All 2021-born cattle have now been slaughtered on the ABP Demo farm with the final 50 being sent to the factory this week.
These final 50 bullocks (steers) spent their finishing stage at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) Tully Progeny Test Centre in Co. Kildare, where their feed intake and methane emissions were measured.
The steers in Tully were a mix of breeds consisting of Angus, Hereford, Limousin, Aubrac, Belgian Blue and Stabliser, and from a range of different sires within breeds.
All cattle were purchased by the ABP Demo Farm as calves from a range of dairy herds.
Kill-out statistics from the final 50 steers from the ABP Demo Farm:
- Average carcass weight: 321kg;
- Average conformation: O+;
- Average fat cover: 3=;
- Average age: 21 months.
Two animals on this batch graded a 2= in flesh and can therefore be classified as short fleshed. These animals were Limousin and Belgian Blue and the conclusion was that these two cattle needed a few extra weeks of feeding
Number of cattle that fell into each carcass grade:
- 2 cattle: O-;
- 11 cattle: O=;
- 21 cattle: O+;
- 13 cattle: R-;
- 2 cattle: R=;
- 1 cattle R+;
The heaviest steer was a Stabiliser-cross bullock with a carcass weight of 377kg; it graded an R-.
The Stabiliser is a composite breed, meaning it is made up of several different breeds that are carefully selected on a scientific basis to create an animal that has a range of specific traits.
Originally, Stabilisers were a four-way cross between Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental and Gelbvieh (a German cattle breed), with an equal share of 25% of each breed. Other breed populations are constantly being sampled to see if they can strengthen the modern Stabiliser.
Research from the UK would indicate the breed has superior feed efficiency traits.
The second-heaviest steer on this batch was a Belgian Blue bullock grading an R+ 2+ with a carcass weight of 372kg at 21 months.
While this animal performed well, it had a much higher purchase cost as a calf and a longer finishing period than the traditional breeds.
Angus
Within the Angus breed, there was a substantial 82kg difference in carcass weight between the heaviest and the lightest steer.
The lightest Angus steer on this batch graded an O+3+ and had a carcass weight of 268kg.
The heaviest Angus also graded an O+3+ and had a carcass weight of 350kg but was 24 days younger.
Comparing the heaviest and lightest Angus cattle, there was a price difference of €443 when the base price, Advantage Beef Programme bonus, Angus bonus and QPS bonus are included.
With the Hereford breed, there was a 49kg difference in carcass weight between the best and worst steer and the heaviest bullock was 12 days younger.
In the new year, a full overview of the sire difference and the average carcass performance of the steers and heifers on the ABP Demo Farm will be made available on Agriland.
The Advantage Beef programme recently ran a series of events highlighting the role better calf genetics can have on profitable beef or dairy farming systems.
At the events, farmers were advised to start thinking now about where they will buy their calves next year and what genetics will give them the best performance.
Two more of these information events will take place in January.