David Walsh farms 105 acres, set out in one block near Newcastle in Co Tipperary. He runs a 60-cow suckler herd which calves exclusively in the springtime, producing 50% of his stock as 18- to 20-month-old stores and finishing the balance in late autumn as steers and heifers.
Half of the land is relatively heavy, but this has not stopped David from pushing the farm to grow more grass and increase its output. In recent years, he has also taken steps to add value to his farming systems.
David opts for a half-bred cow, predominantly a Limousin x Friesian animal. Two five-star maternal Limousin bulls produce his calves, both sired by Sympa who scores five stars on both the maternal and terminal indices. All of David’s replacements come from the dairy herd. He resists the urge to keep first-cross Limousin heifers from his half-bred cows. I quizzed him as to why he chooses not to keep on his own well-bred heifers.
Replacement strategy
“There are three reasons why I opt for the dairy cross cow. As you can guess, milk is the first one. Up to now I have been selling stores every year. In that system, it’s about getting cheap weight gain on to calves in the window that I have pre-sale – milk does that for me.
“Secondly, I want a quieter animal. Simplicity is the name of the game here. Problem cows are a safety risk and a drain on time.
“Finally, I know that my heifer calves are worth a lot, both as beef animals and potential replacements. I want to reap the benefits of this each and every year. Most will finish from grass before a second winter and they’re all four or five stars on the replacement index. Return on these animals, be it at the factory or in the sales ring, is always high.
Increasing output at
constant cow numbers
David buys 20 Limousin- and Angus-cross dairy calves every year, most of them being heifers. They arrive on the farm weaned, at approximately 100kg. From the bunch, he selects 10 to 12 replacement females. The rest are used to boost the farm’s output. The dairy-bred calves run separate to David’s suckler progeny up to weaning and all are treated the same thereafter.
Stocking rate has been the single biggest positive influence on farm profitability throughout the BETTER farm programme. David’s stocking rate has doubled from 1.2 to almost 2.4 LU/ha and his gross margin has increased by 128% during the same period. But increasing stocking rate on a suckler farm need not mean keeping unmanageable numbers of cows. David’s system is refreshingly simple. He knows that he wants to settle at a base of between 60 and 65 cows eventually, but wants the farm to do more for him in terms of producing. Taking in animals from the dairy herd is a simple way of achieving this. Arriving already weaned at 10-12 weeks, the additional labour involved in growing and caring for these calves is minimal.
“I suppose I could have went double-suckling (fostering bought-in dairy calves on to his suckler cows) – the cows are quiet and milky enough to do so. But, it goes against my policy of simplicity. With double suckling there would be huge increase in workload during an already busy period in the year. Instead, I take in a weaned animal. Sure, I pay a bit more for the calves, but as farmers we must put a value on our time and the ease at which our farms run.
Value-added suckling –
five-star females
In any business, it’s important to diversify and constantly look to exploit new and emerging markets. Demand for high-index suckler females is gathering momentum and David is in pole position to benefit. His suckler heifers are the ideal replacement in the eyes of many – 75% beef genetics, with a healthy injection of milk. David thinks that even those not part of the BDGP scheme will have had their eyes opened and look toward a milkier cow in future.
“What I opt for is an extreme in terms of getting milk into cows and many don’t want to go down that road for fear of calf quality suffering. But, my Limousin heifer calves can be a happy medium for the man looking for milk and beef, regardless of whether he’s in the BDGP scheme or not. I see more and more marts have applied for grants to erect screens that’ll display an animal’s Eurostar indices – demand for my type of heifer will only increase.
Value-added suckling –
mart or meal bin?
Until recently, all of David’s calves were marketed as stores. Calves were weaned late in the year, stored for the winter and sold from March onwards. A trip to Kilkenny mart last year changed all that.
