Pete Watson from Durris will be the main man in the beef cattle rings at this year’s Royal Highland Show when he is tasked with selecting the supreme cattle winner and best inter-breed team.
Pete, who hails from Darnford, near Banchory, is no stranger to the industry, and admits he is a commercial man through and through.
He sat on the board of ANM Group at Thainstone for five years and then served as chairman for a further five years.
“It is a huge honour to take on this judging job at the Royal Highland Show and I am very indebted to whoever put me forward for this task,” said Mr Watson.
“I’ve been attending the show for as long as I can remember and I always enjoy going down for a few days to see the stock on show.
‘Huge honour’ to take on RHS judging role
“My first experience of the event was when I was six-years-old and it was held at Aberdeen. It was a really wet summer that year and I managed to get my wellies stuck and get lost. I was left traumatised for a week or two but it certainly didn’t put me off attending again.”
Eldest sons Adam and David run the beef and arable enterprise, which was commended in 2015 when they were crowned the Scotch Beef Farm of the Year.
The business spans over 1,100 acres of tenanted land from Dunecht Estates, as well as another 250 acres of seasonal ground and additional land on cropping leases.
They run 450 suckler cows – 360 spring calving and 90 autumn calving – and grow around 600 acres of crops to include winter wheat, oilseed rape, spring barley and winter barley.
Around 800 store lambs for finishing are bought in each year from Thainstone and are sold back through the sale ring.
450 suckler cows, 600 acres of cereals and 800 store lambs
Eldest son Adam takes charge of the arable side of the business, while son David manages the beef operation and runs his 20-cow pedigree Darnford Salers herd.
Most bulls are sold through United Auctions, Stirling, where just recently the herd achieved a breed championship.
Although using the Salers and Charolais breed at home for some time now, and more recently, the Simmental, Pete admits he has no ties to any breed.
He has judged various classes at local shows but this is his biggest job to date.
“On the day, I will be looking for a champion that looks like something I would aim to breed myself,” he said.
“Length, a good top and mobility is important for me, and I’ll be looking at all the commercial attributes too.
“Over 90% of pedigree bulls at society sales are bought by a commercial producer so it’s important not to forget about those attributes.”
‘Length, a good top and mobility is important for me’
When it comes to selecting the winning team, Pete says he’ll be after a well-balanced group that catches his eye, with every member of the team contributing something.
The breeding policy at Darnford is based around 10 Charolais bulls and 3 Salers.
All heifers are bulled to the Salers, of which the majority are now bought in Simmentals, along with home-bred Salers crosses.
A Hereford bull was also used in the past to introduce different genetics.
After the first year, all females are bulled to the Charolais to produce top-quality store bullocks for the sale ring at Thainstone and prime heifers sold direct to Kepak McIntosh Donald.
“We like to criss-cross between the breeds because if you stick with the same breed year after year, you lose that all important hybrid vigour,” said Pete.
“Salers and Simmentals provide the ideal characteristics for suckler cow production and the Charolais ticks the box when it comes to producing a good weight for age for the sale ring.”
While he is very much looking forward to his judging stint on the Saturday of the event, Pete says he always enjoys the social scene, catching up with fellow farmers, some of who he may only see once per year.
“Farmers have just come through one of the toughest winter and spring seasons so I am sure this year’s Highland Show will be a welcome relief for many.”
“Our cows spent much of the time over the winter up to their knees in wet land but in the last month or so there has been a welcome turnaround in weather and crops are looking well.
‘I’m sure this year’s Highland Show will be a welcome relief for many’
“Beef prices have now dropped well below £5 per kilo which is concerning with high input costs but the sheep trade has remained excellent.
“Farming really is just what you make of it.”
- The United Auctions beef cattle inter-breed team competition will be judged at 10am on the Saturday, followed by The Royal Bank of Scotland/Breedplan UK overall beef cattle inter-breed championship at approximately 11.30am.