Since its foundation six years ago, Tommy Staunton’s Caramba Beef Shorthorn pedigree herd has acquired some of the best bloodlines, won some top accolades and is fast becoming the envy of many in the pedigree shorthorn world.

Tommy said: “For me, the Beef Shorthorn was an easy choice. I grew up on the family farm outside Kinvara, where my dad Michael made his livelihood from growing and then selling potatoes and vegetables at local markets in Galway and Clare. In addition to the potatoes and vegetables, dad always kept suckler cows and these in my eyes were far more interesting than sowing and picking potatoes.

“The suckler cows were all either Shorthorn or Shorthorn crosses and none were ever single-suckled. Every cow reared a minimum of two calves and most reared three or four. Cows calved out with minimum fuss and additional calves were introduced directly after the cow calved.”

It was the response of Tommy’s wife Silvia to his new farming venture which led to the Caramba herd prefix.

“Caramba actually means ‘wow’ in Spanish. My wife, Silvia, who is originally from Galicia in northern Spain, kind of suggested it without actually knowing it at the time.

After many years working and living away, we made a decision to build our home on the farm when our children Erin and Killian were born. We felt a country upbringing had more advantages than Dublin where we were living at the time. It was just after we had discussed my farming plans that Silvia responded with ‘Caramba’.”

With the breed and herd name picked, Tommy went about building a herd, initially purchasing proven genetics from both Ireland and the UK.

“The first pedigree females purchased were from the Uppermill herd in Northern Ireland with the introduction of 12 breeding heifers.

These introduced the Rothes, Lovely, Secret, Crocus, Lillian, Broadhooks and Clipper cow families.

"Over the past five years, we have added new genetics from Scotland and England with the purchase of breeding females and stock bulls while also investing in new genetics from Australia and Canada in the form of embryos and semen.”

Shows

From day one, the Caramba herd has exhibited Beef Shorthorns at all the main shows. This includes a trip in May of each year to the Royal Ulster Show, the Tullamore National Livestock Show along with local and all-Ireland shows such as Bonniconlon, Mullingar and Limerick. These shows have accumulated quite a list of accolades for the herd to date.

“The first major herd success came on the double at Tullamore in 2013, where we claimed both the champion and reserve champion honours.

“In 2014, homebred Caramba Rothes Hottie won her first all-Ireland title. Then in 2015, Hottie had a clean sweep winning female champion and reserve overall at Balmoral Park, overall breed champion at Tullamore and Limerick Show. Limerick Show is the biggest event in the showing circuit for the Shorthorn breed, with double-digit numbers for every class. Shorthorn breeders would often say ‘until you have won at Limerick Show you really haven’t won at all’. So Limerick 2015 sealed a very good year for the herd when Caramba Hottie claimed her second all-Ireland title and secured the Paul Barry trophy and overall breed champion of the show.

“In 2016, another powerful homebred heifer Caramba Rothes Helen gave the herd its second Balmoral female championship and our first overall Balmoral championship.

“Our last show of 2016 was the All Ireland calf classes held in Strokestown on a very wet Sunday last September. Caramba Ultra Kebbie sired by Bushypark Ultra out of a Lowther Crocus dam won the junior all-Ireland bull calf class and Caramba Lovely Kalon was junior reserve all-Ireland heifer calf.”

Future outlook

“I do believe our success will be driven by producing quality and demanding value in euros or pounds for the quality of what we produce. Value for the effort and commitment to the breeding programme we dedicate our time to. If that breed is Beef Shorthorn or another, they will also need to work for us and produce their worth year in, year out.

“We are in an age of technology where data plays a major part in every farmer’s decision and of course I would be a supporter of this. But I also feel the one trait equal to all the others is in part forgotten – the eating qualities of what we produce isn’t to the forefront of data collection as it should be.

“I’m confident the Shorthorn carcase with its recognised marbling qualities would excel in this trait as it has done in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and south American markets.

“I have been lucky enough to have visited large pedigree herds that are commercially driven in the UK and this has only enhanced my belief that there is a Shorthorn for every type of farming enterprise, a shorthorn that can compete with any native or continental breed.”

Sale

There is one aspect of Tommy’s business, however, that sets him alight.

In April 2016, he launched his first online sale using the website platform www.pedigreesales.ie. The site is designed so that each sale lot is listed with photos and a video, the opening price, weights achieved and pedigree details. This year Tommy will run the second online sale, which will also include a selection of Beef Shorthorn cattle from Shane and Francis Brigdale’s Rowanberry herd in Ennis, Co Clare.

“The full offering from both Caramba and Rowanberry includes 17 heifers, seven bulls and eight embryos from Martyn Moore. We ran the first sale in 2016 which had a very successful start, seeing six lots exported to the UK with a top price of €4,000 received for a yearling heifer purchased by Libby Clarke for her Magheralin herd in Co Down.”

This year’s sale takes place from 9 to 17 April with a pre-sale open farm viewing on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9. Anyone interested is welcome to meet between 11am and 11.30am at Mother Hubbard’s Kilcolgan, Co Galway, before proceeding to view the Caramba cow herd and sale cattle, followed by travelling the short distance to Ennis to view the Rowanberry cow herd and sale cattle.

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