John Purcell runs a 950ac organic unit outside Cashel, Co Tipperary, producing over 1,000 finished beef cattle per year.
While operating over a number of land parcels, both owned and leased, the main block of owned ground consists of 500ac (203ha) and it is here that the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and Bord Bia held their national organic farm walk on Wednesday 28 September.
The farm buys in store cattle between 400kg and 450kg liveweight, typically at around 18 to 20 months old. Around 30% of cattle are purchased at organic livestock marts while the other 70% are sourced directly from farms.
The farm operates both heifer and steer systems and a wide range of breeds are used. In 2021, 36% were Angus, 21% Limousin, 19% Charolais, 13% Hereford. There were 3% each of Simmental, Aubrac and Shorthorn, with the final 2% a mixture of other breeds.
Animal performance
The farm aims to have cattle fit for slaughter all year round. Buying at various times of the year and the fact that different breeds come fit for slaughter at different times and weights allows for this. The aim is to slaughter heifers at 24 months old at around 330kg carcase weight while bullocks average 30 months and 360kg. Figure 1 outlines the age profile of stock drafted for slaughter in 2021 while Figure 2 shows the range in carcase weights. In terms of carcase specification, 66% graded R, 30% graded O, 3.8% U and 0.2% graded P for conformation. Fat score 3 and 4 accounted for almost 42% each, 3% had a fat score of 5 while 12.6 were 2 and 1% had a fat score of 1.
Crop rotation
The aim is to produce all the feed requirements within the farm gate. For indoor finishing, John has found that red and white clover silages are sufficient to get traditional breed types over the line while for continental breeds a higher-energy diet is required. For this reason, the farm grows combination crops of peas and barley which are harvested as wholecrop silage.
There is a six-year rotation in place on the farm which is as follows:
Year 1: Combination crop peas/oats/clovers harvested as wholecrop silage.Year 2: Combination crop of peas and barley. This is undersown with a grass clover mix. Combi crop is harvested as wholecrop silage, leaving grass/clover ley.Year 3 to 6: Grass/clover ley is left for three and a half years of grazing as well as some grass silage. Soil fertility
As no chemical fertiliser can be spread on organic land, the farm relies on farm yard manure (FYM) and slurry from the finishing cattle for nutrients.
The FYM is applied at a rate of 8t/acre before ploughing in preparation for the cereal crops while grassland gets around 1,500gal/acre of slurry in spring via a trailing shoe with land cut for silage given an additional 1,500gal/acre post-cutting to replace nutrient offtake. There is also a strong emphasis on soil pH with regular liming taking place as required.
In recent years the Purcells have started composting FYM. This involves aerating and mixing the organic material to produce a high-value soil conditioner.
Composting means nutrients are more stable which reduces losses; the mass of manure is reduced which makes handling easier; and weed seeds, pests and diseases are killed due to the high temperatures reached during the process.
However, there are extra handling costs in order to make the compost.
Grassland
Cattle are grazed in various sized groups depending on the size of paddocks and time of year. Stock enter 8cm to 10cm sward heights and graze down to 4cm to 5cm. The clover proportion of grazing mixes is mostly white clover so such a low post-grazing sward height is not an issue. Topping is used regularly after grazing to tiller the sward. Topping is also a method of weed control in organic systems. Grass is undersown at a rate of 14.5kg/acre in the year two combi crop:
15% clover: 10% white clover, 3% red clover, 2% yellow clover.42% low grasses: 29% perennial ryegrass, 5% red fescue, 8% smooth meadow grass.43% tall grasses: 25% festololium, 5% cocksfoot, 13% timothy.Profitability
Profitability figures for the Purcells’ farm enterprise were displayed on the day and are detailed in Table 1.
It shows a net margin (excluding depreciation and labour but including a land cost) of €112/head.
This is based on production figures alone and excludes any BPS or what would be an organic payment of €300/ha for the first two years and €250/ha for the following three years thereafter.
One point to note is that at 400kg at an average purchase age of 18 months, performance on the rearing farm averaged 0.65kg/day and so there is likely a compensatory growth boost being seen on the farm once they arrive which saw heifers gain 1.1kg/day and bullocks gain 0.9kg/day post-arrival.
