All roads lead to the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm
Located in Ballyvadin, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm aims to demonstrate best practice in breeding, rearing and finishing dairy-beef animals, and will host its first open day on Wednesday, July 10.
Established by Teagasc with the support of Dawn Meats and Shinagh Estates through a joint venture, the farm is focused on key technologies: to allow for greater dairy-beef integration in terms of breeding, management and the transfer of calves; efficient grazing and silage management; and the optimisation of animal performance.
The theme of the upcoming event is ‘Dairy-Beef Integration’, which is particularly topical as building a sustainable outlet for dairy-beef calves coming from the dairy industry is a priority for both the beef and dairy industries.
The dairy-beef supply chain currently includes: the pedigree beef bull breeder; the dairy farmer; the beef farmer(s); and the beef processor. The critical points of this supply chain include: the genetics of the sire selected by the dairy farmer; following best-practice in early-life management of the calf; the seamless transfer of a healthy calf from the dairy farmer to the beef farmer; and the efficiency and productivity of the animal while on the beef farm. The Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration is endeavouring to demonstrate the deployment of best technologies in profitable and sustainable beef production for beef farmers.
The key demonstration actions for the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm are:
- Demonstrate the significant advantage of strong collaboration between beef and dairy farmers in the breeding and transfer of healthy calves between both parties.
- Operate a financially sustainable farm business using excellent pasture management, early age at slaughter and high animal health and welfare.
- Minimise both nitrogen and phosphorus losses to the environment.
- Implement mitigation strategies that reduce the impact of dairy calf-to beef farming on climate change.
- Incorporate a proportion of the farm into high diversity landscape features.
- Implement mitigation strategies to reduce GHG and ammonia emissions to the environment.
- Reduce the use of antibiotics and anthelmintics.
About the farm
The Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Farm of 112ha is leased for 15 years from April 2022. Approximately 95ha is used for the dairy-beef enterprise. This was sown with perennial ryegrass/white clover swards in 2022 and is being managed as a grass-clover system, with moderate (~100 kg/ha) levels of artificial nitrogen fertiliser.
The farm was stocked initially with 325 calves in 2023 and 335 in 2024, and these calves will be reared through to beef as steers and heifers. Finishing age will be dictated by achieving adequate carcass fat cover, which in turn will determine the feed demand. The number of animals reared will be adjusted based on forage supply and demand. The target is to maximise production from grazed grass and high-quality (high dry matter digestibility) grass silage and finish all cattle to meet meat industry specifications.
This spring, the average weight and age of calves purchased was 47kg and 21 days, respectively. These calves were purchased from eight source dairy farmers. The demonstration farm team are working closely with the source dairy farms to ensure the beef genetic merit of the calves continues to improve and a list of suitable AI sires was provided to the farmers to produce the calves for 2025.
Upcoming open day
Taking place on Wednesday, July 10, from 11am, the Open Day on the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm in Ballyvadin, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Eircode: E91 E0X3, will feature:
- Information on the farm systems and economics;
- A live forum will take place at 2pm;
- Genetics and nutrition around factory specifications (animals on display - selecting for finishing);
- Calf sourcing / sire selection (animals on display - genetics demo);
- Calf rearing and health;
- Grass management for herd performance;
- ASSAP/Signpost Programme (roadway/water quality demo);
- Grass Demo;
- Information on the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign.