Welsh Black Cattle
Having been brought up on a farm with these wonderful cattle (The Tyddewi Herd of Welsh Blacks), they hold a special place in my heart and this is why...
Wales's native cattle breed, the Welsh Black has all the
qualities of a true native animal. The breed is able to thrive on rough
grazing, making it an ideal for conservation grazing. It is for this reason that Welsh Blacks are
used by conservation organisations such as the National Trust on their heaths
in Pembrokeshire.
Not only does the Welsh Black thrive on
these conditions, but it also converts this herb-rich foliage into plentiful
milk and top-class, premium price beef - true conservation grazing.
In today's society, where we are looking
at producing naturally reared, chemical-free food, the Welsh Black is an
excellent choice. If we are to eat responsibly, we must be aware of where our
food comes from and the welfare of the animals that produce that food.
Naturally reared Welsh Blacks spend their
lives roaming through herb-rich pastures, basking in the sunshine and rearing
their calves up to the time where they are naturally weaned. They can live in
the harshest conditions, and do not need to be housed during winter. They grow
a thick coat and are happiest outdoors braving the 
weather.
In fact a small amount of poaching by
cattle in winter creates pools for rare invertebrates as well as for frog- and
toad-sporn. Out-wintering cattle also benefits dung beetles. Along with the
usage of chemical anthelmintics, one of the greatest threats to dung beetles is
the removal of cattle and therefore dung from pastures during the winter. The
dung beetles food source is effectively completely removed in winter. So
out-wintering cattle is actually helping save our dung beetles!
The Tyddewi Herd
The Tyddewi Herd of pedigree Welsh Black Cattle was founded
by my father, John Beynon in 1976 after initial purchase from the Eos Herd in Pontyberem. Further cattle
were also purchased from top herds including the Lammaston, Neuadd, Rhun, Parc,
Ysguboriau and Doldowlod herds.
The 70-cow Tyddewi Herd was reduced in the farm sale on
September 2005. On 50 acres of land, we now run 7 Welsh Black cows, 2 young
bulls, 1 steer and 2 small calves.
We have retained stock of the different family lines that
my family have bred and shown successfully over the past 20 years.
The Tyddewi Herd today:
Despite having down-scaled, the Tyddewi Herd today consists of 3 of our main family lines. We often have bulls for sale, but try to keep our home-bred females.
Tyddewi Katherine: Reserve Female
Champion, Royal Welsh Show 2005
Tyddewi Alwyn: Dam of Tyddewi Annie (Interbreed champion, Fishguard Show 2006)
Tyddewi Myfanwy: Consistent
prize-winner at the Royal Welsh Show/Pembrokeshire Couty Show
Tyddewi Marie 12th: Embryo daughter of
Tyddewi Marie 4th
Tyddewi Marie 13th: Daughter of Tyddewi Marie 12th
Tyddewi Annie 2nd: Daughter of Tyddewi Alwyn
Tyddewi Marie 14th: Daughter of Tyddewi Marie 12th
Notable Successes & Articles
To read about the notable successes of the Tyddewi Herd, please follow this link.
To read articles about the Tyddewi Herd, please click here.