REGINA – After living on the windswept hills of Scotland all his life,
one of Duncan Maxwell’s first decisions upon landing in Regina was to buy a Canadian-made parka to handle the bone numbing wind chill of a
Saskatchewan winter.
Invited to judge the Galloway show at Canadian Western Agribition, Maxwell experienced the cold but was also able to see how this traditional Scottish breed has been modified to suit conditions here.
He liked what he saw and admits many Galloways have changed in Scotland thanks to the Canadian influence.
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Maxwell has used Canadian bloodlines for 20 years on his farm north of Glasgow and likes the added size the imports bring to his cattle.
The traditional British lines were smaller, but since many breeders have imported Canadian style genetics they have added height and larger frames to their cattle while maintaining a hardy character.
“Galloways will go out to hell and stay there,” he said after judging.
“They are very much an underestimated breed.”
The breed is known for long hair coats and sturdy bodies so the animals can withstand miserable weather and forage in scrubby areas where other cattle prefer not to venture.
Maxwell keeps 45 black cows and owns about 5,000 acres of hill farm. It is rocky with sparse native grasses that cannot support many cows.
There is a growing conservation movement in the United Kingdom to preserve native grasses. Maxwell’s management fits in with the new mandate by using Galloways for grazing.
In addition he has about 100 acres of good grassland but weather conditions can be cold and wet with plenty of sleet in the winter.
His cattle fit into a specialty meat market. He sells to Marks and Spencer for a Scots beef program, which designates that the carcasses weigh around 450 kilograms and grade high with plenty of marbling. Other breeders sell their beef direct through farmers’ markets or to local butchers.
When he is not working full time on the farm, Maxwell has judged Galloways at the Royal Highland Show and the Great Yorkshire Show, as well as local fairs.
For his champions at Agribition, he selected a bull from Diamond B Ranches at Livelong, Sask., and the grand champion female was Glenfiddich Galloways of Puslinch, Ont., which also had the reserve bull. The reserve female was from Diamond B Ranches.
