Beef Production Systems

Join John O'Connor and Jamie Cahill of Kildalton College in this Farm Walk and Talk with AgriAware on beef production systems. Kildalton has two different systems a suckler to beef and dairy calf to beef.

Suckler to Beef System

This system uses a mix of continental animals, simmental, limousin and charolais. The bull calves are raised for bull beef and steer beef. The heifers are raised for breeding or heifer beef. The calves in tis system are raised by the cow for a number of months before being weaned. 

Dairy calf to Beef

The calves for the system are friesian or friesian cross bull calves purchased from the Kildalton dairy unit. It is very important that these calves gets colostrum within the first few hours. The calf is then fed on milk replacer for 10-12 weeks. The main aim of this system is to get the calves to gain weight as quickly as possible. They are fed a diet of grass and meal during the summer months and silage and meal when housed during the winter. If the grass supply is adequate and of good quality they may be get grass only during the summer months. 

 View more videos in the Farm Walk and Talk series here