Like a lot of farmers across the country, Pat Collins – a participant in the Teagasc Green Acres Calf to Beef Programme – took advantage of the favourable weather conditions in April and carried out some reseeding on his farm near Castlemartyr, Co. Cork.
Pat started a dairy calf-to-beef operation in 2017 with the purchase of 50 calves. Year-on-year expansion has allowed Pat build up to the number he has at today, with just over 180 calves purchased this spring.
The calf-to-beef enterprise is also run alongside a tillage enterprise on the farm. So, as part of a three-year rotation, Pat opted to sow 16ac of a red clover and Italian ryegrass mix in mid-April.
Firstly, the previous cover crop was sprayed off and 4,000 gallons of pig slurry, along with some dung, was spread on the field earmarked for reseeding.
It was then ploughed and a leveller was pulled across the field twice. The seedbed was then power-harrowed before being sown with a trailed drill at a rate of 5kg/ac of red clover and 8.5kg/ac of Italian ryegrass; two bags of 12-5-25 were also spread.
The crop will be harvested for silage in late June or early July weather depending. Red clover is relatively short-lived, and so is used primarily for silage production and soil fertility building; red clover-rich swards have the ability to produce top-quality silage.
Firstly, they have a high crude protein content, which reduces the need for concentrate feeds. Secondly, they have a high mineral content – especially magnesium (Mg) which reduces the risk of animal diseases and disorders linked to mineral deficiency.
Additionally, they are very palatable which leads to higher intakes and increased liveweight gain.
Like Pat has done, red clover can act as a valuable break crop as part of a rotation in cereal production – improving soil structure and fertility, limiting weed invasion, and supplying organic matter.
A post-emergence spray will be applied shortly.
“The grass is up and the field is very clean. Even from a tillage weed perspective the field is generally clean. Grass weeds could be an issue, but from a broadleaved perspective, it would always would have been fairly clean,” Pat explained.
Elsewhere on the farm, the calf rearing period is progressing nicely with 75 calves weaned and turned out to grass in recent weeks; another 75 have just been turned out.
That will leave some 30 calves to be weaned and turned out in the coming weeks.
In terms of breeds purchased, Friesian bulls dominate, but are accompanied by 30 whitehead and Aberdeen Angus heifers, along with some additional Belgian Blue, Limousin and Hereford bull calves.