Overview of Beef Farming in Ireland

Leaving Certificate Agricultural

Science

Beef Principles & Practices

Produced for IASTA by Humphrey Jones, St. Columba’s College

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Introduction

•

The beef industry in Ireland is the largest sector of

the Irish Agricultural Economy

•

There are 

4.5 million beef animals

 in the country,

producing 0.5 million tonnes of beef per year, of

which 80% is exported.

•

The main export countries are the UK, Germany,

Egypt & Iran.

•

In Irish farms, many beef animals originate from the

dairy herd.

•

These animals originate mainly from Munster and

are relocated around the country.

•

Beef farming, however, has the lowest income per

hectare in Irish farms in comparison to other types

of farming.

•

It relies on the use of good spring grass and good

silage

.

Comparing Beef & Dairy Breeds

Common Beef Breeds - Charolais

•

Introduced to Ireland in the 1960’s due to the

demand for continental style beef, this highly

built, large muscled animal is now the most

popular continental sire.

•

They are usually white, but this is incompletely

dominant and other variations do arise.

•

They are frequently calving difficulties and a

Charolais should not be served to any cow that

has not had two calves at least.

•

However, Charolais bulls in Artificial

Insemination stations are known for easy

calving.

Common Beef Breeds - Charolais

Common Beef Breeds - Hereford



The Hereford are a typical British breed, bred in

Ireland for over 200 years.



They are distinguished by their white heads, white

stripe on the back of their necks and white

underbelly, throat and legs (with a predominant

brown / red body)



As well as providing beef, the Hereford is useful as a

sire.



The Hereford, when crossed with the Friesian

produces the Black White-head, a popular breed

for the British market.



There are two strains, a large frame and a small

frame.



The small frame is used for breeding with heifers, as

this will make calving easier.

Common Beef Breeds - Hereford

Common Beef Breeds – Angus



The Angus is smaller than Herefords and are

considered the best example of a British breed.



They have the typical barrelled shaped body, small

head, short leg and highly developed hind quarters.



They are black in colour and are hornless. These are

dominant characteristics when crossed with other

breeds.



The meat quality is extremely good, but tend to be

quite fat when young.



This affects their selling quality in the continental

market.



Friesian heifers are often services with an Angus.

Common Beef Breeds – Angus

Common Beef Breeds – Limousin



This breed is increasing in popularity as a sire for

dairy herds, as there is infrequent calving

problems.



The Limousin also is known as having an

excellent carcase quality, and the ability to put

on masses of lean meat quickly.



The Limousin / Friesian offspring are ideal suckler

dams.



The red colour of the Limousin is recessive to

black colours of Friesians so little red appears in

the offspring of such a cross.

Common Beef Breeds – Limousin

Common Beef Breeds - Simmental



The Simmental is an example of a triple purpose

animal (Beef, Dairy and Working) but is most

noted in Ireland as a beef breed.



It is often used in Europe as a dairy animal and

has yields similar to that of the Friesian and milk

quality is often better.



The Simmental is a native of Switzerland, and

may be yellow with white or red in colour, also

with a dominant white head.



Simmentals have a very high growing rate (over

10% more than Friesians, Hereford crosses or

Angus crosses)



Simmental bulls should never be used as sires for

heifers.

Common Beef Breeds - Simmental

Animal Growth & Development

Growth Rates



Two varying growth patterns



Constantly fed at a high level of nutrition



Over winter store animals



The most common in Ireland are the store

animals.



These animals exhibit compensatory growth

after each store period, which can be higher if

fed constantly on a high plane of nutrition.



This system keeps down winter feed costs and

can be very profitable.

Puberty

Animal Growth & Development - 2

Tissue Development and Composition



The levels of body tissue vary throughout

the cows life.



The most significant development is the

sharp increase in body fat after 2 years

old.



Therefore if the farmer notices excess fat

in the abdominal area, he / she should

not continue to feed the animal on such

a high plane of nutrition.



The time at which this fat deposition

occurs varies amongst different breeds.

Animal Growth & Development - 3

Conformation



Conformation refers to the shape of the

animal, and particularly the distribution of

muscle in the body.



A good conformation refers to a lot of

muscle in the areas that are worth the

most.



These areas are the hindquarters (round

steak and roasting beef) and the back

(Sirloin, rib - roasts and T-bone steaks)



The type of breed determines the

conformation of the animal in most

cases.

Animal Growth & Development - 4

Conformation (Best to Worst)

Continental breeds (Charolais etc.)