“I brought a group of 16-month-old stores to Kilkenny mart last year and ended up bringing them home. I wasn’t happy with what was on offer. I’d hit the mart on a bad day. That’s what frustrates me about the mart – so many external factors affect what price you’ll get: who’s there, who’s not there, the weather, a football match or a race meeting on that pulls the crowds away – it can be a number of things. I brought the cattle home and fed them myself in the shed. They did excellently in the factory. It opened my eyes in a big way – why let someone else reap the rewards from the good stock we were producing?”
David decided to switch to a complete birth-to-beef system, targeting a 350kg carcase at 21-24 months.
David buys in reared dairy-beef calves to boost the farm’s output.Buys in all replacements from a local dairy herd and aims to sell his own heifers (LM-sired from LMxFR cows) as high-index suckler replacements.Moved from selling stores to a complete finishing system targeting a 350kg carcase at 22 months on average.David’s technical efficiencies that you too can apply
Soil-samples every three years and uses fertilisers and lime accordingly.Made more divisions in fields and installed more drinkers – facilitated a doubling of stocking rate.Walks farm weekly, eyeballs grass covers and inputs heights in PastureBase (Teagasc’s online grass management tool).Moves stock on a regular basis – keeping fresh, high-quality material under cattle.Uses autumn and spring rotation planners to facilitate early turnout of stock, even though the farm is heavy in nature.Monitors individual cow performance and culls under-performing/problem animals.Uses high-index, easy-calving bulls.David has made massive improvements to his farming system since 2012. Output has increased to a great degree and the simplicity of his system means he isn’t overworked for the return he is making on the business. Once David managed to see the bigger picture of what a farm plan can achieve, he put in a lot of effort to reach his goals set out at the programme inception.
While some capital investment has been incurred on the farm in terms of infrastructure and buildings both prior to and post-BETTER farm, it is money well spent. As a result, he can increase output, is better equipped in terms of housing and slurry storage and has a lower workload in terms of moving stock between paddocks due to more divisions and water troughs installed. He is well capable of increasing his gross margin further to €1,200-€1,300/ha in the next year or two, once he is stocked to full capacity.
David Walsh farms 105 acres, set out in one block near Newcastle in Co Tipperary. He runs a 60-cow suckler herd which calves exclusively in the springtime, producing 50% of his stock as 18- to 20-month-old stores and finishing the balance in late autumn as steers and heifers.
Half of the land is relatively heavy, but this has not stopped David from pushing the farm to grow more grass and increase its output. In recent years, he has also taken steps to add value to his farming systems.
David opts for a half-bred cow, predominantly a Limousin x Friesian animal. Two five-star maternal Limousin bulls produce his calves, both sired by Sympa who scores five stars on both the maternal and terminal indices. All of David’s replacements come from the dairy herd. He resists the urge to keep first-cross Limousin heifers from his half-bred cows. I quizzed him as to why he chooses not to keep on his own well-bred heifers.
Replacement strategy
“There are three reasons why I opt for the dairy cross cow. As you can guess, milk is the first one. Up to now I have been selling stores every year. In that system, it’s about getting cheap weight gain on to calves in the window that I have pre-sale – milk does that for me.
“Secondly, I want a quieter animal. Simplicity is the name of the game here. Problem cows are a safety risk and a drain on time.
“Finally, I know that my heifer calves are worth a lot, both as beef animals and potential replacements. I want to reap the benefits of this each and every year. Most will finish from grass before a second winter and they’re all four or five stars on the replacement index. Return on these animals, be it at the factory or in the sales ring, is always high.
Increasing output at
constant cow numbers
David buys 20 Limousin- and Angus-cross dairy calves every year, most of them being heifers. They arrive on the farm weaned, at approximately 100kg. From the bunch, he selects 10 to 12 replacement females. The rest are used to boost the farm’s output. The dairy-bred calves run separate to David’s suckler progeny up to weaning and all are treated the same thereafter.
