After a successful summer show season with their pedigree Texels and Badger Face Texels, Keith farming couple Darren Irvine and Michelle Hanson are now gearing up for next week’s Stirling Bull Sales.
Darren is the son of Stephen and Denise Irvine of the Anside herd at Braehead Farm, Drummuir, while Michelle is from Cornwall and moved to the north-east in 2019 with her pedigree cattle and sheep.
Although a builder to trade, the 135-acre Upper Drakemyres at Forgie was purchased in 2019 and is now home to a beef and sheep enterprise.
Initially, around 600 to 700 store lambs were bought in the back end and sold as prime hoggs in the spring.
The couple run a Limousin herd under the Drakemyres prefix, keeping five females which all go back to the foundation female – Goldies Meg.
Builder and vet nurse duo farm 135 acres
She stood female champion when bought at Stirling in 2017.
AI sires have been used in the Limousin herd and have been proving successful, with two bulls selling for 10,500gns and 7,200gns at Stirling in May this year.
In a change of farming policy, Darren and Michelle have moved away from buying in store lambs and bought 100 Cheviot cross ewes for lambing outdoors in April this year.
With this breed, they have found they can keep more head to an acre and they are easily lambed outdoors.
Limousin bulls sold for 10,500gns and 7,200gns in May
Charolais cattle have long been a passion of Michelle’s and she has built up a strong herd of eight females under her Silvermere prefix which is named after her grandmother’s house where she spent a lot of her childhood.
In previous years, she has sold Charolais bulls to 10,000gns at Stirling under another prefix.
“I have a real soft spot for Charolais cattle,” said Michelle.
“They have a great temperament and are hard to beat when it comes to their growth rates and daily liveweight gains.”
She established the herd in 2016 after purchasing females from the Rumsden herd prior to its dispersal and has been using AI sires as well stock bulls.
One of these is the AI bull Clyth Diplomat, which is the father of one of her two bulls for Stirling next week.
This is Silvermere Tsunami, a February 2022-born son out of Silvermere Ocala – a home-bred female which is breeding very well in the herd.
She bred Silvermere Solero, which stood reserve inter-breed champion at this year’s Keith Show, and was also reserve junior at the Royal Highland Show in 2022.
The other bull for Stirling is June 2022-born Silvermere Tesla, by the herd’s previous stock bull Balbithan Napoleon.
He is a paternal brother to the herd’s Silvermere Tsar, which sold for 10,000gns at Stirling in May.
The new stock bull for Silvermere is a French imported bull bought from Andrew Hornall of the Falleninch herd, Stirling.
This is Falleninch Memo, which Andrew used himself, with has his first two calves at Upper Drakemyres, looking very promising.
Silvermere Charolais herd established in 2016
The duo are both looking forward to next week’s event and are also gearing up for the Stars of the Future Calf Show at the same venue next month.
They have enjoyed success there in previous years with Charolais calves including junior champion and reserve junior champion.
On the sheep front, Michelle established her Texel flock in 2018, with the first females bought from the Milnbank and Teiglum flocks.
The flock now numbers 11 females and in the past, has sold tup lambs to 17,500gns at Lanark, while this year’s pen topped at 2,000gns, being the last consignment through the ring that day.
This price was paid for the reserve supreme sheep winner at this year’s Grantown Show.
Alongside the Texels, is the couple’s flock of Badger Face Texels, numbering 28 breeding females.
They enjoyed great success in the show ring this year, with one of the gimmers being unbeaten and securing a number of championship wins.
Nairn Show was one of their most memorable days yet, winning the sheep inter-breed championship with a Texel ewe lamb, as well as the reserve inter-breed title with a Badger Face.