As part of a Future Beef Programme update, Martina Harrington reports from John Pringle’s Future Beef Farm in Co. Wicklow, where bull and heifer weights have risen significantly in 2025.

Despite a grass shortage for parts of the summer, which rectified itself in recent weeks, John Pringle is happy with how calves have performed over the summer months.

“I weighed the calves on the 4^th of September, and from the ICBF weanling performance report (Figure 1), the bull weanlings had a 200-day weight of 311kg – 18kg heavier than last year – while the heifers came in at 301kg, 31kg heavier than last year.

“Their average daily gain was 1.32kg/head/day for the bulls and 1.29kg/head/day for the heifers,” John explained.

On the value of the ICBF weanling performance report, John added: “I like this report because it brings every calf to a predicted 200-day weight. It allows for later born calves and lets me compare the milk and genetics of all the cows.”

This level of performance, John notes, puts the bulls on target for finishing as under-16-month bulls, while the heifers could all be bulled at 15 months of age to calve at 24 months.

In order to carryover the levels of performance witnessed in the summer to the winter housing period, John is following a winter housing and health plan.

“Once the weather turns wetter, the bulls will be housed first. They’ll go on 3kg of meal per head per day and will perform better in the shed. Similar weanlings to mine, weaned and vaccinated, are being sold in the marts to >€2,000 per head. It wasn’t too long ago that a finished bull was making less than that,” he noted.

Having only received one dose so far this year when coughing was observed and being creep both prior and after weaning, key elements of John Pringle’s pre-housing dosing plan include:

• Before housing, weanlings will receive an ivermectin dose for gut and lung worms. Ivermectin has a 28-day persistency for lungworm, allowing any damage in the lungs to heal before they’re housed. This will cover them while they’re being weaned and still on creep feed.
• They will have to get another dose at housing for worms. No fluke dose is administered as it’s not a parasite of concern on the farm.
• Weanlings also received their first shot of Bovipast for pneumonia at weighing in early September, a boost shot will be administered four weeks after the initial vaccination.

How did the breeding season go for John Pringle

Away from weanling performance, John Pringle has recently scanned his suckler cows and heifers. He explained:

“This year, I decided to synchronise the heifers and use AI. Both my bulls are strong, and I want another year of Limousin calves before trying them on the heifers. Nine out of the 12 heifers AId are in calf, which I’m happy with. The other three will be fattened and finished before Christmas.

“The cows were divided into two groups: 26 went with the Simmental bull, with only two not in calf. Twenty-eight cows went with the Limousin bull, where eight scanned empty. Among these were a first, second and third calver, plus one old cow. The other four were late calvers, so I plan to scan again in early October – some of them may yet prove in calf. Then I’ll decide whether to keep them and calve them next year or sell them as in-calf. From talking to other farmers, they could be making between €3,000 – €3,500 per head, in calf, if they meet the SCEP scheme.”

John Pringle is a participant in the Future Beef Programme, operating a suckler and sheep farm in Co. Wicklow. For more on the latest happenings on John Pringle’s farm, including an update on breeding plans for his ewe flock, visit here.

Find out more about the Teagasc Future Beef Programme here.

More from Teagasc Daily: The Future Beef guide to weaning