Kay O'Sullivan
Proinnsias Creedon - Farm Update | John Dunne - Farm Update | Top Tips for October | October Scheme Deadlines | Upcoming Events
October Scheme Deadlines
- October 15 – last day to record fertiliser closing stocks for 2023.
- October 16 – must be quality assured for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) – 100% penalty if not. Some 3,000 farmers are still not quality assured. Contact Bord Bia on 062-54 900.
- October 31 – 50% of your reference number females must be genotyped four or five star on the replacement index. They must be at least 16 months old. Check their status on the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) website.
- October 31 – final date to have infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) bloods taken and submitted by your vet for National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS).
- October 31 – final date to apply farmyard manure (FYM).
- October 31 – in derogation – all movements of organic manure must be submitted online on Agfood.
- October 31 – National Liming Programme – final date to apply lime and submit payment claim.
- November 1 – last date to submit weights for suckler cows and calves for the SCEP, and dairy calves for National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme to the ICBF website.
Upcoming Events
Farm Profile - Kay O'Sullivan
Kay O’Sullivan’s soil is a good loamy type
Kay O’Sullivan is organically farming 34.83ha and she has additional organic lands in the system since 2022. There is also 11.16ha in forestry. She farms the land herself and also makes use of hired labour.
Kay has a good loamy soil type on her farm. The farm was stocked at 104kg nitrogen (N)/ha last year (including ewes). She runs a spring-calving suckler to store/beef system along with a lowland ewe system. There are currently 22 cows, 20 calves, eight heifers, eight finishing bullocks and 50 ewes. The cows are all bred to 100% AI, typically to pedigree Angus bulls for ease of calving.
Selected paddocks are reseeded on the farm each year. For the past two years herbs and chicory have also been included in the mix, and red clover was sown for silage in 2023.
Kay is a member of her local beef and sheep discussion groups. All farm buildings are relatively new and straw bedded. There are also excellent handling facilities on the farm.
Click ‘Read more’ for further information.
Farm Update - Kay O'Sullivan
Kay sowed redstart, a kale/rape hybrid brassica crop, on her farm this June. The aim of sowing it is to provide a high-energy feed to her out-wintered weanlings and to some finishing cattle over winter. A derogation was required from Kay’s organic licensing body before sowing the crop.
Weaned calves will start grazing the crop in November this year. Prior to grazing, a mineral bolus will be administered to the calves containing iodine, selenium, copper and cobalt, as catch crops are usually low in these minerals. Kay will introduce the crop gradually to the calves by using a strip wire and allocating a small amount daily. Good quality silage bales (>70% DMD) will be provided as a fibre source as well. In the event of frosty weather, the strip wire fence will not be moved until the crop has thawed out, as nitrates can build up when frozen and be toxic to animals. Similarly, the crop will not be grazed after it starts to flower in spring as this can also be poisonous.
Kay ensures that fresh water is provided to the weanlings at all times. The 1.6ha field that she selected for the redstart crop is surrounded by three other grass fields (4.3ha total), which will act as a lie back from the crop in an effort to minimise any damage to the soil during grazing and to satisfy cross compliance rules. Click ‘Read more’ for further information. Also below is a video showcasing catch crops on Kay’s farm.
This year’s redstart crop on Kay’s farm
Farm Update - Proinnsias Creedon
From left: Diarmuid; Maura; Ciarán; Proinnsias; and, Aodhán Creedon
Proinnsias Creedon started the last grazing rotation on his farm on September 23. There are 55 calves and 52 yearlings grazing 25.53ha on the farm this autumn. Proinnsias’ priorities for grazing at this time of the year are to keep grass in the diet for as long as possible, graze paddocks out well to have fresh re-growths, but not to sacrifice animal performance or damage paddocks during poor weather.
The high rainfall over the last month has made this very challenging on his heavy farm. The finishing cattle that were being fed meal at grass will be housed, and 10-12 of the heaviest yearlings will also be housed for finishing. Proinnsias expects that he may have to house more cattle if the heavy rain continues, but will let them back out to grass again if ground conditions allow. He will also continue to feed them silage to keep the dry matter up in their diets.
2023-born calves at grass on the farm
Proinnsias plans to have 30% of the farm closed up by October 7, 60% by October 21 and 100% by the end of October, and will be delighted if he can keep stock out that late. Two heavy silage paddocks and two wet grazing paddocks are now closed. The next ones for closing will be drier silage paddocks so that they can be travelled to spread slurry in spring. These will need to be grazed out well as it is unlikely that they will be grazed in spring when the stock demand will be lowest. Sheltered grazing paddocks will also be closed up. The final paddocks to be closed will be the ones furthest from the yard and the most awkward ones to graze.
To read more from Proinnsias’s farm, click ‘Read more’, and also below is a video from Kildalton farm on how to use the 60:40 autumn rotation planner;
Farm Update - John Dunne
John Dunne has been busy fencing a riparian buffer strip
John Dunne and his son James have had a very busy summer. Along with the day-to-day running of a large farm, they had to fence almost 3km (2,973m to be exact) of a riparian buffer strip as part of his Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) plan. The pressure to get this amount of fencing done was driven by both the ACRES deadline and the fact that James was departing to the US as part of his agricultural degree in the summer. Thankfully, all got done! In order to get the maximum payment from acres John, in consultation with his local advisor Bernard Doorley, took on other options such as:
• laying an existing hedge (175m);
• planting a new hedge (95m);
• erecting two owl boxes; and;
• grazing 8.27ha extensively.
Almost 3km of a riparian buffer strip has been fenced
While John is fulfilling the requirements of the Scheme and getting a financial payment as a result, he is also very aware of the environmental benefits of the actions under the plan. As a farmer, he is a custodian of the countryside and believes that farming efficiently while enhancing the environment can be complementary. To see the benefits of the ACRES actions, click on ‘Read more’.
The River Barrow runs along the edge of the farm. A buffer strip will benefit water quality