Wet weather

With a lot of rain after falling this week, and with more forecast, ground conditions, particularly on heavy soils, are deteriorating fast. Luckily, most farms have built up good covers of grass thanks to strong grass growth rates of late. Where underfoot conditions are still relatively OK, the goal is to maximise grass utilisation and minimise ground damage. Small, daily allocations of grass is the way to do this. Keeping cattle full should keep them settled. If possible, move the fence in the evening so they can feed and lie down for the night.

Where grass is disappearing fast, demand needs to be reduced. This means either allocating meal at grass or, if land is too wet, housing stock - dry if possible. Finishing animals should be first to go indoors.

BEEP

Understanding and following the weighing requirements of BEEP is still proving complicated for some farmers. I spoke to Chris Daly of ICBF recently to find out what the most common issues are. He said registering the weighing scales is proving to be a big issue – either doing it wrong or not doing it at all.

When weighing, you must be using a registered scales. If you have registered your own scales, the number will be on the ICBF system. If you are borrowing a scales or availing of a weighing technician, you must get the registration number from the farmer/technician and submit it with the weights. If renting from a depot, the number will be automatically recorded on the system. Cows and calves must be weighed on the same day – ideally when the calf is between 150-250 days old. Weights must be submitted to the ICBF database no later than seven days after weighing.

BEAM

Speaking to some farmers during the week, I noticed there is much confusion about whether or not cull cows can be counted in the number of slaughtered cattle within the reference period. The scheme details state that payment will be granted on “bovine animals aged over 12 months presented to a slaughtering establishment in the period 24 September 2018 to 12 May 2019, inclusive.” Therefore, this does include cull cows. When applying for the scheme, you can see the total number of qualifying animals. Applications for BEAM must be made online before Sunday 8 September.

Dates for the diary

There are a number of beef walks coming up this autumn. First up is a double-header of BETTER farm beef challenge events. On Tuesday 10 September, John and James Flaherty host a walk on their suckler to beef farm in CastleIsland, Co Kerry. On Thursday 12 September, Tommy Holmes opens up the gates of his suckler- and store-to-beef holding in Ballina, Co Mayo. Both walks take place at 5pm.

On Wednesday 25 September from 3pm to 6pm, Knottown Salers breeders and national pedigree winners of the FBD €uro-Star €200 competition, Joe and Richard Fortune will host a farm walk near Wexford town.