Weather has deteriorated over the past 10 days and, as a result, grazing conditions have come under pressure across the programme farms. Rain has affected farms in the north and west of the province the most. Grass utilisation is particularly poor where suckler cows are grazing. However, with cattle destined for finishing pre-Christmas now housed on these farms and second-cut silage ensiled, some farmers are managing to spread cows out over larger areas helping to keep cattle settled. Others have housed cows to prevent sward damage.
With only six weeks until 1 October, all farmers now have plans in place for weaning this year’s spring-born calves. This is a period during which many calves suffer a check in performance, often down to stress or a change in diet or environment. This can also contribute to animal health issues, such as pneumonia, which severely reduce performance.
Most programme farms have started a vaccination programme to ensure calves get the required booster at least two weeks before housing. When combined with a proper dosing routine, it will go a long way to reducing the health risks at weaning.
To minimise the impact of stress and change of diet at weaning, there are a number of strategies to consider. Some farmers are using quiet wean nose tags and creep grazing calves under electric fences. Others have the creep feeder in the field and gradually remove cows over time. Different methods suit different farmers. The key is choosing a method that suits your system and ensures no check in animal performance caused by any health, nutrition or stress issue. The most successful method normally involves removing cows gradually from the group, allowing calves to remain in their familiar environment.
Week in review
Weather conditions have led to difficult grazing conditions on farms. Grass growth has declined with poor weather. Forward cattle have been housed for finishing by Christmas. Spring-born calves have started a vaccination programme to prepare for weaning. Farmer focus: Gary Agnew, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh
Plans for expanding the suckler herd
Breeding finished for spring calving cows and replacement heifers at the end of July. Stock bulls were removed and housed. A group of 21 cows ran with the Charolais bull since early April.
I had 15 replacement heifers running with a new Angus bull Lana Prince Charger S504 since 31 May. He was purchased as a one-year-old earlier in spring. All breeding females are due to be scanned next Friday.
A further five in-calf Simmental- and Limousin-sired heifers, scanned in-calf to an Angus bull Netherton Americano, have recently been purchased from another programme farmer. I am also planning to purchase a further 10 heifers of similar type from another programme farmer once they have been scanned in mid-September.
Our target is to have 50 cows and replacements scanned in-calf by housing and set to calve in spring 2018. It is probably somewhat ambitious to expect to have 50 calves on the ground from those cows and heifers available. But I need to increase herd output as soon as possible and this means getting more calves on the ground.
Where heifers are not in-calf, or fail to materialise into cows, they will be culled and I will consider replacing these with cow-and-calf outfits next year.
Long-term suckler system
Our long-term plan is to have 70 March/April-calving continental cows that are crossed back to Angus stock bulls, with their progeny finished as steers and heifers.
We also intend to continue purchasing replacement heifers scanned in-calf, provided we have a positive experience from the group purchased this year. Hopefully, I can build a longer-term partnership with some other farmers to repeatedly source these heifers.
Having done the sums on potential suckler systems for this farm, we think that this is the one best suited to our farm resources. It is also the one we feel we could best make a success of and we want to keep things simple.
Part of the reason for purchasing the Angus bull this spring for just 15 heifers was to make sure we had a new bull settled and capable of covering 35 cows next summer. We will hold the Charolais bull in the meantime to go with the remaining 15 cows next year.
Having some Charolais calves on the ground will also help spread the risk of depending on one market.
Managing spring-born weanlings
Most of my spring-calving cows calved during January and February. Bull calves are still entire and, two weeks ago, I divided the cows into two batches of bull and heifer calves. With ground conditions deteriorating, having cows in smaller groups means they are much more settled. My bull calves are all Charolais-bred, with good growth potential. Creep feed was introduced to this group two weeks ago.
Grass quality is declining, particularly on older swards, which the suckler cows are grazing and I suspect milk yield is also taking a hit. I want to at least maintain or improve current performance, so I think the extra meal feeding is required to supplement their energy intake. Creep should also help to break the cow and calf bond, making it a smoother transition on to their winter diet.
With these calves now seven to eight months old, my plan is to wean them shortly. This will be done by gradually removing cows from the field.
Calves are to be weighed on Friday when cows are scanned, at which point we will consider whether to sell as weanlings or retain for winter bull beef finishing. Calves will be vaccinated for pneumonia prior to weaning. Heifer calves will be weaned in a similar manner, but we will be able to introduce meal to this batch in a trough as cows are removed.
Reseeding
With farm stocking rate set to increase next year, we have started reseeding those areas of the farm with the most growing potential.
After correcting some drainage issues, a nine-acre and another 15-acre field were ploughed in early August. One field was sprayed off 10 days before ploughing. The other was not, as I was apprehensive about whether I would get it ploughed. I opted for a conventional plough, harrow and reseed option rather than a min-tillage approach. I need a week of dry weather to allow any further cultivations.
Rather than going with newer varieties, we are sticking with a mixture of diploids – 3.0 Copeland (inter), 2.5 Tyrella (late), 3.0 Drumbo (late) – and tetraploids – 2.0 Dunluce (inter), 2.0 Dunloy (inter). Timothy: 0.5kg Comer. Clover: 1.0kg Ensign.
