The Farmers Mart Aug/Sep 2015 - Issue 41 | Page 56

Wellhouse Farm Mighty fine Whites in Nidderdale »»Enthusiasm is a wonderful motivator and those who have come to know Andrew Fisher of Well House Farm, Low Laithe near Pateley Bridge over many years, will already be aware of his commitment to pedigree breeding. Chris Berry went along to find out more. Andrew Fisher has been involved with the pedigree scene since he was in his teens, starting with a Teeswater gimmer pet lamb. Andrew’show exploits with his Teeswaters have been well documented over many years and he has recently added Wensleydales; but it is his expanding herd of pedigree British White cattle that has seen him enhance his reputation even further in the past decade. Yet it wasn’t simply a desire to get into pedigree cattle breeding that was the reason he chose the British White breed in 2004. Andrew had run a commercial suckler herd using Limousin and Belgian Blue bulls, but a succession of caesarean births proved too much. “Changing to British Whites is the best thing I’ve ever done,” he told me. “The last year I had commercials I had three caesarean births and lost one of the calves. British Whites are such easy calving cows.” ‘it is his expanding herd of pedigree British White cattle that has seen him enhance his reputation’ The breed had first sprung to Andrew’s mind years earlier when he had been taken with a cow while working on Mrs Hinds’ farm at Heathfield, five miles from Low Laithe; but it wasn’t until he went to Melton Mowbray livestock market for a Teeswater sale that his passion was ignited to the extent that he bought one himself. “I remember seeing Mrs Hinds’ British White cow and thinking that one day I would have one. I bought my first British White, an in-calf cow that produced a heifer calf the next spring, and by the year later I had 25 of them!” Andrew says he is particularly grateful for the help and support he received from the former British White breed secretary, Mrs Hamilton. www.bishoptonvets.co.uk/pigs Ripon Farm Services are proud suppliers to Andrew Fisher of Wellhouse Farm Pleased to be associated with Andrew Fisher of Wellhouse Farm Ripon, Pateley Bridge and Easingwold 24 hrs: 01765 602 396 Email: [email protected] 56 Aug/Sep 2015 www.farmers-mart.co.uk