November 6, 2025

Pedigree Breeding Beyond Gut Instinct at Powblack Farm

By Team iLivestock · 1 minute read

Breeder Irene Steel has long produced pedigree sheep and cattle with a keen eye for quality. But as her ambitions grew, she found relying on memory and spreadsheets was no longer enough. She needed a smarter, simpler way to track performance, treatments and breeding without losing the detail that sets top-stock apart.

Farm highlights

Powblack Farm, Stirling, Scotland
480-acre farm split between Powblack (main) and Auchensalt (secondary)
Around 200 pedigree sheep, mainly Hampshire Downs, with smaller flocks of Valais Blacknose and Border Leicesters
60 head of cattle, including pedigree Simmentals, Aberdeen Angus crosses, and a small fold of Highland Cattle

Performance ceiling

“I used to run everything by eye,” says Irene. “Weights, treatments, breeding notes: they’d be in my head or scribbled somewhere. That’s when things get lost, from pen to office.”

Last winter, her lambs hit a plateau. She sensed something was off, but the cause wasn’t clear until she weighed them. The data revealed a flattened growth curve caused by coccidiosis. A prompt drench treatment helped the lambs recover quickly.

“If we hadn’t weighed them, we wouldn’t have known in time,” she shares. “iLivestock gave me the information to act before it became a real problem.”

Breeding insights on the spot

With the iLivestock app, Irene now records every weight, movement, breeding event and medicine treatment instantly. Right in the pen. No double entry, no paperwork. When she scans a QR code to log a treatment, it’s done. No delays, no missing entries.

She uses growth-trend graphs and performance analytics to guide breeding decisions: picking sires, choosing show team stock, and identifying standout lambs early. “Now I can see what’s working, not just guess at it,” she says.

More than a gut instinct

Irene says: “iLivestock has changed how I farm. Less paperwork, better decisions, and real insight that helps me breed smarter and spot problems sooner.”

With data at her fingertips, she’s moved from gut instinct to measurable results. That means better flock performance, easier farm management. I have now more confidence heading into show season.