Dumfries Monitor Farm

Barnbackle is a 202ha (500ac) beef and sheep farm run by Richard McCornick and partner Hayley Currie, with Richard’s parents, Andrew and Janice, with 178ha (440ac) owned and the remainder rented.   

There are 150 suckler cows, 20 store cattle, and 700 ewes at Barnbackle. The cows are Sim-Luings and calve in spring and autumn. Most calves are sold as sucklers with only a small number kept through winter. Richard also runs a small herd of pedigree Charolais cattle, supplying local farmers with bulls to meet their requirements. Some of the cattle are outwintered on kale.    

 The sheep also winter on kale, as well as swedes. Ewes are Texel cross Mules and all the lambs are sold off grass.  

Last year’s work using EBVs for selecting a new bull for breeding replacements will see his first crop of calves arrive at Barnbackle, while Richard also plans to start using sexed semen to breed replacements from his best performing commercial cows. As part of this, all his cattle now carry TruTest electronic tags which highlight heats and other health traits.

The sheep have been split into A and B flocks, depending upon performance, and Richard will also start to see the results of not breeding from his ewe lambs but waiting a year longer. “I think we will see them produce more, bigger lambs than if they were bred as ewe lambs. They should also get back in lamb more easily.”

The rotational grazing project at Barnbackle will progress further, and he’s looking at different establishment methods for kale and swede winter forage crops, with discing and using the fertiliser spreader looking successful.