The Redsky Partnership

Redsky Holsteins is a partnership between Will Christie, Stuart Mullan born in a pub in 2007. Both Will and Stuart are veterinary surgeons specialising in ET and have worked with top pedigree cattle for most of their professional lives. Redsky gives them both an opportunity to work with quality cattle of their own and, of course, reduced ET overheads means you can be sure of getting good value with Redsky embryos.

Redsky is a small nucleus herd of quality red & white holsteins developed (no surprise) with intensive use of ET. The herd is regularly refreshed by purchase of elite embryos and a significant percentage of the progeny are made available to other breeders. Will and Stuart rear the calves and youngstock but milkers are looked after by good friends Richard Baynes (Will's son-in-law)of the renowned Marleycote Herd of Dairy Shorthorns and Ayrshires and Michael Howie of the famous Morwick herd of pedigree Ayrshires and Holsteins. Both of these herds have excelled in the showring and both have very successfully diversified into manufacturing and marketing their own milk products.

The Baynes Family process their milk and market it as Northumbrian Pedigree Milk and Cream, whilst the Howies manufacture top quality farmhouse ice cream and sell direct to the public via The Morwick Dairy Ice Cream Parlour

Will and Stuart with Elayo Delight 
Will and Stuart with their favourite cow - Elayo Delight. Whose in charge? Appearances can be deceptive!
Overside Elayo Delight Red VG87 
Overside Elayo Delight Red VG87 - our first purchase

Some key facts:

  • The Redsky herd can be found near Hexham in the beautiful county of Northumberland in NE England.
  • Redsky is a small nucleus herd with youngstock kept near the village of Slaley in the Tynedale
  • Milkers are housed with The Marleycote Herd near Slaley and The Morwick Herd near Warkworth on th Northumberland coast.
  • The Marleycote Herd itself comprises 105 milking shorthorns and 20 ayrshires at grass in the summer and cubicle housed in the winter.
  • The diet is silage based - mostly grass but with some maize - supplemented with a GM free home mix.
  • The cows are milked through 2 Lely robotic milkers installed in October 2009.
  • An increasing percentage of the milk produced (currently 60%) is processed on farm and marketed as 'Northumbrian Pedigree Milk & Cream'