On November 1, the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Suckler (BEEP-S) came to a close alongside the Dairy-Beef Calf Scheme.
According to figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), a total of 24,092 suckler herds submitted weights for the BEEP-S scheme.
The average payment made to successful applicants under BEEP-S scheme was €1,700 and, according to ICBF, 493,295 cow-calf pairs were weighed overall.
The table below includes some of the key statistics from the BEEP-S:
Number of herds: 24,092 Cow-Calf pairs weighed: 493,295 Average pairs/herd: 20 Average €/herd: €1,700 Total payment €: €41 Million
According to the ICBF: “Farmers have seen the range of benefits that weighing their animals has for their overall herd performance over the past three years.
“Weighing suckler cows and calves has helped farmers to identify the best-performing cows, calves and sires, identify any animals which need extra attention, and it has helped farmers to dose and medicate correctly due to having confidence in the correct weight of the animals.”
Weaning Performance Reports
Most farmers participating in the scheme received their Weaning Performance Reports in the post before Christmas.
According to the ICBF, these reports are designed to identify the most efficient animals in the herd while accounting for parity and calf age.
The report also aims to identify the best sires in the herd based on the average 200-day weight of their progeny.
This report will present the efficiency of each cow as a percentage of their bodyweight which they weaned. The aim is to produce lighter mature cows that can wean a calf equal to or greater than their heavier counterparts.
If a cow with a mature weight of 680kg can wean a calf of 335kg at 200 days, this gives her a weaning efficiency of 49% (335 ÷ 680).
If a heavier counterpart of 850kg weans a calf the same weight (335kg), this would produce a weaning efficiency of 39% (335 ÷ 850).
The lighter cow will take up less space, eat less silage and produce less methane than the larger cow and produce a calf that is just as good, according to the ICBF.
The 200-day weight is an international Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for suckler herds. A calf’s 200-day weight can be accurately predicted based on average daily gains (ADGs), provided they are weighed between 100 and 300 days.