Meet the directors

The Society’s directors come from a range of backgrounds and with a broad mix of outside interests. These profiles allow an insight in to some of their inner most secrets!

Graeme Knox Haddo - KWJ North of Scotland - Area 1

Working with his family’s Haddo flock which was founded some 30 years ago Graeme Knox says the breed’s carcass and character is still the driver for the Haddo flock today as it was back in 1990.

A full-time farmer with experience working in Canada in the dairy sector Graeme says the biggest lesson he has learnt is not to hesitate and to go with his gut feeling when it comes to important decisions.

That said he does admit the family probably continued dairy farming for too long when hoping for better returns.

Today the Haddo flock runs alongside commercial ewes, a suckler herd and malting barley enterprises, but while the barley may go to produce whisky, Graeme favours another tipple, with beer always in the fridge at Haddo apparently.

Andy Barr Parkhouse - BAH Central & West of Scotland - Area 2

A man with a unique connection to the Texel breed, Andy Barr still maintains the Parkhouse flock founded by his father Andrew as one of the four original importers of the breed to the UK.

Indeed, the Parkhouse flock holds the record for the first pure Texel lamb born in Britain and Andy continues to aim to breed commercially relevant Texels suited to the modern trade.

With non-farming interests in the building trade, Andy and his wife Lyn have in recent years set up a venture with Belgian youngster Laura Hinnekens, giving her a five year contract to run her own sheep enterprise on the farm.

Andy says that while he’s not sure what’s in the fridge, he always makes sure there is a bottle of Jura in the corner cupboard.

And while claiming to be a tech dinosaur, Andy says he couldn’t do without his ipad, which keeps him informed about the weather and aids his communications with the spell checker!

John Elliot* Roxburgh, EJR & Mershott, BOK South East of Scotland - Area 3

Well known for his family’s AberdeenAngus cattle, board member John Elliot clearly has a taste for the darker things in life, stating that the one item always in the family fridge is Bournville chocolate.

He does though have a passion for white sheep in the form of Texels, founding the Roxburgh flock to provide rams for local commercial customers having seen the everincreasing demand for the breed among ram buyers.

Having lived and worked on a ranch in Canada for four years John is dedicated to agriculture and is clear on the way to overcome your mistakes ‘learn from them’!

Aiming to breed Texels that are easily born, grow quickly and leave a profit for his customers, John has a clear focus on the end user of the Texel breed and combines sheep farming with arable and pedigree beef enterprises.

*Director Elect

Roy Campbell Cowal, CKC - Royel, CXR South West of Scotland and Cumbria Area 4

A Texel breeder for nearly 40 years current Society chairman Roy Campbell admits the main driver for both the Cowal and Royel flocks is the addiction to trying to breed the best he and brothers, Keith and Allan, and his wife, Liz, can in their respective flocks.

With a multi-site hospitality business occupying the majority of his working life Roy says the most important life lesson he has learnt from his non-farming activities is to treat people as you would want to be treated yourself. Like many Texel breeders Roy has a penchant for socialising and it is no surprise to learn that alongside the usual staple foodstuffs the Campbell fridge is also never devoid of gin or tonic!

As a successful junior sheepdog handler and having represented Scotland in his youth Roy says the one piece of farming technology he cannot operate without is of course his faithful working dogs, that and of course his iPhone for accessing iTexel.

And, after so many years working with the breed Roy is clear on the one ram he’d want back from the dead; Muiresk Northern Dancer, with his daughters having a lasting and cumulative effect on the flocks.

Sam Beachell* Samsar - BHY North East of England -Area 5

A man with a burning desire to farm, board member Sam Beachell has always worked in agriculture and now farms 500 acres of arable alongside 150 finishing cattle and 200 commercial ewes.

While clearly a born-farmer, Sam admits to not always knowing everything, in fact stating that he would tell his 25 year-old self that ‘You do not know anything!’, being adamant that you have to make mistakes to learn from them.

When it comes to Texels Sam says the driver behind the flock is his wife Sarah, that and of course the pursuit of breeding ‘that lamb’. To breed that lamb Sam says he wishes he could use Tamnamoney Tuborg Gold again.

And with arable a significant part of the family business Sam says auto shut-off on his sprayer is the ultimate tool in his farming armoury.

*Director Elect

Jeff Aiken Procters - PFD Tatham Hall - THF Northern Midlands of England & the Isle of Man - Area 6

With 20 years of Texels under his belt vice-chairman Jeff Aiken can credit the breed for much in his life, most notably his wife Jennifer.

However, Texels were not the breed of choice on the family farm in Northern Ireland and Jeff’s first experience of the breed came at local shows when he could often be found watching the judging.

Now flock manager for Procters Farm, Jeff’s commitment to Texels belies a past spent chasing the oval ball as an under 18 and under 20 rugby international for Ireland, a sport he still follows today and which is the root of his one regret in life; his decision to turn down an offer to play in New Zealand.

A man with an eye for quality females, Jeff says if he could he would go back and use Haddo Ringleader again for his ability to breed top notch gimmers.

It is no surprise that this passionate Irishman insists there is always Irish cider in the fridge at home!

Steve Martin Broomhall - BMO East & South East of England Area 7

A lifetime spent in the livestock sector, largely involved in livestock marketing has shown Steve Martin the value in Texels at all levels of the industry.

Having first seen Texels at ABRO in 1974 Steve founded the Broomhall flock in 1977 and has been associated with the breed ever since, both with his own flock as well as advising other flock owners and sourcing rams for a number of commercial flocks across the midlands.

