Garry Herdman - Demesne Farm

Garry was one of a group of progressive livestock farmers in the North East to take part in a LandSkills North East educational visit to Ireland to generate ideas for growing their businesses in an increasingly competitive market.

Study trip to Ireland

The aim of the visits for Garry was to see different farming systems, an abattoir and a research farm with the hope of learning something of benefit from the people whilst there.

 

The trip was a familiarisation visit where the group, made up of all members of the Mid Northumberland Farmer’s Club, looked at every aspect of the Irish supply chain - regarded by many as a best practice example for lamb and beef sales. The North East farmers met with some of its key players in the industry and gained a fresh insight into improving product quality and delivery channels as well as ways of promoting their meat.

The three day agenda began with a visit to the sheep herds at Titour Farm and a Suckler Cow Herd at Wicklow Town.  They then moved north to Irish National Beef Research Centre, which demonstrated some invaluable and independent research into improved feeding and grass production research. Then they moved north over the border to talk to the directors of Linden Foods, at their impressive processing plant in Dungannon.

Garry Herdman farms a typical Upland Northumberland livestock unit farming in total 2750 acres across three units. 1600 acres are moorland the remainder is SDA. Currently in the first year of organic conversion he runs 1800 ewes, 

Blackfaced on the hills with some tupped pure and some to Blue faced Leicesters, and some in bye ewes to Suffolk and Texel tups. The 110 Spring Calving Suckler cows, include 30 Luings on the hill bulled with Simmental to breed Sim/Luing replacements for the rest of the herd bulled with the Charolais. Calves sold as stores at 10-12 months.

He was keen to experience different farming systems and was interested to witness the valuable work done at the TEAGASC research centre which he thought could be best practice for research into beef production. During a meeting with Linden Foods, he looked at ways of developing closer ties between producers and the end market which could potentially be adopted in the UK.

Gary sees educationals such as this, valuable not only as fact-finding missions, but also because of the challenge they provide to our own ideas. “It is always important to try and broaden your knowledge and trips like this do make you analyse everything you do at home and what changes could or should be made.“