Oliver McKenna has made significant progress within his farm business in recent years. In 2013, he had 38 suckler cows kept across 88 acres. In 2016 he calved down 50 cows and by 2017 he hopes to have 60 cows calving in his herd across a total land base of 96 acres, 62 of which are owned.

However, in Oliver’s system there is little point increasing stocking rate if the additional numbers mean a significant rise in costs of production, especially on the back of bought-in concentrate feed. His focus remains on getting the best performance possible from grazed grass, and having a system in place that is flexible enough to withstand the challenges from the weather in this part of Co Tyrone.

Listen to an interview with Oliver in our podcast below:

At a farm walk this Thursday night, Oliver outlined to members of the Ulster Grassland Society (UGS) how his system works in practice. His land type is typical for the area with some free-draining areas combined with some heavy, wet land.

Two calving blocks

To make the most of the grass produced, the herd is split into two distinct calving blocks of spring and autumn. The autumn herd might deliver lower margins per head, but provides more flexibility and still adds to overall farm output and profit. Dry autumn cows can be housed if there is wet weather during the summer with no setback on performance. Autumn-born calves can go out early in the spring (February onwards) with minimal damage to paddocks.

The farm is split into two- to three-day paddocks, lime has been added to correct soil pH (now above 6 across the farm) and a regular reseeding policy is in place. “I am currently growing around 10t grass dry matter per hectare. With more fertiliser I could possibly grow slightly more. I generally use varieties with good density to minimise poaching damage,” said Oliver.

Weekly grass measurement

Weekly grass measurement has allowed Oliver to identify any surpluses, and 40 bales have been taken off the grazing block this year. The aim at present is to build up a surplus on paddocks to allow spring calving cows to graze into the autumn.

However, it has been a difficult year for grassland management. Cattle were in and out a few times throughout April, and it has not always been possible to graze out paddocks to targets. Last week, Oliver re-housed some dry autumn calving cows, and on 17 August he housed 2015 spring-born steers and autumn-born bulls for finishing before the end of the year.

I want a 600 to 650kg cow, not a 800 to 900kg anima

His cow base is mainly Simmental and Limousin crosses, with some Hereford breeding also used. “That bit of traditional breeding helps retain condition on cows. I want a 600 to 650kg cow, not a 800 to 900kg animal,” said Oliver.

In the last three years he has also used more artificial insemination (AI) across the herd, and is moving towards 100% AI in future years. “AI has worked well for me. It has actually resulted in improved fertility as I am now paying more attention to individual cows” he said. The proof of that is in his 2016 scanning results for his spring herd. After 10 weeks of breeding (seven weeks of AI, and three weeks with the bull), 28 out of 29 cows scanned in-calf, along with 11 out of 12 heifers. All heifers are calved at two years.

Surplus in-calf heifers

With the aim to build numbers from within the herd, Oliver has been picking bulls with strong maternal traits. He now has a surplus of in-calf heifers, and the option of either selling these heifers, or pushing cow numbers to 70. To do that, he will have to consider keeping spring-born male calves as bulls to reduce pressure on grazing.

In 2015, the output from the farm totalled £1,047 per hectare (€1,231/ha) with a gross margin per hectare of £660 (€776). Crucial to that is getting the most possible from grass. “Better grassland management means cattle are eating better quality grass and growing faster. My policy has been to improve the ground I own rather than taking a lot of conacre, and to control the things that are in my control,” said Oliver.

Oliver is one of 10 farmers participating in the Northern Ireland Suckler Beef Programme (NISBP), a joint initiative between the Irish Farmers Journal, CAFRE and ABP Food Group.

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