A beef feature in May 2014 detailing how Tipperary farmers Michael and Kathleen Flynn produced Hereford steers with an average carcase weight of 350kg to 370kg at 20 to 22 months of age attracted close farmer attention.

At the time of the article, the family was expanding its dairy beef enterprise from 46 Hereford calves in 2013 to 80 calves in 2014.

The increase in numbers was not originally planned, but came about through the family winning the Irish Hereford Prime calf competition (received 30 calves – 15 free and 15 purchased).

A recent visit to the farm, ahead of an upcoming farm walk, showed the enterprise has continued to excel.

Calf numbers increased to 100 this spring, although this has occurred at the expense of the suckler cow herd which has reduced to 24 cows (from 50 in 2014).

Steady performance

Despite the higher numbers, the farm has maintained its initial strong performance.

A recent weighing of 2014-born progeny by ICBF shows steers ranging from an average of 450kg to 550kg at 15 to 17 months of age. A small number of the older top-performing steers are in the range of 570kg to 600kg.

Looking at daily liveweight gain, Hereford steers have gained from 1.2kg to 1.3kg since going to grass in early March.

On a lifetime basis, the steers, sourced from the dairy herd, have achieved an excellent lifetime gain of 0.85kg to 0.95kg, with the top-performing animals coming close to 1kg per day.

This leaves 2014-born progeny on target to achieve the 350kg to 360kg carcase weight target that Michael has set for the farm.

The most forward steers will be finished off grass and concentrate supplementation from mid-September to the end of November, with supplementation starting at 2kg to 3kg per head and rising to 5kg as grass quantity and quality declines.

A portion of the lighter animals will be housed and finished on high-quality grass silage and 5kg concentrates, with a target sale date coinciding with hitting demand for the Christmas period.

System principles

The success of the farming system is attributed to a number of key areas, outlined here.

Long grazing season

Land type on the farm gives potential for a long grazing season, which Michael has always focused on maximising.

“This year, heifers went to grass at the end of February and bullocks at the start of March. They came in for a few days, but stayed out permanently from 10 March. No amount of silage or meal can beat getting stores out early and ready for grass once growth lifts.”

Regular reseeding

Michael views reseeding as central to maximising the length of the grazing season. A reseeding programme is in place, with fields reseeded on a five- to seven-year basis.

“There is a cost to reseeding, but it is well covered by being able to get stock out early in spring and keep them out in autumn. I’m stocked very high, but still find myself having enough grass.

“I think this is the secret. There is no point reseeding if you are not going to take advantage of it and drive grass growth. There is also less problems with grazing late in the season as fields recover faster for early spring grazing.”

Paddock system

A rotational grazing system has always been practised on the farm, but since reducing suckler numbers, more paddocks have been erected to divide larger fields. This is serving to better match grass supply to demand and helps maintain high-quality grass for young calves.

The family has introduced a number of permanent field divisions over the last two years.

“I was working with a lot of temporary fences and wire reels. These work great, but having even one permanent divide in a field makes it easier to work temporary divisions and run reels off.”

Calf quality

Michael and Kathleen are great believers in the phrase “the day you buy is the day you sell”. The aim is to source good-quality, healthy calves direct off farms.

Attention to detail

Kathleen says that operating a regular routine helps to keep calves settled.

Health concerns are seen as critical in young calves, with a few cases of mortality linked to coccidiosis this spring. Health protocols are being put in place to deal with the larger number of calves coming on-farm.

Michael and Kathleen Flynn and family (Michael, Mark, Alan and Paul) farm in Puckane, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

The family hosts an Irish Hereford Prime calf to beef open day on Wednesday 12 August at 2pm. Topics to be covered include all aspects of the farming system and the economics of Hereford calf to beef systems.