Building skills in dairy-beef – a Limerick farmer’s story
Liam Doherty from Co. Limerick is well on the road to becoming a top-class dairy calf to beef farmer, DairyBeef 500 Advisor, Fergal Maguire writes on the route he’s taking and why five days off the farm proved instrumental in his journey.
Liam Doherty from Ballyallinan, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick was farming 37 hectares and calving over 50 autumn-calving suckler cows up to 2020. Working off-farm and using good Limousin-type cows crossed to Belgian Blue and Limousin AI sires, Liam sold export type weanlings at 8-9 months of age.
“Even though prices were low at the time I was making a good income from them over the years,” he recalls.
However, after several difficult calvings and near-misses, Liam reduced suckler cow numbers and began contract rearing 25 dairy heifers. He was surprised at how easy dairy-bred stock were to manage compared to suckler-bred cattle. This experience encouraged him to make the full transition from suckler farming to rearing dairy-beef calves.
Building skills in dairy-beef
To build his skillset and confidence, Liam enrolled in the first Advanced Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Course in December 2022.
“Even though I was contract rearing dairy heifers, they weren’t coming to me until they were fully reared. Feeding calves on milk replacer was totally new to me,” he says.
Liam found the five-day course practical and interactive, adding: “You learned something new every day, but seeing the theory in action on the farms really brought it to life.”
One key takeaway for him was the importance of high-quality silage: “If cattle are to hit target weights, silage has to be excellent, otherwise I’m spending money on expensive concentrates,” he explains.
He also valued the final module on finishing cattle, noting: “I didn’t have much experience finishing stock. The course gave me a good understanding of what cattle should look like before starting a finishing diet and how to know when they are properly finished.”
In spring, Liam purchased 50 dairy-beef calves alongside contract rearing 25 dairy heifers. At weighing on 31st August, the calves averaged 221kg, with the top animals hitting 300kg – well ahead of target. This performance reflects Liam’s attention to detail and commitment to best practice. He is well on his way to becoming a top-class dairy calf to beef farmer.
A new skillset or areas for improvement
For many new entrants to dairy calf to beef, there is a whole new skillset that needs to be learned in order to run a successful operation. Even for existing calf to beef producers, there are always areas for improvement in calf to beef production. In order to provide guidance and to develop the skills necessary to run a successful calf to beef enterprise, the DairyBeef 500 team designed a calf to beef course around the key areas of calf to beef production.
The advanced Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Course focuses on five fundamentals over five full days to help participants plan and implement a dairy calf to beef system on their farm. Topics covered include:
- Choosing the most suitable calf to beef system
- Calf rearing
- Grazing infrastructure and housing requirements
- Grassland management
- Winter feeding strategies and silage quality
- Finishing cattle – weights, carcass targets and market specifications
Over the five days of the course, participants get the opportunity to visit DairyBeef 500 demonstration farms in their region, along with visiting the dairy calf to beef unit in the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation Centre in Grange, County Meath. The participants also visit the Tipperary Dairy Calf to Beef Demonstration Farm in County Tipperary and on the final day of the course get a tour of a local factory.
Throughout the course specialist speakers from Teagasc, MSD, Volac and other industry speakers will give lectures on calf to beef production.
Interested in joining?
The Advanced Dairy Calf to Beef Course is ideal for:
- New entrants looking to start with confidence
- Farmers transitioning from sucklers or contract rearing
- Existing calf to beef producers looking to improve efficiency and profitability
If you want to develop the skills to run a profitable, sustainable dairy calf to beef system, this course provides the roadmap.
To find out more or register your interest for the Teagasc Dairy Calf to Beef Course, visit here.