Making the most from grazed grass will be the key discussion point at an upcoming farm walk, to be held on the farm of Wayne Acheson on the outskirts of the village of Sandholes, Co. Tyrone.
The farm walk run by AgriSearch, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE).
Acheson’s farm finishes approximately 1,200 cattle a year and consists of 400ac of lowland (200ac fixed grazing platform and 200ac dedicated to silage) and a 520ac hill.
The farm’s 100-cow suckler herd are grazed on the hill. An additional 500-600 store cattle are purchased in the late summer to graze silage before they are housed for a 90-day finishing on high-quality silage plus concentrates.
Acheson places a strong emphasis on good grassland management across the farm to ensure optimum performance can be achieved from grass, with a target daily live weight gain of above 1kg/day.
The fixed grazing platform is laid out in one-hectare paddocks with around 100 paddocks grazing 600 store bullocks throughout the grazing season.
An eight paddock grazing system is used for each group of cattle (grazed in groups ranging from 40 to 50 in size).
Acheson said: “To maintain sward quality, we regularly take bales off the platform if covers go past our grazing target.”
Acheson is one of 23 beef farms participating in the GrassCheck project, which involves the weekly recording of grass growth across the grazing platform.
Measuring grass growth on a weekly basis has clearly identified poor-performing paddocks for reseeding which enables us to maximise our beef output per hectare.
At the farm walk event, visitors will be able to view 120 beef bullocks which have been managed in three groups throughout the grazing season.
Grazing plan
Visitors will also have an opportunity to hear how the grazing plan aims to extend the grazing season into the autumn.
“Moving into the autumn, forward bullocks (over 550 kg) will be drafted from each group for finishing, reducing the grazing demand as grass growth declines, enabling an extended grazing period on the land,” Acheson said.
At the event there will be the opportunity to hear about the GrassCheck project and the 2018 season so far, the farm’s grazing management approach, and options to get the most out of grass this autumn.
The event will also focus on forage budgeting for the winter months.
AgriSearch’s Elizabeth Earle said: “Grass growth this year has been extremely variable across Northern Ireland and it’s important, looking to the autumn, that farms are well placed to make the most of grass at the end of the season and reduce pressure on winter forage supplies.”
The four farm walks will take place on the following days:
- August 16 – Henry Stewart (Dairy), 27 West Street, Stewartstown, Co.Tyrone at 10:30am;
- August 21 – John and Andrew Dale (Dairy), 287 Ballyquin Road, Limavady, Co. Derry at 10:30am;
- August 21 – Wayne Acheson (Beef), Tullylagan Road, Sandholes, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone at 7:00pm;
- August 29 – Paul and Frank Turley (Beef), 11 Struell Wells Road, Downpatrick, BT30 6RL at 6:00pm.
In the interests of biosecurity, those who are attending the farm walks are asked to wear clean clothing not previously worn while in direct contact with their own animals.
