PREMIER PRODUCTION SALE 2025
Join us on Saturday 15th November at Worcester Livestock Market
50 Grass-Fed Cows + Breeding Bulls available!
50 Grass-Fed Pedigree Aberdeen Angus Cows + Breeding Bulls available!
From the leading source of grass-fed genetics in Europe
Phepson Angus Premier Production Sale!
Proven genetics for profitable, low-input systems
A very warm welcome from the whole Havard family to you at our inaugural Premier Production Sale. We are incredibly excited to be bringing a very strong catalogue forward for all buyers today. This Sale is the culmination of years of hard work and selection to find the cattle that work for you in genuinely low input, grass-fed farming operations.
When we started working towards a truly grass-fed, low input system it was a real struggle to find cattle that worked for us. We believe passionately that low input systems are the sustainable solution for family livestock farms in the 21st Century but we need the right genetics to make it work.
Moderate, problem free cows that bring a calf every year are what pay the bills. You can keep two 500kg cows for every 900kg monster without losing much in weaning weight per animal when put to a terminal sire. You will never make up that extra beef in growth rate or muscle.
At a time when markets, currencies and politics seem to offer only more volatility it has never been more important to control your costs. If your costs of production are as low as possible you are insulated from inflation while benefiting from price rises. A common refrain you hear these days is “prices are good but they need to be”. This tells a tale of sky-rocketing input costs, where price rises have been soaked up before they filter to the bottom line.
These moderate cows work hard for us all year and save us £1000s in the process.
Fertility is the number one profit predictor in suckler beef systems and last year we scanned out cows 97% in calf with 87% in the first cycle (first 21 days). It has been a real joy seeing a renewed focus on this in the industry and we are excited about the progress we can all make in this area as we all move forward.
We wish you the very best with your bidding and look forward to working with you in the years ahead. We’re always keen to follow the breeding stock our customers buy and we hope this sale will be the start of lasting relationships. We’d be delighted to work with you in the future — perhaps even to buy back some of your future progeny.
Huge thanks to the Aberdeen Angus Society and Worcester Market for all their help with the sale, my fiancée Lizzie for all her work on this as well as all the help and support of our family and staff. It simply wouldn’t be possible without you.
Our Pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd is the premier source of
grass-fed cattle genetics in Europe
Fertility is the number one predictor of profit in suckler cow systems. As input costs continue to rise we will need to reach optimum fertility rates within the bounds of what our environment can provide.
Find out more about the key factors to running a profitable, regenerative, grass-fed suckler cow system in the video below.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
“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 and Farmer
“We were delighted to have the opportunity to buy some cows and heifers from Phepson Angus to help us meet our herd growth objectives. They perfectly suit our Pasture for Life certified system, performing well off a forage only diet. They have done two calvings with us so far with some great outcomes and we are excited to see how they and their offspring continue to add value to our herd.”
- Nikki & James Yoxall
“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, Regenerative & Agroecological Coach, Consultant & Speaker at Grassfed Farmer
"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
SIGN UP FOR EXCLUSIVE UPDATES
We send out a newsletter every few months with updates on breeding cattle for fertility, longevity and to be excellent forage converters. It's also the first place we list available livestock, so sign up to avoid missing out!