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Calving commenced on 7 March. Over the first five weeks, 58 cows and heifers, from a total of 94 due, have calved down.
By 11 April, 58 calves were on the ground, with three sets of twins helping make up for three losses. Most cows and heifers have calved unaided. Selecting sires with traits for low birth weights has helped produce calves ranging from 35-40kg.
Cows have been offered pre-calving minerals and ad-lib silage for the final eight weeks of gestation, after being fed a restricted diet based on body condition since housing.
The calves are lively at birth and quick to suckle. Cows are calved in individual pens and then moved to straw-bedded group housing, before being turned out to grass.
However, where weather is favourable they are turned straight out to grass from the calving pens. All cows receive a mineral bolus at turnout to cover any potential deficiencies.
Primary and booster vaccines to cover BVD, IBR and leptospirosis were administered in January. A vaccine was also used pre-calving to help control the main scour-causing viruses.
Calf performance since weaning
The performance of spring-2018 calves through winter has been excellent. All heifer calves received 1.5kg of meal along with ad-lib silage up until turnout.
The heifers currently sit well ahead of their targets, and are now at grass to ensure that they are settled on a grass-only diet well in advance of breeding in mid-May
This was to ensure heifers met their targets for breeding, after a poor conception to first service in a similar heifer group in 2018.
Twenty-five have been selected as suitable for breeding in 2019, with the group averaging 460kg on 28 March at 372 days of age. That represents a daily liveweight gain of 1.13kg from birth.
The heifers currently sit well ahead of their targets, and are now at grass to ensure that they are settled on a grass-only diet well in advance of breeding in mid-May.
These heifers will be synchronised to allow fixed-time AI. Proven Stabiliser sires Givendale Black Resolution and Premier will be used.
Bull beef finishing
All male progeny from the Abbey suckler herd are finished as young bulls. The target is to achieve an average carcase weight of 380kg by 14 months, with an average fat cover of 3.0.
At 200 days old, bulls averaged 328kg liveweight. On 3 April, at 375 days, they averaged 587kg. In total, it is a daily weight gain since birth of 1.45kg.
The young bulls are currently receiving high-quality silage (D-Value 73), along with a high-energy beef blend
There are many bulls within the group nearing their slaughter weight, with the first two bulls slaughtered on 9 April.
The young bulls are currently receiving high-quality silage (D-Value 73), along with a high-energy beef blend. The blend is being fed at a rate of 8kg/day split over two feeds.
Thirty-eight bulls are housed in four groups based on weight and will remain in these groups until slaughter.
Kick-starting grass growth
As a result of good winter growth, grass covers across the grazing platform are higher than normal at present, so it is important to get stock out as soon as possible, and grass under control in preparation for an expected increase in growth rates over the coming weeks.
Along with the 25 replacement heifers, the majority of freshly calved cows are also out grazing. Ewes and lambs have been able to go straight to grass this year after lambing, and out of 215 ewes only 18 remain to lamb.
P and K indices are optimal and therefore only nitrogen is required for grazing. Grazing areas received 50kg/acre of KAN 38% plus sulphur on 21 March. Silage ground received 2,000 gallons/acre of beef cattle slurry in February, along with one 50kg/acre of KAN 46%. It also received 125kg/acre of 22.0.11 plus sulphur as a second dressing on 20 March.
Review of benchmarking results
Similar to the other programme participants, the beef and sheep centre is benchmarked on a calendar basis.
Gross margin for the suckler enterprise was £986/ha for 2018.
A stocking rate of 2.33 cow equivalents per hectare (CE/ha) is achieved on the back of some excellent grass growth (12t DM/ha) and utilisation. Cow fertility is good, achieving a calving index in 2018 of 358 days.
Alongside the KTT suckler herd, there is also the sheep flock and a considerable store-to-beef operation at Abbey Farm.
Killing these bulls at a younger age will have a significant effect on gross margin per hectare
In 2018, young bulls averaged 380kg at slaughter at 435 days old. The plan must be to maintain these carcase weights but reduce the average age at slaughter to below 14 months (<420 days).
Killing these bulls at a younger age will have a significant effect on gross margin per hectare. In addition, achieving higher weight gains from birth to weaning will ultimately reduce feed costs during the finishing phase.
Going forward, the plan for the herd is to introduce more proven AI sires to help improve the rate of genetic gain.
AI allows the use of bulls with higher genetic merit and with a higher reliability than stock bulls. This year, Givendale Black Resolution will be used through AI. With a profit index of £20,312, this bull is in the top 1% of the Stabiliser breed.
Output per livestock unit on any suckler farm has a significant effect on gross margin and profitability. With this in mind, Table 2 outlines the long-term reproductive targets that are now in place on Abbey Farm.
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