The secrets of a successful mixed livestock farm

That’s exactly the scenario at Upper Braikley, near Ellon, owned and managed by the Taylor family.

Scott Taylor mainly manages the dairy herd, while his father Gordon, and brother, Craig, run the beef and sheep enterprise on this Aberdeenshire unit.

The number of dairies in Aberdeenshire has fallen in the last two decades Ref: RH170125165 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer Scott’s mum works two days a week as a vet and also helps out at home. They also employ two milkers, Lynne Thomson and Rachel Clark, and a full-time tractor man, Scott Noble. Scott’s sister, Gail, studies rural business management at university but still finds time to feed the calves and carry out general farm work.

This third-generation family business was established in 1950 when Gordon’s father, Sandy, bought Old Mill of Chivas. Another four farms were purchased along the way before the family bought Upper Braikley in 2010, bumping up the size of the unit to 1700 acres.

Both Holsteins and Ayrshire genetics are used on farm Ref: RH170125172 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer The dairy herd consists of 240 cows, a mixture of pedigree and commercial animals. There are 100 Holstein Friesians, 85 pure-bred Ayrshires that run under the Old Mill prefix, and five pure-bred Jerseys. The rest are a mixture of Jersey cross, Montbéliarde, and Brown Swiss.

It is nevertheless the Ayrshire that takes precedence for Scott.

“There’s nothing like an Ayrshire cow for resilience and longevity,” he said. “They’re hardier than other breeds, robust, and produce a decent amount of milk.”

Ref: RH170125180 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer Cows are milked twice daily through a Fullwood 26-point internal rotary parlour. Two people take three hours to milk the 220 cows with the milk sold to Müller. Milk recording is done through CIS. On average the cows are producing 8400 litres per year at 4.4%BF and 3.22%P.

Milk was sold to Yewtree until a few months ago but the family reverted to Müller when the company bought Yewtree. Gordon said Müller paid them 36p per litre in October and November, but the price suddenly dropped 3ppl in December with no explanation.

“I found it very hard to understand the sudden drop, especially when other processors are holding their price or putting it up,” he said.

Ref: RH170125188 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer Understandably, the takeover of Yewtree is a huge concern for the family when four years ago Müller served a 12 months’ notice to 14 dairy farms in Aberdeenshire because supply was substantially outstripping demand.

The company said the suppliers were based in areas that presented ‘heightened or complex logistical transport challenges.’

Gordon added: “It’s early days. However, my major concern is that history doesn’t repeat itself, and Müller turns their back on us again.

“We’re at a stage where we need to invest in our parlour setup, but with the current situation, it’s difficult to know what to do. I can’t help but wonder about the future of producing milk in this part of the world,” he said.

When Gordon’s father was producing milk, there were 650 producers in the area, and now there are only 15.

The farm likes to keep grass young to maintain silage quality Ref: RH170125189 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer Cows are housed mainly in cubicles with mattresses for comfort and bedded with sawdust. Freshly calved cows and dry cows are kept on straw-bedded courts.

In the summer months, they are out during the day and in at night. The milking diet comprises a TMR ration of grass silage, draff, bruised barley, a blend, and molasses, which is fed through a Keenan feeder.

The family grows 160 acres of silage, which a contractor takes off in three cuts.

They also grow 800 acres of winter and spring barley for feed but still need to buy in some, and a further 50 acres of oil seed rape.

While a dairy cake from East Coast Viners is fed to yield, a dairy blend is bought through Harbro which is fed according to nutritionist, Stuart Cameron.

At Upper Braiklay there is a Fullwood 26 point internal rotary parlour Ref: RH170125186 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer With a closed herd that calves all year round, the Taylors are not only able to breed their own replacements but also sell additional heifers privately.

Most cows are inseminated with sexed semen, with heifers calving down at around 30 months. The remainder are inseminated with beef semen.

