This week’s 20-page special dairy calf to beef supplement in the Irish Farmers Journal focuses on all things dairy calf to beef from purchasing calves, health management, grazing advice, completing budgets and taking a look at the markets for dairy beef.

With dairy cow numbers increasing, more and more beef in the future will come from the dairy herd.

It’s important that our readers are fully briefed on the positives and negatives of any farm system.

This is why we set up the Thrive programme three years ago, with our stand-alone dairy calf to beef demonstration farm in Cashel, Co Tipperary.

Since then, 10 programme farmers have joined us on the dairy calf to beef journey.

The aim of the programme is to demonstrate best practice in dairy calf to beef systems, from calf rearing, to correct grazing management, animal health plans, weight gain targets and much more.

We profile a full breakdown of all the costs involved in the Thrive demonstration farm and meet the rest of the programme farmers.

Our livestock specialists take a look at some of the big industry challenges in relation to dairy beef systems and what needs to change to solve them.

Pick up your free copy in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.