John Purcell runs a 950ac organic unit outside Cashel, Co Tipperary, producing over 1,000 finished beef cattle per year.
While operating over a number of land parcels, both owned and leased, the main block of owned ground consists of 500ac (203ha) and it is here that the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and Bord Bia held their national organic farm walk on Wednesday 28 September.
The farm buys in store cattle between 400kg and 450kg liveweight, typically at around 18 to 20 months old. Around 30% of cattle are purchased at organic livestock marts while the other 70% are sourced directly from farms.
The farm operates both heifer and steer systems and a wide range of breeds are used. In 2021, 36% were Angus, 21% Limousin, 19% Charolais, 13% Hereford. There were 3% each of Simmental, Aubrac and Shorthorn, with the final 2% a mixture of other breeds.
Animal performance
The farm aims to have cattle fit for slaughter all year round. Buying at various times of the year and the fact that different breeds come fit for slaughter at different times and weights allows for this. The aim is to slaughter heifers at 24 months old at around 330kg carcase weight while bullocks average 30 months and 360kg. Figure 1 outlines the age profile of stock drafted for slaughter in 2021 while Figure 2 shows the range in carcase weights. In terms of carcase specification, 66% graded R, 30% graded O, 3.8% U and 0.2% graded P for conformation. Fat score 3 and 4 accounted for almost 42% each, 3% had a fat score of 5 while 12.6 were 2 and 1% had a fat score of 1.
Crop rotation
The aim is to produce all the feed requirements within the farm gate. For indoor finishing, John has found that red and white clover silages are sufficient to get traditional breed types over the line while for continental breeds a higher-energy diet is required. For this reason, the farm grows combination crops of peas and barley which are harvested as wholecrop silage.
There is a six-year rotation in place on the farm which is as follows:
Year 1: Combination crop peas/oats/clovers harvested as wholecrop silage.Year 2: Combination crop of peas and barley. This is undersown with a grass clover mix. Combi crop is harvested as wholecrop silage, leaving grass/clover ley.Year 3 to 6: Grass/clover ley is left for three and a half years of grazing as well as some grass silage. Soil fertility
As no chemical fertiliser can be spread on organic land, the farm relies on farm yard manure (FYM) and slurry from the finishing cattle for nutrients.
The FYM is applied at a rate of 8t/acre before ploughing in preparation for the cereal crops while grassland gets around 1,500gal/acre of slurry in spring via a trailing shoe with land cut for silage given an additional 1,500gal/acre post-cutting to replace nutrient offtake. There is also a strong emphasis on soil pH with regular liming taking place as required.
In recent years the Purcells have started composting FYM. This involves aerating and mixing the organic material to produce a high-value soil conditioner.
Composting means nutrients are more stable which reduces losses; the mass of manure is reduced which makes handling easier; and weed seeds, pests and diseases are killed due to the high temperatures reached during the process.
However, there are extra handling costs in order to make the compost.
Grassland
Cattle are grazed in various sized groups depending on the size of paddocks and time of year. Stock enter 8cm to 10cm sward heights and graze down to 4cm to 5cm. The clover proportion of grazing mixes is mostly white clover so such a low post-grazing sward height is not an issue. Topping is used regularly after grazing to tiller the sward. Topping is also a method of weed control in organic systems. Grass is undersown at a rate of 14.5kg/acre in the year two combi crop:
15% clover: 10% white clover, 3% red clover, 2% yellow clover.42% low grasses: 29% perennial ryegrass, 5% red fescue, 8% smooth meadow grass.43% tall grasses: 25% festololium, 5% cocksfoot, 13% timothy.Profitability
Profitability figures for the Purcells’ farm enterprise were displayed on the day and are detailed in Table 1.
It shows a net margin (excluding depreciation and labour but including a land cost) of €112/head.
This is based on production figures alone and excludes any BPS or what would be an organic payment of €300/ha for the first two years and €250/ha for the following three years thereafter.
One point to note is that at 400kg at an average purchase age of 18 months, performance on the rearing farm averaged 0.65kg/day and so there is likely a compensatory growth boost being seen on the farm once they arrive which saw heifers gain 1.1kg/day and bullocks gain 0.9kg/day post-arrival.
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