British Breeds (Hereford etc)

Dual Purpose (Friesian)

Dairy Breeds (Jersey)

Grading Carcase Quality

•

Carcase quality is assessed at

slaughter and depends on two factors:

•

Fatness & Conformation

•

The price paid for the carcase

depends on the grade obtained.

•

Carcase is graded using the following:

•

E (Best), U, R, O, P (Worst)

•

Fatness is graded from 1 to 5, 1 being

the leanest and 5 the fattiest.

Grading Carcase Quality - 2

Grading Carcase Quality - 3

•

Most Irish Beef falls into the category of A.

•

This is moderate quality beef that can be

exported to less sensitive markets for a

low price.

•

Beef in category B is excellent quality and

can be exported to markets like

Germany and France.

•

Use of continental breeds and early

slaughtering can help improve the grade

of the carcase.

Animal Growth & Development - 5

Influence of Sex Status on growth



Bulls, castrated males (Steers and

Bullocks) and heifers are the most

common used in beef production in

Ireland.



Bulls have the fastest growth rates but

can be violent

.



They may also try to serve cows and

disrupt the farmers breeding plans.



Steers do not produce testosterone, the

male sex hormone, which inhibits their

growth.

Animal Growth & Development - 6

•

Almost all males used in the Irish beef

industry are castrated, as they are much

tamer.

•

Heifers have lower growth rates than bulls

and steers.

•

Weight at Slaughter:

–

Bull – 750Kg

–

Steer – 550Kg

–

Heifer – 450Kg

Beef Production Systems

•

In Ireland, there are two main types of

Beef Production, producing beef animals

from the 

Dairy Herd

 (Calf to Beef) and

producing beef animals from the 

Suckler

Herd

.

•

Production from the Calf to Beef is more

common in Ireland as Friesen calves are

suitable for the continental market.

•

Suckler herd animals account for 35 – 40%

of the beef production in Ireland.

Beef Principles &

Practice

Beef from the Dairy Herd

Calf Rearing

•

Calf rearing is the same for animals destined

for the Beef market as those for Dairy

(outlined at the end of the section).

•

Nearly all Dairy farmers sell on their calves

(those not needed as replacements heifers)

to specialised farmers who 

“

finish off

”

 the

animal.

•

These calves are usually bought at the mart,

and precautions must be taken when

buying from a farmer you don

’

t know.

•

Care must also be taken when changing

the calf onto their new diet after purchase.

Purchasing Calves

•

Points to look for when purchasing calves at

the mart:

•

Conformation:

–

Shoulders wide

–

Wide Hind Quarters

–

Deep Barrel

•

Health:

–

Eyes Bright and Clear (no discharge)

–

Ears Pricked Up

–

Nose Clear (no discharge)

–

Naval clean, no swelling

–

Anus should show no sign of scour.

–

Generally lively and alert.

Care of Calves After Purchasing

•

Care should be taken not to stress the

calve during transport.

•

Calves should only be fed 

water and

glucose

 for the first 24 hours.

•

This is done to clear the contents of the

stomach.

•

After 6 days the calve should be on full

strength 

Milk Replacer

.

•

The calf will subsequently weaned onto

Hay and Concentrates

 and later grass

when available!

Housing & Feeding Year 1

•

By November 1

st

 of the first year, calves should weight

200Kg.

•

They are now fully reared and are called 

WEANLINGS.

•

Weanlings should be housed in open sheds bedded

with straw or in slatted units.

•

It is important that houses are very well ventilated but

draught free.

•

Silage is the most important winter feed and it should

have a DMD of at least 73%.

•

If the DMD is lower then concentrates should be

provided.

•

Live-weight gain (LWG) of 0.6kg for a Hereford –

Friesian Cross.

•

By the end of winter, the calf should weight 280Kg.

Grazing Management of Yearlings

•

Yearlings should be grazed on good grass

during their second grazing season.

•

They should be dosed for lice, stomach

worms and hoose.

•

In wet areas of land, dosing for Liver Fluke is

advisable.

•

Any disease will slow down the

development of the animal.

•

Yearlings should have a 

Live-weight Gain

(LWG) of 0.8 Kg per day at this stage.

•

When housed for the second year on Nov

1

st

, the yearling should weight 

480kg

.

Housing & Feeding Year 2

•

Housing is the same for the second year

but the animal, being bigger, needs

more floor space.

•

Feeding is again silage but

supplemented by concentrates to get a

LWG of 1kg per day.

•

This rate of growth will have a Hereford /

Friesian cross at 550kg by February 1

st

,

ready for slaughter.

