How a farm’s switch to dairy-beef has upped output/ha by 75%
© Debbie James A Welsh livestock farm has increased its annual output of beef from 219kg/ha to 895kg/ha by switching from suckler production to a dairy-beef system with rotational grazing.
Neil Davies and his family were previously running a 60-cow Belgian Blue-cross suckler beef herd at Cefnllan, a Farming Connect demonstration site at Llangammarch Wells, Powys.
In a bid to ease pressure on labour and improve profitability, the herd was sold, and they are now producing beef from Aberdeen Angus-cross dairy calves they buy direct from farms.
See also: 10 ways one farm makes suckler beef profitable
Farm facts: Cefnllan, Llangammarch Wells, Powys
- 105ha (259-acre) Farming Connect demonstration site, plus 9ha (22 acres) rented
- 150 four-month-old dairy-beef calves bought each year
- Finished cattle sold mainly to Scot Beef; stores sold through Meadow Quality
- Epynt Hardy Speckled flock, sired to Epynt Hardy Speckled or Texel rams
- Average scanning rate of 130%
Neil Davies © Debbie James
The business can now carry an average of three dairy-beef animals for every suckler cow and calf previously allocated the same acreage of land while they are on the farm – from four months to being sold as stores or finished cattle.
In 2021, 150 finished cattle averaging 680kg – a total of 102,000kg – were produced on 114ha (282 acres) that is also used for grazing sheep throughout the year.
Under the suckler cow system, 50 cattle averaging 500kg – a total of 25,000kg – were produced off the same amount of land with the same number of sheep grazing.
“It really surprised me how many dairy-beef animals can be kept on such a small acreage in the first summer they are here,” says Mr Davies.
“In that period, we can run four youngstock on the same amount of land we needed for a cow and calf, and three for the entire time they are with us.
“We would need 180-190 cows with heifer replacements to match that, and not all the calves survive. I just couldn’t imagine having that many animals on the farm.”
Neil Davie’s goals for diary-beef system
- Source healthy calves
- Use a fast-growing breed with good feed-conversion efficiency
- Exploit potential to meet market specifications at a young age
Making the switch
Labour was the principal reason for moving to a dairy-beef system. The main enterprise is producing lamb from 2,000 breeding ewes, and running this alongside the suckler beef created pressure on labour at key points in the year.
“The sucklers were very labour intensive, but with the new enterprise it only takes me half an hour a day to manage 150 cattle – it provides a more structured workload,” says Mr Davies.
The high cost of keeping the suckler cows relative to the income from their progeny also prompted the change.
And, with younger, lighter stock, cattle can also graze areas of the farm that the suckler cows could not have used effectively.
Mr Davies buys 150 four-month-old calves direct from farms between February and April, grazing for the first summer before housing.
Depending on market conditions, they are either sold as 18-19-month-old stores at 500-510kg or finished at 24 months at about 680kg, achieving O+ or R grades.
Setting up Cefnllan for dairy-beef rearing
Grassland management
Reseeding grazed grass
This is important to the economics of the new system. An extensive reseeding programme at Cefnllan has been underway for the past seven years.
Some 20ha (49 acres) is reseeded annually, on both owned and rented land, with medium- to long-term leys incorporating red and white clover.
The new leys are very productive in the spring when the business needs to make the most of its grass. “That’s when we make our money, when the stock are out at grass,” says Neil Davies.
“I’m getting a good response from fertiliser – no matter what the cost of fertiliser you need that response,” he adds. “Little and often seems to be working well.”
Rotational grazing
This is a key factor in the increased amount of meat the farm can now produce.
A rotational grazing system has been developed with advice from Precision Grazing, which is involved in the Farming Connect project work at Cefnllan.
Mr Davies uses a plate meter to measure farm cover every two weeks to ensure optimum grass utilisation along the grazing platform. Agrinet software is used to manage grass.
In 2021, the farm grew 10.5t/ha, but Mr Davies says there is still room for improvement.
“We could split the fields up further, but what is holding us back is the water infrastructure. That is our next investment.”
There are also constraints with spring turnout because grass is needed for sheep post-lambing.
“The cattle have got to work around the sheep,” he says. “It might cost me more in making silage, but I can’t lamb the ewes in the autumn so there has to be that trade-off.”
The first batch of cattle was turned out on 15 March this year and the second on 20 April, after ewes and lambs had been relocated to grazing on common land.
High-quality silage
Producing high-quality silage is important for the winter ration. To achieve this, cuts are taken every four or five weeks; in 2022, the first cut was taken on 25 May.
“We feed as much silage as possible in the total mixed ration (TMR),” says Mr Davies.
Through Farming Connect, Mr Davies has been working with independent nutritionist Hefin Richards to produce a ration for growing and finishing cattle.
This includes 25kg of grass silage and 1kg of blend for the growers, and 23kg of silage and 7kg of blend for the finishers.
During the finishing period, only 1kg a head a day of bought-in feed is needed.
Animal health
Calves are sourced from a local rearer at four months old. Buying calves that have had a good start can make or break profitability, says Mr Davies.
Calves must have had plenty of colostrum and been vaccinated for pneumonia.
“Everything starts with getting healthy animals from a known and trusted source,” he says.
“Very occasionally, we get one or two that aren’t quite at the level of the others, and we see that in them all the way through the next 18 months.”
The weaned calves arrive on-farm in May and graze until October in their first year.
Weighing
Cattle are electronically tagged to ensure precision monitoring of their daily liveweight gain (DLWG).
“Regular [monthly] weighing and the use of precision-farming technology is vital for accurate weight records and monitoring,” says Mr Davies.
The calves in their first year achieve a daily gain of 0.8-1.2kg/day from purchase to housing, and an average of 1.2kg/day during housing.
Housing
Loose housing previously used for store cattle has been converted to a slatted unit.
By investing in flooring, water and feed troughs, Mr Davies has created accommodation that matches the performance of modern housing without the expense of new infrastructure.
The conversion cost approximately £50,000.