Today our member profile focus is on the Kaimburn herd of Salers.
KAIMBURN SALERS
Kaimburn Salers are owned by Mr & Mrs J A de Gier under the name of Edgerston Trading (2006) Ltd and managed by Neil Ralston. Neil moved with his parents from a dairy farm in Campbeltown to a farm near Morebattle in 1989. He is married to Fiona and they have two sons, Greg and Lewis. When Neil started as manager of Edgerston Trading (2006) Ltd in 2008 the enterprise ran 1,350 sheep and no cattle over Edgerston Home Farm and Overton Bush totalling just over 1,400 acres lying close to the English border at Carter Bar.
In 2009 4 highland cows were purchased then in 2010 a further 6 highland cows were purchased but these were for decorative purposes. Neil knew that by only having sheep all his eggs were in the one basket so decided it was time to add some ‘proper’ cattle to the equation. After consultation with his employers he was given the go ahead to purchase cattle with the one proviso, ‘it didn’t look like a field of liquorice allsorts’ so Neil’s hunt began. After looking at Stabalisers, Sim/Luings and Shorthorns Neil hadn’t found what he was looking for. Roy Crockett invited him to look at his Salers and as soon as Neil saw them all looking the same and heard about their ease of calving he knew that they fitted what he was looking for. By the end of 2014 Kaimburn Salers were up and running having purchased 24 pedigree females from Ian Livingston, 15 commercial females from John Aitken and 8 commercial females from Roy & Adam Crockett together with a bull, Seawell Highlander, purchased from the Dongers. Neil was soon convinced he had made the right choice and by the end of 2015 further females purchased from Ian Livingstone and there were 75 females on the ground.
To date all females have been retained to increase numbers, the best bulls are selected for showing and sale and the remainder of the bulls are kept entire and sold as bull beef. Neil’s goal was to get to 100 cows which he has pretty much reached with 97 cows, 24 heifers and followers therefore bulling heifers will be available for sale next year.
