Martin farms full-time in Multyfarnham Co. Westmeath. The land is divided into two blocks, 67ha on the home block, with a further 38ha out-farm two miles away.
All cows are spring calving and offspring are finished for slaughter. The best of the bulls are killed out under 16 months, with the remainder killed at 20 months. Heifers not suitable for breeding are slaughtered under 24 months.
Martin also has a flock of 160 Suffolk cross ewes that are bred to a Charollais ram. Lambs are finished off grass, and drafting will commence in the coming week.
Sugur Beet
Nine acres of sugar beet was sown on 15 May. Sugar beet is nutritious, palatable and energy rich and Martin finds it a great feed source for his finishing animals. Sugar beet is high in energy but low in protein, meaning a high protein concentrate will be needed to supplement it. By growing sugar beet on the farm, Martin can greatly reduce the quantity of concentrates he needs to buy in.
Due to the difficult spring, sowing was delayed by two weeks. The crop had a slow start but has really started to bloom in the last couple of weeks. Sugar beet is a nutrient-demanding crop that requires heavy applications of compound fertiliser. Martin applied 5,000 gallons of slurry per acre along with eight bags of 8-5-18 + 3.5 Boron per acre.
Harvesting will commence in NovemberThe beet will be washed using a beet chopper and washer before it is fed to the animals. Leaves left over in the fields will be used to feed the ewes for a few weeks over the winter.
Finishing
Bulls on the farm are usually finished under 20 months, but this year Martin has decided to try under 16 month bull beef. Fifteen under 16 month bulls are currently being fed ad-lib on hay and a high maize ration. These bulls will be ready for slaughter in the coming weeks. A further 20 spring 2017-born bulls are now at grass and will be housed in August before being slaughtered.
Breeding
Cows are grazing in three different groups; on the out farm 38 cows with calves at foot are running with a Charolais bull, on the home farm 23 cows with calves at foot are running with an Angus bull and a further 19 cows are with a Simmental bull that has a high replacement index.
Replacement heifers are also being run with an easy-calving Salers bull. Martin believes as much as 90% of his breeding animals are back in-calf. Scanning will take place in mid-august and any barren cows will be culled.
Land utilisation is crucial on Leitrim BETTER farm