Know How / Beef

Profitably transforming day-old calves into fat cattle requires mastering many skills ranging from fertility management to achieving the best daily liveweight gain.

Whether you run a suckler herd or rear or finish beef cattle, browse our beef articles to find out how to improve beef farm profitability and productivity.

Key areas of focus:

  • Optimising productivity of the suckler herd
  • Achieving good weight gains and performance
  • Improving herd health and welfare
  • Management of healthy youngstock
  • Selecting the best market for your produce

Latest Know How

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Bluetongue virus: What to look out for and how to manage it

Bluetongue virus risk is at a seasonal low, but producers should be ready for that to change in spring. Bluetongue virus is an insect-borne disease that can affect all ruminants.…

BEEF

Post-weaning cattle growth rates double with natural spot-on

A family butcher is expecting to see days to slaughter fall in cattle treated with a topical pheromone that has improved growth rates after weaning and castration. When Steve Conisbee’s…

SHEEP

Hill flock beats high-profit ewes amid suckler expansion

A hill flock has survived a major enterprise restructure on an Exmoor farm, which saw cow numbers increased at the expense of a profitable in-bye sheep system. Only 150 shearlings…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Sheep and cattle new entrant shares 4 key lessons

A small grassland farm is turning profits from sheep, sucklers and dairy heifer rearing for a dairy breeding consultant cum part-time farmer. Tom Sellers runs a 25ha (62-acre) Powys County…

More articles