Beef and sheep notes May 2007
Achieving high fertility in the suckler herd
The vast majority of spring calving suckler cows will be mated during the May/June period. Good fertility combined with compact calving is essential to obtain a high level of performance from the suckler herd. The situation on many farms is far from ideal with a high proportion of cows calving down every 14/15 months. According to our benchmarking figures on average the cost of maintaining a suckler cow is over £1/day so it is vital that all cows produce a quality calf every 12 months securing a premium price either as a store or finished animal.
A range of factors influences the breeding performance:-
- Target body condition score at mating is 2.5 to 3.0. Cows leaner than this take longer to come on heat and tend to have lower conception rates. Ensure that very lean cows get preferential feeding. Conception rates are enhanced when cows/heifers are improving in condition prior to mating.
- Mineral Deficiency – Cows/heifers that are low in one or more of the trace elements copper, selenium or iodine often exhibits low reproductive performance. Around15 percent of fertility problems can be attributed to mineral deficiency. Consult with your Vet and adviser to get a blood, forage or soil profile established.
- Disease Problems – Infectious diseases such as Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) can severely impact on conception rates. Unfortunately, this disease is already present in well over 50 percent of NI suckler herds. A higher than normal percentage of cows repeating can be an indication that BVD may be present in the herd.
- Difficult calvings, retained placenta, metritis and formation of cysts can all lead to poor breeding performance.
- Note service dates so that repeats can be more easily detected. This applies whether the cows are being A I’d or a stock bull is running with the herd so that potential problems can be detected in time.
Cut early for quality silage
As meal costs rise silage quality becomes more important for beef finishers. Hillsborough research has indicated that for each week delay in harvesting, meal feeding must be increased by 1.3 KG/head/day to maintain the same level of performance. This could mean the difference between profit and loss.
Alternative crops for lambs
One option to improve lamb performance in autumn and reduce numbers late in the year is to plan to finish lambs on forage brassica crops such as kale, forage rape, stubble turnips. These crops are very high yielding and provide the opportunity to graze a large number of lambs or ewes on a small area, thereby allowing ordinary perennial ryegrass swards to be closed up in preparation for springtime.
Crop |
Sowing Date |
Utilisation Period |
Yield (tonnes dry matter/ha) |
Lamb grazing days per ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stubble turnips |
July/August |
October-January |
2.0 – 5.0 |
1000 to 2500 |
Rape |
June/mid July |
Autumn/early Winter |
3.0 – 5.0 |
1500 to 2500 |
Kale |
April/June |
Autumn/Winter |
7.0 – 11.0 |
3500 to 5500 |
Swedes |
Late April/May |
Winter |
6.0 – 9.0 |
3000 to 4500 |
Select free - draining fields and establish the crop early as per table above to get sufficient yields
Meat plant focus
Philip Simpson, ABP Newry believes there is scope for more beef farmers to exploit the organic scene. ABP has been supplying organic beef to Sainsbury’s for the past 9 years; currently around 40 producers are supplying over 1300 cattle per year. With U.R and O+ grading cattle commanding a price of at least £1/KG more than conventional beef. Most of the beef is sold in Sainsbury’s in GB, within the last year NI organic beef processed in Newry is retailing in local Sainsbury’s outlets.
Cattle are also being sourced to supply the Taste The Difference range at the same stores within NI. A premium is available on a limited number beef bred cattle that are housed on straw bedding, fed a GM-free diet and are Quality Assured. More details from Liam Mc Carthy at ABP Newry –phone 028 3026 3211.