The Cattle
In 2016, Bertie teamed up with stockman Ben Bellew who has a wealth of experience in managing and showing pedigree beef cattle and in setting up focused breeding programmes through embryo transfer.
In order to ensure the best outcomes, the health of the herd is of paranount importance to Bertie and Ben. And as a member of the SAC High Health scheme, the herd is subjected to annual blood tests.
In 2016 Lessor Farm came down with bovine TB. Much has been learned from that experience and today the farm observes the strictest biosecurity measures. Cattle are enclosed within a 3.5km specialised Tornado wire badger proof fence with additional electric wire and concreted gate ways.
Currently, Gentons Longhorns comprises 40 cows. The herd enjoys a diverse set of bloodlines coming from Blackbrook, Fishwick, Southfiled and Gorse.
Quality heifers and young bulls boasting high health status are regularly put up for sale, both privately and at society sales. Embryos and semen are available for both domestic and export markets.
Painters Farm, located five miles from Lessor Farm, was acquired in 2014. For the first few years it was home to a herd of Salers X, which highlighted the EASY calving characteristics of the breed.
In 2018, the pedigree Salers herd was established at Painters Farm. Two foundation heifers from P. Donger were purchased along with a cow and heifer from C. Fox. Various embroys were imported from France, some of which were implanted in the spring of 2019. The firs ET calves were born in 2020.
During the summer of 2019, trips to Scotland LED TO the acquisition of new genetics from the Cleuchhead and Cumbrian herds. A subsequent VISIT to Auvergne, France, resulted in the purchase of another 20 females from Gaec Yves Fourtet, Phialip, D’Enroussou and Gane in Auvergne, France. While visiting the Concours National Salers at Aurillac the team fell in love with Murphy, a son of Halley, who became overall breed champion the next day! He has fortunately been secured as the herd’s stock bull, and is today the main feature of Painters Farm.
Alongside the horned cattle, polled genetics already feature strongly within the herd. The origins of the poll animals in the herd go back to both the Scottish and Canadian Full Blood lines. And we intend to develop the poll side of the herd slowly alongside the main horned part of the herd.
Longhorn Milestones
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Purchase of Lessor Farm.
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First female cattle purchased privately from the Rousham herd and Worcester Sales, as well as the purchase of Blackbrook Rochester as the herd’s first stock bull.
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Gentons 007 James Bond was named Bull of the Year (co-owned with Joshua and John Briggs).
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Ben Bellew joined Lessor Farm. Successful showing season with Gentons Pecrette and Gentons Pacita.
Gentons Polo took the breed championship at the Worcester Autumn sales.
Successful first embryo program with Fishwick Natalie and Blackbrook Sonnet, resulting in 21 embryos being collected.
Badger fence enclosure is erected.
Gentons Pyrite stood champion at Moreton In the Marsh Show having been sold to the Gorse herd.
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Second embryo program with Blackbrook Vera resulting in three embryos, one of which being Gentons Sara ET.
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Grand Slam for the Gentons herd, winning all three “Bull/Cow/Heifer of the Year” Longhorn Society Competitions
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Gentons Sara ET, the first embryo calf showed in the UK is crowed “Junior Heifer of the Year” with multiple interbreed success.
The result from the herd ADHP Linear Assessment returned unmatched results with 14 cows ranked Excellent. Gorse Quesnelia and Barlings Letty break the breed record for a female with EX95 rating. Gentons Qiana breaks the First Calf Heifer record with VG89.
Salers Milestones
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The Gentons Salers herd was established with top lines from the UK.
Badger fence erected at Painters farm
Purchased two foundation females from the Seawell herd
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Purchased 13 quality females in Scotland.
Two sets of embryos were imported from France.
We travelled to France to visit the Concours National Salers show in Aurillac, which resulted in purchasing our stock bull Murphy who stood Grand Champion at the show. We also purchased 17 females, along with Murphy, the National Breed champion.
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The much expected birth of some of our imported embryos; Gentons Pablo ET, Gentons Pasha ET, Gentons Phuket ET and Gentons Peponi ET.
Purchased Diane from Gaec Missiel who will remain in France as part of our flushing programme.
Ben Bellew Fact File
The love of farming has been in Ben’s blood ever since he was a boy growing up on his grandfather’s beef and sheep farm in Warwickshire. He spent most weekends and school holidays watching and copying his granddad’s every move.
When Ben was in his last year of school, his grandfather, at the age of 77, decided to retire from the farm and move closer to the village. Ben then decided to take his love of farming a step farther by enrolling at Moreton Morrell Agricultural College in Warwickshire to study for a National Diploma in Agriculture.
During his studies, Ben worked part time at a local dairy farm to gain experience in different farming enterprises as well as fund an active social life! After completing his course, Ben started working full time at the same farm where he worked for two years before moving to a beef herd.
Ben moved to Buckinghamshire in 2009 when he started working for Doug Mash and his Brockhurst pedigree Limousin herd. Doug had built up a great reputation within the breed winning many show titles and investing heavily in quality blood lines for his herd.
The herd was incredibly successful in the show ring during Ben’s time there with a few of the herd’s major successes listed below.
Royal Highland Show breed champion 2009
Royal Highland Show junior interbreed champion 2009
Great Yorkshire Show breed champion 2010
Great Yorkshire Show interbreed champion 2010
Royal Highland Show interbreed champion 2012
Royal Highland Show breed champion 2014
Royal Welsh Show reserve breed champion 2014
Ben’s last show and sale for the herd was in December 2016 at the Red Ladies sale in Carlisle. Having secured the championship with Brockhurst Howzat she went on to sell for 24,000gns which was a record price for the herd. After deciding to move to the Cotswolds to be closer to family and friends Ben was on the lookout for a new challenge. After talking to a fellow stockman, Ben was informed of a potential job opportunity close to him around Banbury.
Ben met with Bertie and visited both Lessor and Painters Farms and from the beginning it was clear there was a great deal of potential in both holdings. Ben decided to accep the post as stockman and began working for Gentons Pedigree Livestock in January 2016.