Some members of MED Partnership Group travelled to Shropshire recently as part of the CAFRE Farm Study Tour 2013.
Departing from Inishkeen House in the early hours of the morning and sailing from Dublin to Hollyhead they arrived at the farm of Pip and Steph Rogers, Upperheath, Presteigne, Powys in the early afternoon.
Situated on the Welsh/English border, Pip and Steph along with their son and Pip’s father, run a herd of British Blue cross Holstein Friesian sucklers crossed to Blonde d’Aquitaine bulls with focus on calving ease, growth and muscle depth.
The best bull calves are sold in the autumn as show calves and the rest are finished on farm along with the heifers that are not retained as replacements.
Last year the bull calves recorded a 200-day weight of 342kg and a DLWG of 1.49kg and the heifers recorded a 200-day weight of 294kg and a DLWG of 1.28kg. Everyone agreed these were quite impressive figures.
Following breakfast the next morning the group departed early to arrive on the farm of Simon Frost, Hopping Farm, Bakewell, Derbyshire.
Simon, who some of the group had heard address the Grassland club in Enniskillen recently, is a very good forthright speaker and is passionate about his farm and his business. He runs 125 limousin/Friesian cross cows and two easy calving Charolias bulls on his 420 acres of very good land.
Simon Frost Sharing information with Farmers on the CAFRE study tour
Simon does not seek conformation or muscle in his calves but believes in easy calving and fast growth rates. He maintains that unless you can have the maximum amount of kilos of beef in the shortest possible time on your weanlings you are basically wasting your time. Simon says the Holstein influence in the beef cows ensures good growth rates, plenty of milk and improved fertility.
He will not consider buying a bull without first having perused his EBV figures and where possible he will buy privately rather than at a sale.
Simon sells all his progeny to the finishing farm of Alan and John Dore, Glapwell, Chesterfield, which was the group’s next stop after lunch.
Farming over two thousand acres, one thousand under cereals, they finish the progeny of farmers such as Simon Frost on a 16% home mix and good quality big bale silage.
Finishing 35 animals approx. per week the last group recorded a carcase weight of 462kg at 440 days with the fastest growing bull recording a DLWG of 1.22kg per day.
Later that day the group visited Harper Adams University College where they met Simon March, Beef Specialist at the college along with some of the students.
Simon showed the group around and explained his role in the ongoing research into beef breeding and also showed the group the new state of the art milking parlor, which has recently been constructed at the college.
Before returning home on Thursday, the group visited the farm of James Evens, Walcot Farm, Shropshire, where he runs 250 stabilizer sucklers and 1100 ewes on two thousand, three hundred acres. With 160 cows calving in the spring and 90 in the autumn James sells most of his females as breeding stock and his top quality bulls are also sold for breeding.
Throughout the tour the emphasis was very much placed on the use of EBV’S in breeding, with ease of calving and growth rates to the fore.
The other thing that the group commented on was the absence of slatted accommodation, all cattle are straw bedded, straw being easily available either by growing on farm or purchasing from your neighbour, then the soiled bedding is sold back to the arable men at £7 per ton. So it is a win win for everyone.
In conclusion, the group enjoyed their trip and certainly found many topics for discussion, they would also like to express their thanks to William Johnston, Beef Specialist, DARD, for organizing the trip.
(Source – Pat Johnston)
