Page 4 - Commercial Suffolks 2019
P. 4

From previous page                    these lambs were only 8-10 weeks old. The
                                                                                                                                    lambs are away averaging well over £100,
                                                                                              Hans flock alongside later purchases from   really pleased! Will be buying more Suffolk
                                                                                              Robert Neil’s Rosiebank flock. Stock rams   tups direct from farm this year again.”
                                                                                              have been selected very carefully over the
                                                                                              years with the biggest influences being   Flock successes over the years have
                                                                                              Bentley Fly Half, Spotsmains Kelso and   included being Reserve champion at the
                                                                                              Langside Premier. The Ingrams select their   Royal Welsh show last year and then going
                                                                                              best ram lamb each year and this is very   on to being part of the winning interbreed
                                                                                              heavily used in their own flocks.     pair. A Logie Durno ram was also reserve
                                                                                                                                    male champion at the Highland show. Mr
                                                                                              Gregor Ingram said “our approach to   Ingram said “We have taken great pride
                                                                                              breeding Suffolks has been very much   in selling rams privately this year to both
                                                                                              commercial with the ewes lambed in    Capielaw and Roxburgh Mains, as well as
                                                                                              February, getting the ewes and lambs   semen to the Sitlow flock who have received
                                                                                              outside at a week old. We have succeeded   prices of up to 3,000gns for sons of Logie
                                                                                              in breeding a Suffolk which is long, clean   Durno Sonny Bill.”
                                                                                              and full of flesh throughout the top line
                                                                                              and hind quarters with a good covering of   Going forward, the Logie Durno aim is
                                                                                              fat. We have raised our fat levels over the   to carry on increasing the number of
                                                                                              years which we think is vital to keeping a   commercial Suffolk rams for sale, and
                                                                                              healthy flock and producing rams from   also to sell the very best rams to other
                                                                                              grass. Another unique part of our breeding   pedigree flocks. The Logie Durno vision
                                                                                              has been to cull any sheep with excessively   is for Suffolks to continue to deliver as the
                                                                                              heavy bone and heads as we have found   leading domestic terminal sire, a functional
                                                                                                                                    sheep with great growth, fleshing and a
                  “We have succeeded                                                          they don’t milk as well, and the rams look   nice sized silky head to breed both prime
                                                                                              poor from grass.”
                                                                                                                                    lambs and breeding females. The Ingrams
                   in breeding a Suffolk                                                      Performance  recording  has  been  a  big   see a fantastic future for the breed and think
                                                                                                                                    it’s a great choice for commercial farmers
                                                                                              feature of Logie Durno breeding and
                                                                                              the Ingrams use the results extensively   who want to produce abattoir lambs and
               which is long, clean and                                                       when customers are selecting rams. Their   replacement ewes. ■
                                                                                              breeding programme is aimed at producing
                full of flesh throughout                                                      a good looking sheep as well as one with
                                                                                              high figures and they are now at the stage
                                                                                              where their best sheep are both high index
                   the top line and hind                                                      and attractive aesthetically. They regularly
                                                                                              have lambs up at 70kg with 40mm + muscle
                                                                                              at backfat scanning time run on a relatively
                   quarters with a good                                                       commercial system.

                          covering of fat”                                                    Owen Morgan (Brecon), one of Logie
                                                                                              Durno’s newer customers said “I used
                                                                                              Suffolk tups last year from Logie Durno for
                                     Gregor Ingram                                            the first time alongside other terminal sires.
                                                                                              The Suffolk x lambs have outperformed
                                                                                              everything else. We were picking out lambs
                                                                                              at 38kg and they were killing out up to 52%,
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