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HERD UPDATE 07.10.19

General Detail

  • With the unprecedented amount of rain fall that has fall over the last number of weeks, housing of stock on Newford farm commenced in early September.
  • While grass cover is heavy on some paddocks in Newford, utilisation of grass was very poor, with the result of grass been walk into the ground due to the heavy rainfalls in the west.
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  • Newford farm had a good reserved of silage tonnage on the farm, but due to stock been housed earlier, nearly 5 weeks earlier as too compared to this time last year. Newford Farm will be hoping for a good and early dry  spring in 2020
    • 32 beef heifers were housed late August and the remaining of the beef heifers were housed on the 7th of October
    • All of the bullocks were housed on the 27th of September.
    • Weaning of the weanlings begun 3 weeks earlier this year (4th Sept) compared to the              (27th Sept 2018) due to the wet weather.
    • All the weanlings ( 107) are now back at grass  after been weaned from their mothers
    • 38 suckler cows have been housed with the rest be housed in the coming days.
  • The weaning of the weanlings started on the 4th and finished on the 26th September. The weaning process was carried out in 4 phase.
    • The average weaning date for all weanlings on Newford Farm  is the  17th September 2019
    • The male weanlings were weaned @ 291 Kgs.  ADG of 1.26 Kg from birth to weaning

The heifer’s weanlings were weaned @ 287 Kgs. ADG of 1.21 Kg from birth to weaning

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  • All the weanlings are now back at grass and getting 2 Kg of concentrates at grass
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  • At the end of August (32) in-spec beef heifers were housed and 14 of them were drafted for the factory on the 26th of September, along with the 2 teaser bulls.
    • The in-spec heifers kill out  at 54 %
    • Grading on average for the group was  R +  3 =
    • There was 1 ( U ) grade and 13 ( R ) grade among the heifers
    • 16 more heifers were drafted also this week. Results in next week’s report
    • The remaining (23) heifers are on 5 Kg of concentrates and good quality 77% DMD and their average weight on the 8th of October was 488 Kgs
    • Sale summary to-date as below
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  • Meal feeding for the bullocks started at grass early September, they were housed on the 27th of September and they getting 6 Kgs of concentrates and good quality round bale 77 % DMD silage at the moment. The first of these in-spec bullocks will be drafted for the factory in the coming weeks. The average weight of these bullocks (51) on the 27th of September was 576 Kgs.

Newford Farm Agri-College Students Open Day

On the 2nd of October, Newford Farm hosted an Open Day for all of the agricultural colleges. 320 students and teachers from all the colleges attended this very successful event. Which was followed by a career forum in agricultural for all the young students present on the Open Day?

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Key recommendations for this week

  1. Watch weanlings closely for pneumonia and coccidiosis
  2. Closed paddocks after each grazing once the weanlings are finished in it.
  3. Be planning for early grass in spring 2020
  4. Selected any bullocks coming near fit for drafting and pen together
  5. Get a weighing carried out on the replacement heifers