Peter O'Hanrahan

Location: Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny

Farm size: 94ha

Current System: Friesian and early-maturing steers

Local Teagasc Advisor: Aine Butler

Having transitioned from a suckler enterprise to calf to beef production a number of years ago, Peter O’Hanrahan – who farms in partnership with his father Tom – has built numbers to increase output over recent years.

Between 180 and 200 male calves are purchased each spring and are carried to beef at ~24 months. The aim going forward is to have a proportion of animals slaughtered at 22 months before the need for housing arises in the second winter.

All calves are sourced from a small number of local dairy farms and calf health is protected through the use of a vaccination programme, providing cover for pneumonia, IBR and clostridial diseases.

Peter has invested heavily in the business in recent years and has developed a purpose built calf shed - equipped with an automatic calf feeder – and a new slatted shed.

Works involving improving grazing infrastructure are ongoing, while a large degree of reseeding and soil fertility improvements have been undertaken over recent years.

The farm located just outside Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, is dry in nature and this allows for extended grazing to be achieved in both shoulders of the year, with 300 days at grass targeted annually.

Media Updates

Mar 17 - Factors to be considered when it comes to feeding dairy-beef calves 
Mar 11 - Providing the perfect environment for calves in Co. Kilkenny 
Mar 09 - Why relationships with dairy farmers are the key for calf-to-beef finishers 
Mar 03 - Purchasing 180 calves from local dairy farms in Co. Kilkenny