The last of the remaining bulls were slaughtered this week on Tullamore Farm, with the average liveweight of the bulls at 625.57kg. The average carcase weight was 364.99kg, meaning that the nine bulls killed out at 58.3%.

The grade of the bulls ranged from U3= to E3-, with the average price per kg settling at 4.94/kg.

Shaun said: “It’s great to have all the bulls gone out of the yard this week. Overall, I’m happy with the results and their overall performance. There were a number of bulls drafted this time around that were a slight bit lean, however with beef prices beginning to fall and meal prices going up, I was happy to get them offloaded.”

Lambs

All ewes were brought in during the week to be body condition scored, with ewe’s udders, mouths and feet being examined, resulting in 24 lighter cull ewes being drafted for slaughter.

An additional four lambs were also drafted for slaughter along with the ewes this week. The lambs killed out on average at 20.30kg and came in at €149.19 on average, at a price of 7.35/kg.

The 24 cull ewes did exceptionally well, killing out on average at 32.78kg and resulting in an average price of €120.41 at €3.67/kg.

Shaun said: “Looking at the results, I’m delighted I drafted the 24 ewes, as prices are beginning to ease. Ewes picked for drafting were examined on lameness, age and overall health.

Grass cover

The grass cover this week is 699kg DM/ha, which has increased by 9kg from last week’s grass cover. The average growth rate per day is 27kg DM/ha/day, with the demand per day settling at 48kg DM/ha.

Shaun Diver commented: “Grass cover remains strong on the farm this week at 699kg DM/ha. Grass seems to be fleshing well - if the grass growth and quality remains good, we hope to get our second cut of silage completed in the next two weeks. “

Tullamore Farm Open Day

Shaun and the livestock team have been working hard around the farm to prepare for the Tullamore Farm Open Day.

This year, Tullamore Farm will host its national open day on 26 July. The open day will have an overview of the entire farm system and performance of both the beef and sheep enterprises, demonstrating how the farm system has evolved since its inception in 2017.

Financial performance, breeding and genetics, grassland management, soil health and fertility are a number of areas that will be discussed on the day.

The event will run from 10:30am to 5pm.The farm’s Eircode is R35AT81. If interested in attending, you can register on www.ifj.ie/tullamorefarm.