Newford Farm November/December 2024

Farm Notes 11th November 2024

Finishing performance to-date of the Newford beef animals

• To-date 26 beef heifers and 8 bullocks have being drafted off the farm on the 1^st of November
• The following is based on the 26 heifers drafted
  • The average grade for the heifers was R - 3 =
  • The average liveweight going up the ramp of the lorry was 595 kg
  • Their average carcase weight was 301 kg and their kill-out percentage was 51 %
  • There was one “ O = ” ,  four “O +” grades, ten  “R -” grades , ten “R =” grades
  • The average sale price per head was € 1,683
  • The 26 heifers were on average 6 months of age at finish (627 days)
  • The finishing diet was ad lib silage and 5 kg concentrates
  • On average each heifer drafted consumed roughly 310 Kgs of a high energy, 12% crude protein ration before finishing. This cost on average €98 per heifer
  • Some of the heifers were housed on the 26^th of August and meal feeding started on the 29^th of August

• The 8 bullocks …
  • The average grade for the bullocks was R = 3 -
  • The average liveweight going up the ramp of the lorry was 687 kg
  • Their average carcase weight was 355 kg and their kill-out percentage was 52 %
  • There was one “R -” grade , six  “R =” grades and one “R + “
  • The average sale price per head was € 1,975
  • The 8 bullocks were on average 6  months of age at finish (627 days)
  • The finishing diet was ad lib silage and 5 kg concentrates

• On a general note Newford Farm found it much harder to finish cattle this year compared to other years due to the poor weather in autumn 2023 and  most of 2024 , which had an effect this year  on the Newford beef KO % and weight gains
• All the 2024 calf born progeny are thriving well these days with the good mild weather with no health issues to report. All the calves received their IBR vaccinations within the last week
• All the calves were weighed last Tuesday 5^th of November and on average they are back about 35 – 40 Kgs compared to previous years for this time of the year. This weight set back is also being reported on a lot of farms this year so it will be a priority they get good quality silage during the winter months. At the moment all weanling are receiving 2 kg of meal at grass

Newford Farm Agr-College Students Open Day

On the 23^rd of October Newford Farm hosted an Open Day for all the agricultural colleges. 200 students and teachers from all the colleges attended this very successful event