Following three very busy days meeting the farmers of Ireland at the National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore, our Angus calves arrived back to Ciaran Calvey’s farm.
The calves were housed on a straw bed, away from other animals to prevent the spread of infection and to observe for possible signs of pneumonia. The calves settled in quickly and clearly enjoyed their celebrity status.
Settling in
The animals were given a few days to settle in to their new surroundings. They were each weighed, weighing on average 240kg. They were let out to pasture after a few days. They enjoyed a longer spell out on grass due to the mild weather conditions which is unusual for the west of Ireland. The calves were housed in early December and we continued to feed 1.5kg of coarse weanling ration and good-quality silage.
Looking after our stock
It has been great watching our calves grow over the last couple of months. We have spoken with our local vet who has assisted us with a herd plan. We want to keep unnecessary dosing or interventions to a minimum to prevent stress to the animals. We shaved their backs on housing to prevent them from perspiring which could impair their weight gain. They were administered a pour-on for lice prevention, which can also reduce an animal’s ability to thrive. They appear to be very content housed on slats. They have space to move around and there is good air circulation in the shed.
The learning experience
The competition has been a great learning experience for us as a group. It started off as a transition year project we read about in the Irish Farmers Journal. It has been a very exciting year meeting and speaking with people who have shared their knowledge with us. We have developed a wide range of skills, teamwork, communication and interview skills.
We have increased our knowledge about rearing our Angus calves. The National Ploughing Championships gave us an opportunity to meet farmers and food producers. We also got to meet with our sponsors, the Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP Ireland and the Kepak Group. We attended the Elite Angus Show in Carrick-on-Shannon in December, where we got an opportunity to speak to farmers and see the quality of Irish Angus stock on show.
We are all from farming backgrounds and studying agricultural science in Rice College, Westport, Co Mayo. Participation in this project is giving us the opportunity to put the theory into practice and it is giving us a better understanding of the production and marketing of certified Irish Angus beef.
Keep an eye on www.farmersjournal.ie for future Angus calves updates from Ciaran Calvey, Stephen Walsh and James Treacy from Rice College, Westport, and other schools in this competition.
Finalists of Angus schools competition celebrated at Ploughing 2016
SHARING OPTIONS