DairyBeef 500 farmer, JP Hammersley, on his farming system

The Beef Edge

DairyBeef 500 farmer, JP Hammersley from Co. Tipperary, is on this week’s Beef Edge with an update on his farm, management of calves at grass and the plan for finishing cattle on the farm.

JP outlines his dairy calf to beef system with cattle finished at 20-24 months of age. All the calves are sourced locally from a nearby dairy farmer.

He discusses how calves are reared and managed up to now and in the coming weeks. The yearling cattle are at grass since February and JP explains how they will be managed at grass for the coming months and rotated in the paddock system to maximise weight gains.

Good quality silage is very important to the system, and JP says that while there is a lot of silage still left over from last year, his aim is to maximise quality this year if that leads to less yield overall but higher quality.

Herd health planning is also a critical part of the system and JP highlights the vaccination programme being used on the calves and his plan to faecal sample during the year to ensure they are treated for worms timely and correctly.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

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