For the Leonard family farm in Drimina, Tourlestrane, Co Sligo, suckler farming provides the suitable fit and flexibility to accommodate for their busy off farm commitments – be it off-farm employment, college work, football or for father Brendan, being chair of Sligo GAA County Board.
The family run a herd of 20 suckler cows with 100% AI being used for breeding. The target is to get quality weanlings away in the back end of the year while keeping costs as low as possible.
Charolais sires are used on cows they do not want to breed replacements from.
A mixture of Progressive Genetics and Dovea Genetics are used on the herd. The cow type in the past has been a first cross off the dairy herd, however youngest son Darren plans to keep their own replacements in the years to come.
“We are using high replacement figure Limousin bulls on anything we want to keep heifers from, while the rest of the herd get mainly Charolais sires,” says Darren.
In the past few years a rotational grazing system has been introduced on the farm.
As well as this, there are plans afoot to introduce a small flock of ewes this year to make better use of grass in the shoulders of the year when ground is too wet for cows to graze.
Read the full story in this week's Irish Farmers Journal.
For the Leonard family farm in Drimina, Tourlestrane, Co Sligo, suckler farming provides the suitable fit and flexibility to accommodate for their busy off farm commitments – be it off-farm employment, college work, football or for father Brendan, being chair of Sligo GAA County Board.
The family run a herd of 20 suckler cows with 100% AI being used for breeding. The target is to get quality weanlings away in the back end of the year while keeping costs as low as possible.
Charolais sires are used on cows they do not want to breed replacements from.
A mixture of Progressive Genetics and Dovea Genetics are used on the herd. The cow type in the past has been a first cross off the dairy herd, however youngest son Darren plans to keep their own replacements in the years to come.
“We are using high replacement figure Limousin bulls on anything we want to keep heifers from, while the rest of the herd get mainly Charolais sires,” says Darren.
In the past few years a rotational grazing system has been introduced on the farm.
As well as this, there are plans afoot to introduce a small flock of ewes this year to make better use of grass in the shoulders of the year when ground is too wet for cows to graze.
Read the full story in this week's Irish Farmers Journal.
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