Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. February 2023
      2. National Arable & Grassland Awards Supplement
      3. January 2023
      4. December 2022
      Featured

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      By adminJanuary 26, 2023
      Recent

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      January 26, 2023

      February 2023 Issue

      January 25, 2023

      January 2023 Issue

      January 4, 2023
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Livestock

    Spotlight shines on Aberfield’s for ‘Great from Grass’ 10th anniversary sale at Fearn

    John SwireBy John SwireAugust 10, 20213 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    Innovative livestock farmers, the Scott family of Fearn Farm, Ross-Shire, are set to hold their annual “Great from Grass” breeding sheep sale on Friday 27th August. Up for auction will be 160 rams, 350 gimmers and a larger than usual selection of Aberfield rams, with the entire crop being sold on the family’s farm for the first time in the sale’s 10-year history.

    Mr and Mrs Scott have been collaborating with Innovis, a leading supplier of sheep-breeding technologies to the UK livestock industry since 2014, and Aberfield rams have been thriving at Fearn since then. Mr Scott’s goal has been to develop a high-quality flock that flourishes on a forage-based diet.

    Having been keen to experiment with new genetics and to standardise his flock, John was initially drawn to Innovis for the data they were producing through their rigorous performance recording.

    Dewi Jones, CEO of Innovis maintains that: “It is all about performance. It’s about using two breeds initially and harmonising them and stabilising the cross, recording their performance in a commercial system and selecting quite hard within that to make sure that there’s functional sheep that deliver for farmers.”

    Mr Scott says: “Our working relationship with Innovis has grown and, together, we have worked hard to develop an understanding which allows us to produce Aberfield rams which thrive all over Scotland.”

    Fiona &; John Scott
    Fiona &; John Scott

    The Fearn Aberfield nucleus flock of 400 ewes, averaging 75kg at tupping, scanned at 182% this year.  With less than 5% of lambs needing any assistance at lambing they get off to a flying start, averaging over 300 g/day to 8 weeks and go on to produce good, well-muscled carcases.

    Mr Scott is the only Innovis Aberfield breeding partner in Scotland and Dewi Jones highlighted the importance of the relationship, saying:

    “John’s a long way away from us in Aberystwyth, so it’s useful for us to have a foothold in the north of Scotland with somebody that’s got such a good reputation.

    We’re really passionate about improving the whole sheep industry and giving others a chance to help us on that journey.”

    Following the success Fearn had in 2020 using the online Helmsman auction system for their ‘Yourbid’ ram sale, it will be adopted again for the upcoming Fearn Sale. Yourbid provides seamless integration of in-person and online bids through one platform, with John maintaining that it reduces the stress on the animals, and allows those bidding from afar to get involved without spending the day in the car. Ultimately, the system allows buyers to view the animals via pre-recorded videos, review all their EBV data and place bids from home, should they wish.

    Despite Covid-19 restrictions, the Scott family is looking forward to this highlight in their farming calendar and providing an engaging environment for potential buyers. Acknowledging the importance of achieving a reasonable return, John also states the social aim of the sale.

    “We want to put on an event to get people together, to chat and have a beer and just have that social experience, which is what we really missed last year.”

    The partnership between Fearn Farm and Innovis is one that has resulted in the continuous improvement of the Aberfield flock to a standard which is renowned across the country. At the heart of the Fearn offering is service, both before and after sales, and this is something John and the rest of the team stand by.

    The Yourbid sale will go live on 18th August 2021 with prospective buyers being able to visit the farm on 20th August to view stock. NZ Suffolks, Texels, Sufftex and Beltex will all be featured on 27th August, with Fearn Aberfields remaining exclusive to this sale.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleBackhoe loader offers Northern Ireland farmer versatility for on-farm work
    Next Article NBA Beef Expo looks ahead to 2022
    John Swire

    Read Similar Stories

    Farm awarded Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year thanks to rotational paddock grazing system

    January 30, 2023

    New research shows effective prevention against necrotic enteritis

    January 26, 2023

    Major shake-up for BFREPA’s annual conference

    January 18, 2023
    Most Read Stories

    Lidl’s £4bn investment into the British food industry to support the industry

    January 31, 2023

    Ceat plant awarded by the World Economic Forum

    January 31, 2023

    Cereals 2023 to be the ‘largest fundraiser to date’ for the MSA Trust

    January 31, 2023
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo