Beef Newsletter - April 2021

View newsletter here: Beef Newsletter - April 2021 (PDF)

In this month's edition:

• BEEP-S
  Earn €80-€90 per cow/calf pair. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) announced a new Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme (BEEP) scheme for suckler farmers (BEEP-S) last month.
  • Applications
    Applications are open until 23:59 on April 26, 2021 and can be submitted online through your DAFM Agfood account or by your advisor.
• Basic Payment Scheme - Deadline May 17, 2021
  Applications for the 2021 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the Greening Scheme have now opened online. The closing date for BPS applications is Monday May 17, 2021.
• Dairy beef calf programme
  The DAFM has announced the opening of a new and pioneering dairy beef calf measure for 2021. The core action is the weighing of eligible calves, for which there is a payment of €20 per calf up to a maximum of 20 calves.
  • Applications
    Applications are open until 23:59 on April 26, 2021 and can be submitted online through your DAFM Agfood account.
• Making good quality silage
  A crop of grass silage (5t/ha of DM) will require 125kg nitrogen (N)/ha (100 units/acre). Grass silage will take up on average 2.5kg/ha/day of N (2 units/day). Therefore, apply N at least 50 days before cutting to ensure full crop N utilisation. Make adjustments for fertiliser N applied for early grazing.
• Research Update - Does finishing on grass affect eating quality?
  Aidan Moloney, Mark McGee and Edward O'Riordan of Teagasc AGRIC, Grange, Dunsany, Co. Meath reveal how carcass fat score is not related to the eating quality of bull beef.
• Health and Safety - Spreading and spraying hazards
  Spraying and fertiliser and slurry spreading are high-risk jobs carried out in April.