The Agricultural Consultants’ Association (ACA) hosted a national organic farm walk on Wednesday, October 18. The event took place on Gemma and Tom Dunne’s Seefeld Farm, a beef and tillage enterprise located near Durrow, Co. Laois.
Despite the heavy rain, both conventional and organic farmers alike from across the country turned out in the wet conditions for the event.
At the farm walk, attendees heard from ACA organic specialists Julian Pawlowski and Mary Lynch as well as the host farmer, Tom Dunne.
Representatives from the two organic certification bodies as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) were in attendance at the event also.
Tom has been organic farming for 20 years. The farm started out as a beef and sheep farm and now specialises in beef and tillage.
The land use in 2023 was as follows:
- Oats and combi crop: 17.69ha;
- Red clover pasture for silage: 17ha;
- Permanent pasture: 30ha;
- ACRES winter bird food: 1.15ha;
- Total usable area: 65.84ha.
The farm consists of just under 66ha of which 35ha is owned and the remaining 31ha has been taken on long-term leases within 10km of the farm.
The farm is stocked at 1.39LU/ha and has 15% space for nature.
The beef enterprise
The farm originally had a suckler enterprise but has now transitioned to buying store bullocks that are brought to finish.
90 cattle are purchased each year directly off organic farms at approximately 18 months of age. Tom has built up relationships with a number of organic store cattle producers over the years and purchases cattle from them each year, by agreeing a price/kg and getting the cattle weighed at local weigh bridges.
The cattle are primarily finished from January to June each year to avail of the premium beef price available at that time of year.
The cattle are normally 24-30 months-of-age at slaughter. All stock is sold to Good Herdsman and slaughtered at ABP in Cahir, Co. Tipperary.
Cattle average 390kg carcass weight at slaughter and last year, the average price achieved was €2,284, which worked out at approximately €800 over the price paid for the cattle approximately 12 months earlier.
Tom said: “This year’s cattle, taking all things into account, they’re coming in at just under €3/kg, €2.97/kg to be precise.
“I’ve done it in the last three years; I’m hoping to put €800/head to the buying-in price.
“My costs, all considered, rented land and all, is just short of €300/head so that’s leaving me a net margin of €500/animal on 90 animals on top of my payments which is satisfactory to me.”
The present organic beef price is €5.50/kg and is expected to be at €6/kg by next March.
The cattle are housed for the winter in a loose shed with a slatted feeding area. Straw produced on the farm is used to bed the cattle.
The percentage of cattle killing-out in each grade is as follows:
2022 2023 8% U grade, 4% U grade 78% R grade, 76% R grade 14% O grade 20% O grade
All cattle slaughtered secured a fat score of three or four.
With the organic price grid, base price is paid on R3 and R4 cattle and there is an 18c/kg bonus for U grades and an 18c/kg cut for 0 grades.
There is a 30-50c/kg cut on the base price for P grades, depending on the fat score.
The tillage enterprise
The tillage enterprise is made up of organic oats sold to Tirlán and growing combi-crops which are used as feed for cattle. The variety of oats sown is Husky.
This year, two combi crops were grown:
- Peas and wheat;
- Beans and wheat.
The home-grown organic ration of peas and wheat is costing €148/t stored in the shed.
The seed was sourced from Western Seeds. Both crops were harvested for grain.
The peas and wheat were crimped and treated with a lactobacillus bacteria. The feed is then stored in a shed under a plastic cover.
The wheat and beans were crimped and then treated with propionic acid and stored in the shed.
As more than 50% of the mix is protein, the Protein Aid Scheme payment can also be drawn down.
Contractors are hired to do all the cultivation and harvesting. The fields are ploughed each year, then a one-pass system (Horsch) cultivates and sows the crops.
The gates are then closed until harvest. There is one large, loose shed that can be used to handle and store the grain.
Once the tillage rotation is completed, the fields are reseeded with a red-clover mix and this produces most of the silage for the farm along with silage from some permanent pasture fields.
Grass seeds are sourced from Western Seeds or Fruithill farm and a seed derogation is sought if 100% of the mix is not organic seed.
The red clover swards are normally cut three times during the year and this is mostly used for pit silage.
This produces a high-quality silage with an average protein content of 15% and along with the grain produced on the farm, it allows the cattle to be finished with all home-grown fodder and grains.
The red clover is normally grazed lightly at the end of the growing season and if conditions are good in the spring, it can also get a light graze prior to closing for silage.
Soil fertility
Soil fertility on the beef and tillage farm is regularly monitored on the farm. Lime is spread on a regular basis to maintain a soil pH over 6.5.
Phosphorus levels across the beef and tillage farm range from index 3-4 and potassium levels range from index 2-4.
Dairy sludge has been imported from Tirlán Ballyragget, in accordance with the soil samples. Slurry and farm yard manure (FYM) produced on the farm are spread on the tillage ground and red-clover swards.
Mobile farm
Tom operates a mobile farm for AgriAware and so has some poultry, pigs and sheep on the farm which he carries in the mobile unit to visit schools around Leinster.