Our Organisation Search
Quick Links
Toggle: Topics

CBV driving performance in west Cork

CBV driving performance in west Cork

Farming in one of the most scenic parts of the country, James O’Sullivan is using the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) to drive performance from his dairy calf to beef system in west Cork.

Having joined the DairyBeef 500 Programme in 2022, James has been quick to adopt new technologies. Sward improvements include the introduction of multispecies and red clover swards, but it is through a calf purchasing policy based on the use of the CBV where James has seen real rewards.

Incorporating the CBV into James’ calf purchasing policy was quickly identified as a strategy to improve the finishing performance of his dairy-beef animals. Purchasing a mix of Angus steers and heifers, its correction was seen as an avenue to improve carcass weight and conformation, while still finishing animals at young ages.

As part of a recent DairyBeef 500 webinar on ‘Sourcing and Finishing High Quality Dairy Beef Animals’, James shared his experiences of using the CBV to purchase calves and how these animals have performed for him.

James shares an overview of his farming system, expanding on the use of the CBV, in the below video:

By working closely with four source dairy farms, James has been able to influence sire selection, with Angus sires of +10kg carcass weight and >€100 on the beef sub-index being used, provided they fall within the dairy farmers’ criteria for calving difficulty (<3% calving difficulty).

“The relationship I have with the dairy farmers is very important,” James explained, “they are very accommodating to me with bull selection and trying new bulls within their calving difficulty range.”

“We try to work together to breed a better quality animal. They are open enough to trying new bulls once the calving difficulty is acceptable for them, and it is important that we breed animals to hit the market spec and get the breed bonuses if we can.”

Targeting a carcass weight of 260kg for his heifers and 300kg for steers, James expanded upon how the CBV is helping achieve that, adding: “Over the last number of years, the carcass weights and the grades have gone up in the finished animals and it is helping me achieve a better profit on the farm.

“The CBV is a good foundation to get good genetics into the calf. The CBV is a great guide for anyone buying calves or cattle.”

Through influencing the breeding decisions on dairy farms and by purchasing a calf with improved genetics for beef production, James has seen the performance of his finishing animals increase substantially. Last autumn, Angus heifers were finished off grass with a concentrate input of 120-130kg per head. At slightly over 21 months, the heifers averaged a 260kg carcass at O+ grading. Steers, after being fed indoors for a short period, produced 300kg, O+ grading carcasses at 22 months of age.

For further details and watch a recording of the DairyBeef 500 Programme’s webinar on ‘Sourcing and Finishing High Quality Dairy Beef Animals’, visit here.

Also read: 4 reasons why farmers should use the Commercial Beef Value

Also read: What is the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) and where can it be found

Also read: Dairy-beef finishing – the key elements to get right