Finishing cattle
Kieran Mailey on 23 Mar 2021
Beef management: making sure finishing cattle are not overstocked
Providing adequate lying space is something that is often overlooked in finishing cattle, yet will greatly hinder weight gain if not addressed.
Declan Marren on 24 Feb 2021
Assessing sire performance on the Thrive demonstration farm
There is huge variation between sires used on the Thrive demonstration farm, both across and within breed. Declan Marren writes.
Kieran Mailey on 24 Feb 2021
NI Trends: beef prices steady with quotes unchanged; hogget prices on the rise
Beef prices in Northern Ireland are holding steady with deals on offer for in-spec cattle. Prices continue to strenghten for hoggets.
Kieran Mailey on 17 Feb 2021
BETTER farm NI: £233/ha gross margin increase for steer systems
Programme farms have been benchmarked for 2020, with the results to be featured over the coming weeks, starting with the four farms operating store or steer finishing systems. Kieran Mailey reports.
Adam Woods on 03 Feb 2021
Tullamore Farm bulls: to sell or to finish?
Adam Woods takes a look at the Tullamore Farm bull performance and asks the question whether the 2020-born bulls would be better sold live or finished.
Siobhán Walsh on 03 Feb 2021
Looking at strategies to reduce methane emissions
Regularly we see images of cattle on the news as part of the climate problem, but solutions to reduce methane emissions are being brought forward.
Kieran Mailey on 26 Jan 2021
Beef management: moving store cattle into the finishing period
Weighing store cattle and doing up a simple budget in early will leave farmers better placed when deciding if a margin can be made by finishing such animals out of the shed.
Kieran Mailey on 20 Jan 2021
BETTER farm NI: autumn cows scanned back in-calf
All autumn cows are back in-calf on Declan Rafferty and Aidan Quinn's farm, with animals set to calve over six weeks next August.
Darren Carty on 13 Jan 2021
Rubber slat mats deliver benefit in Teagasc finishing trial
A study carried out in grange recorded a 0.17kg higher daily liveweight in animals housed on rubber mats placed on concrete slatted floors compared to animals housed on just a concrete slatted floor.
Darren Carty on 06 Jan 2021
Effect of space allowance and floor type on performance
The recent Teagasc beef conference included a detailed presentation by Dr Bernadette Earley reviewing the performance of finishing cattle at various stocking rates and floor types.
Declan Marren on 22 Dec 2020
Watch: Thrive cattle drafted for slaughter
This week, 25 more cattle were drafted for slaughter leaving just five finishing cattle on farm for Christmas.
Declan Marren on 19 Dec 2020
In pictures: slaughter performance of Thrive bullocks
The latest batch of bullocks were slaughtered this week from the Thrive demonstration farm. Declan Marren takes a look at carcase weight, kill-out percentages and conformation and fat scores.
Kieran Mailey on 16 Dec 2020
NI trends: base quotes edging upwards for cattle; lamb prices also rising
Factory quotes for prime cattle have increased to 370p/kg, with quotes on slaughter-fit lambs rising by 5p/kg.
Kieran Mailey on 16 Dec 2020
To finish or store cattle - that is the question
With higher ration prices, an abundance of silage and little movement on beef price, more farmers are considering storing cattle all winter. Kieran Mailey looks at the merits and options.
Kieran Mailey on 05 Dec 2020
Beef management: five tips for moving cattle on to finishing diets
Where store cattle are moving on to high concentrate diets for intensive finishing, follow the outlined tips to get the best return from animals over winter.
Declan Marren on 02 Dec 2020
Thrive: when margins are tight, drafting must be right
Drafting for slaughter continues on the Thrive demo farm. Declan Marren provides an update from the farm.
Amy Forde on 26 Nov 2020
Teagasc beef conference takes place online next week
The latest beef research from Teagasc Grange and technical advice for beef farmers will be presented at the Teagasc beef conference next week.
Adam Woods on 11 Nov 2020
Big BEAM problems could lie ahead
Adam Woods takes a look at how farmers can make sure they comply with the BEAM scheme.
Declan Marren on 11 Nov 2020
Watch: housing for 2020-born calves on Thrive demo farm
Declan Marren provides an update from the Thrive demonstration farm, where housing is due to take place for this year’s calves later this week.
Declan Marren on 08 Nov 2020
Thrive: housing delays drafting cattle for slaughter
When finishing cattle are housed at the end of the grazing season, it can delay slaughter for 10 days to two weeks. Declan Marren looks at how to ease the transition from grass to housing.