Tipperary beef demonstration farm manager, Jack Spillane is currently preparing for his third spring arrival of dairy-beef calves.

The protocol for the movement and transfer of calves has been refined over the last two years to minimise stress and disease on the calves.

Calves are purchased from eight dairy source herds in Cork on a strict health protocol, are at least 15 days old, and are valued based on CBV and weight. An intranasal vaccine is administered to the calves on the dairy farm of origin five to seven days prior to moving to Tipperary Farm.

This vaccine provides protection against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and para influenza type 3 virus (PI3).

BRSV and PI3 are the most common viral pathogens, which cause pneumonia in calves. Calves are moved at a set day and time each week and are transported directly from the source farms in Cork to Tipperary.

This allows Jack to manage the arrival to the farm when calves are weighed and offered one sachet of electrolytes dissolved in two litres of warm water immediately upon arrival on the farm.

Milk replacer is fed twice-a-day until four weeks old and calves are gradually transitioned to once-a-day milk feeding by 30 days old. Calves are gradually weaned at approx eight weeks old, when eating 1.5 kg concentrate and weighing >85kg and 31kg of milk powder was fed per calf.

In spring 2024 the farm took in 335 calves from its eight source dairy farms. Mortality at calf rearing has been <1% to turnout. This exceptional performance is due to the work done by both the source dairy farmers and the management at the Tipperary beef farm.

Prior to the first grazing season, calves are also vaccinated using a ten-in-one Clostridial vaccine, two subcutaneous injections are given four weeks apart.

Calves are offered 1kg of concentrate on grass for four weeks and have access to straw during this period.

All male calves are castrated by a vet at five months of age. Animals are monitored closely throughout the year for parasites.

Faecal egg samples are taken before a dose is administered and again two to three weeks after each dose to identify wormer resistance. Faecal egg samples are used as an aid along with visual assessments of the animals.

Housing at the end of the first grazing season is also a high-risk period for pneumonia.

For that reason calves are vaccinated using an injectable pneumonia vaccine six weeks prior to housing with a booster four weeks later. Concentrates are reintroduced in mid-September offering 1kg/head/day.

The good grazing conditions in the autumn of 2024 and the early slaughter/housing of the finishing cattle have meant that weanlings were still grazing until the snow arrived on 5 January and returned to grazing again as the snow cleared.

Today the 2024-born steers and heifers are 275kg and 260kg respectively doing 0.7kg/day on average since arrival to the farm (Table 1).

To date, 67% of the 307 cattle born in 2023 have been slaughtered, having reached desirable fat levels.

Of the total cattle slaughtered from the farm, 61% were drafted from a pasture and concentrate diet and finished outdoors between September and early November, while the remaining cattle underwent conventional indoor finishing.

Finishing cattle without housing is a priority on this farm due to limited shed facilities, labour considerations, and the need to minimise feed costs associated with silage and concentrates.

In August, the most forward cattle, in terms of fatness, were supplemented with 2.5 kg/day of concentrates (11% crude protein) alongside high-quality pasture.

By September, the next group of forward animals joined this feed management group, and the concentrate input increased to 4kg/day from early October for those not already drafted for slaughter.

Nicky Byrne, Teagasc Grange speaks to some of the 1000 people who passed through the gates at the Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm Open Day at Ballyvadin, Fethard, Co Tipperary. \ Odhran Ducie

These cattle were provided with fresh pasture allocations every two days, and outdoor concentrate feeding was facilitated by favourable weather and ground conditions.

Drafting for slaughter was conducted fortnightly based on body condition scoring.

Less advanced cattle, predominantly steers, were housed by mid-September for a conventional indoor finishing period.

Housed cattle were fed high-quality grass silage (~73% dry matter digestibility, 12.1% crude protein) along with 4kg of finishing concentrate, fed once daily using a tractor-mounted feed bucket.

As of the new year, 102 cattle remain indoors on a finishing diet. Their concentrate allocation will now be increased to 6kg per day, split into two feeds, to ensure all cattle are finished and off the farm before the arrival of 2025-born calves.

Additionally, 84% of heifers have been slaughtered at 20 months of age, achieving a carcase weight of 250 kg, a fat score of 3+, and a conformation grade of O=, resulting in a carcase value of €1,384. On average, heifers required 230 kg of finishing concentrate to reach this performance level.

Meanwhile, 58% of steers have been drafted for slaughter at 21 months of age, with an average carcase weight of 290 kg, a fat score of 3-/3=, and a conformation grade of O=. These steers achieved a carcase value of €1587 after receiving 490 kg of concentrate input.

Main points

  • The 276-acre Ballyvadin dairy beef demonstration farm is home to over 600 cattle with over 300 calves purchased annually on the farm.
  • The farm is operated as an independent standalone company which produces an annual set of audited accounts.
  • Tipperary Beef farm has no BISS payment and has full labour and capital costs but no land cost included in the budget.
  • The capital required to set-up the farm for the new dairy beef enterprise was approximately €980k of which €560k was for facilities and machinery and the remainder for stock and working capital.
  • The farm is forecast to generate a net margin of approximately €423/ha (including full labour costs) with a breakeven beef price of approximately €4.42/kg.
  • Milk replacer is fed twice-a-day until four-weeks old and calves are gradually transitioned to once-a-day milk feeding by 30 days old with solid feed offered as well.
  • Calves are gradually weaned at approximately eight to 10 weeks old, when eating >1.0 kg concentrate and weighing 85 – 90 kg.
  • The farm was in tillage prior to the lease commencement.
  • The grazing infrastructure has been developed to allow for a rotational grazing management system.
  • All paddocks have been reseeded in the past two to three years.
  • The target is to grow 12t DM/ha/year with perennial ryegrass/white clover swards.

    • Over 1000 people passed through the gates at the Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm Open Day at Ballyvadin, Fethard, Co Tipperary. / Odhran Ducie

    Farm facts

  • Tipperary beef farm is managed by Jack Spillane and he is assisted by Stephen Baskin.
  • The farm management committee providing technical advice to the farm include Chloe Millar, Nicky Byrne, Alan Dillon and Padraig French from Teagasc, Matthew Murphy from Dawn Meats and Donal Murphy from Shinagh Estates.