Teagasc Better Farm

Count Mondego

Anyone else go out to Donie Ahern's farm walk there on Tuesday?

Impressive setup from Donie and the young lad. 68 HA and finishes 160 bulls and heifers (buys in another 80 weanlings) at 16 and 20 months per year. Has 80 suckler cows, interestingly all off dairy cows so can't imagine Donie will be in the BTAP scheme. Main farm block all laid out with roadways and fenced for paddock system. serious grass management akin to dairy. Weanling coming off grass with no nuts at an average of 340kgs.

Great to see the setup, but though the whole mantra from Taegasc on the day was about the bull system. Grand for Donie as he has been finishing bulls for the last 20 years but I'd have though it would be insane for anyone to start bulls now after the roasting lads got last year and the year before. I'd love to see an intensive steer beef finishing system and associated costs which would be more relevant to the majority of suckler farmers.

Despite all the talk of margin/HA and profit monitor, there was no comparison done between the margin from his reared stock and the bought in stock. this would have been useful.

CloughCasey1

Count Mondego wrote: »

Anyone else go out to Donie Ryan's farm walk there on Tuesday?

Impressive setup from Donie and the young lad. 68 HA and finishes 160 bulls and heifers (buys in another 80 weanlings) at 16 and 20 months per year. Has 80 suckler cows, interestingly all off dairy cows so can't imagine Donie will be in the BTAP scheme. Main farm block all laid out with roadways and fenced for paddock system. serious grass management akin to dairy. Weanling coming off grass with no nuts at an average of 340kgs.

Great to see the setup, but though the whole mantra from Taegasc on the day was about the bull system. Grand for Donie as he has been finishing bulls for the last 20 years but I'd have though it would be insane for anyone to start bulls now after the roasting lads got last year and the year before. I'd love to see an intensive steer beef finishing system and associated costs which would be more relevant to the majority of suckler farmers.

Despite all the talk of margin/HA and profit monitor, there was no comparison done between the margin from his reared stock and the bought in stock. this would have been useful.

What breeding is his own stock and what age does he bring in the weanlings what weights does he get the pre 16mts bulls to or was that even mentioned. Sorry for all the questions!!

Count Mondego

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

What breeding is his own stock and what age does he bring in the weanlings what weights does he get the pre 16mts bulls to or was that even mentioned. Sorry for all the questions!!

Two limo stock bulls, and buys in continental weanlings. After coming out of the shed his own weanlings get 100 days at grass, then into the shed for the last 100 days brought up to 13kg ration and a bite staw.

Think the bulls were up to 740 liveweight

CloughCasey1

Count Mondego wrote: »

Two limo stock bulls, and buys in continental weanlings. After coming out of the shed his own weanlings get 100 days at grass, then into the shed for the last 100 days brought up to 13kg ration and a bite staw.

Think the bulls were up to 740 liveweight

Must be may born calves so. Out of shed in late feb back in just over yr old and finish in sept. Good way of making use of shed for more than winter. Does he finish on slats or straw bed? They are averaging 1.5kg per day assuming 50kg birth weight. An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding. But I think both cases apply here!!

Count Mondego

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

Must be may born calves so. Out of shed in late feb back in just over yr old and finish in sept. Good way of making use of shed for more than winter. Does he finish on slats or straw bed? They are averaging 1.5kg per day assuming 50kg birth weight. An ounce of breeding is worth a tonne of feeding. But I think both cases apply here!!

Correct on the turnout, tries to get out as early as possible. Finishes on slats with the comfort mats. 45Kg birth weight.

Muckit

Bulls are v specialised. You would want to be on top of your game. The fact that they are hard managed at grass rules them out for a lot of lads. You then have extra costs and management issues with putting animals into a shed to finish. Extra slurry + tied into feeding twice a day. A tonne of meal/hd on average, that's a lot of money tied up in a meal bin.

Most lads would get better return out in the field. Put in extra troughs and paddocks. Increase stocking rate then with heifers or steers. Get the most from grass, most lads could really improve on this, including myself.

It's like my contractor was saying l should try a few bulls. Talk of getting up on €2k a piece for them. Sure haven't l an empty pen. I am understocked. I would be better off increasing the amount of stock l have at grass. Investment in extra troughs and fencing would be peanuts compared to having to get 6-7tonne meal. Make extra silage bales and haul out extra slurry.

On top of this trying to get bulls killed can be like playing Russian roulette. You have to have them rwady at a certain time or you will get seriously burned. Some might say you need to bet big to win big but l'm happy sticking on a fiver instead of half a weejs wages!!

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Bulls are v specialised. You would want to be on top of your game. The fact that they are hard managed at grass rules them out for a lot of lads. You then have extra costs and management issues with putting animals into a shed to finish. Extra slurry + tied into feeding twice a day. A tonne of meal/hd on average, that's a lot of money tied up in a meal bin.

Most lads would get better return out in the field. Put in extra troughs and paddocks. Increase stocking rate then with heifers or steers. Get the most from grass, most lads could really improve on this, including myself.

It's like my contractor was saying l should try a few bulls. Talk of getting up on €2k a piece for them. Sure haven't l an empty pen. I am understocked. I would be better off increasing the amount of stock l have at grass. Investment in extra troughs and fencing would be peanuts compared to having to get 6-7tonne meal. Make extra silage bales and haul out extra slurry.

On top of this trying to get bulls killed can be like playing Russian roulette. You have to have them rwady at a certain time or you will get seriously burned. Some might say you need to bet big to win big but l'm happy sticking on a fiver instead of half a weejs wages!!

+1

Uncle tried a few bull this year but had time indoors the whole time. Never were outside from 12 months on

Milked out

Just looking from the outside in lads here but is it that sometimes lads are too quick to change from one beef system to another and in doing so can get caught out more often when the wheel turns. If you have a system you know and run it as good as you can and target your customers, on average over a few years would u be better off? If that doesn't work then look at changing but it would have to be a longterm view. I guess it's possible to have 2 different systems going to spread the risk of being caught out by timing of sale etc a bit but that also makes things more complicated.

CloughCasey1

Reggie. wrote: »

+1

Uncle tried a few bull this year but had time indoors the whole time. Never were outside from 12 months on

It worked for me last yr with Oct/nov calves they were going in and staying in at 12mts. Im trying to rear 16calves and 16 older cattle yearly in 9 acres. If I keep all 16 second year I balls myself up on getting them to 2 yrs finish so I will finish 4 or 6 this winter as bulls leaving 10 to12 to Plough through the spring grass and put on good weight I can sell the best in the mart if I run tight during summer and house end sept to finish or mart in nov when the younger stock clean up last of grass to spread fym just in time to for next round of bulls to house and bullocks for next yr. Buy calves again and start again.