•

Final weight depends on breed.

Summary

•

The principles of a successful beef

production system are:

–

Purchasing good quality calves

–

Rearing them well.

–

Feeding them well (with good grass,

silage and meals)

–

Controlling diseases.

–

Maintaining target weights.

•

The target weights for a Hereford –

Friesian crosses are shown on the next

slide.

Target Weights

Beef Principles &

Practice

Beef from the Suckler Herd

Introduction

•

There are approx 1.7 million suckler cows in

Ireland.

•

This kind of farming is low maintenance,

yields low incomes and is often done on a

part-time basis, where the farmer may have

another job outside the farm.

•

The suckler herd accounts for approx 35-40%

of the beef produced in Ireland.

•

Beef animals are not commercially milked

and calves are allowed to 

suckle their

mother

, hence the name!

•

Prices vary throughout the year, and

producing beef off peak can get better

prices, but overall costs are higher because

of the use of concentrates.

Breeding Management

•

Most suckler herds employ a 

spring calving

system

.

•

This is to get the best use of summer grass.

•

Most income comes from the sale of the calves

so it is essential that each cow produce at least

one reared calf per year.

•

Reproductive efficiency refers to the number of

calves weaned per 100 cows served.

•

Good farms would have a Reproductive

Efficiency of at least 90 – 100.

•

The most important factor for achieving

productivity is diet.

Breeding Management - 2

•

Animals should be in good condition, but not

fat, before mating.

•

They should have a 

condition score of 2.5

 or

greater (more to come on condition scoring)

•

Calving interval also needs to be considered.

•

It is best to have a calving interval of 12 months

to get the most of the spring grass.

•

Accurate heat detection is essential to ensuring

the cows become pregnant.

•

In large farms, where a bull is feasible, the bull is

able to detect heat very efficiently.

Heat Detection & AI

•

Cows will come into heat 3 – 8 weeks after calving

and every 21 days after.

•

The cow should be serviced by a bull or AI at each

heat period or else essential time will be missed.

•

Detecting heat can be quite difficult, so the herd

should be observed at least four times daily

•

Cows will attempt to mount other cows during this

time so tail painting is a good method (Similar to

raddling in sheep)

•

Most servicing of cows is done by Artificial

Insemination.

•

As soon as the cow is detected as being in heat,

the AI station should be informed

Suckling Period – The Cow

’

s Diet

•

In Suckler Herds, calves suckle their mother from

birth (in Jan / Feb) until weaning in Oct / Nov.

•

Feeding the cows is the most expensive part of

the suckler herd.

•

The cow

’

s diet should in increased 

before mating

(to improve condition scoring), for 

good milk

production

 in early lactation and increased

further in the 

suckling period

.

•

4 – 5 months after calving the diet can be

reduced and just fed for maintenance until the

following year (just before mating)

•

Good summer grass can provide all the cow

’

s

needs if managed correctly, otherwise

concentrates need to be used.

Suckling Period – The Calves' Diet

•

The growth of the calve is influence more by

milk intake in the first 4 – 5 months of it

’

s life.

•

After this, grazing becomes more important.

(this is why the cow

’

s diet reduces 4-5

months after calving).

•

Creep feeding

 is important from July

onwards during the first year.

•

This allows the calves get access to the best

grass but still be able to suckle their mother.

•

Calves are weaned off their mother and

housed in November.

•

The target weights vary according to breed.

•

Feed while housed is good silage

supplemented by meals.

Target Weights at Weaning

Management in Year 2

•

Management of weaned suckler calves for

the remainder of their lives is similar to calves

reared from the Dairy herd.

•

It relies on winter – feeding and housing,

good grassland management in spring and

summer, and prevention of disease.

•

With proper management, the weight gains

of calves reared on the suckler herd are

maintained until slaughter.

•

They also reach slaughter weight earlier.

•

Weight at slaughter is 100 kg more than if

reared artificially.

Diseases of Beef Animals



Diseases of Beef animals include:



Tuberculosis (TB)



Stomach and Intestinal Worms.



Lungworms



Blackleg



Grass Tetany



Lice



Red Water Fever

Diseases of Beef Animals - 2

Tuberculosis (TB)



It affects all types of cattle, of all ages.



