As a family, we have recently decided to sell the suckler herd in favour of contract-rearing heifers for a local dairy farmer. See also: Suckler herd saves £100 a calf by focusing on grasslandAbout the author Joe Mault Livestock Farmer Focus writer The Mault family runs 850 commercial ewes and 60 suckler cows across 155ha (383 acres) near Corwen, North Wales. The suckler cows we sold were cows we had known for several years, and we had become attached to them. In our view, there are better options available to us, and we shouldn’t be restricted by tradition or sentimental connections to the suckler herd. However, the cattle in these areas will probably not be suckler cattle, but the dairy-beef type or dairy heifer rearing enterprises.

Source: The Times July 28, 2023 11:11 UTC