The Rural Voice, 1987-10, Page 27what purebred herd? Bob's father had
come to Canada from Britain and still
received the annual Scottish Farmer
Journal, which compiled a list of all
the breed winners in Britain. From the
information gathered in the journal,
Bob and Marj chose the "Galloway
way." The slogan Bob remembers
was used on much of the advertising at
the time: "Bred to endure." He also
liked the "self-
reliance, hardiness,
and easy -calving"
of the breed.
Bob soon be-
came so involved
in promoting the
qualities of the
breed that he was
chosen secretary of
the Eastern Can-
adian Galloway
Association in the
mid-1960s. At that
time, some of the
distinguished mem-
bers were Rear
Admiral W. M.
Landymore, Com-
mander of the Uni-
fied Forces of Can-
ada, Frank Selke
Senior of hockey
fame, and Don
Grant, president of
Nova Scotia Trust Company.
In total, there were seven mem-
bers. Today there are between 45 and
50 in the eastern association and many
more in the western division. The
number of Galloways in Canada has
increased significantly, particularly in
Western Canada.
Originally, Galloway cattle were
bred to endure Scotland's harsh en-
vironment — "weather that included,
for example, 50 inches of cold rainfall
in one month," says Marj. The heavy
double coat of the Galloway has soft,
downy under -fur and long guard hairs
on top, much like our game animals in
Canada. These characteristics have
made the animal very adaptable to the
Canadian climate, particularly that of
Northern Ontario.
This past year Bob raised "27
calves from 27 cows and they calved
on their own." Because the Irvines
have jobs off the farm, this indepen-
dence in the Galloways has been an
added advantage. "The calves are
bom spunky, they are up and running
the minute they hit the ground, and
especially hard to catch to tattoo
because of their vitality," says Bob.
The two types of Galloways on the
Irvine farm are the Blacks and Duns.
The Duns range in colour from silver
to chocolate brown. (The only other
type of Galloway is the Belted
and choring during the winter. Now
that they are all gone from home, Bob
and Marj have found themselves at
another crossroads.
With the haying help disappearing
over the past ten years, the Irvines
have made some changes in their
operation. For the past two years, they
have been selling some of their cattle,
and next month they will be holding a
dispersal sale of
Bob and Marj Irvine review the history of Galloways at Avon Acres.
Galloway, distinguished by its "white
saddle" around the girth.)
"The calves are born
spunky, they are up
and running the minute
they hit the ground, and
especially hard to catch
to tattoo because of their
vitality."
For 25 years, the family has used
a hay pasture program to raise their
cattle. But this will soon change. Bob
and Marj have three children: Dale,
married with three children and living
in Shakespeare, Heather, married with
two children and living in Waterloo,
and Robbie, age 21, who is studying
engineering at Fanshawe College.
The family was always very much
a part of the operation, helping to hay,
drive tractors, show cattle in the ring,
most of the remain-
ing purebred stock.
The sale is getting
international
attention, with
inquiries coming
from England,
Scotland, the U.S.,
and across Canada.
Part of the reason
for the interest is
the fact that two
years ago Bob and
Marj exported the
first Canadian
Galloway Silver
Dun back to Eng-
land, to Christopher
Marler. Since the
first export, two
more animals have
been shipped to
Marler in England
and on bull to John
Christie, a Galloway breeder in Scot-
land. The senior herd sire was not
available for a photograph, as it was
recently shipped to Michigan.
The Irvines hope to keep a few
head of seed stock for their own
enjoyment. Marj, an employee of
Cyanamid Canada at the Shakespeare
Farm Supply Centre for 20 years, says
that "Farming has created a lifestyle
for our family that encourages values
that we have had and cherished." At
the beginning of their married life,
Bob and Marj were in mixed farming
— eggs, pigs, and dairy. Marj did the
milking so Bob could do custom work
off the farm. By changing to an easy -
care breed of beef cattle, Marj was
able to take off -farm, seasonal work.
As Bob says, "Life is full of
enough aggravation without having
cattle around that require a lot of
attention, so we chose Galloways.
They have allowed us an opportunity
to live and enjoy life because of their
OCTOBER 1987 25