Ballynahinch, Co. Down-based commercial suckler farmer Barry Fitzsimons is set to show how a switch to Beef Shorthorn genetics has helped him improve his business at a Northern Ireland Beef Shorthorn Club Open Day on Saturday, September 9.

For Barry Fitzsimon's Bawnforth Herd, a change to Beef Shorthorn cattle came about as a result of his desire to ease workload and ensure a sustainable business for future generations.

He said: “We were running a herd of Continental-cross sucklers and while they were delivering great carcasses, there were a number of issues which were hindering the business.

“Principle among those was fertility and an ever-increasing calving interval. Added to this, we were struggling to finish bullocks at much under-30-months of age on our largely grass-based system and that meant extra costs on the business with cattle being on-farm longer than we wanted."

Since introducing Shorthorn genetics, cattle are usually finished by 24 months from the 45-cow suckler herd run by Barry with help of his son, Craig and grandson, Tom.

“As a spring-calving herd that means we don’t have them here for a third summer at grass and that’s a significant improvement, meaning we can shut grass up for silage sooner and make better quality forage," Barry said.

"It also means we can, potentially, carry a few more cows on the same acreage, making for a more efficient herd.”

Bawnforth Herd key performance indictor (KPI) data:

Top 25% Northern Ireland calving interval – 372 days, reduced from in excess of 400;

Top 25% Northern Ireland age at slaughter – most cattle finished at 24-25 months, down from 29-30 months for bullocks;

All cattle meeting spec for Glenarm Beef Shorthorn scheme – 10% premium on standard DW price;

15 cattle slaughtered Feb-May 2023 averaged 332.8kg carcass weight at an average age of 23 months. The youngest was 17 months old and the oldest 26 months old;

15 cattle slaughtered Feb-May 2023 averaged £1,664.13/head after deductions;

Now running three cows for every two carried when herd was Continental breeding.

“With government policy ultimately pushing towards lowering carbon outputs in farming, increasing suckler herd efficiency has to be high up the list," the farmer added.

"A compact calving period, with a short calving interval is central to this, as is running a herd that thrives in a forage-based system, with minimal bought-in feed.”

Finishing cattle are fed some meal to put the final cover on them, but for Barry' cattle the amount is much less than would have been the case with the continental-cross cattle.

“They simply don’t need as much meal to finish and that’s both a cost saving and an environmental benefit," the farmer said.

Benchmarking with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland (DAERA) has proven the benefits with the herd in the top 25% of Northern Irish benchmarked herds for both age at slaughter and calving interval.

“But it’s not just the herd’s performance which has improved, so too has temperament and ease of working. The cows are quiet, calm cows which are a pleasure to work with," Barry said.

The Northern Ireland Beef Shorthorn Club’s open day will be held at Mr Fitzsimons’ Bawnforth herd, Ballynahinch, Co. Down, on Saturday, September 9, and all are welcome to attend.