Modern farming

Traditional stock rearing hill farming remains at the heart of Luss Estates and the home or in-hand farm encompasses areas of Glen Fruin, Auchengavin, Tullich and Firkin and the farm operates an extensive farming system.

A farm manager manages the home farm and we also employ 3 shepherds and 2 general farm workers. Local agricultural and fencing contractors are also utilized to carry out sheep shearing, hedge cutting, reseeding of grassland and fencing.

The spring calving suckler cow herd currently consists of around 130 pedigree Luing cows, with calves generally sold in the autumn as weanlings. Some heifer calves are retained as herd replacements and for sale as bulling heifers. The Luing breed is ideally suited to the local climate and topography and the cows are out-wintered.

We also farm some 1,000 low ground cross ewes and 2,500 hill blackface ewes. Most of our lambs are sold as stores in the autumn through local marts, with some sold as fat lambs and some female lambs or hoggets retained as flock replacements.

Over the last decade, we have made significant progress in renewing the suckler cow herd to a pedigree herd, improving grassland by reseeding and renewing extensive fence lines as well as upgrading farm dwellings.