With spring-calving finished and 65 acres of first-cut silage saved, our focus is now on breeding.
Stock bulls were turned out to cows on 15 May and these animals are being managed in three breeding groups; along with a group of replacement heifers which are being bred to AI.
The biggest group of cows consists of 34 animals and they are being served to a Charolais stock bull. However, 20 cows in this group were initially bred to AI and are now running with the bull to sweep up any repeats.
AI sires included the Simmental bulls Auroch Deuter and Popes Grandslam. I used Deuter last year and was pleased with the calves on the ground.
However, I mostly had bull calves born from this sire, which is frustrating, as he was primarily used to bring good-quality maternal heifers into the herd.
Grandslam has sexed semen available, and this has been used in an effort to get more females born and reared as replacements.
Breeding groups
The other two groups have 28 and 25 cows respectively, and both are being served to Limousin and Charolais stock bulls.
A group of 27 replacement heifers are being bred to AI. Scratch pads are used to aid heat detection.
After a busy start to the breeding period, our new Charolais bull had to be removed and rested for two weeks before re-joining the cows, as he was having issues with lame feet. He seems to be working OK since his return, so hopefully there are no more issues and he covers the rest of cows in his group.
Replacements
We have 27 heifers running as a group of replacements. These animals are predominantly Angus and Limousin-cross, most of which are home-bred.
There is a small number of heifers which were purchased locally from a known farm and bucket-reared as calves. I bought these animals to try and bring milk back into the herd. Dairy calves were also bought last autumn, and hopefully some of these heifers will come into the herd as replacements in the next few years.
AI
Heifers are being bred to AI. I am using scratch cards attached to the animals’ tail head to aid heat detection and they’re checked regularly for signs of heat.
Replacements are being grazed in paddocks next to the farmyard, which has excellent handling facilities so heifers can be easily slipped in for insemination and returned to grass with minimum fuss.
Heifers are being served to Angus and Limousin sires through AI.
Heifers are being inseminated to Limousin and Angus sires, Elderberry Galahad and Red Canyon.
To date, we have inseminated 26 heifers at least once.
We have had to serve eight heifers a second time after they repeated. I am planning to keep on using AI with the heifers rather than running a sweeper bull.
Cows on the ground
We calved 101 cows this spring and lost six calves. Five were lost at calving and one heifer died from Blackleg at five weeks old..
We fostered calves onto four cows, with the others being culled. This means we have 99 cows on the ground with a calf at foot.
These animals are being run as a separate group and the plan is to wean them early in autumn and finish the cows
There were 12 cows with calves at foot that have been pulled out for culling due to age, udder problems and temperament.
These animals are being run as a separate group and the plan is to wean them early in autumn and finish the cows.
Overall, we have 114 cows and maiden heifers being bred at present, so hopefully we will be calving between 100 to 110 animals next spring.
Reviewing slaughter cattle performance
All of our 2017 spring-born cattle have been slaughtered, with the last animals finished in late March. In total, we had 32 steers and 19 heifers slaughtered out of the shed and they performed well.
Over the past 12 months we have finished a total of 43 steers and 44 heifers on-farm. These were made up of a combination of the spring-born animals and the last of our autumn cattle born in 2016.
Our continental calves bred from Limousin cows averaged 406kg at 23 months of age
The herd is now 100% spring-calving, as it makes better use of land and suits our system. The 43 steers averaged 367kg deadweight, with the heifers averaging 328kg carcase weight.
For the steers, our continental calves bred from Angus cows produced an average carcase weight of 383.6kg at 22 months of age. Conformation was typically R= at fat class 3+.
Our continental calves bred from Limousin cows averaged 406kg at 23 months of age. Angus-sired steers bred from Angus cows had an average carcase weight of 347.4kg at almost 21 months of age. These steers typically graded out as R-3+.
Hopefully, in the future, the carcase weights of the continental calves will increase as we introduce new improved genetics into the herd through AI and our new Charolais stock bull.
Heifers
The continental-bred heifers from Angus cows averaged 331kg, with pure continental heifers averaging 340kg. Both groups were finished at 22 months of age, with conformation being R+3.
Angus-sired calves bred from continental cows averaged 310kg deadweight at 19 months of age, with the purebred Angus calves averaging 316kg at 21.5 months of age.
Cows
We have also killed 18 cows over the past 12 months and they averaged 345kg deadweight. The purebred Angus-sired cows averaged 332.6kg deadweight, with the Angus-cross continental cows averaging 362.5kg, and pure continental cows averaging 366.1kg.
Winter kill
With no more autumn-born cattle on the farm, the only animals that will be finished this autumn and winter are the 2018 spring-born ones.
There are currently 50 bullocks and 28 heifers, which were unsuited to breeding, at grass.
In addition to these animals, there are the 12 cull cows plus 20 dairy-bred bullocks which were reared from calves.
Once cows are scanned this autumn, any heifer or cow that is empty will also be pulled out for fattening.
Hopefully, we will be able to kill most of the beef heifers off-grass, with the remainder housed and finished with the bullocks.
Read more
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With spring-calving finished and 65 acres of first-cut silage saved, our focus is now on breeding.
