The ABP Demo Farm in Co. Carlow is set to host an open day on Tuesday, July 25.
The event is open to all ABP Food Group suppliers and farmers and will take place from 11:00.am to 1:00p.m and will feature a range of speakers offering tips and advice on everything from multi-species swards, to selecting cattle that are fit for slaughter.
University College Dublin’s (UCD’s) Prof. Tommy Boland will be in attendance on the day giving an overview of multi-species swards and discussing the benefits and challenges of establishing them.
The ABP Demo Farm recently reseeded a 28ac bloc of ground with a multi-species mix and farmers attending the open day can see how this is establishing.
A representative from MSD Animal Health will be in attendance to discuss bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and parasite control in calves.
ABP Food Group’s agri-sustainability manager Stephen Connolly will discuss the importance of genetics within dairy calf-to-beef systems and will also give a demonstration that will feature live cattle weighing.
A representative from Brett Brothers animal feed suppliers will deliver a presentation to the farmers in attendance on best practice when finishing cattle with a focus on factors to consider when selecting the feed diets.
James Hickey from ABP’s cattle procurement team will deliver a live demonstration on selecting factory-fit cattle. He will highlight aspects to look out for when assessing if an animal is sufficiently fleshed.
Food will be served to all those in attendance after the event and those interested in attending the event should confirm their name with ABP.
ABP Demo Farm
In 2015, the well-known Irish beef processing firm ABP joined a partnership with two beef farmers based in Co. Carlow to form what is known as the ABP Demonstration Farm.
Through grass management, animal breeding, herd health and biodiversity, the farm aims to showcase the measures that can be taken on Irish farms to further reduce the carbon footprint of beef production in Ireland.
Previously, a large part of the farm was in tillage. In recent years, the farm was converted entirely to grassland and grazing infrastructure, i.e. fences and drinkers, was installed.
The farm size is 280ac and it is laid out in two separate blocks. The farm operates a dairy calf-to-beef system where approximately 400 calves are purchased every year and are reared to finishing.
Although the farming system is dairy calf-to-beef, much of the research on the ABP Demo Farm is very translatable to suckler-beef production also.
The key theme on the farm is economic and environmental sustainability and in this, a large focus is placed on animal genetics and grassland management.
On the farm, heifers are finished at 19-months-of-age and steers are finished at 21-months-of-age.