John farms 73ha of grassland with help from his wife, Elizabeth and three sons, William, Robert and Samuel. The farm carries a March/April spring calving herd of 45 cows and an August/September autumn calving herd of 22 cows. The farm also has a flock of 150 March lambing ewes.
Increasing herd output
There have been many changes made on John’s farm, over the past three years.
Changing the system requires a change in farm management. John told visitors that changes are carried out in a gradual manner, as opposed to wholesale overnight changes.
This gives more time to develop the new skills necessary to be able to manage the new aspects of the farm system. Gradually increasing cow numbers from 55 to 67 meant there was less pressure on labour and housing. It also avoided putting unnecessary pressure on cash flow by keeping additional heifers for breeding.
Producing more cattle from the same land area has been the main reason behind increasing the farm’s gross margin. An extra 13 cattle were slaughtered in 2012 compared with 2010. The extra sales and additional cows that calved in 2012 have helped to add £26,418 to the overall farm gross margin in 2012 compared with 2010.
Table 1 outlines the financial performance of the farm to a gross margin level, which is basically sales minus grassland, concentrates and veterinary costs. Gross margin per cow increased from £271 in 2010, to £500 in 2011 and £611 in 2012. This translates to a gross margin per hectare of £652/ha in 2012, which is more than double the corresponding figure for 2010.
Grassland
Being located in south Fermanagh, the farm faces an annual challenge with the weather to manage grass and get the most from the grazing season. Land type on the farm is a mix of free draining ground to heavy clay and peaty soils. With over 80 acres of land reseeded in the past 10 years, grass quality is excellent.
John outlined how the changes to grassland management have been relatively straightforward and have delivered huge benefits. Grass is measured weekly by John and William. It has helped them to develop the skills and confidence to make the right decision as to when to graze, reseed or close and remove surplus grass as baled silage.
John said: “We are also in the middle of splitting larger fields into smaller paddocks. When you put your mind to it, it’s not a big job. It only takes a few stakes and wire once you have sorted the water supply.”
Grazing paddocks were initially set up by installing electric wire to split fields into two to three divisions, with one field split into eight. When it comes to paddock grazing, there is little point in trying to do too much too soon if you cannot manage the grass.
Grassland costs were £132/cow in 2012, which includes reseeding and is almost £70/cow lower than 2011. The rotational paddock system has increased grass yields as over 90 bales of surplus grass have been removed from the grazing area this year. Grazing costs for 2013 are £0.16 to produce one kilogram of liveweight in cattle. This is in comparison to £1.60 to £1.80 per kilogram when cattle are housed. Being located in an LFA area, John uses on/off grazing to get autumn calves and yearling cattle back to grass in February and early March. This has helped to cut the concentrate use on farm during the winter and avail of cheap weight gain from grass.
Fertility
Along with grassland management, the other area of the farm that excels is breeding. Calving interval has reduced from 415 days in 2009 to 383 days in 2013. The effect of the lower calving interval means that in a 67-cow herd, there are 64 calves born annually. Compare this to 59 calves born in a 67-cow herd with a calving interval of 415 days. If a weaned calf is worth £700, the extra calves born each year would add £3,500 to the herd output.
All cows are bred through artificial insemination and have two cycles to conceive before culling. The herd has a conception to first service of over 90%. Tight culling, excellent management and having cows in the correct body condition are crucial to achieving high fertility. Herd health is also an important factor and calves are screened for BVD.
While the calves and yearling cattle are back at grass by early March, the cows will not get to grass until late March, or early April, depending on the weather. The spring herd has moved calving dates to match the turnout date, so that cows go to spring grass within days after calving.
Similarly, the autumn herd has been pulled forward from October to calve in August so that cows are on good quality silage aftermath post calving. Moving freshly calved cows to good quality grass helps to bring them back into heat quickly as they are on a rising plane of nutrition.
The calving dates mean that John is making the most from grazed grass within his system, especially in the autumn bull beef system, as bulls are housed for finishing at a target liveweight of 450kg. Table 2 shows the progress that has been made in the calving pattern over the past three years.
The calving spread has tightened into two distinct calving periods in spring and autumn of eight weeks in 2012, although this may increase to 10 weeks in 2014 due to the weather effects of this spring.
KEY MESSAGES
Make changes gradually to the farm system so that you can adjust your management practice and develop the required skills.Increase stocking rate to produce more output from the same land area.Invest in reseeding to be able to carry higher stocking rate and have a longer growing season.Grazing costs for the farm are £0.16/kg of liveweight gain at grass compared with £1.80/kg indoors, so maximise cattle performance at grass.Tight calving will help to improve herd fertility and reduce calving interval, producing more calves each year.Match the calving period with grass growth and to suit the market in which cattle will be sold.*This article was first published by the Irish Farmers Journal on 21 September 2013 following an NISBP Open Day John Egerton’s farm.
