20 December 2023
An update from the Derrypatrick herd
Peter Doyle, Research Officer at Teagasc Grange, brings us up to date with the happenings on the research farm’s Derrypatrick herd on the final episode of the Beef Edge podcast for 2023.
Like every farm nationally, 2023 proved to be a very challenging year weather wise here on the Derrypatrick farm, Teagasc Grange, Co. Meath.
Weaning started on October 9th, with males gaining 1.3kg/head/day (326kg) and females gaining 1.2kg/head/day (305kg) up to this point. Weanlings remained outdoors for another month post-weaning and they received 1kg/head/day of concentrate. Small square bales of straw were offered to the calves as an additional fibre source. During this post-weaning period at grass, the weanlings achieved 0.5kg/day.
Winter weight targets
The weanlings were housed on November 13th. The target growth rate is 0.5 kg/day so farmers need to test silage quality. In terms of daily feeding costs, we are estimating that it is costing us €1.56/head/day (exc. land charges) to feed our weanlings good quality silage (70% DMD +) ad libitum plus 1.5kg/head/day of concentrate. This charge would increase to €1.88/head/day if we included a land charge.
Cow management pre-calving
The cows were body condition scored in December, with an average body condition score of 3.0 and a liveweight of 650kg recorded. At calving, the target body condition score is 2.5-3.0, so the cows will be slightly restricted on silage in January. This will help to reduce both calving problems and feed costs. A pre-calving mineral is also offered to the cows 6-8 weeks prior to calving.
Overall, the 2023 breeding performance in Derrypatrick was very good. We had a 9-week breeding season, with 87% of the cows scanned in calf; 85 of these are due to calve in the first six weeks.
Grassland performance
Grassland management and performance in 2023 was very difficult. Grass was measured on a weekly basis and recorded on PastureBase Ireland. It yielded 12 t DM/ha.
With regard to fertiliser spread for the year, the grass-only system received 110 units of N/acre, while the grass-clover system received 56 units of N/acre.
The over sowing of clover last April and May went well. However, it was important to allow light into the base of these newly over sown swards over the winter period to encourage clover growth and establishment.
Beef Edge Podcast
Peter joined Catherine Egan, Teagasc Beef Specialist, on the Beef Edge podcast, where he provided further information from the Derrypatrick herd. Listein to the podcast below:
For interested farmers, Peter can be contacted at: peter.doyle@teagasc.ie
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com, visit the show page.