Based in Tobercurry, Co. Sligo, Pat Carthy is a beef farmer supplying his beef cattle to ABP Food Group through the processors’ sustainability initiative, the Advantage Beef Programme.
Carthy’s farm is also one of the eight ABP Monitor Farms that are finishing cattle in a variety of systems and are based across the country on a range of different land types.
Carthy works full-time off farm and has a suckler herd but is transitioning to a dairy-beef enterprise also.
This year, Carthy bought 22 calves and these were contract reared. They arrived on Carthy’s farm on May 10 weighing 110kg on average.
The calves were both Angus and Herefords and were a range of both bull and heifer calves.
The contract-rearing system worked well for Carthy, as his off-farm job reduces the amount of time he can allocate to farm work. The calves arrived to the contract rearer at three weeks of age.
Carthy secured his first-cut silage on May 18. This spring, the ground received 2,000G/ac of slurry and 70 units of nitrogen (N) was spread on April 27.
Silage was mowed, tedded out and left to wilt for around one and a half days (36 hours) and a yield of nine bales/ac of good quality grass silage was achieved.
The farm had a surplus of silage remaining from last year therefore is not under as much pressure to secure feed this year.
ABP Monitor Farms: John Twohig
Based in Bandon, Co. Cork, John Twohig is a dairy and beef farmer and is also one of ABP Food Group’s Monitor Farms.
Last month, Twohig reseeded a 3ha bloc of land. Firstly, the paddock was sprayed off with Gallup. It then received 3t/ac of lime and was disked twice and received two runs of the power harrow before setting.
The paddock was then rolled to establish a fine, firm seedbed and a bag and a half of grass seed (18kg/ac) went in and this seed mixture comprised of two tetraploid perennial ryegrass varieties and one diploid perennial ryegrass species, as well as a 10% (1.2kg) of a white clover blend.
After setting, the paddock was rolled again and in July, Twohig sprayed the paddock with a clover-safe spray (Pro Clova XL).
The paddock was grazed off at the end of last month. Twohig has great faith in rolling the paddock both before and after setting, as it increases the seed-to-soil contact which aids effective germination.
Twohig’s 2023-born cattle are doing well considering the late spring and are thriving well despite getting out to grass much later than usual this year.
They received a multivitamin and a pour on and John is aiming to have these bullocks fit for slaughter in December/January at 21/22 months of age.
Twohig took a second-cut of silage on July 3 and it yielded 9 bales/ac. this ground received 2,500g/ac of slurry and 70 units of protected urea after cutting.
Twohig took a few paddocks out for a cut of silage also and he is delighted with how well the clover has persisted in the sward that was set in 2021.
He said he has to go out with less chemical N fertiliser, as the clover is now playing its part in the sward.
Twohig has split his calves in two groups, putting the stronger, older calves in one group and the younger calves in another. This way, he can manage both groups accordingly to have them meeting target weights for housing.