The dairy calf-to-beef enterprise operated by Michael and Kathleen Flynn, Puckane, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, has been featured in the Irish Farmers Journal over the last two years.
The farm initially came to light when it was successful in the Irish Hereford Prime calf-to-beef competition, which the group ran.
As part of the competition, Michael and Kathleen, with family members Michael, Mark, Alan and Paul, received 30 Hereford cross calves (15 awarded as a prize and 15 purchased) in spring 2014.
At the time, the farm was reducing its suckler-to-beef enterprise and replacing it with the dairy-to-beef enterprise.
Michael recalls they had already purchased 50 calves that spring and that running an extra 30 calves applied pressure on labour and facilities. But, once settled in, he says the calves hit the ground running.
The high performance of the group since then has generated much discussion every time the farm was featured, with many readers enquiring in recent months as to how animals viewed at an open day last August performed at slaughter.
Slaughter performance
The majority of calves already on the farm were born in February, while the 30 calves received as part of the competition were born from 18 February to mid-March.
The group included 12 Hereford-cross heifers and 18 males finished as steers. Heifers were slaughtered off grass in August and September. They achieved an average carcase weight of 265kg (range from 237kg to 308kg). Their slaughter profile can be summarised as two O=, six O+ and four R-.
The 22 steers were managed with other steers on the farm and were slaughtered from October through to the start of January at 20 to 22 months of age.
The average carcase weight in this group was an impressive 348kg. This was understandably slightly behind the earlier-born steers, which achieved an average carcase weight of 358kg. The kill profile was similar, with six of the Irish Hereford Prime steers grading O=, six O+, nine R- and one R+. Fat scores were not an issue, with a range from 3- to 4+ in heifers and from 3+ to 4= in steers.
Careful purchasing
The favourable slaughter performance backs up a focus Michael Flynn has stood firmly behind since introducing a dairy-to-beef enterprise – the performance of animals will be greatly influenced by the type of calf purchased.
The optimum purchasing criteria for the farm is as follows:
Calf quality: This will follow right through to slaughter. Purchase calves of good size, with good conformation (wide at the shoulders and hips) and a long loin. Investigating cow type or sire choice and developing a relationship with breeders of good-quality calves is viewed as highly beneficial.Birth dates: Calves born early in the year are not easily sourced, but the effort in doing so is worthwhile, as calves will capitalise on a longer grazing season and enter the first winter’s housing at a more advanced stage.Health is critical: Any signs of disease should signal alarm bells. There will be enough pressure on during the rearing phase without asking for trouble and taking a chance on calves that look vulnerable to disease.Purchase what you can manage: The number of calves purchased increased significantly from spring 2013 (47) to spring 2014 (approximately 80). Michael explains that this put much more pressure on labour and facilities, with the farm experiencing more health issues than a year previous and requiring swift action and strong attention to detail to avoid potentially damaging health issues. The advice is to progress cautiously and see how a dairy-to-beef enterprise suits your farm before entering in a big way. Read more
Markets to cope with increased cattle numbers
Tipperary attraction for calf to beef enterprise
The dairy calf-to-beef enterprise operated by Michael and Kathleen Flynn, Puckane, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, has been featured in the Irish Farmers Journal over the last two years.
The farm initially came to light when it was successful in the Irish Hereford Prime calf-to-beef competition, which the group ran.
As part of the competition, Michael and Kathleen, with family members Michael, Mark, Alan and Paul, received 30 Hereford cross calves (15 awarded as a prize and 15 purchased) in spring 2014.
At the time, the farm was reducing its suckler-to-beef enterprise and replacing it with the dairy-to-beef enterprise.
Michael recalls they had already purchased 50 calves that spring and that running an extra 30 calves applied pressure on labour and facilities. But, once settled in, he says the calves hit the ground running.
The high performance of the group since then has generated much discussion every time the farm was featured, with many readers enquiring in recent months as to how animals viewed at an open day last August performed at slaughter.
Slaughter performance
The majority of calves already on the farm were born in February, while the 30 calves received as part of the competition were born from 18 February to mid-March.
The group included 12 Hereford-cross heifers and 18 males finished as steers. Heifers were slaughtered off grass in August and September. They achieved an average carcase weight of 265kg (range from 237kg to 308kg). Their slaughter profile can be summarised as two O=, six O+ and four R-.
The 22 steers were managed with other steers on the farm and were slaughtered from October through to the start of January at 20 to 22 months of age.
The average carcase weight in this group was an impressive 348kg. This was understandably slightly behind the earlier-born steers, which achieved an average carcase weight of 358kg. The kill profile was similar, with six of the Irish Hereford Prime steers grading O=, six O+, nine R- and one R+. Fat scores were not an issue, with a range from 3- to 4+ in heifers and from 3+ to 4= in steers.
Careful purchasing
The favourable slaughter performance backs up a focus Michael Flynn has stood firmly behind since introducing a dairy-to-beef enterprise – the performance of animals will be greatly influenced by the type of calf purchased.
The optimum purchasing criteria for the farm is as follows:
Calf quality: This will follow right through to slaughter. Purchase calves of good size, with good conformation (wide at the shoulders and hips) and a long loin. Investigating cow type or sire choice and developing a relationship with breeders of good-quality calves is viewed as highly beneficial.Birth dates: Calves born early in the year are not easily sourced, but the effort in doing so is worthwhile, as calves will capitalise on a longer grazing season and enter the first winter’s housing at a more advanced stage.Health is critical: Any signs of disease should signal alarm bells. There will be enough pressure on during the rearing phase without asking for trouble and taking a chance on calves that look vulnerable to disease.Purchase what you can manage: The number of calves purchased increased significantly from spring 2013 (47) to spring 2014 (approximately 80). Michael explains that this put much more pressure on labour and facilities, with the farm experiencing more health issues than a year previous and requiring swift action and strong attention to detail to avoid potentially damaging health issues. The advice is to progress cautiously and see how a dairy-to-beef enterprise suits your farm before entering in a big way. Read more
Markets to cope with increased cattle numbers
Tipperary attraction for calf to beef enterprise
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