For Matthew and Rachel Seed, breeding quality commercial tups has never been about following fashion. Instead, their focus has always been on producing healthy, functional sheep that perform for commercial producers year after year.

Farming 202 hectares (500 acres), the family business combines pedigree and commercial sheep production with a commercial suckler herd producing stores. Alongside the farming enterprise, the family also runs a shearing contract business and grows 12 hectares (30 acres) of spring barley for home use.

During a recent visit to Auchry Home Farm near Cuminestown, it was clear that every breeding decision is driven by one simple philosophy – produce rams that do the job for the purchaser.

Today, they run 100 pedigree Texel ewes, 30 pedigree Bluefaced Leicester ewes and a flock of over 300 commercial ewes, some of which are used as recipients for embryos. Every pedigree ewe is AI'd, with selected proven females flushed for embryos to accelerate genetic progress. Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) are carefully recorded, but figures alone don't determine breeding decisions.

"Our selection process is quite simple," explains Matthew. "Firstly, they must be functionally correct and be good to handle. Secondly and ideally, they must have good figures; but we have found that sheep with good carcass traits tend to have figures to match. Finally, they must come from healthy bloodlines with MV accreditation and Scrapie monitoring. Health has to come first."

The family's commitment to flock health has seen them make significant progress in reducing the incidence of mastitis within the flock through careful selection and breeding, while their focus remains on producing long, strong sheep with excellent conformation.

"We're breeding longer sheep with longer necks and plenty of strength through the top and back end," Matthew says. "These sheep cope better with the heat and generally have fewer health problems."

The foundation of the successful Texel flock dates back to 2015, when the Seeds purchased the entire Culter Allers flock, established by the late John McCosh.

"It was an expensive purchase at the time," Matthew admits, "but it's paid us back many times over."

This year's Kelso team includes 30 carefully selected rams from the Texel and Bluefaced Leicester breeds. Matthew is particularly excited by the Bluefaced Leicester pen, featuring sons by Shrewbridge R11 and the first sons to be offered by West Bolton 52.

Following an outstanding 2025 season, where the Auchry Texels won the Texel Show at Kelso and achieved an excellent sale average, this year's Texel offering includes sons by Auchry Commander.

"Commander has been a tremendous worker for us," says Matthew. "He consistently leaves length, excellent growth and great fat depth."

Nutrition also plays a key role in preparing the rams for sale. Lambing begins around 20 February, with lambs reared on their mothers and creep fed before being weaned onto grass at around 12 weeks to naturally develop their frame.

"If they don't grow a good frame, they won't flesh properly later on," Matthew explained.

From November, the rams are fed Norvite's Tup Grower daily before moving onto TupMaster and sugar beet from late spring through to the sales.

Ross Williams, Norvite’s Commercial Director, considers that while energy and protein are important, a balanced supply of vitamins and minerals is equally critical when developing breeding rams, "The winter months are when these young tups are developing rapidly, so it's essential that nutrition supports both growth and future fertility. Tup Grower is formulated using ALpHA (alkaline-treated grain) and is balanced with the vitamins, minerals and trace elements necessary to promote strong skeletal development, muscle growth and reproductive performance. The aim is to produce fit, healthy working rams that will continue to perform long after they've left the sale ring."

" TupMaster really does flesh the rams well," says Matthew. "Customers regularly tell us that after the sales the tups don't melt or lose condition because they haven't been overfed."

Avoiding excessive feeding is intentional. "Too much feed can lead to excess internal fat, and that's not what a working tup needs. They have a job to do in the autumn, so we want them fit, healthy and ready to work."

For Matthew, repeat customers remain the greatest measure of success, "I know we're doing something right when the same customers come back year after year. It's just as rewarding to see them go on and do well with the rams."

The success doesn't stop at pedigree sales, "Our own crossbred lambs regularly top the market and they're all by home-bred tups, so that tells us we're breeding the right type of sheep."

Despite changing fashions within the pedigree sheep industry, Matthew has remained committed to breeding sheep that are healthy, functional and commercially relevant.

"There have been times when we've bred sheep that weren't considered fashionable, but we've stuck to what we believe makes a great ram. Healthy, strong, functional sheep are now becoming the fashion, so it's been worth believing in what we're doing."