30 Years of Dunlouise Celebration

The Inaugural Online Dunlouise Native Angus® Sale
Celebrating 30 years of Dunlouise 1995-2025

As we reflect on the last 30 years, it is remarkable how much has changed. In 1995, Toy Story was topping the box office, Pete Sampras was midway through his record breaking Wimbledon streak and something called the ‘world wide web’ was becoming mainstream. For us it was the dawn of a life changing decision, Dad purchasing our first Native Angus® cows; Karen of Boghall and Ejeta of Templehouse. Over the next 15 years, it became a passion to gather up the remaining cow families and ensure the survival of these Native lines. Like all farming, it had its ups and downs. A great sale of heifers was followed by a summer of flooding, a shipment of embryos was followed by a dead cow from your rarest family. Stories all farmers are familiar with.

The opening of the continental market to live export in 2004 started a trend lasting more than a decade of multiple shipments of cattle being exported every year. Our major deal with Genex in 2008 for the semen rights to six bulls elevated Dunlouise to a world platform. Suddenly, people would stop us at events to tell us about their Jipsey Earl or Cortachy Boy calves. People from Argentina, Uruguay, Montana, Spain. It really became quite incredible!

If my parents had a pound for everytime someone asked if this was them retiring in the run up to our 2017 on farm sale, there would have been no need for the sale and they could have retired! Retirement was never on the cards, as we enjoyed continuing success in the aftermath of a super sale day. New embryo customers came from all over the globe, as well as enjoying a buoyant UK market for pedigree and commercial herds.

Fast forward to 2025; we’re awaiting Toy Story 5, we’re still mourning the retirement of Federer and  Nadal; and we are celebrating 30 years of Dunlouise. We have all 10 cow families left in existence, with most of these families now scattered across the globe. The new age of farming is concentrating on more restorative methods, working with nature rather than trying to harness it. Breeders and consumers alike are looking for beef cattle that can be raised and finished on grass alone to produce first rate beef in a profitable time frame. Whilst other breeds have bred cattle for high EPD values, high carcass yield and high hard feed intake, the Native Angus® are being sought for their natural fleshing ability on grass alone to produce well-marbled, delicious beef. Since 2017, we have been concentrating on genetic improvement across all families; breeding for best foot, leg and udder structure. We have also been using our embryo programme at home to boost the numbers of our rarer families and utilising our best females. This has led to having the most Miss Burgess’s and Prides of Aberdeen on farm, in the last 30 years.

As always, repeat custom is our best advert. Breeders return for males, females, embryos and semen alike, once they have experienced Native Angus® in their own farming systems. Why do farmers keep coming back? It is the survivability of the Native genetics and their ability to be ‘good do-ers’ in all climates. In recent droughts in South America and Australia, clients consistently report their Native Angus® genetics weather the proverbial storm much better than their counterparts. Canadian and USA customers describe their ability to put down hair and flesh in freezing winters, as well as their ability to produce a calf with plenty of ‘get up and go’ despite it being 30 degrees below fahrenheit. European customers return time and again to seek genetics with good fertility that have a shorter gestation period and therefore an easier calving.

Natural selection has made Native Angus® the way they are, modern breeding advances have allowed us to hone their attributes. Only the hardiest of genetics survived in the early days of the Angus. Those hardy genetics are the ones that were sent across the world in the 19th and 20th centuries to survive and thrive; taking care of the farmers and ranchers who took care of them. In the 21st century, these Native Angus® have a huge role to play in the modern farming world. We can’t help but feel proud of all our girls and boys over the last 30 years, over 1000 of them. Whilst not all have been global names, each has done their part to slowly improve the Native Angus® lines over time. We are excited to see what the next 30 years and the next 1000 cattle bring.