Life in a small town.

Networking.


The search for a new bull has been intense and depressing. I had to sell my own bull -Blondel - because I had kept some of his daughters and they are now of breeding age. My neighbour was going to share with me at a bull this spring – neither of us has many cows so it seemed sensible, we could pool resources, get a quality sire and run our herds together.

The trouble is cattle prices are at an all time high, (unlike when I sold Blondel) and bulls are going for thousands at the moment. My nieghbour decided to sell his herd and reap the benefits of these unpresedented prices. He probably did the right thing.

That left me with no bull and a severley cut budget.

Here are some calculations

To buy: £2000 Keep for 6 years @ £300/year, sell for £1000 . annual cost of £466.

To hire £500 - £600 for a season.

Both ways have advantages and disadvantages, the sums have been going round and round in my head for a month. I've been stalking markets and farm sales and making enquiries, travelling miles and miles into Cheshire and Derbyshire, nothing had turned up that was any good or affordable.

Then yesterday a man we were fencing for, mentioned his neighbour (Ian) had bought a couple of bulls last spring, I got his number and went to see him. I had never met Ian but I knew of him and where he lived, I knew his history and his family, just as he knew mine. “How's Jim doin?'” he asked (my Father) “Alreet.” I said, "but 'is legs've gone. How's Bernard?” “Oh not s' bad..." We caught up and put the world to rights, we exchanged news of mutual friends we drove up onto the moor to look at his cows and sheep and he showed me his new dog. We were establishing who we were in secret rituals older than Masonic handshakes. After a while he showed me three bulls, they were nice, they had good bloodlines , they had been hidden away on a small Pennine hill farm 10 minutes from my place.

“Tek that un for six weeks, an you'll be doin me a favour” he nodded towards a pedigree Limousin. “Then ah shall want im back, an you can take that un.” he pointed at an equally good bull. I hesitantly brought up the thorny issue of the hire fee. “Buy us a drink if you want” he said “but you'll be doing me a favour anyway, I'm overrun wi' bulls.”