His 140
sucklers have been developed as a medium-sized Saler-based cow that thrives in the Welsh uplands.
"We are now taking on a more modern approach and hope the new committee will be a modern forum for young members and those new to the industry." The committee's first chairman is 39-year-old Breconshire farmer Darren Williams, 39, of Talwen Fawr farm, Garthbrengy, who runs 80 cattle with 30
sucklers and finishers, 500 sheep and 25 acres of arable on the 250-acre tenant farm.
In addition, 900
sucklers are currently in calf to the Stabiliser.
Each year some 300 ewes are put to Innovis Aberfield rams, with the lambs sold to Dunbia, while the
sucklers are crossed with a Limousin bull and the calves sold as 8-15 month stores to private buyers.
"The aim with the
sucklers is to use our rough pasture for grazing during the summer months, and supplement this with brassicas such as kale and other faster growing rape/kale hybrids during the winter months.
"Their female calves are kept as
sucklers and these will produce terminal offspring." The herd calves indoors from January.
Milk production from an Ayrshire herd ceased in 1996 and a Charolais herd established in 1982 was continued alongside the commercial
sucklers.
Then two years ago he started keeping
suckler cows and the farm now accommodates 40
sucklers, 140 stores and 300 Suffolk and Texel cross ewes, which are put to Texel rams.
The Davies brothers visited a number of purebred Salers herds and eventually invested in a bull to put over a portion of the crossbred
sucklers at Bryniog Ucha.
Present stocking numbers have reached more than 100
sucklers, of which 50 will be heifers calved this summer.
She said: "We are concerned about the possible rise of cheap manufactured beef if dairy farmers select only the poorest herd members for producing
sucklers. The Stablizer will help us preserve the integrity of quality beef."
Over 3,000 dairy beef bulls a week, and a growing number of weaned
sucklers, are being lost to the domestic industry because finished cattle prices are not high enough to keep the animals here.