Advantage Beef Programme
Watch: Managing a self-build and buying calves with no up-front payment
Young farmers who are in the process of building or buying their own home while trying to build stock numbers will know all to well the cashflow pressure that arises at this critical stage of their farming careers.
Brothers Brian and Damien Flynn are farming in Co. Meath and are both currently in the process of building houses.
With the significant cost associated with building a home, buying calves this year was going to be particularly challenging.
Thankfully for the Flynns, they secured the ABP Food Group's Young Farmer Academy support which allows them to secure their calves with no up-front payment, and guarantees an interim payment after 12 months as well as a minimum base price at slaughter.
The duo have been farming since 2012 when they started out with a small flock of ewes.
The farm enterprise grew over the years and the brothers now have grown their flock to about 250 ewes.
As well as the sheep enterprise, the brothers are contract rearing cattle, fatten turkeys for Christmas, and run a dairy calf-to-beef system.
This year, the brothers availed of the ABP Young Farmers Academy, which saw the calves sourced for the brothers by ABP.
The calves arrived in the yard and were reared by the brothers from there.
Brian said: "The calves arrived perfectly healthy and came in direct off farm - not through any other third parties.
"Myself and my brother are currently building houses so cashflow can be tight.
"We didn't have to try and get a big bundle of money gathered up to buy the calves. It was an ideal opportunity with beef price high and calf price at an all-time high.
"It was perfect for us to get into something like this and get the calves on farm.
"There was no upfront payment for the calves. We get an interim payment in the new year and that will be deducted from the cheque when we kill the animals with ABP.
ABP farm liaison officer
Commenting on the initiative, ABP Food Group's Advantage Beef Programme farm liaison officer Sean Cassidy said that the Young Farmer Academy initiative is open to both suckler and beef farmers under the age of 35.
He noted that financial support and advisory is given to the farmers availing of the initiative.
Cassidy added that cattle reared through the support mechanism can be slaughtered at any of the seven ABP sites across Ireland where the calf price and interim support payment is deducted from the final factory cheque.
He said: "We are also offering a minimum base price to our young farmers so they know that when their cattle are ready for slaughter, they're going to be rewarded."