25 September 2024

Meet the Beef Finalists of the Environmental Sustainability Awards 2024

The Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards recognize beef farmers leading the way in sustainable practices. These awards highlight efforts to minimize the environmental footprint, while producing premium beef and ensuring farms remain profitable and environmentally responsible.

This year’s winners will be crowned on October 1, 2024, at the Heritage Hotel, Killenard, Co. Laois. Over 100 farmers applied for the awards, and after careful screening and site visits by the judging panel over the summer, 16 finalists remain, representing a range of farming enterprises, including dairy, beef, sheep, and tillage. These finalists have demonstrated a commitment to environmental and financial sustainability through actions that reduce emissions, improve biodiversity, and protect water and soil health.

Dairy Beef Finalists

Aidan Maguire

Aidan Maguire is dairy beef farming in partnership with his son Luke near Navan, Co. Meath. Aidan has built a relationship with his calf suppliers and has a significant input into the bull choice for the dairy herds he works with, ensuring top quality calves. The incorporation of red clover silage on the farm has been very successful with high yields and quality silage produced, helping to reduce age at slaughter.

Key Farm Actions:

Reducing age at slaughter
Incorporation of red clover silage

John Murphy

John Murphy operates a dairy beef unit at Aghabullogue, Co. Cork. John sources all his calves locally and direct from local dairy farmers. He is using the CBV when buying calves to ensure good genetics. Steers are finished at 21-22 months and heifers at 19 months, achieved through good breeding, grassland management, herd health planning and producing high quality silage.

Key Farm Actions:

Improving calf quality
Reducing age at slaughter
Producing top quality silage

Suckler Beef Finalists

Eamon & Donnchadh McCarthy

Eamon and Donnchadh McCarthy farm in partnership in West Waterford while also working off farm. Good breeding management in their suckler herd has helped reduce age at slaughter on the farm while increasing carcass weight. A liming programme has increased grass yields in recent years without an additional increase in chemical N use.

Key Farm Actions:

Reducing age at slaughter
Use of lime

Ken Gill

Ken Gill's organic suckler farm near Edenderry, Co. Offaly is an example of a technically efficient farm while also looking after the environment. Ken puts an emphasis on the Signpost 12 steps to improve technical efficiency on the farm while also reducing GHG emissions. He is managing hedgerows to grow up and out to maximise biodiversity and carbon sequestration potential while also managing rotation to help maintain soil biodiversity. Ken has a large semi-natural woodland along with a newly planted native woodland. This is an oak woodland managed for natural regeneration after thinning.

Key Farm Actions:

Following the Signpost 12 steps to improve technical efficiency
Managing hedgerows and woodlands for biodiversity and soil health

Michael McGuigan

Michael McGuigan established a suckler beef farm near Longwood, Co. Meath, 7 years ago. Michael is using 100% AI and sexed semen to improve the genetics of the herd to maximise daily live weight gain and reduce age at slaughter. Michael is measuring grass and records on PastureBase with 42 walks per year on a paddock system helping to maximise grass utilised.

Key Farm Actions:

Improving beef genetics
Reducing age at slaughter
Better grassland management

Shane Keaveney

Shane Keaveney is operating a suckler farm near Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. He has switched to 100% protected urea where soil indices permit, and 18-6-12 fertiliser where the indices need enhancing. Heifers are calved at 24 months on the farm. Shane has used the ASSAP service to generate a plan for protecting the waterways on his heavy farm and has implemented actions including buffer zones, bunding the dungstead, bunding at field level and riparian margins in critical areas.

Key Farm Actions:

Using NBPT protected urea
Improving breeding performance