Clover
- 2 cuts of red clover yielded 50 bales
- 3rd cut yielded 10.6 bales/acre
- 0-7-30 spread for 4th cut
- Last of the bulls finished
- Analysis of performance
- Carcass weight is back by 11kg/head on average this year
- New trailing shoe and tanker bought
- Will allow more flexibility when spreading slurry
- TAMS grant available
Performance
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Clover
The red clover was cut for the second time at the end of June and received 2000 gallons/acre of slurry which was spread using the trailing shoe. Shane cut it at the beginning of August and it yielded 10.6 bales/acre which he has thrilled with. He has also taken 50 bales form it in the 2 previous cuts.
Shane has no more slurry to spread on it so after reviewing his fertiliser allowances with local advisor Charlie Devaney, he will spread 1.5 bags of 0-7-30 per acre on it to replenish nutrient offtakes. A fourth and final cut will be taken in September.
Figure 1: The red clover/grass mix is yielding well this year
Performance
The last of the finishing bulls were sold to Dawn Ballyhaunis on 21st July. 24 of them were finished in total this year, 1 of which was bought in with the remainder being bred on the farm. The average carcass weight was 379kg at 15.6 months of age. They graded U-3- and made €2894 per head on average.
In comparison to the 19 2024 born bulls, the carcass weight was back by 11kg from 390kg, and the grade remained the same. The average age at finish was 15.5 months in 2024, but the average price was up by €754/head on average. Shane was a little disappointed with the carcass weight difference, as it could have left him with an extra €84/head this year. However, he fed less ration to this year’s bulls as they were on 8kg ration and good quality red clover silage for most of the finishing period this year, instead of ad lib ration. The liver fluke outbreak affected their thrive last winter so the difference may be attributed to that.
Figure 2: The last finishing bulls that were sold
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Shane collected his new tanker with a trailing shoe attachment in June. He has been planning to invest in it for over a year. The land on the farm is heavy and subject to a lot of rainfall, so with his own equipment he will be able to spread slurry when weather conditions are suitable. This will help make more use out of nutrients in the slurry, reduce nitrogen losses to the atmosphere and help to prevent damage to soil during wet conditions. He can also spread slurry more regularly throughout the spring on grazing paddocks and lower index fields.
The tanker and trailing shoe attachment are grant aided through TAMS 3 which is funded by the DAFM.
Figure 3: Pipes are easily identified with coloured cable ties for inserting into spool valves
Figure 4: New slurry tanker & trailing shoe