Producing beef from grass-forage-based systems

Peter Doyle Nikki Kennedy Nicky Byrne Mark McGee

Irish suckler beef production is largely pasture-based where collectively, grazed and conserved pasture account for up to 92% of the lifetime feed consumption. As grazed pasture is invariably the cheapest cattle feed resource in Ireland, maximising the duration of the grazing season and animal growth performance at pasture is critical for sustainable production. This in turn can reduce finishing age – reducing overall feed costs. Nationally, steer age at finish is nearly 28 months, and with increased feed costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with older age at finish, beef systems need to reduce finishing age. As the lifecycle of most steers entails two winters and at least two grazing seasons, optimising individual animal performance at each stage in the production cycle is essential. Due to compensatory growth, animal growth during a particular phase can influence growth subsequently. Clearly, any factor negatively impacting the overall growth of beef cattle performance needs to be addressed. Therefore, understanding how to increase animal performance from both grazed pasture and silage is critical from an economic and environmental point of view. Guidelines and management tips on producing high-digestibility grass silage to improve animal performance over the winter are outlined in the paper: Making quality silage on beef farms.

Cost of feedstuff in 2026

The “Grange Feed Costings Model” was used to determine the cost of producing commonly grown feedstuffs in March-April 2026. Assumptions and quantified costs for each feedstuff are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1. Assumptions and costs (€) to produce feedstuffs in spring 2026

¹Zero-grazing does not include the cost of handling extra slurry vs. grazing.

²First- and second-cut silage were assumed to be cut on 29 May and 17 July, respectively.

³Slurry + the cost of 0-7-30 for the remainder of potassium (K) requirements, does not include autumn grazing – includes grass – six-year persistence assumed.

⁴The extra cost of feed protein supplementation required for maize and fodder beet is not included.

⁵ Land charge of €741/hectare (€300/acre).

Slurry was applied to all crops, which lowered the requirements for inorganic fertiliser. Based on market prices in March-April 2026, ‘protected’ urea cost €740/tonne (t), 0-7-30 cost €530/t, 18-6-12 cost €600/t, and beef finishing ration cost €350/t fresh weight. Contracting costs (incl. VAT) were based on Farm Contractors Ireland reference figures from February 2026; pit silage = €210/acre, mowing = €33/acre, tedding = €20/acre, baling = €10/bale, maize harvesting = €232/acre, beet harvesting = €198/acre (1 hectare = 2.471 acres). It is acknowledged that these prices may change throughout 2026. Land charge was assumed to be €300/acre (€741/hectare), which is similar to that outlined in the SCSI/Teagasc Agricultural Land Market Review and Outlook Report. All figures include the cost of feeding out and processing.

Grazed grass costs €140/t dry matter (DM) utilised (incl. land charge), which is the equivalent to 14c/kg DM utilised, with white clover inclusion adding further reductions in cost (12c/kg DM utilised) making grass-white clover pasture the cheapest feed resource (Table 1). The cost of zero-grazed grass is greater than grazed grass but cheaper than grass silage. Although three-cut grass-red clover pit silage has a lower nitrogen fertiliser cost than two-cut pit grass silage, the addition of the third-cut and the lower lifespan of the red clover, results in it having a similar cost to two-cut pit grass silage but cheaper than three-cut pit grass silage per tonne DM utilised. Baled silage remains more expensive than pit silage. A more detailed breakdown of the estimated cost of baled silage is outlined in Table 2. The impact of silage cutting strategies on production costs is outlined elsewhere (further information: Making quality silage on beef farms).

Table 2. Calculated cost to produce a silage bale in 2026

¹2,500 and 2,000 gallons/acre of slurry was applied for first- and second-cut, respectively, and the remainder of nutrient requirements was applied via inorganic nitrogen (slurry).

