Ireland was not the only country hit by the drought in 2018; countries all over Europe have been impacted in some way or another by the lack of rain.
As part of the Sommet de l’Elevage livestock show – which took place in France recently – AgriLand visited a purebred Limousin farm which had been badly effected by the dry conditions. However, calving was in full swing and the season was progressing smoothly.
While the majority of farms in Ireland had received rain by the first two weeks in August – and growth had somewhat recovered – at the time of the visit (October 3, 2018), no rain had fallen since mid-June.
The water system in place hadn’t been effected, but winter feed (hay) was being fed to the herd in sacrifice paddocks.
In winter, the animals are housed in winter accommodation and fed hay, grass silage and maize silage. In a normal year, the first cut is taken as grass silage and hay is saved from the second cut.
Again – in a normal year – the herd is rationally grazed through paddocks and grouped accordingly.
The farm was originally home to a commercial herd with Limousin cows crossed with Charolais bulls. However, in 2002, a switch was made to breeding a purebred Limousin herd.
Bulls and heifers are sold for breeding, while bulls not making the grade are sold – live – as weanlings (400kg) to the Italian market – a major market for French bull weanlings.
Also Read: Beef focus: Exporting over 1 million live cattle in FranceThe farm stretches across 295ha; 25ha are used to produce cereals, while 6ha of maize silage is grown every year. Some 110ha are in permanent pasture and 154ac are allocated to temporary swards.
The herd consists of approximately 200 suckler cows and heifers and the farmer caters for the many needs of his customers. Some calves are sold to local butchers at 4-5 months of age for veal.
As already mentioned, weanling bulls (unsuitable for breeding) go to Italy; yearling heifers and breeding heifers are sold aged 10-12 months; bulls suitable for breeding are sold aged 12-18 months.
Heifers fit for the bull or AI are sold on at 18 months, while in-calf heifers can be bought at 30 months. In addition, any under-performing cow is culled from the herd and sent for slaughter.
Therefore, replacement heifers are also kept on the farm.
Calving period and breeding
The calving season on the farm is primarily (80%) during September and October, while the remainder calve over the November to January period.
All going well, cows calve outdoors unassisted. First-time calvers are brought close to the yard for observation and for easy handling should anything go wrong.
Calves when born – heifers weighing 40-45kg and bulls weighing 45-50kg – are tagged within 24 hours and dehorned by three weeks of age.
However, the farmer noted that calves have been slightly lighter this year; calves will be weaned aged 8-9 months at 280-300kg.
The breeding season begins around November 20 each year; both stock bulls (50%) and AI (50%) are used. However, the farmer noted that the uptake of AI on suckler herds across France has been low – currently sitting at 15%.
All heifers on the farm are bred to AI and insemination takes place when they are approximately 60% of their mature body weight, which normally leaves his heifers calving at two and a half or three years old.
Insemination takes place indoors and some polled genetics have been introduced recently. After the breeding season, cows and heifers are scanned and anything not in calf is let go.
When choosing a replacement heifer, the farmer looks for a number of traits. These include: good legs, a good feed efficiency; a good temperament; and milk.