The weather has made things a lot easier on Tullamore Farm over the last two weeks, with almost all cows calved and only a handful of ewes left to lamb.

Attention has now turned to getting grazing right on the farm over the next couple of weeks.

Urea has been spread at the rate of half a bag/acre across 80 acres this week. All first-cut silage fields have been closed up and cows and ewes are moving into their specific grazing groups for the next few months.

Breeding

Next job is breeding. Vasectomised bulls have been let out this week, with Mooheat collars to pick up any heats before the planned start of breeding on 25 April in both cow groups. Cows have been tail-painted this week to pick up heats.

Heifer breeding started on 15 April, with seven heifers bred to date. Heifers are being bred to easy-calving Salers and Limosuin bulls. EBY, LM2014 and ULSAN have all been purchased for use on heifers during the 2020 breeding season.

Bulls

Bulls continue to be fed ad-lib meal, with a further five bulls drafted for slaughter this week. They averaged 382kg dead, all graded U, with four grading a 3 on fat and one 2+ on fat score.

These bulls were aged 13 to 14 months and came into €1,388 each. This is back almost €200 on last year's price on a U- bull.

Bulls are being drafted a lot younger this year, with some exceptional weight gains on some of the bulls.

Feed costs will be reduced in 2020, with a younger killing age and shorter period on ad-lib meals, but beef price reductions will erode any of these cost savings.

Watch the video below, where Shaun Diver goes through what's been happening on the farm over the last few weeks and plans for the month ahead.

See next week's Irish Farmers Journal for detailed analysis on the Tullamore Farm 2020 breeding plan.