Getting Winter Ready on the Kingston Farm
Mark and Diana Kingston farm near Drimoleague, Co. Cork, and are active participants in both the Teagasc Future Beef and Signpost programmes. The Kingstons run a 32-cow suckler herd, with eight cows calving in spring and 24 in autumn.
Over the coming years, the aim is to move fully to an autumn-calving system to improve labour efficiency and make better use of grass.
All cattle are finished on the farm. Heifers are finished at around 23 months of age, while all male progeny are finished as under-16-month bulls. The herd is bred entirely through AI, with Limousin × Simmental cows, and replacements calve at 24 months. Cows not bred to maternal sires are served with high-terminal index sires to maximise carcass quality and output.
As winter approaches, the Kingstons are focusing on several key tasks:
- Commencing breeding in the autumn-calving herd.
- Managing first-calved heifers with good-quality silage plus 1–2kg of concentrate daily.
- Setting up paddocks for creep grazing to help cows resume cycling.
- Selecting AI sires for next year’s replacements.
- Weaning the spring-calving herd and assessing cow condition.
- Preparing winter housing with new feed barriers, pen divisions, and increased lying space.
Breeding
The autumn herd has almost completed calving and breeding will commence in early November. Replacements will be bred from top-performing cows identified through the suckler cow report. Easy-calving Angus sires are used on heifers, while Limousin and Simmental bulls are selected for maternal traits. The focus remains on improving carcass, milk, and fertility performance.
Replacement sires used include Limousin and Simmental bulls, while the Angus bull AA9661 is used on heifers for ease of calving. The average Replacement Index of sires used this year is €140, well above the herd average of €118, reflecting steady genetic progress.
Some of the 1st calvers mainly Limousin X Simmental. The heifer in the middle 857 has a replacement index of €136 with milk, carcass weight and daughter calving interval PTAs of 4.7kg, 16kg and -0.72days respectively.
Performance
Autumn 2024 bulls were weaned in July, grazed for a month, and housed in August. A faecal egg sample revealed a worm burden, and bulls were treated accordingly. They are currently on a high-energy maize-based diet, starting at 2kg/day and built up to 10kg with ad-lib silage. Target finish is early to mid-December.
To improve comfort and reduce stress, the Kingstons converted a dry store into a loose straw-bedded shed for finishing bulls, providing 3.5m² per head. This facility, adjacent to the handling unit, improves safety and efficiency during feeding and management.
Autumn 2024 born young finishing bulls
Getting Winter Ready
Spring-born weanlings have been weaned and housed, receiving good-quality silage and 2kg of ration daily. The spring-calving cows not retained for breeding will be finished indoors this winter.
With improved housing, focused breeding, and strong herd performance, the Kingstons’ move toward a fully autumn-calving system is progressing steadily — setting the farm up for a more efficient and sustainable future.
Spring 2025 born calves sired by left to right, LM2014 Ewdenvale Ivor, CH8580 Romarin, LM8616 Lisnar Sir