48 THRONINGHURST FARM AUG / SEP 2022 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Building breeding success out of hay and straw
Chris Berry talks with Stephanie Hanks of Throninghurst Farm , Thorne
FOR the past 60 years the name Gilleard has been associated with hay and straw , but in more recent times it is now earning an additional reputation for quality livestock and this year ’ s Great Yorkshire Show results was even further proof that Stephen and Stephanie are on the right track .
Farming couple Stephen Gilleard and Stephanie Hanks of Throninghurst Farm in Thorne near Doncaster were at Harrogate with their Gilleard Charolais , Throninghurst Limousins , and their G-Star Dutch Spotted sheep .
It was a tremendous week for the family with a second and a fourth place in the Charolais classes ; a third and a fourth with their Limousins ; and a second and two third places with their Dutch Spotted with G-Star Flapjack ( tup lamb ) and G-Star Florence ( ewe lamb ) coming up trumps . Stephanie says the Dutch Spotted flock is Georgina ’ s , their 4-year old daughter – and that the passion for showing cattle and sheep is still relatively new for all of them .
“ We didn ’ t start with the idea of showing . We only started with cattle on the farm in 2014 , just as stores . Steve had pulled into Chelford Market one day for his dinner and had decided to buy some cattle as he saw them at the right price . They were black and white cattle .
“ Steve has a great trade in hay and straw in Scotland , it ’ s something that his dad George and Steve have built up together and we knew that for years we have tended to get waste bales at the tops and bottoms of stacks that Steve had been either giving away or leaving to rot and the thought was we could use them for some of those for own cattle bedding .
“ Soon after having started with stores we started on with a suckler herd . We bought our first commercial cow , a South Devon X , in 2015 , which we still have .
“ In 2016 we bought some Charolais out of Selby Mart that we didn ’ t know were pedigree at the time . When we got them home , I read their certificates , did some research and found
they were reasonably well-bred . I rang the lady who had bred them and transferred all their details to us .
The die was cast so far as Stephanie was concerned . She found that she liked the breed and from then on Charolais has been her breed of choice .
“ I like them because they are quiet , docile and easy to handle . Steve likes Limousins , and around here it ’ s nearly all Blues and Limousins so we have gone to greater numbers with them , but I ’ m passionate about the Charolais .
“ They ’ re such a good breed and both fat wise and commercially nothing can touch them . We sent a Charolais bull into Selby Mart recently which wasn ’ t even 13 months and it
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Proud to be associated with Stephen Gilleard & Stephanie Hawks at Thorninghurst Farm , wishing them continued success .
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