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Often considered the “poor relation” of the agriculture sectors, beef farming needs to be efficient to survive, according to Kepak’s group livestock procurement and agricultural manager Jonathan Forbes.
Speaking during a recent visit to the Kepak feedlot, Forbes said everything in the feedlot, which is run independently to the processing division, is meticulously measured in order to maximise output and drive profit on the farm.
“Beef farming is considered to be the poor relation in terms of profit when it’s compared to other sectors, for example poultry or dairying. It’s sometimes frowned upon for being low profit and low margin but I believe there are real opportunities,” he said.
“Beef farming needs to be, in many ways, more efficient than these sectors because the margins are so tight.
“There is scope there to improve efficiency through focusing on genetics, health protocols, precise nutrition, and management practices."
The heifer shed on the Kepak feedlot.
He added: ““Somewhere between 30% and 50% of cattle in the country are in-spec for processing but I can confidently say that on our farm here, supported by a clearly defined buying-in policy and finishing programme, we’re in the high 90% for making the customer spec for cattle.”
Forbes was speaking as Kepak opened up its 3,500 head feedlot to the Macra na Feirme annual rally last weekend.
Approximately 70 cattle are bought and 70 cattle sold each week on the farm.
Where possible, cattle are sourced directly from farms as opposed to buying from marts, to reduce stress and eliminate disease. They have seen significant improvements in health/mortality rates, average daily liveweight gains and margins on the farm.
After a period of acclimatisation on the farm, all cattle are vaccinated within two to five days as well as having their tails and backs clipped.
“It’s about keeping stress to a minimum … a stressed animal is no use to me. Our period of opportunity to maximise gain is relatively short. I need each animal to perform from day one on farm. I cannot afford a period of zero performance,” Forbes said.
The cattle then spend between 90 days and 130 days on the farm before being slaughtered.
Finishing period
The finishing period of the cattle depends, largely, on the customer Kepak is supplying after slaughter.
Forbes said there is an onus on all aspects of beef farming to know their individual customer requirements and deliver what the next person in the chain wants as efficiently as possible.
“My target animal is a heifer under 16 months or young bull under 13 months, weighing 400kg to 500kg. The suckler farmer’s opportunity is to deliver what I’m looking for in terms of age and weight.
“I’m a customer of the Kepak meat business and I have to make sure that I’m giving them what their customer wants on the other side. Partnering along the supply chain is the way we all should be thinking.”
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