Future Beef Newsletter December 2024
James Skehan
Cathal Irwin - Farm Update | Oliver O'Hara - Farm Update | Top Tips for December | Beef Edge Podcast
Wishing you and your families a happy Christmas and prosperous New Year,
From the Future Beef Programme Team.
Top Tips for December
Farm Profile - James Skehan
James with his wife Joanne and their children Macarton and Nellie.
James farms part-time in Ballynevin, O’Briensbridge, Co. Clare with his wife Joanne. His father Batt also lends a hand. He works full-time off farm.
James has 24 spring-calving suckler cows with an excellent breeding performance of 1.03 calves per cow per year and a 356-day calving interval. While he was historically selling all the weanlings, a TB outbreak led him to finishing bullocks and heifers off the farm in the last two years.
The farm is 34ha, which is divided into three blocks. One block is red clover silage and the others are silage and grazing. The land type varies from free-draining loam valleys to heavy clay soil to hillside farming.
All farm buildings are relatively new, with excellent handling facilities and plenty of slurry storage. A considerable amount of money has been spent on infrastructure, with new paddocks, water troughs and roadways gone in. This is to facilitate the part-time nature of the farm, but also to increase efficiency so that James can move cattle on his own. The improvement will also allow him to get better average daily gains off grass, thus increasing profitability. Click on ‘Read more’ for further information on James’ performance and plans.
Farm Update - James Skehan
Currently all cattle are housed on the farm. Historically the farm has had issues with rumen fluke. Following this year’s faecal sampling results, animals were treated for lungworm, stomach worm, rumen and liver fluke. Animals were also treated for lice at housing. Weanlings were vaccinated for viral pneumonia prior to housing. Cattle are drafted for finishing (550kg live weight for steers and 520kg for heifers) and are finished over a 90 to 100 day period. The pen area is 26m2 which allows for 7 to 8 animals to be penned together for finishing. Cattle can be fed on both the front and back of each pen.
Cattle are fed ad lib red clover silage during the finishing period and built up to 8kg of a high energy 12% CP ration. The ration is split over 2 feeds per day. Cattle are started on 2 kg and the feed is increased by 1-2 kg per week up to a max of 8kg. Cattle are finished after approx. 100 days on the finishing diet. Steers and heifers achieved carcass weights of 360kg and 340kg respectively. At a kill out of 54% this would equate to steers and heifers being drafted for finish at 670kg and 630kg live weight respectively. Cattle are handled and assessed for fat cover with a target of 3 before sale. James along with his factory agent assess the animals for drafting for finish.
Watch the video below to see how James is managing the finishing bullocks and heifers this winter. Click on ‘Read more’ for the latest on James’ farm.
Farm Update - Cathal Irwin
Cathal has invested in the infrastructure on his farm.
Cathal is farming 27.7ha in Mountgrodon, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. He has 18 spring-calving suckler cows whose progeny are mostly finished off the farm, and buys in a further 21 suckler bulls for finishing under 16 months of age.
Cathal has been planning to upgrade his housing facilities on the farm for the last number of years. He is self-employed and works full time off farm, so he tries to be as time efficient as possible when on the farm.
When he took over the farm from his Dad, there was a four-bay slatted tank with a straw lie back for housing. This year he has invested in a new three-bay shed with a slatted tank and lie back area. Creep gates were installed in the pens to allow calves access to the lie back area. He has installed lights and cameras in the shed to monitor cows at calving time, but also so that he can check on them when he is away for work and see if they need silage. New lights have also been installed in the yard for safety reasons when carrying out yard work in the dark.
New cattle shed on the farm.
New area installed for storing dung.
Cathal also invested in a new dungstead, which can double up for machinery storage during the year. While making changes to the yard, he wanted to future proof it in order to simplify workload for himself. He put sleeves into the yard when the concrete was being poured so that poles can be added for moving cattle across the yard; both between sheds and to and from the cattle crush. He also bought second hand safety barriers, which can be moved in and out of the yard as needed. All of these changes will make handling and housing of cattle safer, easier and hopefully more profitable for Cathal long term. The new facilities provide extra lying, feeding and air space for cattle over winter, and you can learn more about what Cathal is up to by clicking ‘Read more’.
Temporary barriers can be put in place for moving stock across the yard.
Farm Update - Oliver O'Hara
Oliver is feeding his cows soya to boost colostrum quality.
Oliver is farming 15ha of owned land plus 32ha of mountain commonage in Gortnaskeagh, Leckaun, Co. Leitrim, where he also runs a contracting business. He operates a 32 suckler cow-to-weanling/beef system and a 130-ewe flock.
One group of cows was due to start calving from the end of November and Oliver has monitored their body condition closely. The cows are in good order for calving and he is feeding them 0.5kg soya/head/day to boost the colostrum quality at calving. It is dusted on top of the silage. The cows were vaccinated against rotavirus, coronavirus and E. coli to help prevent scours in the calves after birth.
Cows that are due to calve over the next two months.
The cows have been penned according to their calving dates. They were given a Coselcure mineral bolus pre calving, which supplies them with key micro minerals of copper (Cu), selenium (Se), cobalt (Co), and iodine (I). These can be stored in the cow’s body pre calving. However, cows also require magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P) and sodium (Na) pre calving, which are macro minerals and cannot be stored in the body, so these need to be fed daily for at least six weeks pre calving. Oliver hasn’t had any issues with weak calves at birth so hasn’t changed his mineral programme. Further information on pre-calving minerals can be found here, and for more detail on Oliver’s operation, click ‘Read more’.
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