Weather has deteriorated over the past 10 days and, as a result, grazing conditions have come under pressure across the programme farms. Rain has affected farms in the north and west of the province the most. Grass utilisation is particularly poor where suckler cows are grazing. However, with cattle destined for finishing pre-Christmas now housed on these farms and second-cut silage ensiled, some farmers are managing to spread cows out over larger areas helping to keep cattle settled. Others have housed cows to prevent sward damage.
With only six weeks until 1 October, all farmers now have plans in place for weaning this year’s spring-born calves. This is a period during which many calves suffer a check in performance, often down to stress or a change in diet or environment. This can also contribute to animal health issues, such as pneumonia, which severely reduce performance.
Most programme farms have started a vaccination programme to ensure calves get the required booster at least two weeks before housing. When combined with a proper dosing routine, it will go a long way to reducing the health risks at weaning.
To minimise the impact of stress and change of diet at weaning, there are a number of strategies to consider. Some farmers are using quiet wean nose tags and creep grazing calves under electric fences. Others have the creep feeder in the field and gradually remove cows over time. Different methods suit different farmers. The key is choosing a method that suits your system and ensures no check in animal performance caused by any health, nutrition or stress issue. The most successful method normally involves removing cows gradually from the group, allowing calves to remain in their familiar environment.
Week in review
Weather conditions have led to difficult grazing conditions on farms. Grass growth has declined with poor weather. Forward cattle have been housed for finishing by Christmas. Spring-born calves have started a vaccination programme to prepare for weaning. Farmer focus: Gary Agnew, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh
Plans for expanding the suckler herd
Breeding finished for spring calving cows and replacement heifers at the end of July. Stock bulls were removed and housed. A group of 21 cows ran with the Charolais bull since early April.
I had 15 replacement heifers running with a new Angus bull Lana Prince Charger S504 since 31 May. He was purchased as a one-year-old earlier in spring. All breeding females are due to be scanned next Friday.
A further five in-calf Simmental- and Limousin-sired heifers, scanned in-calf to an Angus bull Netherton Americano, have recently been purchased from another programme farmer. I am also planning to purchase a further 10 heifers of similar type from another programme farmer once they have been scanned in mid-September.
Our target is to have 50 cows and replacements scanned in-calf by housing and set to calve in spring 2018. It is probably somewhat ambitious to expect to have 50 calves on the ground from those cows and heifers available. But I need to increase herd output as soon as possible and this means getting more calves on the ground.
Where heifers are not in-calf, or fail to materialise into cows, they will be culled and I will consider replacing these with cow-and-calf outfits next year.
Long-term suckler system
Our long-term plan is to have 70 March/April-calving continental cows that are crossed back to Angus stock bulls, with their progeny finished as steers and heifers.
We also intend to continue purchasing replacement heifers scanned in-calf, provided we have a positive experience from the group purchased this year. Hopefully, I can build a longer-term partnership with some other farmers to repeatedly source these heifers.
Having done the sums on potential suckler systems for this farm, we think that this is the one best suited to our farm resources. It is also the one we feel we could best make a success of and we want to keep things simple.
Part of the reason for purchasing the Angus bull this spring for just 15 heifers was to make sure we had a new bull settled and capable of covering 35 cows next summer. We will hold the Charolais bull in the meantime to go with the remaining 15 cows next year.
Having some Charolais calves on the ground will also help spread the risk of depending on one market.
Managing spring-born weanlings
Most of my spring-calving cows calved during January and February. Bull calves are still entire and, two weeks ago, I divided the cows into two batches of bull and heifer calves. With ground conditions deteriorating, having cows in smaller groups means they are much more settled. My bull calves are all Charolais-bred, with good growth potential. Creep feed was introduced to this group two weeks ago.
Grass quality is declining, particularly on older swards, which the suckler cows are grazing and I suspect milk yield is also taking a hit. I want to at least maintain or improve current performance, so I think the extra meal feeding is required to supplement their energy intake. Creep should also help to break the cow and calf bond, making it a smoother transition on to their winter diet.
With these calves now seven to eight months old, my plan is to wean them shortly. This will be done by gradually removing cows from the field.
Calves are to be weighed on Friday when cows are scanned, at which point we will consider whether to sell as weanlings or retain for winter bull beef finishing. Calves will be vaccinated for pneumonia prior to weaning. Heifer calves will be weaned in a similar manner, but we will be able to introduce meal to this batch in a trough as cows are removed.
Reseeding
With farm stocking rate set to increase next year, we have started reseeding those areas of the farm with the most growing potential.
After correcting some drainage issues, a nine-acre and another 15-acre field were ploughed in early August. One field was sprayed off 10 days before ploughing. The other was not, as I was apprehensive about whether I would get it ploughed. I opted for a conventional plough, harrow and reseed option rather than a min-tillage approach. I need a week of dry weather to allow any further cultivations.
Rather than going with newer varieties, we are sticking with a mixture of diploids – 3.0 Copeland (inter), 2.5 Tyrella (late), 3.0 Drumbo (late) – and tetraploids – 2.0 Dunluce (inter), 2.0 Dunloy (inter). Timothy: 0.5kg Comer. Clover: 1.0kg Ensign.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: