Breeding season is well underway with the suckler herd on the Moran Family Farm in Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary.
The farm is involved in ABP Food Group’s sustainability initiative the Advantage Beef Programme and is one of the monitor farms in the sustainability initiative.
Speaking to Agriland, Eoin Moran explained that the stock bull team joined the farm’s suckler herd of approximately 80 cows and heifers on April 25 and breeding is now over 90% complete.
The team of bulls consists of two Charolais and a Limousin bull. Eoin noted that cows were only out to grass approximately three weeks when breeding kicked off and that the breeding season has gone relatively well so far.
Both the stock bulls and this year’s calves were given a multi-vitamin injection and cows were supplemented with a mineral which included selenium, iodine and a small amount of copper through their drinking water for three weeks pre-breeding.
Grazing conditions have improved over the last few weeks and the cows and calves are being moved to fresh paddocks of grass every three to four days.
Surplus paddocks were taken out for silage but Eoin has noted that grass growth rates have “fallen off a cliff” in the past week to 10 days.
He attributes colder conditions and ground damage in sporing to this drop off in grass growth rates.
Under 16-month bulls are currently being fattened indoors and are on a diet of maize, silage and a 13% blend.
The first of the bulls will be fit next week and approximately eight bulls/week will be drafted for slaughter rom now until late July.
He said that bulls have performed impressively and are “doing a great thrive” with an average daily live weight gain (ADG) of 2.5kg/day during the finishing period.
These bulls were finished on a mix of maize silage, beet and 9.5kg of wheat and maize meal as well as 0.5kg/head straw.
The maize silage, sugar beet and soya hulls were mixed in the pit at rate of 30:60:10 and Eoin has said the pit mix “has worked out very well”.
An additive was added at ensiling to inhibit heating. More bulls will be purchased for fattening during the summer months.
The farm purchased store heifers averaging 450kg live weight.
These heifers were vaccinated against blackleg on arrival and were also injected with the same multi-vitamin solution that the breeding bulls got. These will stay at grass until autumn and will be finished for Christmas.
The winter barley on the farm is doing particularly well and has got its last round of fungicide recently.
With improving weather conditions, the winter barley should be fit for harvest sometime in late June/early July and yields are looking promising with 38-40 grains/head which Eoin says “is good compared to other years”.
Eoin also runs a liquid fertiliser business and this crop was treated with 120units of liquid Sulphacan which he says “the crop responded well to”.
20ac of grassland were reseeded about a month ago and has established well. The seed mix included perennial ryegrass, white clover and some red clover too.
On inspection, both the white and red clover were well established alongside the perennial ryegrass in the paddock.
This was top dressed with 70 units/ac of liquid NPK and will be cut for silage in late July. It was also was sprayed last week with clover-friendly herbicide.