Green Acres Update - 14 June 2021

Best practice in dosing

• Watch for clinical signs and only dose when required.
• Take stock performance and faecal egg count (FEC) results into account when deciding on whether or not there is a need to dose.
• Pay attention to dose-to-weight calculations so animals receive a full dose.
• Dose based on the weight of the heaviest animal in the bunch (don’t under-dose).
• If a large degree of weight variation exists, splitting the group into a heavier and lighter group and then dosing based on the heaviest in each group is advisable.
• Read the label and instructions carefully to ensure that you know exactly what the dose can and cannot treat.
• Dose for lungworm in calves based on first signs of hoose cough.
• Complete a drench test to verify whether or not there is resistance on farm to the drugs used (consult your local advisor/vet for more information on this measure).
• Alternate the drug used to dose cattle between the three classes listed above where possible.

Key management tasks

1. Walk farms twice weekly, many farms are in a position of grass surplus.
2. Identify paddocks for surplus bales or possible reseeding, if growth allows.
3. Complete faecal egg count tests on cattle to identify the need to dose.
4. Ensure second-cut silage ground is adequately fertiliser.
5. Begin drafting cattle being finished at grass; although April and May have been difficult, these animals have performed well.

Calf purchases

Sourcing and purchasing the correct calf at an appropriate price is critical to the success of calf to beef systems. An over-expensive outlay on day one of the production cycle can add pressure in terms of making a margin at slaughter. The below section gives a breakdown of calf purchasing on the Teagasc Green Acres farms in the spring of 2021. In percentage terms, dairy-bred males accounted for 68% of all calves purchased, while early-maturing males and females represented 8% and 12%, respectively of total calf numbers. On account of higher calf purchase costs, the trend witnessed last year where Holstein Friesians were preferred to early-maturing animals has continued. In terms of calf prices, increases were witnessed across all categories of animal. The Holstein Friesian calf price increased by €11/head, while rises of €35-64/head were witnessed for early-maturing males. Only small price rises were witnessed in the continental category, as only two farmers – who’ve strong relationships built with calf suppliers – are engaged in purchasing these animals in large numbers. 

Calf purchase price on the Teagasc Green Acres farms