Feed costings are provided with and without (‘cash cost’) land charge. In theory, a land charge should be accounted for to account for the ‘true cost’ of the land and the opportunity profit foregone of renting out the land. The feed costs presented in Table 1 can be used to calculate the cost of feeding an animal. For example, if a steer is consuming 8.0 kg DM/day whilst grazing, it costs €1.12/day to feed him, including land charge (i.e. 8.0 kg DM × 14 c/kg DM utilised), or €0.55/day as ‘cash cost’, excluding land charge (i.e. 8.0 kg DM × 6.9 c/kg DM utilised). Table 3 summarises the costs of feeding a suckler cow and progeny under different scenarios.

Table 3. The cost of feeding an individual animal under four different scenarios.

Maximising animal live weight gain from grassland

Maximising live weight gain of cattle from grazed pasture, the lowest-cost feed resource available on Irish beef farms, is central to improving system profitability. Economic modelling of 2026 suckler calf-to-beef production systems indicates that increasing average daily live weight gain from 820 g to 950 g improves profitability by approximately €98 per livestock unit (LU) (Further information: Suckler beef systems for profitable production). Similarly, extending the grazing season by three weeks increases system profitability by approximately €53 per LU. Increasing live weight gain per hectare from grazed grass remains the principal driver of profitability in suckler beef systems and is directly dependent on achieving high levels of utilisable herbage production per hectare. Increasing herbage utilisation by 1 t DM/ha increased net margin by €178/ha. Currently herbage production on beef research farms is 12 t DM/ha (receiving 75 kg nitrogen/ha). The corresponding value for all beef farms on PastureBase Ireland averaged over the past 3 years is 10.7 t DM/ha.

Key factors influencing grass utilisation include:

• Soil fertility: Maintain soil pH at approximately 6.3–7.0 (depending on sward type) and target Index 3 for phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) (Further information: Lime – increases farm productivity while reducing fertiliser costs).
• Grazing infrastructure: Appropriate paddock layout, water provision and roadway infrastructure are essential to maximise grass utilisation (Further information: Benefits of paddock grazing in beef systems). A free copy of the ‘Beef Farm Infrastructure Handbook’ is available from Teagasc.
• Incorporation of clover: Integrating white clover into grazing swards can increase herbage production at similar levels of chemical nitrogen fertiliser or, more importantly, maintain herbage production from a reduced input of chemical nitrogen fertiliser.

Grazed grass vs grass-white clover vs multi-species swards

Five beef production studies in Teagasc have investigated the impact of incorporating clover and herbs into perennial ryegrass pastures on animal growth performance. A summary of each study is outlined below.

Suckler store-to-beef system: grass-only vs. grass-white clover

In a three-year suckler ‘store-to-beef’ study at Teagasc Grange, the effect of grass-only and grass–white clover swards were evaluated during the ‘third’ grazing season. Steers were finished without concentrate supplementation at the end of the grazing period. Steers grazing grass–white clover swards had 11 kg heavier carcasses compared with those grazing grass-only swards.

Weanling-to-beef-system: grass-only vs. grass-white clover

In a suckler ‘weanling-to-beef’ system study at Teagasc Grange, the effect of grass-only and grass-white clover swards were compared over the ‘second’ grazing season. Steers and heifers were finished at the end of the grazing season without supplementation. Animals grazing grass-white clover pastures achieved +0.1 kg live weight gain per day resulting in a 23 kg heavier live weight and 14 kg heavier carcass weight compared to those grazing grass-only swards.

Weanling to-beef-system: grass-white clover vs. multi-species swards

In a suckler steer weanling-to-beef system study carried out over two production cycles at Teagasc Grange, grass-white clover swards and multi-species swards (MSS), containing perennial ryegrass, white clover, red clover, chicory and plantain, were compared. Overall, live weight gain and carcass weight was similar for both pasture types, implying that the addition of ‘herbs’ (chicory and plantain) plus red clover to the grass-white clover sward had no additional benefit in terms of animal growth rate (or herbage production). There was also no difference in faecal egg counts or anthelmintic dosing requirements between the two pastures.

