Weanlings: Early indications point towards a testing trade for weanlings this autumn. The question on suckler farmers’ minds will be whether to sell a weanling now, or to carry it over the winter and sell as a yearling next spring. At the Teagasc/IFA beef meeting in Kilkenny on Tuesday night, Teagasc head of drystock Pearse Kelly presented a sample budget on the issue. The projected cost of carrying a weanling for 150 days over the winter is €205, gaining 0.6kg/day – €120 for silage, €70 for meals and €15 on vet and dosing. At a current mid-range price of €2.20/kg, a 350kg weanling is valued at €770. If we add on the wintering cost of €205, the same weanling at 440kg next February would need to secure a price of €2.22/kg to breakeven and €2.33/kg to leave a €50 margin. For this type of weanling or indeed a better-quality weanling at a similar weight, selling now would sound like the better option. For the lighter 300kg weanling with good thriving potential, the sums could stack up differently in favour of holding until next spring. It must be noted that these budgets do not include fixed costs or factors such as housing space and silage quality. See page 33 for a full breakdown of the beef systems budgets presented on the night.

Spring herd management: There are a number of management tasks that need to be completed over the coming weeks with the spring suckler herd. If you haven’t weighed cows and calves yet as part of BEEP, it is time to do so. Even if you aren’t in BEEP, weighing is still a very worthwhile task. Bull and heifer calves also need to be split – it’s not uncommon for female suckler calves to begin cycling at five months of age.

Ground conditions: With ground conditions deteriorating rapidly in some parts, farmers may be forced to wean suckler calves earlier than expected. If you want to vaccinate against pneumonia, this should be done prior to weaning. With that in mind, it may be worth considering the use of intranasal vaccines which can provide full immunity in seven to 14 days, compared with one- or two-shot injectable vaccines which take at least one month to provide full cover. There is a wide range of pneumonia vaccines on the market, so be sure to consult with your vet about the most suitable for your herd. The main things you should discuss are: type of virus covered against, method of administration, length of time until full immunity and how long immunity lasts.

Tetany: Low grass dry matter, combined with colder nights, present a higher risk of grass tetany. The main preventative measures include bolusing cows, offering high-mag licks and providing magnesium through water systems.

BEAM extension: Applications for BEAM must be submitted online before Sunday 15 September. If you require the assistance of an agricultural adviser, you need to get in contact with them immediately.