Summer Beef Series is in conjunction with Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign
This summer, two major DairyBeef 500 farm walks will take place on the farms of Ciaran Bartley, Boher, Co. Limerick (V94 AWT0) and Jarlath and Austin Ruane, Claremorris, Co. Mayo (F12 E928).
The farm walk on Ciaran Bartley’s farm takes place on Thursday, June 29, at 6:00p.m and the walk on Jarlath and Austin Ruane’s farm takes place on July 13, at 6:00p.m.
The main focus will be to demonstrate the improvements made on both farms in recent years and how this has had a positive effect on the financial performance of their respective enterprises.
Ciaran Bartley
Ciaran runs a farm of 74ha, the majority of which is in one block and of mixed quality. The farm runs 160 calves through to finish as steers at 19-24 months of age.
The majority of calves are Friesian bulls with a smaller number of early maturing bulls and heifers purchased too.
The calves are sourced locally from four or five farmers within a 20-mile radius, with Ciaran having established a relationship with a number of dairy farmers whom he returns to each year.
Approximately 30% of the farm is of a limestone nature and free draining while the remainder of the land is lower lying in nature with a high clay content which may not be dry enough to graze at the shoulders of the year.
Over the last number of years Ciaran has invested a lot of time and money into drainage and pasture improvement which has yielded improved grass growth along with being able to utilise the grass in challenging conditions.
On the evening of June the 29, those in attendance will see the grassland infrastructure improvements and how land drainage and the incorporation of a paddock system has benefited grassland management on the farm and ultimately the profitability of the farm.
The Ruane farm
Jarlath and Austin Ruane operate a dairy calf-to-beef and lowland sheep system in Corbally which is located just outside Claremorris, Co. Mayo. The farm compromises of 34ha in total which can be described as being predominately clay type soil.
The farm which would be typical of the area in that it is fragmented and divided in four blocks.
Annually, 80 calves are sourced locally and all are brought to slaughter. The calves that are purchased are a mixture of Holstein Friesian, Angus, Hereford and Limousin.
Jarlath is using the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) when sourcing beef bred calves to ensure that he has a calf that has the beef genetics in place to ensure that calf will leave a profit.
Traditionally, a higher proportion of cattle would have being killed at the end of the third grazing season on this farm.
However, in recent years, some of the early maturing cattle are slaughtered at 20-21 months of age following the second grazing season, the biggest batch of cattle will be then killed at 24 months of age out of the shed with the lightest cattle going back out to grass for the third grazing season and been killed at approximately 28 months.
On July 13, farmers will get to see what steps Jarlath and Austin have taken to reduce the numbers going back to grass for the third season and ultimately reduce the age of slaughter on the farm while improving profitability.
Farm walks
The two farm walks are open to both dairy and beef farmers. Other topics that will be covered at the walks include calf sourcing, herd health plans, cattle housing design and Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).
This is a free event and all are welcome to attend. Both events will be signposted.