Bog Myrtle & Peat

It takes a certain mindset to sustain enthusiasm for the subject of cattle genetics. I have a growing interest in the subject, so I write this almost in apology.

But in visiting a friend’s herd of riggit galloways on Friday, I was delighted to find a calf with some lovely resemblances to my own favourite from 2019. Riggits come in all kinds of patterns, and variety is one of the highest points in their favour. It’s hard to explain why, but I simply adore the beasts which have a black front end and an arse which explodes into a firework of white blotchy patterns.

Some people would regard these animals as “mismarked” or “nonconformist”, but I think they look extremely fine and there’s no objective reason why they should not win approval or acclaim. I was thrilled to have turned out a calf like this in the spring, and he has been the apple of my eye ever since. And if anything, the replicant calf I saw on Friday was even finer.

And without labouring the complexity of bloodlines and pedigrees, it’s fun to note that they both share a maternal grandfather – they’re half cousins.