Heavier carcasses at younger ages a key win for dairy-beef producer
Reporting live from the DairyBeef 500 Forum at BEEF2024, Fergal Maguire highlights the key improvements Charlie Smyth has made to his farming system in recent years – all leading to a more profitable and efficient dairy-beef system.
Alongside his father Charles, Charlie Smyth has operated a dairy calf to beef system on their farm since 2019, purchasing 40 calves in their first year and gradually building up numbers each year. In 2024, a total of 107 calves were purchased with the plan to bring them all the way to finish at between 21 and 26 months.
The farm is approximately 60ha in size and is situated just outside Virginia, Co. Cavan. The soil type is a mixture of relatively free-draining soil to heavy, drumlin soils. The farm is fragmented and there is five separate blocks of ground, which significantly increases the workload.
An ounce of breeding
At the start of the DairyBeef 500 Campaign, the genetic makeup of the calves was identified as an area that could be improved upon. As a result, Charlie has become selective of who he buys his calves off. Charlie will only work with dairy farmers that are actively trying to improve the genetics of their beef calves.
Charlie said: “The first thing I ask a dairy farmer for when I am buying their calves is for a list of their Commercial Beef Values (CBV). Within that list, there is going to be a mixture of high and low CBV calves.
“What I am interested in, however, is that the average CBV for that group of calves is above the national average for that breed type.
“To be honest, a lot of dairy farmers looked at me as if I had two heads when I asked for their CBV, but the more progressive farmers knew what I was looking for and that is who I will be dealing with in the future.”
Purchasing a mixture of Friesian, Angus, Hereford and Belgian Blues, approximately 75% of the calves sourced are male and 25% are female.
Bucking the trend
Even though 2023 was a challenging year for animal performance, Charlie bucked the national trend in terms of carcass weight. In 2023, steers killed out at an average carcass weight of 299kg, compared to 288kg in 2022. However, what was even more impressive was that they were finished at an average age of exactly 24 months, which was whole seven weeks earlier than the previous year’s steers.
Having the cattle moved on that bit earlier meant that Charlie ended up with surplus silage this spring rather a deficit that he would have potentially faced if the cattle were on the farm during that period.
Through a combination of better genetics, improved grassland performance and the adoption of a health plan on the farm, Charlie has increased his carcass weights and dropped his age of slaughter. This has resulted in a reduced carbon footprint for the farm, while at the same time leaving more money in his back pocket through reduced feed costs and increased output per head and per hectare.
Fergal Maguire is an advisor on the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign, who has worked closely with the Smyth family in recent years to develop a more efficient and profitable dairy-beef system.
To find out more about Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 Campaign, click here