Top Markethill Hereford herd goes on view

John Conlon and family are opening up the gates of their well renowned Drumatee pedigree Hereford Herd on the outskirts of Markethill, Co Armagh.

The herd has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence within the Hereford breed – hitting the headlines in 2018 by winning the Northern Ireland herd competition and going on to take second place in the competition for best Hereford herd in the UK amid the stiffest possible competition from the best and longest 
established herds in the breed.

John has travelled widely throughout the UK and Ireland to build up a group of top quality Hereford females based on the some of the top cow families in the breed.

His keen eye and shrewd selection is really paying off as he has followed up on last year’s success by again winning the title of the top herd in Northern Ireland. His senior herd sire Cill Cormac was again judged the best stock bull in the competition.

The event is open to anyone interested in the breed, whether as a pedigree breeder or commercial farmers looking to add value to their beef or dairy enterprises.

The herd is managed on a grass based system with low input costs and the stock to be viewed demonstrate the qualities of the breed in terms of easy fleshing and feed efficiency.

The walk takes place between 12pm-4pm and will cover a range of topics including breeding programmes and grass management.

It will highlight the potential of the Hereford sire to add value to dairy bred calves and to bring cost saving and efficiency to suckled beef production.