CHANGES AHEAD AT


Aireburn


This issue’s Club feature focuses on the Yorkshire-based Aireburn herd where they are embracing some exciting changes for the future


D


espite selling the milking portion of the herd a number of times and losing most of the herd to foot-and-mouth, a drive to breed the best possible cattle has kept Brian Moorhouse building the herd back up. Farming 345 acres at Bell Busk with his wife, Judith, and 22 year old son, Sam, they are also assisted by a young team in the running of the 170 head Aireburn herd, 250 Mule and Texel cross breeding ewes. Rearing calves and lambing the sheep is overseen by Zoe Slater, 20, who fi rst started as an apprentice from Craven College where she was awarded the title of agricultural apprentice of the year. Josh Prell, 21, has been involved since he was 10 and is invaluable in all aspects of the farm.


48 THE JOURNAL JUNE 2015


Originally the herd moved from commercial to pedigree in 1969 when Brian’s father George preferred buying brucellosis accredited cattle in Lancaster. After the fi rst production sale in 1982 the breeding policy changed to exclusively using Holstein sires. When George retired in 1996 the milking portion of the herd was sold and Brian worked at building the herd back up with the young stock. However, in the 2001 foot-and- mouth outbreak the herd was taken


PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOANDBAA.COM


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