This week’s Way Out West feature comes from Courtmacsherry Bay in south Cork where father and son pair Gerard and John Dullea run a herd of 35 suckler cows.Both men are running the farm on a part-time basis, with Gerard working in construction and John currently in his second year of a graduate programme with Dovea Genetics.
This week’s Way Out West feature comes from Courtmacsherry Bay in south Cork where father and son pair Gerard and John Dullea run a herd of 35 suckler cows.
Both men are running the farm on a part-time basis, with Gerard working in construction and John currently in his second year of a graduate programme with Dovea Genetics.
To learn more, view the pictures below, and see this week’s Irish Farmers Journal in print or online.
The Dulleas' farm compromises 28ha of grassland overlooking Courtmacsherry Bay in Co Cork. \ Donal O' Leary
Historically, the herd was based around Angus breeding, and the farm operated a suckler-to-weanling system. \ Donal O' Leary
The herd still has traces of Angus genetics, but the two main breeds in the cows now are Limousin and Simmental. \ Donal O' Leary
Their preference is a Limousin-cross cow because of here calving ability, her longevity, her shape and confirmation and her versatility between systems.\ Donal O' Leary
Both Gerard (pictured) and John work full-time off-farm, so most of the farming is done at the weekends. /Donal O' Leary
While John has dairy experience after spending a summer in New Zealand, he says he wants to stay at the suckler as they provide the opportunity to work off-farm whereas dairy farming wouldn't. \ Donal O' Leary
The current system is under-16-month bull beef, however, both men admit it is proving very difficult to stay at this given the current factory prices and specifications. \ Donal O' Leary
For the females, they are either kept as replacements and the surplus are finished for beef, between 18 and 22 months depending on the year. /Donal O' Leary
Going forward, the plan is to further utilise Limousin breeding so that the system can change away from bull beef back to live selling. \ Donal O' Leary
The Dulleas operate a 100% AI system and this has a marked benefit in being able to match a specific bull to a specific cow. \ Donal O' Leary
The MooCall Heat detection techology has transformed the breeding season on the farm. \ Donal O' Leary
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