Stephen runs the family dairy farm with his wife, Jill, and has been working at breeding high-quality cows for years.

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Mr Davies was well-known for breeding prize-winning Friesian cows but had sold his 50 to 60 strong herd during the last two years to people restocking after foot-and-mouth.

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This year, the visiting ranchers are preoccupied by the beef industry's informal pessimism index the share of young cows that farmers slaughter for meat rather than keep for breeding.

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To rebuild, ranchers will either have to bring their cows back from states like South Dakota or buy new animals for breeding.

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