Newford Herd July/August update

Performance

20 (17 ½ months) Newford in-spec beef heifers, all of which satisfied the Quality Payment System (QPS) specifications, were slaughtered on the 4^th of August off grass with no meal
These 20 heifers were turned out to grass on the 20^th of January 2022 at an average weight of 411 kgs and were 195 days at grass before slaughter

The average grade for the 20 heifers was R - 3 =
Their average liveweight going up the ramp of the lorry was 567 kg
Their average date of birth was the 17^th of February 2021
The average carcase weight was 290 kg and their average kill-out percentage was 51 %
There were 17 “R” grades and 3 “0” grade heifers
The average sale price per kg was €5.10
The average sale price was € 1,474
The 20 heifers were on average 5 months of age at slaughter
All heifers received the QPS payment
3 heifers grade (O + 3 –)which is minus 12 cent less than the base price. The base price was €4.90 on the slaughter day. Leaving the 3 heifers at €4.78 + 20 cent QPS = €4.98 price /Kg
2 heifers received addition 6 cent per kg for being R +. Leaving those heifers at €5.16 price / Kg
The only meal feeding the heifers received was at weaning time for BEEP-S and the winter period of 2021
The heifers consumed roughly 251 Kg of meal costing approx. €90 during their weanling period.
These heifers remained at grass after weaning and were housed on the 7^th of December at 379 Kgs for only 44 days before being turned back out to grass on the 20^th of January 2022 at 411 Kgs
There are 17 remaining 2021 progeny beef heifers and their average weight is 540 Kgs

Newford Calves

All of Newford suckler calves are thriving well with no health issues to report. All the calves and their mothers were weighted on the 27^th of July as part of the BEEP-S scheme.
Some of the calves weighted light as some of their mothers were culled out of the herd due to TB and this had an effect on their weighing performance. (See weighing table below)
Meal feeding is fully in progress with all the calves to prepare them for weaning and also as part of the BEEP-S scheme requirement. The calves are encouraged to creep graze ahead of the cows by simple raising the electric wire in one section of the paddock with two horse PVC plastic posts.
The creep feeding is being offered to the calves in troughs and they are on average consuming 0.5 Kg of creep per day.

Newford Farm is working to enhancing the level of biodiversity on the farm. The farm has been selected as a demonstration farm as part of the Teagasc Signpost Programme. This will see a suite of measures introduced over the lifetime of the programme that will serve to reduce the volume of gaseous emissions the farm produces, protect water quality, enhance biodiversity and ultimately reduce cost and create more profitable and sustainable farming. A number of these initiatives have already commenced.

One of these practices is calving down all the Newford heifers at 24 months of age , like this heifer ( 1^st calver) and her heifer calf at foot.