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Beltex features strongly in the Buckles Farm new developments

Kevin and Rachel Buckle with the Yorkshire Show winners

Selling lamb either deadweight or directly through farmers markets has helped upland farmer Kevin Buckle understand what the customer requires. Since foot and mouth disease took some of the family farming partnership’s livestock last year, the Buckles have taken the opportunity of reviewing their business – and using the Beltex as a terminal sire is to feature strongly in their new developments with their sheep flock.Kevin and Rachel Buckle farm Buckles Farm, Barras, near Kirkby Stephen with Kevin’s brother Wilf and his wife Maria and the brothers’ parents Margaret and Derek.

The family managed to keep a high proportion of their prized Swaledale flock, although most of the 300 replacement gimmer hoggs which were wintered away from the farm were lost because of the crisis last year. The farm had also carried a 35-cow dairy herd and 75 suckler cows along with 20 breeding sows. Plans for their meat preparation room which was set up three years ago have also been revised. Sales of Buckles Farm Meat are now being concentrated through a small number of farmers markets in the region - at Carlisle, Kendal, Hexham and Tynemouth, concentrating solely on lamb.

Beltex Gimmers

Beef is no longer sold to make more room in the chiller for the lamb which is hung for 10 days. About 10 lambs are sold each week with most of the lamb sold through the farmers markets being the Swaledale wethers with the Beltex crosses sold deadweight where they command a premium. In the past the Beltex cross Mule carcases have graded Es and Us, with 38kg lambs killing out at up to 21 kg.

Beltex Mule crosses shown at the Royal, collecting fourth and third placings respectively in the live and dead classes, killed out at 56 per cent. Kevin had his eye on the Beltex from its early days in the UK after he saw the sheep exhibited at the Royal Show.
“I liked the shape of the sheep but I didn’t buy a ram for some time with having hill sheep and only 50 Mule ewes". We have always sold our lambs deadweight so grades matter and since foot and mouth it has been the ideal opportunity to go into the Beltex in a bigger way. We bought our first tup at Carlisle four years ago and used him on the Mule ewes. The carcases from the Beltex cross lambs because of the double muscling had no fat.
“The lean carcases are a major plus point, especially when selling the lamb through farmers markets. You just can’t sell meat with fat at a farmers market. That extra lump of meat means you can command more money for it.
“Buyers say it is the best meat they have eaten. We get a lot of positive comments and people come back to us month after month for their meat.”

Beltex Flock

This year Kevin Buckle has imported five shearling rams from Belgium which are to be sold at the Carlisle official Beltex Sheep Society sale on August 16. One of these rams collected the reserve breed championship at the Great Yorkshire Show in July for the Buckles at their inaugural showing of the breed. One of the five pedigree gimmers which make up the Buckles flock was fourth in her class of 14 at the Yorkshire Show. Pedigree numbers will be built up with a combination of further imported females and embryo transfer work to between 20 and 30 ewes. The imported stock ram which the Buckles share will be used on their 130 Texel cross Mule ewes as well as 80 home bred Mule ewes using natural service and some DIY AI.

In place of the dairy herd, a flock of 100 Texel ewes has been bought. The 800 acre farm with a further 100 acres of grass keep runs from 1,000ft to 1,500ft above sea level. The farm also has grazing rights on East Stainmore Common. At lambing time at the end of March the weather can be bad as the wind and rain funnels up the Eden Valley. Beltex cross lambs have been able to stand up to the elements at Buckles farm, being very quick to get on their feet and suckle. They are easily lambed because of their fine bones and their tight skins help keep the weather out. The majority of lambs are finished off grass after weaning in the first week in August.