And with such a long association with the breed Steve says given the chance he’d turn the clock back and make more use of East Middle Night Nurse, a ram imported by Charles Scott in the 1970s, believing the ram’s size, length and conformation wouldn’t look out of place today.

As with a number of board members Steve says that while farming has been his lifelong occupation he has also seen the other side of life too, working as a delivery driver during the F&M outbreak of 2001. But while he says he’d tell his 25 year-old self to work hard as he believes nothing is unattainable, he also wishes he’d taken a few more holidays along the way!

Pete Mitchell Avon Vale - MQZ Southern Midlands of England Area 8

Former professional rugby player Pete Mitchell may not work full time in farming having a career as a land agent for National Grid, but he believes his time spent in other fields has shaped his farming philosophy.

A devotee of performance recording Pete says it is his time in rugby which showed him that performance comes from preparation and results come from incremental gains, something any sheep breeder can relate to.

And while Pete believes the humble pocket-knife is the one piece of farming technology he couldn’t operate without, he’s clearly a man with a vision for the future, adding a Boer goat enterprise to his farming mix to meet growing demand for goat meat and aiming to breed efficient Texels fit to face the challenge posed by climate change.

Possibly harbouring desires to relive his youth, Pete says the one regret he has is returning to the UK rather than staying in New Zealand once he’d finished playing provincial rugby there.

Graham Hill Rolle - HGF South West of England - Area 9

It would appear, judging by Graham Hill’s obsession with his head torch, that lights are a rare commodity when working with the Rolle flock.

Graham cites the head torch as one of two pieces of farming technology he can’t live without, alongside iTexel of course, and also says the one piece of advice he’d give to his 25 year-old self would be to buy a head torch!

As illuminating as these answers are perhaps the most insight can be gained from Graham’s desire to focus strongly on commercial traits when breeding Texels and his strong background in commercial farming which drives his breeding policy.

With 25 years of Texel breeding under his belt Graham says it was the breed’s conformation which drew him to Texels in the first place and remains the centre pin of the Rolle flock today.

Hopefully, as he draws another Guiness from his fridge Graham can look forward to many more years with the breed and further exploits abseiling down French clock towers.

Dafydd Jones Kitrob - JOK North Wales & Borders Area 10

For someone who initially had no interest in the family’s Texel flock, Daffyd Jones has certainly come around to the benefits of the breed, with the Kitrob flock now the mainstay of the small family farm.

But, having worked as a luggage porter at Butlins, Pwllheli, in his teens, Dafydd is well aware of the opportunities to make money elsewhere and in recent years has diversified in to tourism, with a holiday cottage on the farm and rental properties in the nearby coastal resort.

And while Dafydd says he didn’t have any interest in sheep farming early on due to his work with the family’s pedigree Holstein herd, he now takes pride in breeding the best he can, in doing so he says that given the chance he’d go back and use Sportsmans Tremendous again.

With diversifications now the heartbeat of the family’s income, Dafydd says it is something that should have been done sooner to help spread the risk associated with farming.

Bridget Booker* Towy Texels - YJB South Wales & Borders - Area 11

Taking your time and keeping it simple is a good motto for life and one Bridget Booker says she would tell her 25 year-old self if she were given the opportunity.

Having been involved with Texels from 1984 Bridget says it is the breed’s commercial attributes which have always been paramount in her mind and in the philosophy behind the Towy flock.

And, having spent time working in the hospitality and horse racing sectors alongside farming Bridget says there is nothing she would do differently in her life, simply because if she had she wouldn’t be the person she is today!

She does though remind everyone that there is more to life than farming ‘Life is precious and short. Enjoy the ride.’

But, bearing in mind her experience in the hospitality sector there may be some questions asked over the culinary creation that would result from the contents of Bridget’s fridge; Heptavac P, bacon, cheese and beer.

*Director Elect

Alastair Gault Forkins - GAF Northern Ireland - Area 12

It will come as little surprise to many members that one of the more vertically challenged members of the board, Alastair Gault, believes the one piece of farming tech he can’t live without is a rollover crate!

Nor will it surprise anyone that aside from the essentials Alastair says he always has beer in the fridge.

Having founded the Forkins flock in the mid-1990s, Alastair says it was the breed’s carcass quality which drew him to Texels, which run alongside pedigree Suffolks and commercial ewes.

His commitment to sheep is something no one that knows Alastair would ever doubt and likewise, while Alastair says few people would know about his other passions, anyone who has seen Alastair’s social media profile will be well aware of his support for Liverpool FC and Ulster Rugby.

Steve Smith Penparc - SJP Mid Wales & Borders - Area 13

A self-confessed cheese fiend and technophobe Steve Smith says the only thing he’d change in his farming career would have been to have gone bigger off the back of low interest rates.

And with experience of diversification enterprises, including residential lettings and an on-farm falconry business Steve says the need to educate the public about where their food comes from and the role farming plays in the countryside is of the upmost importance.

Founding the Penparc flock in 1981, Steve was drawn to the breed for its conformation and ability to produce lean, high meat yield prime lambs for the modern market. A man noted for his boldness and not one to shirk a challenge, Steve says he’d tell his 25 year-old self to simply ‘buy that farm, it will all be alright’.

But, while he may have been reluctant to embrace technology Steve says he now could not live without his smartphone. That said a love of Georgian furniture is a sure sign that despite a hectic farming life Steve has time to enjoy the finer things in life and a sturdy chair is a good place to enjoy that cheese!