It’s been another busy 12 months on z farm with a national beef and sheep open day that took place in July 2024 being one of the main highlights of 2024.
The 200-acre farm is home to over 80 suckler cows and 250 mid-season lambing ewes with regular updates in the Irish Farmers Journal and on farmersjournal.ie documenting the highs and lows of farming during the year.
Shaun Diver is the farm manager tasked with the day-to-day management of the farm. Some big changes have also taken place in the farming system.
Selling weanlings
Just 50% of the 2023-born bulls were finished on the farm in 2024. This is on the back of one of the challenges with reducing costs on the farm.
Concentrates are one of the largest annual bills on the farm and the under 16-month bull system is a high-input system with each bull consuming over 1.5t of meal in their lifetime. It was always going to a target, so we completed some budgets on what weanlings were worth at the time back in March 2024 and we felt the farm would be better to sell the lighter half of the weanlings and finish the heaviest.
This reduced meal usage on the farm in 2024 and in turn reduced our concentrate bill. This will be further reduced in 2025 with 20 of our heaviest weanlings being sold in December 2024 for export. The weanlings averaged just over 400kg and came in at €3.60/kg. On the completion of a finishing budget over €6/kg was needed to generate a very small return.
The likelihood is that the second half of lighter weanlings will be sold this spring when they are brought up to a similar weight.
Heat collars
Another big change in 2024 was the installation of heat detection and health monitoring collars on the suckler cows on Tullamore Farm. One of the main reasons for their introduction was to increase the usage of sexed semen on the farm.
This goes back to our margin on heifer calves versus bull calves and also reduces our concentrate bill on the farm. In the past, we have shown that our heifers can make a similar price to our bulls.
The big difference is the concentrate bill for both with bulls up at €500/head while heifers are closer to €100/head over their lifetime on the farm so it makes sense to breed n more heifers.
The collars cost €129/cow net of VAT and TAMS grant aid. With an expected lifetime of about five to seven years. That means it will cost between €18-€25/cow/year depending on how long they last.
We have been able to maintain a similar conception rate in 2024 with the use of conventional semen with conception rate to sexed semen coming in at around 50% on the farm in 2024.
National Beef and Sheep Open Day
In July 2024 the farm welcomed thousands of beef and sheep farmers through the gates of Tullamore Farm for the National Beef and Sheep Open Day.
Technical stands and workshops were the order of the day with the farm’s 2023 financial performance being a big topic of conversation on the day.
There was also huge interest in the breeding on the farm in both the sheep flock and suckler herd and why changes were being made.
Cow type as always generated a lot of arguments on the day. The change to the Easycare sheep breed also generated a lot of discussion on the sheep stands.
The day finished with a forum discussion that Minister of Agriculture Charlie McConologue addressed and where the future of the suckler cow was discussed.
Given the timing of the open day, the Straw Incorporation Scheme also generated a lot of discussion in the calving shed on Tullamore Farm.
Multiple other groups visited the farm in 2024.
Groups from Scotland, Wales, Italy and the US all visited in 2024 including numerous Irish groups of students and farmer discussion groups. The farm is always open for anybody to visit.
Positive year for sheep flock
The sheep flock recorded a relatively positive year despite significant weather-related challenges in spring and lower grass growth for much of the year.
There was slightly higher lamb mortality owing to harsh weather in early lactation but by and large, performance wasn’t majorly hampered.
Lamb performance from birth to weaning was in the region of 300g daily with lambs averaging 37.66kg liveweight at an average of 104 days of age (14.8 weeks).
The lamb drafting pattern was also much better than anticipated with upwards of 80% of lambs drafted by the end of September and lamb prices running approximately €10 per head higher than in 2023.
May: Lambs were weighed, dag and lameness scored this week by Bríd McClearn, TechCare project and Martin Warde, Teagasc Technician as part of the Teagasc TechCare project.
Jack Kennedy welcomes attendees to the forum discussion at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
Tommy Moyles on the breeding stand at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
Some of the crowd at the sheep stand at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
June: This February 2023 born bull sired by Brooklands Marco killed out at a 416kg carcass (61.6% kill out). He graded a U-4- and came into €2239 (€5.39/kg)
March: 400 students attend the Agriaware farm walk and talk event on Tullamore Farm in March 2024 where Irish Farmers Journal specialists are giving talks on all aspects of agriculture to second level students from across the country. \ Philip Doyle
December: The 20 heaviest weanlings were sold at €3.60/kg in December. \ Philip Doyle
February: Newborn calves on Tullamore Farm. \ Odhran Ducie
January: Shaun Diver farm manager on Tullamore Farm applying lime to calving pens ahead of calving commencing on Tullamore farm. \ Odhran Ducie
April: Jason Murray (H.S.A. Inspector) carrying out a test inspection of calving facilities on Tullamore Farm with farm manager Shaun Diver. \ Odhran Ducie
July: Karol Devaney gives a shearing demonstration on Dooleys Wool stand at the Tullamore Farm Open Day. \ Odhran Ducie
It’s been another busy 12 months on z farm with a national beef and sheep open day that took place in July 2024 being one of the main highlights of 2024.