Stock bulls were turned out to cows on 15 May and these animals are being managed in three breeding groups; along with a group of replacement heifers which are being bred to AI.
The biggest group of cows consists of 34 animals and they are being served to a Charolais stock bull. However, 20 cows in this group were initially bred to AI and are now running with the bull to sweep up any repeats.
AI sires included the Simmental bulls Auroch Deuter and Popes Grandslam. I used Deuter last year and was pleased with the calves on the ground.
However, I mostly had bull calves born from this sire, which is frustrating, as he was primarily used to bring good-quality maternal heifers into the herd.
Grandslam has sexed semen available, and this has been used in an effort to get more females born and reared as replacements.
Breeding groups
The other two groups have 28 and 25 cows respectively, and both are being served to Limousin and Charolais stock bulls.
A group of 27 replacement heifers are being bred to AI. Scratch pads are used to aid heat detection.
After a busy start to the breeding period, our new Charolais bull had to be removed and rested for two weeks before re-joining the cows, as he was having issues with lame feet. He seems to be working OK since his return, so hopefully there are no more issues and he covers the rest of cows in his group.
Replacements
We have 27 heifers running as a group of replacements. These animals are predominantly Angus and Limousin-cross, most of which are home-bred.
There is a small number of heifers which were purchased locally from a known farm and bucket-reared as calves. I bought these animals to try and bring milk back into the herd. Dairy calves were also bought last autumn, and hopefully some of these heifers will come into the herd as replacements in the next few years.
AI
Heifers are being bred to AI. I am using scratch cards attached to the animals’ tail head to aid heat detection and they’re checked regularly for signs of heat.
Replacements are being grazed in paddocks next to the farmyard, which has excellent handling facilities so heifers can be easily slipped in for insemination and returned to grass with minimum fuss.
Heifers are being served to Angus and Limousin sires through AI.
Heifers are being inseminated to Limousin and Angus sires, Elderberry Galahad and Red Canyon.
To date, we have inseminated 26 heifers at least once.
We have had to serve eight heifers a second time after they repeated. I am planning to keep on using AI with the heifers rather than running a sweeper bull.
Cows on the ground
We calved 101 cows this spring and lost six calves. Five were lost at calving and one heifer died from Blackleg at five weeks old..
We fostered calves onto four cows, with the others being culled. This means we have 99 cows on the ground with a calf at foot.
These animals are being run as a separate group and the plan is to wean them early in autumn and finish the cows
There were 12 cows with calves at foot that have been pulled out for culling due to age, udder problems and temperament.
These animals are being run as a separate group and the plan is to wean them early in autumn and finish the cows.
Overall, we have 114 cows and maiden heifers being bred at present, so hopefully we will be calving between 100 to 110 animals next spring.
Reviewing slaughter cattle performance
All of our 2017 spring-born cattle have been slaughtered, with the last animals finished in late March. In total, we had 32 steers and 19 heifers slaughtered out of the shed and they performed well.
Over the past 12 months we have finished a total of 43 steers and 44 heifers on-farm. These were made up of a combination of the spring-born animals and the last of our autumn cattle born in 2016.
Our continental calves bred from Limousin cows averaged 406kg at 23 months of age
The herd is now 100% spring-calving, as it makes better use of land and suits our system. The 43 steers averaged 367kg deadweight, with the heifers averaging 328kg carcase weight.
For the steers, our continental calves bred from Angus cows produced an average carcase weight of 383.6kg at 22 months of age. Conformation was typically R= at fat class 3+.
Our continental calves bred from Limousin cows averaged 406kg at 23 months of age. Angus-sired steers bred from Angus cows had an average carcase weight of 347.4kg at almost 21 months of age. These steers typically graded out as R-3+.
Hopefully, in the future, the carcase weights of the continental calves will increase as we introduce new improved genetics into the herd through AI and our new Charolais stock bull.
Heifers
The continental-bred heifers from Angus cows averaged 331kg, with pure continental heifers averaging 340kg. Both groups were finished at 22 months of age, with conformation being R+3.
Angus-sired calves bred from continental cows averaged 310kg deadweight at 19 months of age, with the purebred Angus calves averaging 316kg at 21.5 months of age.
Cows
We have also killed 18 cows over the past 12 months and they averaged 345kg deadweight. The purebred Angus-sired cows averaged 332.6kg deadweight, with the Angus-cross continental cows averaging 362.5kg, and pure continental cows averaging 366.1kg.
Winter kill
With no more autumn-born cattle on the farm, the only animals that will be finished this autumn and winter are the 2018 spring-born ones.
There are currently 50 bullocks and 28 heifers, which were unsuited to breeding, at grass.
In addition to these animals, there are the 12 cull cows plus 20 dairy-bred bullocks which were reared from calves.
Once cows are scanned this autumn, any heifer or cow that is empty will also be pulled out for fattening.
Hopefully, we will be able to kill most of the beef heifers off-grass, with the remainder housed and finished with the bullocks.
Read more
Farmer Writes: money is to be made in sheep, not in beef
Minister Creed did not seek supply control measures from Brussels for €100m fund
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