ABOUT

The Grange herd was established in 1976 with a mixture of privately purchased females and those purchased from sales.

From the off, French genetics were always highly sort after and were purchased within the UK. Then in 1979, the family purchased direct from France for the first time, as well as females from Dan Haak’s Uplands herd.

Early stock sires were Uplands Samson, bred by Dan Haak and purchased at Banbury Limousin sale. Also from Dan was Atout, a maternal half brother to the renowned Talent. The pedigree numbers increased and then in 1983, Midland Marts officiated the first on farm sale at Grange. Since then a further eight sales have happened on farm.

With the exception of one home bred bull, Grange Adonis, all other stock sires have been bought exclusively French. As a result of these purchases and the early importation of French female genetics, the Grange herd is the largest French-bred herd in the UK. Some 40% of the herd is French with the remaining 60% being by a French bull or out of a French back pedigree.

After the 2011 sale, numbers reduced to 45 cows, but these have now got back up to approximately 130 females running with the bulls, including heifers.

2012 marked a monumental page in the Grange history books as Grange Gervaise was the first UK-bred bull to be exported back to France. We have a fantastic relationship with many French breeders and particularly with the Interlim team, and the strength of these relationships, coupled with power within Gervaise’s dam line, gave us the ability to secure this sale.

This achievement was then followed up by the export of Grange Lequeux to France in 2016, who became only the second ever British bred Limousin to be sold and exported to France.  Grange Lequeux was the full brother to Grange Gervaise and was sold to the noted herd of Regis Lequeux where he has gone on to produce both males and females which are of the traditional Limousin type.