Our Farmers
Taylor Brothers, Heatheryhall
3rd generation farmers, Tommy and Allan Taylor, have been at Heatheryhall for 28 years. They have won a number of awards for their cattle, including the Lanark Christmas Show and Sale with the champion in 2013. The farm is 750 feet above sea level providing mainly grassland. The brothers took over the 1060 acre farm in 2008 when Tommy was 24 and Allan was 22. They work 365 days a year, looking after 1400 cattle which they buy personally through eye and touch from local markets in Lanark, Castle Douglas and Ayr at the age of 12-18 months. They fatten the cattle using a main diet of grass, homegrown silage, potatoes and home grown barley, which they store in a purpose built gigantic feed store. All cattle are bought in and the main breeds selected include; Charolais, Limousin and Simmental as the brothers see them as the top breeds for converting to the best weight for sale. They have a 50/50 split of heifers and steers with Tommy knowing the animals individually and sending mainly heifers to MACDUFF Beef.
Steve Nicol, Yardbent Farm
Yardbent Farm is based near Strathaven, just south of Glasgow, and is home to farmer Scott Nicol. His land is spread across 650 acres and is split between two farms. These two farms have been in the family for over 45 years and are run by Scott, his parents Douglas and Aileen, and a long-term employee.
Each year they fatten between 200-300 cattle and lamb 800 sheep per year. The main cattle breeds on the farm are Charolais, Limousin and Aberdeen Angus, however roughly 85% of the cattle on the farm are Charolais as Scott likes to work with this breed and he believes they produce an excellent yield.
The Hamiltons of Aikengall Farm
James, Charles and Harry, came to Aikengall Farm about 19 years ago. The farm is located within the Lammermuir hills, which rise sharply from the narrow flat coastal plain near Dunbar on the East Coast of Scotland. The land rises from sea level up to roughly 1000 feet in a short distance and the area is divided by deep ravines and dry river beds.
They run 500 suckler cows all on grass, and uses Lincoln Red and Simmental Bulls. Calves are born in the spring and put straight out onto the grass for summer, where they stay until November. This allows the calves to grow and not get too fat. In the winter months they are put onto a diet of wholecrop silage. The calves are then weaned in January and continue on the same diet. They believe that the Simmental Cross Lincoln Red, and for that matter the Lincoln Red Cross Simmental, is just about the ideal suckler. Furthermore the Lincoln Red’s docility is passed onto their offspring and this in turn helps when the steers are finished, as they flesh up so well on a simple diet.
From Norfolk to Scotland, our animals are reared with experience and compassion for a happy life and an excellent end product
Davie Mitchell, Wiston
4th generation farmer, David Mitchell, is based at Newton of Wiston Farm, which sits at the foot of Tinto Hill, where the family have been since 1962. Run by David, along with his wife Tammy and son David, he also has two daughters Kayleigh and Neola who also help out when possible. The farm is 950 acres and sits at approximately 900 feet above sea level providing superb grassland for the cattle to graze on. David looks after roughly 200 cows and has between 500-550 cattle, which he fattens for supply from November through to June.
The main breeds David works with are Hereford and Aberdeen Angus and all of his cattle are home bred. David works to a paddock system, shifting the cattle every 3rd to 4th day, which ensures that the grass in each paddock is in peak condition when the cattle enter. The cattle’s main diet is grass, along with home-grown grass silage, and the finishing period David works to is 60-70 days when he also introduces locally sourced barley to the cattle’s diet.
Tim Allen, Norfolk
Tim is a 3rd generation farmer in South Creake, Norfolk using Native breed Landrace, Large White and Duroc which are outdoor reared from birth to slaughter with all of his pigs RSPCA assured and Red Tractor assured.
Ted Neale, Norfolk
Ted Neale is a cattle and lamb Farmer, just 10 miles away from our premises, supplying us high quality Native & Continental champion bodies of Beef & Lamb every week.
Andrew Adamson, Netherurd
Andrew Adamson is a 4th generation farmer at Netherurd Home Farm, a farm of 570 acres, near West Linton, where the family have been since 1940s. Andrews’s wife Jayne, their daughter Hazel, and son Jon, also live on the farm. The farm is 721 to 1150 feet above sea level, providing excellent grassland for the cattle (200) and sheep (820) to graze on. Andrew is in partnership with his mother. The farm produces in excess of 1,150 prime lambs each year, which are mainly Suffolk and Texels.
The cattle are bought-in during the summer and autumn seasons. Andrew purchases their cattle personally from private venders and markets. The variety of breeds purchased at 6-18 months include: Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, Shorthorn, Blue Grey, Luings and Galloway. All cattle are fed on home produced grass, wheat, barley, hay and grass silage. Cattle are all housed in straw courts during the winter season and turned out to grass when weather dictates in the spring.
The farm has 98 acres of Woodland, which provides shelter from wind and inclement weather, and provides shade for the stock in summer months. The continued maintenance of the woodland has provided the farm with an alternative income and is an enhancement to the landscape. 28 acres of this area have been planted within the last five years to assist in the continued diversification of the farm.