This is a subscriber-only article
The son of an Angus and Shorthorn breeder from the small village of Kilmore, Co Roscommon, Joe Gilfillan was sent to Warrenstown Agricultural College in Meath in 1966. The campus is less than two miles from what is now Teagasc Grange research centre and it was here, on a field trip, that Joe had his first experience of Charolais cattle.
“I saw the power and muscling that they had and thought to myself, there’s something in these …”
Back in those days the 150-acre family farm was home to a small 20-cow suckler herd and a store enterprise. When Joe returned from ag college, his dad gave him the reins – a “wonderful thing” according to Joe.
White beginnings
“It was rare in those days, but I was given the decision-making power. In the following years I started bringing in Charolais cattle and making silage – we were among the first farms in the area to make silage. I can remember a crowd gathering in the field the first time the harvester was in action.
“We really saw the benefits of the Charolais breed in the years after the big cattle-price crash of ’74. I took my chances and bought 70 Charolais bullocks cheap. Back then we sold most of our cattle live in the marts, but the following year when the time came to sell, I wasn’t happy with the prices on offer – even though things had recovered slightly.
Joe and his father brought the cattle home from the mart and finished them themselves. The slaughter performance and prices they commanded far exceeded their expectations and the farm has stuck to this self-finishing system ever since.
“I bought my first pedigree heifer from breeder Bart Monaghan in 1974 and we established a pedigree herd here in Kilmore. At one point we were running 30 pedigree cows – I’m back to just six now.
Joe has been on the council of the Irish Charolais Cattle Society since 1977. He has toured the world representing the Irish contingent as a part of his duties and picked up some interesting ideals along the way.
Embrace ICBF
“I’m a die-hard Charolais man, but this elephant-type cow is not the way forward. The commercial man now is so much more in tune to a handier, milkier, more maternal cow, and ease of calving is crucial. Even here on my own farm I’m running 20 Angus cows along with the Charolais ladies.
“This year is my 40th on the council and I’ve been president of the Charolais society on three occasions. But though my passion lies with Charolais, you can’t hide the fact that they are a terminal breed. People often find it strange that I keep these smaller black cows, but the reality is that they’re a better fit for what I’m doing.
“As breeders, we need to move away from these monstrous cows, toward a more compact animal with milk.
“While it isn’t perfect in my opinion, the Beef Data and Genomics Programme is a step in the right direction. We must embrace it and work with ICBF or the commercial man will move away from selecting Charolais altogether.”
At home
Over the years, Joe has expanded the farm to a land base of 175 acres and built a number of slatted units. The spring-calving suckler herd runs in tandem with a weanling to steer-beef system. Joe breeds his cows solely to AI sires, using LZF, LGL, FSZ, GKA, GHX and TXG in 2016.
To keep the calving pattern tight and reduce the workload, Joe uses synchronisation techniques and a vasectomised bull during the breeding season. All of the progeny are slaughtered at 24 months.
“To complement my own, I buy 50-55 Charolais weanlings in Carrigallen, Mohill and Elphin marts each back-end.
“I give €1,050 for a 350kg weanling. For the first winter he gets 2kg of a 16% crude-protein weanling ration and good-quality silage – I make my first-cut silage at the end of May. The ration costs €320/t and the silage €20 per bale. They get to grass in the first week of April (all going well) and rotationally graze until mid-November, at which point I hope to house them around 650kg.
Between then and the first week of March, Joe offers a finishing ration (€271/t) and good-quality silage again. During finishing, cattle will build toward 8-9kg of ration in the final weeks, averaging 5.5kg for the complete period.
“I aim for a U-grade, 440-450kg carcase. I kill in Kepak Athleague and we’re lucky in that carcase weights have not yet been an issue for us. That being said, weight limits are the big elephant in the room for the Charolais breed.”
Table 1 outlines the liveweight targets, buying/selling costs and margin over feed in Joe’s steer beef system. He is left with approximately €159/head to cover veterinary costs, fixed costs and take a margin.
While this figure is low, there is no existing debt on the farm. However, Joe does use some casual labour – local man Gary Notley – on the farm when needed.
SHARING OPTIONS: