The Lincoln Red has it all, says society president

Dean Hullah of Tancred Farm Shop, Whixley, near York, says that the quality of the beef when finished well is second to none. The Lincoln Red cow's ability to thrive in different conditions is well known among the people who farm the breed, but is not widely understood by the majority of cattle farmers.

Dean says: "We are stocked quite tightly at Tancred and in some of the dry times, the cows look like they are living on next to nothing, but the calves still grow on well and in winter, depending on condition, we usually feed a bale to a bale and a half of silage and straw per day for 25 cows and this keeps them on hold.

"Calving is largely unaided, and calves are strong and real survivors, they are soon up and at the udder. Lincoln Reds are known for being tremendous mothers and having ample and easily accessible milk supply, making calving time less stressful.

"Temperament is great with the Lincoln Reds. I would say no breed is calmer or easier to handle – they really make it a pleasure to look after them."

He says that the real clincher is the meat quality. When these animals are grass-fed, they are at the very pinnacle of eating quality – a factor that many butchers and farm shops are starting to recognise.

"Here at Tancred, we use our own Lincoln Reds and sometimes buy extras in from other Lincoln Red Breeders to top up. From the mince to the roasting joints, you really can taste the difference," says Dean. "To tell it's grass-fed, look for a yellow tinge to the marbling and the fat – that’s where the flavour is."

Lincoln Reds are born polled, which saves a stressful job of de-horning. This is also good for the animal's welfare – yet another reason why Lincoln Reds are used in cross-breeding with most beef breeds.

Dean says: "Dairy farmers could do a lot worse than using a Lincoln Red bull or semen for the easy calving and polled offspring they would have. They have good growth rates too and their gentle nature means easy to feed and handle.

"At official society sales, all bulls must be homozygous polled and their myostatin status declared. Signet weight recording is free to society members."

Although one of the nation’s oldest native breeds, the Lincoln Red is the ideal 21st Century suckler cow. At home in all landscapes, the Lincoln Red Cattle Society has members with herds from Bodmin Moor in Cornwall to the Orkneys in the west and from Aberdeenshire down to Kent in the east. The Lincoln Red is the right choice – giving good growth rates from a forage based diet.