Breeding: Where the breeding season started in early June, be on the look-out for cows repeating over the next week and onwards. Even if breeding began back in May, continue to observe cows for repeats. There will always be a few cows that do not hold to the first service, but high levels of repeat breeding activity over the next fortnight may indicate a sub-fertile or infertile stock bull. Picking this up early is crucial to prevent a major slip in the calving pattern. In the case of an infertile bull, you need to replace the bull quickly, spread out cows to other breeding groups, or else use AI to breed cows. Make sure cows have adequate mineral supplementation as a lack of minerals can reduce conception rates and therefore increase the number of repeats. Ideally, spend at least 20 minutes in the morning and night to monitor breeding activity in cows.

Bull beef: There are still some 2015 spring-born bulls being fed for finishing under 16 months of age on farms. These animals should be monitored closely for fat cover and weight limit. While some finishers have been able to negotiate on weight limits, some farmers report they are being firmly held to upper weight limits of 400kg to 420kg. Prices for finished cattle are good at present, especially for bulls in this age bracket. As these animals reach finishing weight, their feed efficiency will drop quickly and with it the margin over feed cost. A young bull eating 14kg/day of concentrates (€240/t) plus 2kg of straw (€75/t) has a daily feed cost of €3.51/head before fixed costs. While plenty of bulls will gain 1.8kg/day to 2kg/day over a 150-day finishing period, in the final weeks weight gain will drop quickly. At 1.4kg liveweight/day and 60% kill-out prior to slaughter, the bull will be gaining 0.84kg of carcase/day. At a beef price of €4.10/kg, these animals will generate €3.44/day in terms of carcase value. Once they reach a suitable fat cover for finishing, cattle should be marketed. Do not be tempted to hold bulls to reach heavier carcase weights or in anticipation of a further price rise, as feed costs will outweigh any perceived benefit in added weight.

Grass management: On page 40, we outline the importance of staying on top of grass quality to support high levels of liveweight gain in cattle. Cattle will only achieve 1kg liveweight/day or better on high-quality digestible grass. With silage harvesting ongoing, there are options to remove surplus grass on beef farms, helping to maintain grass quality in the coming weeks.

BEEF open days: BEEF 2016 will be held at Teagasc, Grange, on Tuesday 5 July, running from 10.30am to 4pm. It features various technical stands on suckler-bred and dairy-bred beef production. There will be demonstrations on reseeding, fencing, drainage and selecting cattle for different markets. The event is KT eligible. Next week, there are two BETTER farm open days on Tuesday 28 June hosted by Tomás Murphy, Durrow, Co Laois, and on Thursday 30 June by Richard Williamson, Summerhill, Co Meath. See p37-38.