The 200-acre farm is home to over 80 suckler cows and 250 mid-season lambing ewes with regular updates in the Irish Farmers Journal and on farmersjournal.ie documenting the highs and lows of farming during the year.
Shaun Diver is the farm manager tasked with the day-to-day management of the farm. Some big changes have also taken place in the farming system.
Selling weanlings
Just 50% of the 2023-born bulls were finished on the farm in 2024. This is on the back of one of the challenges with reducing costs on the farm.
Concentrates are one of the largest annual bills on the farm and the under 16-month bull system is a high-input system with each bull consuming over 1.5t of meal in their lifetime. It was always going to a target, so we completed some budgets on what weanlings were worth at the time back in March 2024 and we felt the farm would be better to sell the lighter half of the weanlings and finish the heaviest.
This reduced meal usage on the farm in 2024 and in turn reduced our concentrate bill. This will be further reduced in 2025 with 20 of our heaviest weanlings being sold in December 2024 for export. The weanlings averaged just over 400kg and came in at €3.60/kg. On the completion of a finishing budget over €6/kg was needed to generate a very small return.
The likelihood is that the second half of lighter weanlings will be sold this spring when they are brought up to a similar weight.
Heat collars
Another big change in 2024 was the installation of heat detection and health monitoring collars on the suckler cows on Tullamore Farm. One of the main reasons for their introduction was to increase the usage of sexed semen on the farm.
This goes back to our margin on heifer calves versus bull calves and also reduces our concentrate bill on the farm. In the past, we have shown that our heifers can make a similar price to our bulls.
The big difference is the concentrate bill for both with bulls up at €500/head while heifers are closer to €100/head over their lifetime on the farm so it makes sense to breed n more heifers.
The collars cost €129/cow net of VAT and TAMS grant aid. With an expected lifetime of about five to seven years. That means it will cost between €18-€25/cow/year depending on how long they last.
We have been able to maintain a similar conception rate in 2024 with the use of conventional semen with conception rate to sexed semen coming in at around 50% on the farm in 2024.
National Beef and Sheep Open Day
In July 2024 the farm welcomed thousands of beef and sheep farmers through the gates of Tullamore Farm for the National Beef and Sheep Open Day.
Technical stands and workshops were the order of the day with the farm’s 2023 financial performance being a big topic of conversation on the day.
There was also huge interest in the breeding on the farm in both the sheep flock and suckler herd and why changes were being made.
Cow type as always generated a lot of arguments on the day. The change to the Easycare sheep breed also generated a lot of discussion on the sheep stands.
The day finished with a forum discussion that Minister of Agriculture Charlie McConologue addressed and where the future of the suckler cow was discussed.
Given the timing of the open day, the Straw Incorporation Scheme also generated a lot of discussion in the calving shed on Tullamore Farm.
Multiple other groups visited the farm in 2024.
Groups from Scotland, Wales, Italy and the US all visited in 2024 including numerous Irish groups of students and farmer discussion groups. The farm is always open for anybody to visit.
Positive year for sheep flock
The sheep flock recorded a relatively positive year despite significant weather-related challenges in spring and lower grass growth for much of the year.
There was slightly higher lamb mortality owing to harsh weather in early lactation but by and large, performance wasn’t majorly hampered.
Lamb performance from birth to weaning was in the region of 300g daily with lambs averaging 37.66kg liveweight at an average of 104 days of age (14.8 weeks).
The lamb drafting pattern was also much better than anticipated with upwards of 80% of lambs drafted by the end of September and lamb prices running approximately €10 per head higher than in 2023.
May: Lambs were weighed, dag and lameness scored this week by Bríd McClearn, TechCare project and Martin Warde, Teagasc Technician as part of the Teagasc TechCare project.
Jack Kennedy welcomes attendees to the forum discussion at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
Tommy Moyles on the breeding stand at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
Some of the crowd at the sheep stand at the Tullamore Farm Suckler and Sheep Open Day 2024. \ Donal O'Leary
June: This February 2023 born bull sired by Brooklands Marco killed out at a 416kg carcass (61.6% kill out). He graded a U-4- and came into €2239 (€5.39/kg)
March: 400 students attend the Agriaware farm walk and talk event on Tullamore Farm in March 2024 where Irish Farmers Journal specialists are giving talks on all aspects of agriculture to second level students from across the country. \ Philip Doyle
December: The 20 heaviest weanlings were sold at €3.60/kg in December. \ Philip Doyle
February: Newborn calves on Tullamore Farm. \ Odhran Ducie
January: Shaun Diver farm manager on Tullamore Farm applying lime to calving pens ahead of calving commencing on Tullamore farm. \ Odhran Ducie
April: Jason Murray (H.S.A. Inspector) carrying out a test inspection of calving facilities on Tullamore Farm with farm manager Shaun Diver. \ Odhran Ducie
July: Karol Devaney gives a shearing demonstration on Dooleys Wool stand at the Tullamore Farm Open Day. \ Odhran Ducie
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