Meet The First Of This Year’s Autumn Born Calves

This week, Trevor Boland was able to view the new updated replacement index of his herd published by the Irish Cattle and Breeding Federation, an index he feels is becoming more accurate over time.

 

The first of this year’s autumn-born calves have started to arrive. The first heifer or cow calved was a bought-in Belgian Blue heifer with an Angus dam going back to the dairy herd. The heifer, a two and a half-year-old, needed a little help to deliver the newborn, which was an AI-sired Limousin bull.

 

All calves are weighed and measured and, this year, I intend to weigh all cows soon after calving. This particular calf weighed 51kg and the heifer weighed 550kg four days after giving birth.

 

This information is recorded on my own spreadsheets and entered on to ICBF.com. Details such as calving ease, calf vigour and calf size are also recorded and I will review this information before selecting the next bull to use on each cow.

This week, I was able to view the new updated replacement index of the herd, which was published on ICBF.com

 

Some changes have been made to how the index is compiled and these changes include increasing the weighting of milk and fertility traits.

These two traits are calculated using farmer records, such as farm weights and calving intervals. Therefore, the more accurate information that I can record, the more accurate my herd €urostar profile will be. I certainly feel that the index is getting more accurate each year and more into line with how I view my own cows.

 

When taking a subjective view of each cow in the herd, the weanling weight of the calf is what I consider the most important factor in judging my best and worst performers. What I would consider my worst-performing cows are rating low on the new replacement index and cows I consider my best performers are rating higher up the index. There are also a number of mid-ranking cows, which I feel should be rated higher and I expect these cows to move up the index as more data is recorded.

 

By way of example, one Limousin cow (number 268) sired by a popular Limousin bull has a replacement index value of minus €2 compared with another Limousin cow, (number 263) sired by a stock bull who has a replacement index of €151. The first cow is a one-star compared with the second, which is a five-star cow on the replacement index.

 

Both of these cows were born in 2007; however, cow number 263 consistently produces heavier calves at weanling than cow number 268. Another difference in performance between the two is that cow 268 has a calving interval of 380 days compared with cow 263 which has a calving interval of 356 days.

With cow 268 currently weighing 850kg, it looks like the right decision was taken earlier this year to cull this cow and bring in a more productive replacement.

 

(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Trevor Boland – 17/05/2015)

 

Teagasc Figures Show The Average Suckler Farmer Is Losing Out

 

Trevor Boland was dismayed to see the difference in figures between the average net profit of average suckler to weanling farmers and the top one third of farms. But an open day might help matters. Figures published by Teagasc this week show that average suckler to weanling/store farms continue to show a net loss at farming activities before payments from the Department of Agriculture are included.

 

These figures are published on a per hectare basis and include 494 farms from across the country that completed profit monitors in 2014. The figures show a net loss of €72 as being the average net profit or loss, while the top one third of farms are showing an average net profit of €241.

 

So what are the top farmers doing so much better than the average farmers to turn a profit? From reviewing the figures, stocking rate is the main driver of output and subsequently profit per hectare.

 

I have been following and monitoring these results published by Teagasc over the last number of years and comparing my own farm’s performance against the figures published.

 

What other way is there for farmers around the country to benchmark their own performance against similar type farms, that is, without asking their neighbours what their stocking rate and net profit or loss per hectare is?

 

I recently had the chance to join the BETTER farmers on a technical day, visiting the Teagasc Newford herd in Athenry and take part in a farm walk on a dairy farm nearby.

 

The main focus of the farm walk was how to grow more grass. Grass, as the cheapest available feed, will drive output. Therefore, the more grass we can grow, the higher output we can achieve.

 

Listening to our host describe how to grow more grass and grow quality grass showed me I have a lot to learn in this area – from making sure you have the soil fertility correct, to nuggets of information like grass needing a wake-up call in the spring to start growing. Paddocks were grazed in 24 to 36 hours, while it is hoped to either top or harvest silage off every paddock once during the grazing season.

 

I certainly learned a lot from this farm walk and discussion, which shows the value of discussion groups. With new discussion groups currently being formed by advisers, I would recommend to anyone interested in increasing the profit of their farm to join a group.

 

The benefits include being able to benchmark your farm against similar farming systems in your area. Something that I noticed in groups is that it quickly becomes apparent the top performers in each group. These top performers are the ones producing the higher-than-average net profits and by being part of a group, it gives you the chance to see first-hand how this profit is achieved.

 

(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Trevor Boland – 31/08/2015)