John farms 73ha of grassland with help from his wife, Elizabeth and three sons, William, Robert and Samuel. The farm carries a March/April spring calving herd of 45 cows and an August/September autumn calving herd of 22 cows. The farm also has a flock of 150 March lambing ewes.
Increasing herd output
There have been many changes made on John’s farm, over the past three years.
Changing the system requires a change in farm management. John told visitors that changes are carried out in a gradual manner, as opposed to wholesale overnight changes.
This gives more time to develop the new skills necessary to be able to manage the new aspects of the farm system. Gradually increasing cow numbers from 55 to 67 meant there was less pressure on labour and housing. It also avoided putting unnecessary pressure on cash flow by keeping additional heifers for breeding.
Producing more cattle from the same land area has been the main reason behind increasing the farm’s gross margin. An extra 13 cattle were slaughtered in 2012 compared with 2010. The extra sales and additional cows that calved in 2012 have helped to add £26,418 to the overall farm gross margin in 2012 compared with 2010.
Table 1 outlines the financial performance of the farm to a gross margin level, which is basically sales minus grassland, concentrates and veterinary costs. Gross margin per cow increased from £271 in 2010, to £500 in 2011 and £611 in 2012. This translates to a gross margin per hectare of £652/ha in 2012, which is more than double the corresponding figure for 2010.
Grassland
Being located in south Fermanagh, the farm faces an annual challenge with the weather to manage grass and get the most from the grazing season. Land type on the farm is a mix of free draining ground to heavy clay and peaty soils. With over 80 acres of land reseeded in the past 10 years, grass quality is excellent.
John outlined how the changes to grassland management have been relatively straightforward and have delivered huge benefits. Grass is measured weekly by John and William. It has helped them to develop the skills and confidence to make the right decision as to when to graze, reseed or close and remove surplus grass as baled silage.
John said: “We are also in the middle of splitting larger fields into smaller paddocks. When you put your mind to it, it’s not a big job. It only takes a few stakes and wire once you have sorted the water supply.”
Grazing paddocks were initially set up by installing electric wire to split fields into two to three divisions, with one field split into eight. When it comes to paddock grazing, there is little point in trying to do too much too soon if you cannot manage the grass.
Grassland costs were £132/cow in 2012, which includes reseeding and is almost £70/cow lower than 2011. The rotational paddock system has increased grass yields as over 90 bales of surplus grass have been removed from the grazing area this year. Grazing costs for 2013 are £0.16 to produce one kilogram of liveweight in cattle. This is in comparison to £1.60 to £1.80 per kilogram when cattle are housed. Being located in an LFA area, John uses on/off grazing to get autumn calves and yearling cattle back to grass in February and early March. This has helped to cut the concentrate use on farm during the winter and avail of cheap weight gain from grass.
Fertility
Along with grassland management, the other area of the farm that excels is breeding. Calving interval has reduced from 415 days in 2009 to 383 days in 2013. The effect of the lower calving interval means that in a 67-cow herd, there are 64 calves born annually. Compare this to 59 calves born in a 67-cow herd with a calving interval of 415 days. If a weaned calf is worth £700, the extra calves born each year would add £3,500 to the herd output.
All cows are bred through artificial insemination and have two cycles to conceive before culling. The herd has a conception to first service of over 90%. Tight culling, excellent management and having cows in the correct body condition are crucial to achieving high fertility. Herd health is also an important factor and calves are screened for BVD.
While the calves and yearling cattle are back at grass by early March, the cows will not get to grass until late March, or early April, depending on the weather. The spring herd has moved calving dates to match the turnout date, so that cows go to spring grass within days after calving.
Similarly, the autumn herd has been pulled forward from October to calve in August so that cows are on good quality silage aftermath post calving. Moving freshly calved cows to good quality grass helps to bring them back into heat quickly as they are on a rising plane of nutrition.
The calving dates mean that John is making the most from grazed grass within his system, especially in the autumn bull beef system, as bulls are housed for finishing at a target liveweight of 450kg. Table 2 shows the progress that has been made in the calving pattern over the past three years.
The calving spread has tightened into two distinct calving periods in spring and autumn of eight weeks in 2012, although this may increase to 10 weeks in 2014 due to the weather effects of this spring.
KEY MESSAGES
Make changes gradually to the farm system so that you can adjust your management practice and develop the required skills.Increase stocking rate to produce more output from the same land area.Invest in reseeding to be able to carry higher stocking rate and have a longer growing season.Grazing costs for the farm are £0.16/kg of liveweight gain at grass compared with £1.80/kg indoors, so maximise cattle performance at grass.Tight calving will help to improve herd fertility and reduce calving interval, producing more calves each year.Match the calving period with grass growth and to suit the market in which cattle will be sold.*This article was first published by the Irish Farmers Journal on 21 September 2013 following an NISBP Open Day John Egerton’s farm.
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