A Welsh livestock farm has increased its annual output of beef by switching from suckler production to a dairy calf-to-beef system
16 February 2023
Neil Davies and his family were running a 60-cow Belgian Blue-cross suckler beef herd but, in a change of direction, the herd was sold and they are now producing beef from Aberdeen Angus-cross dairy animals they buy direct from farms.
On the acreage of land it previously allocated to a suckler cow and calf place, the business can now carry an average of three dairy beef animals for the duration of time they are on the farm - from four months to being sold as stores or finished.
In 2021 150 finished cattle averaging 680kg were produced – a total of 102,000kg on 114ha effective ha, although this land is also used for grazing sheep throughout the year.
Under the suckler cow system 50 cattle averaging 500kg – a total of 25,000kg – was produced off the same acreage 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, in that period we can run four youngstock on the same amount of land we needed for a cow and calf, three for the entire time they are with us,’’ says Mr Davies.
“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.’’
The Davies’ farm at Cefnllan, a 105-hectare (ha) Farming Connect demonstration site at Llangammarch Wells, Powys.
Labour was the principle reason for making the initial switch to dairy beef.
The main enterprise is producing lamb from 2,000 breeding ewes and, in conjunction with suckler beef, this 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.
Another reason for the change of direction was the high cost of keeping the suckler cows compared to the income from their progeny.
With younger, lighter stock, cattle can also graze areas of the farm that the suckler cows could not have utilised effectively.
Mr Davies has opted for Aberdeen Angus-crosses because he says these are the type of animals that suit his system.
One hundred and fifty four-month-old calves are bought direct from farms from February to April, grazing for the first summer before housing.
They are either sold as 18-19-month-old stores at 500-510kg or finished at around 680kg, achieving O+ or R grades.
Setting up the farm for dairy beef rearing
Grassland management
Grazed grass is important to the economics of the new system – rotational grazing is a key factor in the increase in the amount of meat the farm can now produce.
“That’s when we make our money, when the stock are out at grass,’’ says Mr Davies.
There has been an extensive reseeding program at Cefnllan with 20ha reseeded annually for the last seven years, on both owned and rented land, with medium to long term leys incorporating red and white clover.
“I’m getting a good response from fertiliser, no matter what the cost of fertiliser you need that response,’’ he says.
In conjunction with reseeding, lime has been applied and pH levels now average 6 – 6.5.
The new leys are very productive in the spring when the business needs to make the most of its grass.
A route to achieving this has been to establish a rotational grazing system, developed with advice from Precision Grazing, who are 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 were turned out on 15 March this year and the second on 20 April, after ewes and lambs have been relocated to grazing on common land.
High quality silage
Producing high quality silage, at an average ME of 11.5MJ/kg, is important for the winter ration.
To achieve 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 TMR,’’ says Mr Davies.
Through Farming Connect, he has been working with independent nutritionist Hefin Richards to produce a ration for both 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 it means that just 1kg/head/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.
“It is the most important part of the job, calves must have had plenty of colostrum and been vaccinated for pneumonia.’’
Having knowledge of the calves’ history is important, Mr Davies adds.
“Everything starts with getting healthy animals from a known and trusted source.
“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 weighed monthly to monitor their daily liveweight gain (DLWG) – they are electronically tagged to ensure precision monitoring when they are weighed.
“Regular 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 between 0.8 to 1.2kg/day from purchase to housing and an average of 1.2kg/day during housing.
Housing
Loose housing which had been 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
FARM FACTS
Epynt Hardy Speckled flock, sired to Epynt Hardy Speckled or Texel rams
Average scanning percentage of 130%
PANEL
Key animal performance indicators for dairy-to-beef
- Sourcing healthy calves
- A fast growing breed with good feed conversion efficiency
- Potential to meet market specifications at a young age