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farmingscotland
BEEF
Issue sixty-six • June 2010
Shorthorn World Conference
President of the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society during the last two World Conferences – in Australia and Canada – Major John Gibb, Glen Isla Estate, Blairgowrie, Perthshire is one of the host farmers in Scotland this year.
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elegates from across the world have an action packed programme of visits commencing at the Scottish Parliament on the 23rd of June unil the conference concludes at Stratford Upon Avon on 9th July. Numbers of Shorthorn cattle forward at the Royal Highland Show are significantly up this year, as Beef Shorthorn breeders from the 13th World Confernece look on, from fifty-six last year to one hundred and thirty seven head this season. Following the Highland Show, the party heads to, Bowhill Estate home of the Duke of Buccleuch and to James and Debbie Playfair-Hannay’s Morebattle Tofts herd at Kelso. On Monday 28th June, with a visit to Glamis Castle, Angus, in the morning, delegates will lunch at Glen Isla House before walking round the Balnamennoch herd, with Major Gibb – a director of the Shorthorn Society – his daughter Catriona and cattle man of thirty years – Arthur Lawrence.
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Sixty-five polled Beef Shorthorns are in residence up Glen Isla, on the 3500 acre hill property. “We keep everything, finish the stots, sell a few bulls and any surplus heifers are sold for breeding,” said Major Gibb, whose grandfather bought Glen Isla at the end of the first World War. “My Grandfather’s principal livelihood was from the Flax trade. My father was here as a boy and preferred to farm than go into industry.” Having spent ten years serving in the Army in the Royal Scots Guards, himself, until his father wanted to retire, Major Gibb said, “In a funny sort of way I have a guilty conscience as during my time in the army there was not much happening. Northern Ireland had not started and there were no troubles like there are today in Afghanistan or Iraq.” He served in Scotland, England, Germany, North Africa, Kenya, Aden and as a piper in Canada and the USA, as well as two years at
Sandhurst as Adjutant, where he had to learn to ride a horse, before coming home to take over the reins at Glen Isla in 1966. The Major (now 74) signed over half of the Estate to his eldest son – Alastair (38) – six years ago. Alastair, who graduated from Cirencester, decided to sell his 3500-acres and emigrated to New Zealand with his English wife, due to a lack of viability in hill farming in the UK and what he thought the future had in store. “Maybe it was a bit of the father/son business but I reckon he did the right thing. He is share farming on one property, near Masterton, in the North Island, running mainly Romneys and a few grazing cattle – Angus in breed. He also bought some land, where he runs sheep, fattens cattle and lambs and crops; wheat, peas and fodder rape. He plans to build a house there. We look forward to going out each year from mid February to March.” Back at Glen Isla, there are 200
acres of arable for hay, silage and some rape production, 350 acres under trees and the rest is heather hill. Historically cross Highland cattle were purchased from Oban and covered by an Aberdeen Angus bull. “It is probably the best cross in the world, but they went out of fashion and my father bought Irish Blue Greys for a while.” When Major Gibb took the helm he purchased some pure Shorthorn heifers and built up numbers over a few years. He modernised the herd, using some Maine Anjou blood in the ‘80’s, which, “helped increase size over one or two generations and reduced fat in the carcase.” Thereafter bulls were mainly sourced from overseas. He picked one sire from Tasmania up at Heathrow airport and another from Canada at Prestwick. More recently bulls have been bought closer to home, with Fearn Wyvis from John and James Scott, in Ross-shire, leaving a lasting impression