The Taylors also rely on several AI suppliers, to enable them to use the best bulls at the time. Holstein sires in the tank at present include Westcoast Alma Mater and Cogent Beemerange. The Friesan bull Inch Mint is used on more extreme cows.

The Ayrshire bull that has left the best progeny is Palmyra Tri-Star Burdette. “He has left great cows that have bred well and whose daughters have also bred well,” said Scott.

An Aberdeen Angus bull is also used to ‘sweep up’ along with INRA95 – a composite breed which is quietly started to cause a stir in sale rings across the country, since its introduction to the UK around four years ago.

It was developed specifically for beef on dairy, with an emphasis on ease of calving, rapid early growth, and hind quarter muscularity. It’s proving to be a hit in UK markets too.

Home to the Taylor family Ref: RH170125185 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer “INRA95 calves are easy calved and come out on the small side,” said Scott who has never had to pull any.

His favourite however remains the Ayrshire, because it has a ‘bit of a fight in it.’

“An Ayrshire can look after herself as well as producing good quality milk. They also seem to last longer than other breeds – we have a higher percentage of older Ayrshire cows in the herd compared to black and white.”

Scott added that his favourite, Sandyford Quarter Pansy, bought in 2017 is due with her 9th calf in June.

He aims to breed cows of a decent type with good fat and protein, good feet and legs, and a well-attached udder. He also looks for negative stature, positive chest traits, and good fertility.

In an ideal world, he would like to be able to rely solely on sexed semen. However, he’s not against using conventional semen from a bull with the right traits, when there are not so many sexed Ayrshire bulls available.

New born calves receive two good feeds of colostrum within the first 24 hours of birth the amount of which is determined by the weight and size of the calf.

Calves are kept on colostrum for four days before transitioning to milk. Heifer calves are reared on powdered milk, while bull calves and beef crosses are fed whole milk. Heifers are kept in individual pens and bucket-fed, while the rest are separated into groups of five and fed with a five-bar teat feeder.

Scott attributes a lot of what he does now to the Ayrshire Young Breeders Society.

“I started showing Ayrshire cows through the society and have picked up little bits and pieces along the way,” he said.

His most significant achievement has been winning the Hugh Stevenson Award in 2023, which took him on an Ayrshire breeders youth tour to Australia.

In 2022 he travelled to South Africa and New Zealand, where he was clipping for national shows, with his contacts proving invaluable. He pays particular homage to James and David Lawrie, from Cuthill Towers at Milnathort, who took him under their wing.

With no dairy shows in the local area, Scott has to travel much further afield and as far as the Royal Highland Show, where his cattle have secured first, second and third prize rosettes over the past three years.

While Scott is busy with the dairy, Gordon and Craig concentrate on the beef, fattening up to 1800 stores a year.

Most of these are bought in, along with their own bull calves and beef crosses. All are fed silage, a 34% protein blend of barley and biscuit meal, ration.

Some of the finished cattle are sold through Scotbeef, but the bulk are bound for McIntosh Donald at Portlethen on a Morrison’s contract. On average, 34 are sold per week which produce carcase weights of 360-420kg.

The family also buys in and fattens some 500 store lambs sold live through Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ or deadweight to Woodhead at Turriff.

Farms Facts

• Farm acreage: 1700 acres owned, growing 800 acres of winter and spring barley, 50 acres of oil seed rape and acres of silagwe.
• Livestock: 240 dairy cows, 1800 prime cattle and 500 feeding lambs
• Labour Gordon, Scott, Craig and Gail Taylor plus milkers Lynne Thomson and Rachel Clark, and tractor man, Scott Noble.
• History: Third generation farmers

On the Spot

• Biggest achievement: Scott winning the Ayrshire Young breeders Hugh Stevenson award in 2023
• Best investment: Concrete grooving which greatly reduced slips and splits,
• Best advice – Scott says “Where there’s a will there’s a way”.
• Top Tips: Gordons says his father always told him to listen to it all then please your self!