We run a suckler beef herd, off mainly Hereford and Simmental Cross cows whereby each cow has a calf (sometimes two) each year. The gestation period for a cow is nine months.   When each calf is born it is given an ear tag to identify it from another calf. A passport is then issued for each calf  with details of  the mother, father, breed, sex and date of birth, this stays with the animal for its entire life for tracability.  The male calves are castrated at birth to produce ‘steers’  not ‘bulls’ which in turn gives a more mature flavour to the animal.  Each calf is also de-horned at birth to safe guard the other animals and the handlers!

The calves stay with their mother for the first 6 – 8 months on the grass fields around the farm before being weaned off.  This gives the mother time to build herself into good condition for the next calving season.

We have our own bull to put with the cows and calves from May onwards to get the cows in calf for next year.  During the calves first winter they are housed in loose straw yards and fed on grass silage ( preserved grass from the summer months).  As soon as the weather permits about March they are back out on our Hertfordshire grazing pastures, before coming back in for the winter where they are fattened up or ‘finished’ on forage maize (field sweetcorn) and rolled cereal mix ( all home grown).