Suckler calf-to-beef system: grass-only vs. grass-clover

Building on previous research, the effect of contrasting forage systems was recently evaluated within a spring-calving suckler calf-to-beef systems experiment at Teagasc Grange. The study compared grass-only swards with grass–clover swards (white clover in grazing swards, and white and red clover in silage swards). Cows and calves assigned to the grass-only treatment grazed perennial ryegrass swards during the first grazing season and during the first indoor winter the weanling progeny received grass silage supplemented with 1.5 kg concentrate/head daily. Animals assigned to the grass–clover treatment grazed grass–white clover swards and during the first winter the weanling progeny were offered grass-red clover silage plus 1.5 kg concentrate/head daily. Following the indoor winter, the steer and heifer progeny grazed their respective experimental pastures and were finished, without supplementation, at the end of the ‘second’ grazing season.

Relative to the grass-only system, suckler cows and calves grazing the grass–white clover swards were 16 kg and 14 kg heavier, respectively, at weaning. During the first indoor winter, weanlings offered grass-red clover silage achieved an additional 0.1 kg daily live weight gain, resulting in a further 12 kg live weight advantage. Consequently, yearlings from the grass–clover system were 26 kg heavier at turnout to pasture in spring. At the end of the second grazing season (~19 months of age), this advantage had reduced to 15 kg live weight, resulting in a 10.5 kg heavier carcass weight for the grass-clover compared to the grass-only animals.

Dairy calf-to-beef: grass-only vs. grass-white clover vs. multi-species swards

In a dairy-beef heifer calf-to-beef systems experiment at Teagasc Johnstown Castle, three pasture treatments: 1) grass-only or, 2) grass-white clover or 3) MSS (perennial ryegrass, white clover, red clover, chicory and plantain), were compared. Animals remained on their respective treatments (i.e. pasture + corresponding silage) for the first grazing season, first winter and second grazing season and ‘finished’ animals were drafted at the end of the second grazing season. Any heifers not finished at pasture were housed in October and offered a finishing diet of silage ad libitum supplemented with 4 kg concentrate/head daily. Animal lifetime daily live weight gain and carcass weight was lowest for the grass-only treatment, and similar for the grass-clover and MSS treatments.

Overall, from the five studies above, it can be concluded that both MSS and grass-clover swards increase animal live weight gain compared to grass-only swards. Animal lifetime live weight gain was similar for MSS and grass-clover swards. A summary of the grass-only vs. grass-white clover studies is presented in Figure 1.

It is important to note that achieving additional live weight gain on grass-white clover or multi-species swards is dependent on having a sufficient white clover content in the swards (>15 % annual clover content). Failure to achieve this means the grass-clover sward becomes equivalent to a grass-only sward.

Furthermore, bloat can occur in cattle grazing grass-white clover swards, especially during high-risk periods (e.g. high clover contents, ‘hungry’ cattle, wet and/or lush pasture), and vigilance is required. Management factors that can prevent bloat include:

• Bloat oil in the water.
• Provision of a supplementary fibre source.
• 24-h allocations of pasture.
• Avoid moving cattle when they are hungry.

Figure 1. A summary of the impact of incorporating white clover into perennial ryegrass pastures across three different beef production systems.

Grass silage vs. grass-red clover silage

Due to their different growth habits, white clover is typically more suited to grazing and red clover is suited to silage crops. A substantial proportion of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser used in Irish grass-based beef systems is typically applied to the silage land area. Incorporating red clover into silage swards offers significant potential to maintain high levels of herbage production, with annual yields of up to 15 t DM/ha achievable, while using little or no inorganic nitrogen fertiliser (0–50 kg/ha). However, red clover persistence is generally limited to approximately 3–4 years under commercial conditions. It is best suited to three or four cut silage systems (with minimum grazing events). Key management practices required to optimise sward longevity and persistence are outlined elsewhere (Further information: Management of red and white clover in Irish beef grass-based systems).

A key point to consider is that red clover has a similar seasonal growth to that of white clover, whereby its growth and proportion in the sward is low in spring and peaks in August. Consequently, under correct management, each red clover harvest has a different red clover proportion and characteristics:

• First-cut = typically 15 % red clover content
• Second-cut = typically 50 % red clover content
• Third-cut = typically 80 % red clover content.

