Rob Havard - Phepson Angus
1st Define the environment you are managing:
By definition your environment is limited.
You can increase available environment over time with inputs and/or good management but there is still a limit.
Decide what this limit is and DO NOT select for performance that requires more energy than the environment can provide.
If you want to increase production then increase your stocking rate – DO NOT increase the production per animal above what the environment can produce.
2nd Select for Functional Fertility
Cattle, like all living organisms, are “Anti-Fragile” – This means that interaction with the stresses of the environment is NECESSARY for the organism to adapt to that environment. These animals have evolved outdoors, out-wintered, with native plant and soil communities. If we take away parts of this environment then we have unintended consequences.
Fertility First – Fertility is the number one profit predictor in suckler cow systems. Select from 1st and 2nd cycle breeders for replacements and bulls.
When you have reliable 1st and 2nd cycle breeders then you can focus on structure and faults but if she is producing problem-free then she can stay until there are better females coming into the herd through the heifer group.
Put all heifers to the bull and select all the 1st cycle breeders as replacements. This will put pressure on your cow herd and also maximise your heifer value when you are selling in-calf heifers.
BUT DON’T GO BROKE CULLING! – Leave the bull in for 60 days – Or more if you think there is still lots of activity! Empty cows will ruin you. Once you have more heifers coming in you can cull the late calvers when you want, when they are worth more (early Autumn, with calf at foot and when buyers still have grass!)
Keep it simple
What every cow should do:
“A marketable calf every year, on time, problem-free.”
What my cows need to do:
Fertile - gets in calf 1st or 2nd cycle if possible.
Maintains condition through winter while in calf and with a calf at foot until it is 10 months old.
Calves correctly, pair bonds, cleans her calf and still approachable.
Raises a marketable healthy calf in good body condition every year easily within what the environment can provide.
Any questions? Please get in touch.
Our cows
Fertile
Maternal
Long lived
Large rumen capacity – excellent forage converters
Perfect udders
Strong feet and legs
Good temperament
PROFITABLE
Our bulls
Fertile
Long lived
Moderate frame size of high quality
Excellent forage converters
PROFITABLE
Testimonials
“After visiting Rob and seeing how he manages his grass and testing his genetics, I was very keen to purchase some of his cattle. I didn’t need to see them, I just put an order in of what I wanted, and Rob did the rest. It’s very reassuring when you find a breeder who really knows his cattle and can be trusted to send you exactly what you want. We will be purchasing more in the future.”
Geraint Powell
Nuffield Scholar
“We bought a bull from Phepson Angus as we wanted to shift our maternal line to a smaller more efficient cow, high fertility and easy calving. The bull we bought has delivered on everything we wanted. We will certainly be a repeat customer.”
Silas Hedley-Lawrence
FAI Farms
We bought 2 bulls from Rob because we wanted easy calving, fertile, hardy bulls. Very happy with initial results on 62 heifers with 100% in calf, 73% bred in the 1st cycle. Bulls didn't go lame or lose condition while working
Oliver Chedgey
2022 Organic Dairy Farmer of the Year
We have PHEPSON ANGUS bulls available from January 2025
Please get in touch if you would like more information about available bulls. We have sold out for the last 3 years so please get in touch early to secure your breeding bull.
Free Consultancy
We often get requests for consultancy on both grassland and cattle management in holistic management systems. While we do take on some advisory work in limited situations we do tend to try and sign-post to other advisers in the regenerative agriculture sector. However, ALL PHEPSON ANGUS CUSTOMERS receive a FREE consultation with their purchase and for our customers we are always available on the phone. So if you are interested in saving money through your grazing systems and would like to add some proven fertility genetics to your herd then get in touch.
Kaiser, Senior Herd Sire
Semen straws available for UK and International export.
Your opportunity to buy into our programme
Excellent producer of easy-calving, fertile, moderate females for grass production
Will reduce frame size while still maintaining commercial scale.
Extremely fertile Bull - producing over 1000 straws per jump on collection on several occasions (bulls usually produce 150 - 350 straw per jump)
Line bred 4 times to Champion Bull "Evesund of Dupplin" who was known as the "Great Fixer of Udders"
We find Kaiser will correct poor udder structure in the 1st cross/generation
Huge rumen capacity - weighs 1000kg in working clothes - 53 inches at the hip
Kaiser is the foundation of our maternal bull lines, and is now available to you
Semen straws and genetics available for UK and
International export.
Contact Rob or Lizzie for an order form.
Rob - 07973771832
Lizzie - 07799127066
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