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Know How / Beef / Assessing performance

Whether running suckler cows or finishing stores, collecting and using health, growth and margin data is vital for steering your enterprise in the future.

Read about the crucial fertility and cow efficiency goals for suckler herds and how to get the most of your growing cattle, whether it be on grass, forage or cereal.

Are your cows to big? What is your cost of production per kg of beef produced? Read on to find out more.

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LIVESTOCK

Stores or finishers: Why doing the sums regularly is vital

Analysis of one business on Anglesey, carried out by Farming Connect, showed a net margin of £19/head of cattle finished, or £0.03/kg of liveweight sold. This compares favourably with the…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Working with nature improves Lakeland farm's profits

Switching from a high-input farming system to one based on minimal inputs and working with nature has improved profitability on a Cumbrian farm. First-time farmers Richard and Alison Maxwell, of…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How 3 farmers are building resilience into their businesses

A strong desire to drive their farms forward and challenge their thinking led Josh Gay, Jonathan Hall and Richard Pattison to attend a three-day workshop for beef and sheep farmers…

BEEF

How genetic switch grew margin £165 a cow on NI farm

A decision to breed functional, easy-fleshing livestock was taken just in time to spare a high-output grassland farm from the full pressures of monetary inflation.  Sam Chesney, who farms at…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Brothers seek £73/ha profit lift with less output

Sheep are making way for suckler cows to minimise winter feed requirements and pay the mortgage on an organic grassland farm. The alteration is one of several Graham and Michael…

BEEF

How an intensive beef finisher has cut carbon footprint

A Welsh beef finisher is demonstrating that making structured progress towards net zero is achievable in an intensive farming system. Dylan Jones, who farms on Anglesey in partnership with his…

Practical advice

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BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Why refreshing cattle insemination technique matters

All-year-round calving herds carrying out their own inseminations need to ensure operators attend a refresher course at least every two years. For block-calving herds, it should be an annual event,…

BEEF

Why it’s important to plan winter bedding now

For farmers reliant on purchased straw to bed loose-housed cattle, now is the time to consider other options and have a “Plan B” in place to reduce winter bedding costs.…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Ultra-high or low frequency EID tags: Which is best?

A debate is raging about what tag technology should be used in the UK’s national cattle traceability scheme when it eventually arrives. The stand-off is between the low frequency (LF)…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

7 lessons learned outwintering in soaking conditions

Winter growth rates struggled on many outwintering systems this year, and the cattle at Castletown Estates, near Carlisle, were no exception. Ruari Martin, farm and estate director, told the Beef…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How to select a stock bull to breed herd replacements

There is plenty to consider when searching for a new stock bull, including health status, fertility checks, historical management, feeding practices, and if the animal is fit for purpose. The…

BEEF

3 beef systems and their earning potential compared

More farmers are considering beef production as the industry experiences a sustained period of buoyant returns. Buying in calves and selling them as stores is now the most common system…

Insights

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BEEF

Suckler cow depreciation: Why it matters

Suckler producers looking to improve profitability should consider calculating cow depreciation and creating strategies to manage value loss in their herd. This is the advice of rancher and consultant Dallas…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Carbon study shows scope for beef and sheep efficiency gains

First-year results of a major carbon footprinting study have shown a huge variation in greenhouse gas emissions from beef and sheep farms across the UK. The average carbon footprint of…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why cell grazing beat set stocking in Devon trial

Cell grazing is a more sustainable and productive grazing method than set stocking, results from a four-year grazing trial have shown. Cell grazing consistently outperformed set stocking plots at Rothamsted…

BEEF

How beef units could improve efficiency with camera tech

A camera and electronic identification system that has been successfully used in the dairy sector to measure body condition scores and mobility of cows is now being trialled in the…

BEEF

Why radical change is needed for sustainable beef industry

Planning ahead to face upcoming issues and working to improve efficiency and build beef businesses with resilience were among the key conclusions from a round table discussion held at Rothamsted…

BEEF

Struggle for survival revealed in wide-ranging beef survey

Some 66% of beef producers will have difficulty in surviving without the farm subsidy – and only 33% reckon their beef enterprise makes a profit every year. This is according…

DAIRY

Revised methane method pegs dairy emissions 20% lower

Net carbon emissions from a sample of livestock farms fell significantly when analysed by a carbon methodology that accounts for biogenic methane. Distinguishing between biogenic (methane from ruminants) and fossil…

LIVESTOCK

6 livestock tech developments to look out for

From driverless tractors to cameras for identifying diseases, several high-tech innovations are coming down the track. Farmers Weekly looks at six highlights. See also: NI farm transforms slurry and food…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why health gains cut ruminant methane emissions by 10%

Three classic livestock benchmarking targets can help sheep and cattle farms raise technical performance and meet obligatory methane goals to battle climate change. Livestock policy leaders are urging farmers to…

BEEF

Beef sector lacks incentive for meat quality, farmers say

Processors and supermarkets are missing out on opportunities to grow the value of beef by failing to pay farmers a premium for meat with good eating quality. That’s the conclusion…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

5 new livestock gadgets for farming in 2020

From innovation to slightly improved design, engineers and inventors are constantly striving to produce the next big gadget in livestock farming.  Farmers Weekly has looked at the top products that…

LIVESTOCK

Beef sire worth up to €200 more in dairy-cross calf profit

Selecting the right beef bull on terminal traits could benefit Irish beef farm margins by €150-€200 a head in carcass quality and feed efficiency, according to a national initiative. Industry…

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