Stocking rate has been the single biggest positive influence on farm profitability throughout the BETTER farm programme. David’s stocking rate has doubled from 1.2 to almost 2.4 LU/ha and his gross margin has increased by 128% during the same period. But increasing stocking rate on a suckler farm need not mean keeping unmanageable numbers of cows. David’s system is refreshingly simple. He knows that he wants to settle at a base of between 60 and 65 cows eventually, but wants the farm to do more for him in terms of producing. Taking in animals from the dairy herd is a simple way of achieving this. Arriving already weaned at 10-12 weeks, the additional labour involved in growing and caring for these calves is minimal.
“I suppose I could have went double-suckling (fostering bought-in dairy calves on to his suckler cows) – the cows are quiet and milky enough to do so. But, it goes against my policy of simplicity. With double suckling there would be huge increase in workload during an already busy period in the year. Instead, I take in a weaned animal. Sure, I pay a bit more for the calves, but as farmers we must put a value on our time and the ease at which our farms run.
Value-added suckling –
five-star females
In any business, it’s important to diversify and constantly look to exploit new and emerging markets. Demand for high-index suckler females is gathering momentum and David is in pole position to benefit. His suckler heifers are the ideal replacement in the eyes of many – 75% beef genetics, with a healthy injection of milk. David thinks that even those not part of the BDGP scheme will have had their eyes opened and look toward a milkier cow in future.
“What I opt for is an extreme in terms of getting milk into cows and many don’t want to go down that road for fear of calf quality suffering. But, my Limousin heifer calves can be a happy medium for the man looking for milk and beef, regardless of whether he’s in the BDGP scheme or not. I see more and more marts have applied for grants to erect screens that’ll display an animal’s Eurostar indices – demand for my type of heifer will only increase.
Value-added suckling –
mart or meal bin?
Until recently, all of David’s calves were marketed as stores. Calves were weaned late in the year, stored for the winter and sold from March onwards. A trip to Kilkenny mart last year changed all that.
“I brought a group of 16-month-old stores to Kilkenny mart last year and ended up bringing them home. I wasn’t happy with what was on offer. I’d hit the mart on a bad day. That’s what frustrates me about the mart – so many external factors affect what price you’ll get: who’s there, who’s not there, the weather, a football match or a race meeting on that pulls the crowds away – it can be a number of things. I brought the cattle home and fed them myself in the shed. They did excellently in the factory. It opened my eyes in a big way – why let someone else reap the rewards from the good stock we were producing?”
David decided to switch to a complete birth-to-beef system, targeting a 350kg carcase at 21-24 months.
David buys in reared dairy-beef calves to boost the farm’s output.Buys in all replacements from a local dairy herd and aims to sell his own heifers (LM-sired from LMxFR cows) as high-index suckler replacements.Moved from selling stores to a complete finishing system targeting a 350kg carcase at 22 months on average.David’s technical efficiencies that you too can apply
Soil-samples every three years and uses fertilisers and lime accordingly.Made more divisions in fields and installed more drinkers – facilitated a doubling of stocking rate.Walks farm weekly, eyeballs grass covers and inputs heights in PastureBase (Teagasc’s online grass management tool).Moves stock on a regular basis – keeping fresh, high-quality material under cattle.Uses autumn and spring rotation planners to facilitate early turnout of stock, even though the farm is heavy in nature.Monitors individual cow performance and culls under-performing/problem animals.Uses high-index, easy-calving bulls.David has made massive improvements to his farming system since 2012. Output has increased to a great degree and the simplicity of his system means he isn’t overworked for the return he is making on the business. Once David managed to see the bigger picture of what a farm plan can achieve, he put in a lot of effort to reach his goals set out at the programme inception.
While some capital investment has been incurred on the farm in terms of infrastructure and buildings both prior to and post-BETTER farm, it is money well spent. As a result, he can increase output, is better equipped in terms of housing and slurry storage and has a lower workload in terms of moving stock between paddocks due to more divisions and water troughs installed. He is well capable of increasing his gross margin further to €1,200-€1,300/ha in the next year or two, once he is stocked to full capacity.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: