James Ludgate
Several members of the Ludgate family are involved in the combined operation, which includes the 50-cow pedigree Rempstone Hereford herd at Scotsgrove Farm, near Thame, in Oxfordshire, and the T. W. Ludgate wholesale meat business.
James Ludgate works alongside his parents, Michael and Annette, as well as his brother, Sam, with the family relying on head stockman, Joe Clark, to manage the farm. The herd hit the headlines in autumn 2024 when Rempstone 1 Alpha sold for a Hereford bull record price of 18,000gns at a Hereford Cattle Society show and sale, where it was also judged ‘bull of the year'. By Dendor 1 Nairobi, March 2023-born Alpha is out of the imported Rosenkaer Miss World, a female ‘purchased on impulse'.
Mr Ludgate says: "I was judging at the national show in Denmark and picked out Miss World as champion.
"At 18 months old, she was everything that we are looking for in a Hereford female and after some wonderful Danish hospitality, the deal was sealed. Her structure is close to flawless, she is wide both on top and behind, and her hooks and pins are correct. To top it off, she is very stylish and represents all the qualities of a modern Hereford.
"Miss World arrived in-calf to a USA sire, but USA and Canadian genetics have never been a good fit for our herd and her calf went into the finishing group. We knew that our own stock bull would produce something different and special."
Pedigree success
A handful of females and about a dozen pedigree bulls are sold each year from the herd, which won the 2024 Hereford Cattle Society East Anglia and Midlands herd competition.
Meanwhile, the bulls have clinched overall championships at society events over the past three consecutive years, with the 2024 winner going on to sell for 8,000gns. The highest priced female has achieved 6,000gns, with pedigree bulls averaging 5,000gns. Calving is in January and March and the turnout period runs from April to November.
"The calving pattern is mainly dictated by the space in the buildings, but it is also with reference to preparations for the breed society sale in April," says Mr Ludgate.
"We used to calve some cows in September, but we have found that we can get January-born bulls looking just as good, without incurring the cost of feeding the cows an expensive winter ration. In the future, we may return to autumn calving for the heifer group for calving at 30 months.
"The cows have a forage-only diet and are given hay in winter until just before calving, when silage is added to boost milk production. They are very low maintenance and produce an average of six-plus calves over a lifetime."
The January calves receive no creep feed until two months before October weaning, while March-born calves are turned out as soon as the weather permits. They may be supplemented with concentrate feed during drought periods, when grass growth goes into decline.
Mr Ludgate says: "Bulls in the breeding group are given a small quantity of feed. I appreciate that buyers do not want overfed bulls, due to the risk of breakdown in a commercial situation.
"Nevertheless, they are not prepared to pay as much for a lean bull, compared with a fit animal. The steers are on a forage diet until 100 days before the finishing date, when they are given a fattening pellet. They are generally taken to 24 months and go on to return a deadweight of 360-380kg, with heifers averaging 340kg deadweight off grass."
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Polled genetics
The Rempstone herd was established in 2004 with just 10 horned cows, but the family has since moved to 100% polled genetics. Alpha's sire, Nairobi, has put a good stamp on the herd, and the same applies to Solpoll Nobility, which has produced bulls up to 11,000gns. The herd's high health status has imposed some limits on the breeding policy.
"We have been involved in embryo work in the past, but due to the difficulty of finding genuine high health status recipients, it has not been used as much recently," says Mr Ludgate.
"Most of the heifers are inseminated with bulls selected for low birthweights, to minimise the risk of calving difficulties."
The Ludgates have a clear idea of the type of cow they are aiming to breed.
"First and foremost is high milk production. Small teat size is another requirement, because otherwise very young calves may struggle to suckle without needing assistance. Large teats used to be a trait within some Hereford lines, but the issue has been addressed by breeders. We switched to a fully polled breeding programme in response to producer demand.
"In general, we are looking for a larger-framed cow because it gives us the leeway to use well-muscled bulls to produce strong progeny. It also increases the cull cow value; there can be a price premium of as much as £500 for a heavier animal," says Mr Ludgate.
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The T. W. Ludgate wholesale meat business was historically focused on poultry and the family had a small farm, but it has since moved to selling a wide range of meats to supply butcher's shops, farm shops and the catering industry.
Mr Ludgate says: "There was a brief period when the family stopped farming for a couple of decades, but that changed when we bought Scotsgrove in 2001.
"Grandfather Peter was a big fan of Hereford beef and the breed was obvious choice when we eventually had the space to keep our own cattle. The breeding programme started with purchases from the Mara, Sarabande, Studmore and Llancillo Hall herds."
Meat quality
Mr Ludgate has some strong opinions on the EUROP classification grid. He says: "It has become outdated, as the system is mainly designed to reward producers on high meat yield. There is not enough emphasis on marbling and eating quality, but these factors are important to our customers. They are willing to pay a premium for the top-quality meat, in order to stand out from their competitors.
"Our preference is for native cattle breeds which fall into O and R grades, rather than U and E. They produce meat which favours dry aging, which further improves the eating experience, and a good level of fat cover enhances the maturation and cooking process.
"I believe that focusing on meat eating quality is key to the success of the UK meat industry. We should adopt a system similar to the USA grading method, which pays producers on intramuscular marbling in beef.
"In our opinion, the Hereford is the ideal breed to fit in with future demand for beef, as it combines good eating quality with the genetic ability to produce meat from a low input system," says Mr Ludgate.
Farm Facts
- The all-grass farm covers 81 hectares (200 acres)
- Rempstone 1 Alpha joined the Welburn Hereford herd in North Yorkshire
- The TWL Hereford brand sells under 30-month pedigree-sired cattle, matured on the bone for 12-14 days
- Bone-in and boneless cuts are bought for the meat business
- The meat business sells beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, cooked meats
- The family also runs a flock of pedigree Rempstone Suffolk sheep
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