Graham and Helen Ackerman were left devastated after their Aberdeen Angus breeding bull, Ronnie, died unexpectedly on their Highland cattle farm in Scotland. The couple, who moved from Bedfordshire to a farm in the northwest Highlands over a decade ago, keep chickens, a pig, and 31 Highland cattle.
Graham made the discovery during an episode of the BBC's This Farming Life, a series chronicling the challenges and successes of farmers. The episode first broadcast in February 2021.
Emotional and logistical blow
"To find a bull dead was devastating," Graham told the cameras in the BBC series. "It was just a complete shock and surprise, and a logistical problem, an emotional problem, a financial problem. Just about every problem rolled into one dead animal."
The cause of death remained unclear, and Graham began to question whether he could have prevented it. "You wonder whether it was my fault he died, whether I could have done anything to save him," he admitted. "You have to deal with a lot of things in farming. Things live and things die, you just do your best for them. That's all you can do."
Timing of the loss
The loss came at a particularly difficult moment, as the cows needed to conceive in the coming months so they could calve the following year. After Ronnie's death, Graham and Helen relocated the cows to another pasture, which presented its own challenges as the journey back to their farm passed through a village.
"We are just now guiding them and watching for traffic at the same time," Helen explained. "Once they are on the road, they should just head home." Not all of their cows were familiar with the highway code, with one wandering off into a nearby building site. Fortunately, one cow recognised the route home and the rest of the herd followed.
Financial dilemma
"I love it, what's nicer than walking a few cows?" Helen laughed. They arrived home, but with one conspicuous absence. "We really thought we'd got ourselves sorted with Ronnie," Helen admitted. "Because he was such a great bull. I mean, you just look at those calves, they are just glorious and they are so lovely. Lovely colours, lovely shapes, they are putting on meat well. We really haven't got our heads round it."
The couple could not afford to replace Ronnie while keeping the herd fed throughout the winter. They had to purchase hay and arrange for its delivery to their isolated farm, which represented a substantial cost in itself.
"We also can't afford to keep the herd unless they are all in calf," Graham added. "So they have got to be in calf to make it viable. If we keep them through the winter for nothing and they have not got calves next spring, then it has just thrown an awful lot of money away. That's the dilemma we face, we will have to deal with it and come up with an answer, but it's tough," he reflected.
