This is a subscriber-only article
The most recent Newford Farm update published on www.farmersjournal.ie reported on the last 14 bullocks drafted achieving a carcase weight of 341kg.
There have been some queries in the last week exploring if the farm would be better placed in bringing these animals to heavier weights and delaying slaughter until the end of the year or well into 2021.
Winter finishing budgets
The farm has experiences with both of these finishing timelines from recent years and this information is taken into account when assessing winter finishing budgets.
The type of bullock on Newford Farm has generally averaged in the region of 1kg to 1.1kg liveweight during the finishing phase on a diet of ad-lib high-quality (70 DMD+) silage and 6kg to 8kg concentrate supplementation.
This year’s bullocks are being finished on ad-lib bale silage and are estimated to be consuming 25kg silage on a fresh weight basis (5.5kg to 6kg DM) along with 6kg concentrates.
Taking a silage cost of €30/t equates to a daily silage cost of 75c/day, while concentrates are costing €248/t or €1.49/day. This gives a daily feed cost of €2.24/kg.
Daily performance
If we equate this back to daily performance of bullocks, the cost per kilo of liveweight gain is €2.04/kg at 1.1kg daily liveweight gain (DLWG) and €2.24/kg at 1kg DLWG.
The kill-out of Newford bullocks is generally in the region of 54%, meaning a kilo of carcase gain is costing in the region of €3.78/kg to €4.15/kg. This is without including any fixed cost into the equation.
For this reason, the objective on Newford Farm is to find the best balance between fat cover, liveweight and level of finish to promote carcase conformation and kill-out.
Once animals satisfy these objectives, then there is no benefit in the system of retaining animals to heavier weights just to record higher carcase weights.
Each farm is different
This is the policy on Newford Farm and it will differ to other farms, depending on the type of animal being finished, the typical performance during the finishing phase and also other aspects, such as the potential to purchase feed inputs at lower prices or secure higher prices from the market.
The important message to take is that it is important for each farm to complete a finishing budget that accurately reflects the situation on the individual farm.
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