Breeding
Shane’s suckler herd is progressing well this season, with positive scanning results from his heifers. Seven out of eight heifers are confirmed in calf to the new Saler bull, with just one empty due to a reproductive issue. In total, 35 cows were bred this year and were scanned in mid-September. 34 out of the 35 cows are due to calve in spring 2026. The empty cow will be weaned and sold from the farm before the herd are housed.
This autumn, scheme compliance remains a priority. Shane has applied for the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme and committed to several actions. These include meal feeding calves at 1kg per day for four weeks pre-weaning and 2kg per day for two weeks post-weaning, FEC sampling (two samples a month apart before October 13th), and a full vaccination programme. The suckler calves are already protected against IBR, RSV, Pi3, and Mannheimia, helping to reduce disease risk at weaning and housing.
Figure 1: The suckler calves are prepared for weaning & will meet the Beef Welfare Scheme criteria
SCEP scheme deadlines are also front of mind. By 31st October, 65% of females must be genotyped 4/5 stars. Shane’s reference number is 30, meaning he needed 19 females. His ICBF profile shows 46, leaving him well ahead of target. Weighing of cows and calves was completed in August, well in advance of the 1st November deadline. The results were strong, with bulls averaging 310kg at 200 days and daily gains of 1.31kg, outperforming 2024 figures. Heifers came in slightly lighter at 262kg with daily gains of 1.09kg.
Figure 2: Shane invested in a new weighing scales and EID reader recently
Other scheme actions are progressing smoothly. Genotype samples are already returned through DNA calf registration, Bord Bia SBLAS membership is maintained, and surveys due by February 2026 will be completed on time.
Animal Health
The suckler calves are in the process of being weaned. They have been creep grazing ahead of the cows for the summer, under raised wires which are held up by high temporary stakes. Shane will feed them ration for at least 4 weeks pre-weaning, and at least 2 weeks after weaning to help reduce stress. A FEC sample was taken from them that showed they were high in stomach worms, so they have been treated for this with a product that also covered them for lungworms. They have been vaccinated against respiratory diseases and are due their booster shot for RSV, Pi3 and mannheimia pre-weaning.
With the mild weather in September, Shane took the opportunity to wean the calves a little earlier. He uses nose paddles for this, which are fitted on the calves and prevent them from suckling the cows. This helps to break the cows/calf bond. The nose paddles stay in place for 5-7 days and are then removed. The cows are also removed from the group and Shane finds that there is little to no roaring from the calves.
Figure 3: Two calves with nose paddles
The dairy beef calves were still coughing after receiving a zerofen dose. The FEC sample came back clear for lungworms but they had a burden of stomach worms so they have been dosed to treat them for that. They were also given an oral drench of minerals as Shane found that they responded well to it last year and had healthier coats afterwards.
Figure 4: The dairy beef calves at grass
Grassland
Half a bag/acre of 38%+S protected urea was spread on the grazing ground in August as the last round of fertiliser. Despite having plenty of grass, due to good growing conditions, fertiliser spread in August achieves a better response than that spread in September and Shane expects that it will help to build covers for the autumn.
He reseeded one of his grazing paddocks in July. He selected a red clover mix containing:
- 5kg Barwave – tetraploid perennial ryegrass
- 2kg Abermagic – diploid perennial ryegrass
- 2kg Aberwolf – diploid perennial ryegrass
- 4kg Rozeta – red clover
- 5kg Alice – large leaf white clover
The mix qualified for the red clover measure 2025 where Shane will be paid €300/ha for reseeding. His plan is to graze and cut the 4 acre paddock over the coming years. It was spread with a light coating of farmyard manure and a mole plough was also used to break the hard pan in compacted parts of the field where water was lying.
Shane will spray the crop with Clovermax as seedling docks are starting to appear. The last permitted date for use of this spray is 30th September 2025 so it will be done before then while growing conditions are still good. A maximum rate of 7L/ha will be used and the paddock can’t be grazed until at least 2 weeks after spraying.
Figure 5: Red clover striking in the new reseed
The paddock will then be grazed tight with the weanlings after weaning to allow light into the sward over winter and help the grass to tiller out. Shane will watch ground conditions to ensure that no damage is done in wet weather to it.