Perfecting a dairy-beef system
Focusing on key areas such as grassland management, animal performance and health, Aidan Maguire has implemented steps to perfect his dairy-beef system in Navan, Co. Meath. DairyBeef 500 Advisor to the farm, Fergal Maguire shares details of these changes and previews an upcoming event on the farm.
Farming outside Navan, Co. Meath, Aidan Maguire, alongside his son Luke, runs a dairy calf to beef enterprise on their farm, in conjunction with a contracting business. The farm stretches to over 70ha, with 54ha in grass and the remainder in forestry.
Up until 1999, Aidan operated tillage and suckler cow enterprises. Having initially changed to a calf to store system, Aidan then moved to a dairy calf to beef system through which approximately 100 calves were purchased and finished each year. The predominant breeds purchased were Aberdeen Angus, Hereford and Friesian animals.
Since joining the Teagasc DairyBeef 500 Campaign, the Maguires source all their calves from four local dairy farmers and finish their heifers at around 18-19 months and bullocks at less than 24 months of age. The target is to have heifers at over 550kgs live weight at the end of the finishing period and for bullocks to be 600kg, leaving a minimum carcass weight of 270kg for heifers and 300kg for bullocks.
Calf rearing
Annual calf purchases have now increased to 150-170, a mixture of autumn and spring-born. Even though the number of calves has increased, there has been no increase in health issues associated with the rearing of these extra calves.
Aidan and Luke maintain that buying calves from local farmers has been key to reducing the health issues on the farm.
Aidan is very particular when it comes to the age of calf that he buys, adding: “I will not buy a calf that is less than three weeks of age and, even at that, if the calf looks thin or anyway off form I will not take him.
“Leaving calves to greater than three weeks of age before they come onto our farm means that the calf is over the danger period for rotavirus and coronavirus scour. If it does get a touch of crypto scour, the calf is strong enough to overcome it.”
A comprehensive vaccination plan also plays a key role in reducing the instances of pneumonia that occur on the farm.
In the video below, Aidan Maguire discusses what to expect at the upcoming open day:
Grassland management is key
The farm grew over 13t of grass DM/ha last year, using less than 150kg of chemical nitrogen (N) per hectare. The low level of chemical N used on the grassland block is attributed to the introduction of both red and white clover on the farm. Aidan believes that chemical nitrogen applications on the farm will reduce further over time as more clover becomes established.
In spring 2022, a red clover silage sward was established, which received no chemical N apart from three bags of 10-10-20 applied at sowing. In 2023, this sward was cut four times, yielding 28 bales/ac, tested >73% DMD and 14.4% crude protein, whilst only receiving cattle slurry after each cut.
In 2021, Aidan won the Drystock Grassland Farmer of the Year award, which recognised the excellent paddock system in place – including a central (grass) roadway – and a willingness to measure and manage grass. Both of which, along with inclusion of clovers, have helped contribute to the increase in grass grown and utilised on his farm, while reducing the amount of chemical fertiliser applied.
Aidan is an advocate of measuring grass and regularly uploading the figures on PastureBase Ireland. In 2023, Aidan uploaded over 40 grass walks onto the system. He believes that measuring grass is one of the keys to him achieving good weight gains at grass.
Upcoming event
On Thursday, September 5 at 6pm, Aidan Maguire will host a DairyBeef 500 farm walk and Live Forum on his farm. All are welcome to come along and see his dairy calf to beef system in action. On display on the evening will be his 2023 autumn born and 2024 spring born calves, yearling steers and heifers and his finishing animals.
The theme of the event is ‘Making the winter gains’, which will be of great interest to both dairy farmers and those interested in rearing dairy bred stock. Topics on the day will include: Aidan’s current farming system and his financial performance; grassland management tips, including red clover swards; animal health; and winter feeding options for finishing and weanling animals.
The DairyBeef 500 Farm Walk and Live Forum will take place on Aidan Maguire’s farm, Antylstown, Co. Meath, Eircode: C15 W4C2 on September 5th at 6pm.