Combining sheep, beef and tillage to optimum effect in Offaly

Eddie and Aidan Connell farm approximately 90ha (65ha owned land and 25ha rented) in Coolygagen, Clonbullogue, Co Offaly. The farming system is mixed with a 400-head March lambing ewe flock run alongside a beef enterprise focused mainly on purchasing weanlings and bringing them through to beef, finishing as young bulls.

Numbers in the beef enterprise average out at about 200 head, while in the region of 15ha of tillage is grown to produce feed (barley and maize) and straw for use on the farm. The systems dovetail together to make best use of resources and balance labour at different times of the year. An underlying theme across enterprises is a drive to keep the system as straightforward and simple as possible.

The sheep flock is an all-in, all-out system whereby replacements are purchased as hoggets, mated with terminal sires and all lambs are sold off the farm. Eddie remarks that the enterprise “breaks some of the rules” when it comes to best practice recommendations and maintaining a closed flock policy for a sizeable flock, but it is hard to argue against a tried and tested system that suits the farm.

Ewe flock

The ewe flock consists mainly of Suffolk x Cheviot ewes mated to Texel rams. The two men comment that in a busy spring they are content with a ewe that scans on average 1.8 to 1.9 lambs per ewe joined to the ram, is capable of producing 1.6 to 1.65 fast-growing lambs and avoids the hassle of dealing with triplet litters that come hand in hand with a focus on higher prolificacy.

Eddie adds that a bonus to the system in recent years is a cull ewe that is capable of delivering significant returns.

While replacements are purchased, there is still a defined system in place to safeguard the flock against disease, with these hoggets run as a separate batch until the first crop of lambs is reared and subject to a comprehensive flock health policy. This includes vaccination for abortion-causing diseases.

Challenging year

The last year has been challenging on a number of weather-related fronts. A period of prolonged drought during summer 2022 left feed supplies tighter than normal and curtailed animal performance.

While ewe condition recovered and was relatively good by the time breeding rolled around, there were knock-on consequences with the scanning rate dropping back to 1.65 lambs per ewe joined.

This will reduce output levels significantly but one small benefit that can be taken is that it will allow the farm to get back on track on what has proven also to be a challenging start to the year and replenish forage supplies. Mortality is also running lower year on year with a big effort put in to keeping lambs alive during highly unfavourable conditions.

Aidan recalls: “Lambing started slowly but then we had a big burst with over 120 ewes lambed in about four days. At the same time, the worst of the weather hit and we had to bring in ewes and young lambs. Every inch of space, including feeding passages in cattle sheds, was utilised and it was worth it with only two or three lambs lost.”

Grassland management

Grazing infrastructure is impressive and the grassland area is divided into permanent paddocks averaging 2ha (about 4.5 acres) using electric fencing with water available in all paddocks.

The mains electric fencing allows paddocks to be easily subdivided but the preference on the farm is to utilise the benefits of mixed grazing and run a batch of bulls with sheep to manage grass.

The grazing season has been stop-start to date. The normal mixed grazing has been limited in wetter areas of the farm during torrential heavy rainfall.

When speaking to the Connells earlier this week, they had received over 20mm of rain on Sunday night. They were weighing up rehousing a couple of batches of bulls for a few days if further heavy rainfall comes, rather than damage swards significantly and hamper performance on these paddocks for the year.

Current focus

The focus at present is to try to maintain sufficient top-quality grass ahead of stock with the aim to drive lamb performance from grass and have the lion’s share of lambs drafted by September to build grass covers for breeding and purchasing bulls.

There is typically very little meal fed to finish lambs but where it is deemed necessary, then feeding early is the preference.

Eddie says “I am a believer that a quarter pound of meal in August is better than two pounds in November.

“Looking back, we probably delayed a bit too long introducing feed in 2022. It is usually due to wet weather and low grass dry matter that we introduce feed, so it is hard to believe that grass being too dry was the cause of lower lamb performance last August.

“Where we feed, it is usually rolled barley in troughs with small volumes keeping lambs ticking along.”

There is also a firm focus also on making top-quality silage to limit concentrate supplementation in late pregnancy.

The farm typically feeds 8t of concentrates (25kg per head) in late pregnancy and another 2t in early lactation to guard against grass tetany.

Home-grown or locally sourced barley forms the basis of the feed for cattle. As such, there is a focus on maximising grass growth and replenishing forage reserves.

Forage rape sown after winter barley provided a lifeline to retain ewes outdoors until Christmas in 2022 and this helped conserve feed supplies.

The Connell farm is hosting this year’s Irish Grassland Association (IGA) sheep event on Thursday 18 May at 6pm at Coolygagen, Clonbullogue, Co Offaly. Sponsored by Mullinahone Co-op, the event is free to attend.

The event will deliver a detailed overview of the farming system covering breeding and genetics, grassland management, flock health and nutrition and how enterprises combine together to drive a high level of output.

The event will also include information on a new sheep shed erected in 2019 which, along with good handling facilities, has transformed labour efficiency for Eddie and Aidan.

Signposts will be erected in the vicinity of the farm to guide you to the venue.