy herd across two holdings, but the last of the dairy cows were sold in 2010 when the family began finishing store cattle from the home farm, Thinghill Court, Hereford.
About 100 store cattle are bought in to be finished each year, but James says he does not have the time to go to market now.
He adds: "We were also seeing a big variance in growth rates depending on what kind of cow they came off and how they had been reared."
So in 2014 the Hawkins' started finishing cattle on contract for Buitelaar and initially finished Friesian bulls.
Calves
Then, in December 2019, they made the switch to native breeds and the first batch of Aberdeen-Angus cross calves out of dairy cows arrived on the farm.
More recently the Hawkins' became one of the first units to take part in Buitelaar's new Longhorn beef scheme.
Calves arrive on the farm at four months old weighing between 140 and 160kg after spending 12 weeks on a rearing unit.
"One of the reasons I like to work this was is because I know I can get a good supply of healthy weaned calves from a minimal number of rearers, and I know they have been properly vaccinated," James says.
Although the Aberdeen-Angus and Longhorn cattle have not been on the farm for long, the aim is to buy in a total of 180 calves in August and September each year.
James says: "When they first arrive, the calves will be inside over winter when they do not eat a huge amount of forage, but they can continue on a good growth curve.
"Having been a dairy farmer I am a big believer that the rearing period dictates the animal's future growth pattern.
"If we can continue good growth rates for the next seven months they can graze and grow a frame relatively cheaply at grass and then we can add flesh back on when they come back inside in the winter months."
James says the cattle would be turned out in April in a normal year but with it being colder and wetter this year they went out in mid-May. They usually come in during late October or November depending on the weather.
"Because we grow a lot of arable crops and are very busy during the summer, the idea is that we do not have cattle inside over the summer months," says James.
In total the farm comprises about 80 hectares (198 acres) of grazing land, 24ha (59 acres) of which is used for first cut silage and 12ha (30 acres) for second cut.
About 40ha (99 acres) of the grazing land is included in various environmental stewardship and wildlife schemes and James says in order to fit in with their requirements, they graze these areas at low stocking densities over summer.
Irrigate
"In our soft fruit business we were historically extracting 100 per cent of our water from the rivers," he says.
"However, now we have bought a disused quarry and it has got 30 acres of water on it so we can take water from there to irrigate our strawberries, but we also manage it in various environmental schemes."
James says because of the hardier nature of the native breeds of cattle they are suited to a relatively low intensity system and are ideal for grazing these conservation areas. He also says by not feeding high quantities of cereals they are at less risk from the volatile nature of the feed market.
When the cattle come in from grazing they are penned in groups of 30 by size and are weighed once a month during the housed period. James says they aim for an average daily liveweight gain of 1.6-1.7kg/day.
When housed the cattle are fed a 50:50 ration of grass and maize silage, which is topped with a blend at a rate of 1-3kg per head depending on the age of the animal and the quality of the silage analysis. The blend contains barley, wheat and soya.
James says with the exception of soya and minerals everything required by the cattle is produced on-farm.
His aim is then to finish the cattle over the winter housed period and send them to slaughter at about 19 months old.
"We draw cattle every fortnight and send about 20 a fortnight over a three month period," he says.
The Aberdeen-Angus are currently achieving an average carcase classification of O+ and R4L.
Buitelaar requires the Aberdeen-Angus cattle to meet a target fat class of 3 to 4H with a carcase weight of 250-400kg. But James says he aims for an average carcase of 310-320kg at about 18 months old.
The Longhorns must be finished under 24 months old with a minimum carcase weight of 270kg and a fat class of 3 to 5L.
Farm facts
- 30ha (74 acres) of maize is grown to feed the Aberdeen-Angus', Longhorns and the store cattle
- James employs two cattle stockmen, Dave Evans and Mike Davies
- Calves are vaccinated for pneumonia before they arrive on the farm. James then vaccinates for IBR. They also use a long term wormer and a fly treatment
- James also buys in 400kg store cattle to finish
- There are about 360 head of cattle on the farm at any one time
- The family has farmed at Thinghill Court for about 90 years
