Shane Cranny
Location: Myshall, Co. Carlow
Farm size: 40ha
Current System: Friesian calf to beef
Local Teagasc Advisor: Eoghan Byrne
Shane Cranny operates a dairy calf to beef operation in Myshall, Co. Carlow, where 100 autumn-born Holstein Friesian male calves are purchased.
Back in 2018, Shane transitioned away from a spring-born calf system to an autumn system to maximise both the use of the housing facilities present on farm and the proportion of carcass gain achieved from grazed grass.
Animal performance is an area where Shane has really excelled, with 330-340kg carcasses being achieved at 24 months. This is being gained through a stringent focus on calf sourcing and rearing, animal health and grassland management.
Although Shane had relatively good infrastructure in place, further improvements have been made through the installation of a farm roadway and the repositioning of water troughs to increase the number of grazing divisions available.
Soil fertility is excellent on the Co. Carlow holding and a focus will now be placed on pasture renewal through reseeding with top-rated perennial ryegrass and white clover varieties to not only increase the total tonnage produced but to increase grass production during the shoulders of the year.
Alongside the farm, Shane also works two days per week in a local livestock mart.