Media
- Video update from Michael & Niall’s farm
- They are hosting an upcoming farm walk
- Save the date: Weds 3rd Sept at 6pm
Media
Watch the video below to hear more about Michael & Niall’s dosing strategy and some details of their upcoming farm walk.
Advertisement for farm walk, taking place on Wednesday 3rd September.
Animal Health
Weaning has started on their farm with preparation beginning months in advance. Calves were vaccinated against clostridial diseases in April, and a creep feeder was introduced in June. Using homemade creep gates between paddocks, calves graze ahead of cows on fresh grass. This forward creep grazing method reduces stress at weaning and supports better calf health.
One of the creep gates in operation on the farm
The first vaccinations against IBR and RSV/PI3/Mannheimia are scheduled for August, followed by booster shots 4–6 weeks later. Weaning will occur at least two weeks post-booster to ensure optimal immunity.
Cows and calves were weighed on July 10th for the SCEP scheme. According to ICBF data, bull calves are gaining 1.15 kg/day and heifers 1.1 kg/day. Predicted 200-day weights are 277kg for bulls and 263kg for heifers. The cows averaged 634kg which leaves the farm’s weaning efficiency at 44%, exceeding the 42% target.
Some of this year’s calves with their cows
This Mayo suckler system highlights proactive calf health, strong performance, and effective weaning practices.
The herd passed the annual TB test this month also which is a welcome relief as always.
Grassland
Grass was measured on the 20th July on the farm and entered onto Pasturebase. It showed a farm cover of 667 kg DM/ha, and growth had dropped to 21 kg DM/ha/day. Demand was at 31 kg DM/ha/day and there were 22 days of grass ahead so Michael and Niall aren’t worried about supply. The recent rain and the fact that more silage fields will be coming back into the grazing block mean that they will be comfortable for grass.
As we move into August the target farm cover is 750 kg DM/ha and 16 to 1 days ahead.
Grass wedge on 20th July
Second cut silage was made on 8th July with an average yield of 5t DM/ha which they were delighted with. Feed supplies are looking good for the winter with 540 bales required according to their fodder budget. The red clover is due to be cut again for a third time.
Teagasc trials conducted over three years at four locations (Wexford, Cork, Louth, Mayo) show that 1 kg of N applied in August produced ~27 kg of grass dry matter, while application in September yielded only ~19 kg per kg N. This means August applications deliver ~1.5× more grass growth than September for the same nitrogen rate. The last round of fertiliser will be spread in August for the best response at approx. 25 units nitrogen/acre. This will help build covers on the farm for the autumn as Michael and Niall move towards the last few grazings per paddock for the year.