Ger McSweeney is running a simple and effective suckler-to-beef system on 40ha near Millstreet in Co Cork.

Twenty-six out of the 40ha are rented. Land type in the area is mainly heavy.

At present, the suckler herd consists of 36 continental- and dairy-cross cows. Male progeny are slaughtered under 16 months. Aside from those kept as replacements, females are brought to beef at 20 to 24 months.

Bull weanlings

Bull weanlings are performing well. One of the next jobs will be to weigh these calves and their dams for BEEP. Pneumonia vaccines will also be given in early August to allow time for the booster prior to housing.

Bull weanlings will not receive concentrates prior to housing.

Heifer weanlings

Weanling heifers will also be weighed and vaccinated for pneumonia soon. These heifers will go either two ways - for breeding or for beef.

Increased usage of AI means that heifers with high-genetic merit can be sourced from within the herd. Ger hopes to have a fully closed herd in the next three years.

Beef heifers

The 11 spring 2018-born heifers, not being kept as replacements, will soon be started on concentrates.

The plan is to slaughter these off grass before December. They will start on 2kg to 3kg per head per day and build up to between 5kg and 7kg, depending on grass quality.

Any suckler cows that scan not in-calf will join these for feeding, for slaughter off the grass before winter too.

Grass

Ger has already grown the same amount of grass in the first seven months of 2019 that he did in all of 2018. This includes a total of 400 silage bales. All bales are labelled with the paddock number they came from. This will help to manage silage quality for various stock groups.

By the end of August, he hopes to have at least 100 more bales than he needs for the winter.

For full details on grass on the farm, and how Ger plans to meet his programme targets, see this week's Irish Farmers Journal.