In recent years, several studies have been completed, and others are ongoing, across Teagasc comparing the effect of grass-red clover silage with conventional grass silage on the performance of beef cattle. A summary of this research is presented below:

First-cut silage: finishing dairy-beef cattle

Feed intake and carcass performance of dairy-beef steers (ca. 19 months of age) offered first-cut grass silage or first-cut grass-red clover silage were compared over a 120-day indoor finishing period. Both silage treatments were supplemented with 5 kg concentrates/head daily. No difference in DM intake or carcass weight gain was found between the two silage treatments.

Second-cut silage: suckler weanling beef cattle

In the suckler calf-to-beef system study described earlier, suckler-bred weanlings were offered second-cut grass silage or second-cut grass-red clover silage (mean harvest date, 10 July) over the first indoor winter period. Both silage treatments were supplemented with 1.5 kg concentrates/head daily. Results from the two experimental years completed to date indicate that weanlings offered the grass-red clover silage achieved higher winter live weight gain (0.72 vs. 0.61 kg/day) compared with those offered conventional grass silage. Furthermore, part of the live weight performance advantage of the animals fed grass-red clover silage was subsequently offset during the subsequent grazing season due to additional compensatory growth at pasture by the cattle offered the conventional grass silage (0.94 vs. 0.88 kg/day). A similar finding has also been found in dairy-beef systems. Consequently, new research will investigate the impact of removing concentrate supplementation from grass-red clover silage on the performance of weanling cattle during the first indoor winter period and subsequently at pasture.

Third-cut silage: finishing suckler-bred cattle

As part of a larger study (Further information: Organic beef cattle research update), late-maturing continental steers were assigned to one of three dietary treatments: 1) grass silage supplemented with 3 kg DM/head daily of a barley-based concentrate, 2) third-cut grass-red clover silage supplemented with 3 kg DM/head daily of bi-crop grain (barley + peas), or 3) third-cut grass-red clover silage offered without concentrate supplementation for a 98-day indoor finishing period. Live weight gain (1.33 kg/day) and carcass weight (410 kg) was greatest for steers offered grass-red clover silage supplemented with bi-crop grain followed by steers offered grass silage plus concentrate supplementation (1.09 kg/day; 388 kg carcass) and finally for steers offered red clover silage without concentrates (0.85 kg/day; 380 kg carcass). The extra performance on the grass-red clover silage was largely driven by a 31 % greater daily DM intake compared to grass silage supplemented with concentrates.

From the research to date at Teagasc Grange, it appears that a high red clover content in silage is required to achieve increases in intake and consequently live weight gain in beef cattle. Red clover contents in first-cut silage are typically low (10-20 %) and consequently, are unlikely to impact cattle intake or live weight gain compared to conventional grass silage. In contrast, a much higher red clover content is generally achieved in second- and third-cut silages, and thus improvements in silage intake and live weight gain of cattle are more likely (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Summary of the impact of grass-red clover silage harvest on red clover content and associated cattle performance compared to conventional grass silage.

Conclusion

Maximising the proportion of grazed pasture in the diet remains fundamental to the profitability and sustainability of Irish beef production systems. Achieving high levels of live weight gain/ha from grazed pasture is dependent on extending the grazing season and improving grass utilisation/production per hectare. Incorporating white clover or multi-species swards into grazing systems can reduce the reliance on chemical nitrogen fertiliser and can improve cattle live weight gain relative to perennial ryegrass-only swards. However, there is no difference in live weight gain between cattle consuming grass-white clover and multi-species swards. The inclusion of red clover within silage systems represents a substantial opportunity to further reduce nitrogen fertiliser inputs on Irish beef farms, particularly on silage ground where a large proportion of annual nitrogen fertiliser is traditionally applied. In addition, grass-red clover silage has been shown to support improved live weight gain through increased forage intake compared with conventional grass silage. However, the magnitude of this response is closely related to the proportion of red clover present within the silage sward.

Compiled and edited by Mark McGee and Paul Crosson, Teagasc, Grange Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, and first published in BEEF2026 – Driving Sustainable Performance, additional reading from BEEF2026 is available here.