Caused by 

Mycobacterium bovus



Highly infectious



Humans can also get this disease (A

Zoonose)

Symptoms



Failure to Thrive



Sweating



Bad appearance

Diseases of Beef Animals - 3

Advanced symptoms:

•

Emaciation

•

Coughing

•

Fever and Death

Prevention

•

None really

•

Don’t buy in stock

•

Good farm hygiene

•

No drinking from streams

Treatment

•

Slow veterinary assistance for TB

•

All affected animals are culled

Diseases of Beef Animals - 4

Stomach Worms

•

Cause:

 A nematode in the cow

’

s

digestive tract. Older cows get a

resistance to stomach worms.

•

Symptoms:

 Diarrhoea, failure to thrive,

growth restriction.

•

Prevention:

 Proper grazing management,

leader follower system, dosing.

•

Treatment:

 Dosed with a suitable

nematicide.

Diseases of Beef Animals - 5

Lung Worms (Hoose)



Cause:

 Nematode in the lungs.



Symptoms:

 Hoarse, husky cough, failure

to thrive.



Prevention:

 Proper grazing management,

leader follower system, hoose vaccine.



Treatment:

 Dosed with a suitable

nematicide, under veterinary supervision.

Diseases of Beef Animals - 6

Blackleg



Cause:

 Bacteria called 

Clostridium

chanvoei. 

Bacteria produce spores

which can travel to muscle tissue. Animal

can die within 24 hours of showing

symptoms.



Symptoms:

 Lameness, swollen legs with

black discolouration, high fever.



Prevention:

 Vaccine available, every six

months.



Treatment:

 None.

Buildings used in Beef Production

•

Slatted Units are used for winter housing of

beef animals.

•

These consist of separate slatted

compartments sharing a central feeding

area.

•

Dung and Urine drop through the slats and

are collected in an underground tank.

•

The tank should have enough capacity of the

whole winter.

•

Ventilation is important as methane gas is

produced to the fermenting waste.

Floor & Feeding Space Required

Rearing Calves

1. Feeding Colostrum

•

There are many differences between

colostrum and normal milk and they are

summarised below:

•

Colostrum is a more concentrated

material and contains large amounts of

highly digestible materials.

•

Most importantly however is the higher

levels of protein in colostrum, much of

which is made up with 

immunoglobulins

.

•

These substances are known as

antibodies

, which give the calf protection

against certain diseases.

Feeding Colostrum - 2

•

Unlike the human baby, the calf is not born with

these antibodies in their system, so it is vitally

important that the young calf get colostrum as

quickly as possible.

•

The calf can absorb antibodies more quickly in the

first 12 hours of its life, and the calf should ideally

consumed 2 – 3kg of colostrum in this period.

•

It should be hand fed if the calf is too weak to

suckle the mother.

•

Colostrum should be fed to the calf for as long as it

is available, usually 3 – 4 days.

•

Excess colostrum can be used to feed other calves.

Feeding Colostrum - 3



It is exceptionally important for the calf to get

colostrum in the first 12 hours of its life.



Research has shown that the majority of deaths,

illnesses and failure to grow properly in the first three

months, are down to the improper intake of

colostrum.



If the cow dies during birth, colostrum from another

cow may be used.



Also it is important to freeze excess colostrum for this

purpose.



If none is available, a replacement can be

produced from milk, eggs, cod liver oil and castor

oil.

2. Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer



Milk is the food ideally suited to the digestive

system of the calf.



It is however app. 160% the cost of milk replacer

and 300% the cost of concentrate ration.



The calf however cannot digest concentrate

ration at an early age, as its rumen (stomach)

has not developed fully.



The normal procedure, therefore, is to feed the

calf using the following sequence of feeds:

1.

Colostrum

2.

Milk

3.

Milk Replacer

4.

Concentrate ration.

Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer - 2



The quicker the calf can be weaned onto

ration the better, as this means less cost.



However, this may not happen until the calf is 5

- 6 weeks old.



The digestive system of the calf is very sensitive

and is easily upset.



It is only in recent years has the use of milk

replacer been perfected by most farmers in the

rearing of calves.



Milk replacer is prepared by mixing 125g milk

replacer powder to every 1 litre of water.

Feeding Milk and Milk Replacer - 3

•

It must be fed gradually as the calf may react to it.

This is usually done over a period of 4 –5 days.

•

Bucket fed calves are given 2 litres if milk replacer

twice daily at body temperature.

•

They may also be fed using an automatic feeder,

where the calf can have as much as they wish.

•

However this is only used with large amounts of calves,

as the cost is much higher.

3. Weaning onto Hay and Concentrates

•

Hay, concentrates and water should be

available to calves as soon as they stop

drinking Colostrum.

•

At first the level of hay and concentrates

they consume will be very low, but this will

increase as the calf gets older.

•

Both foods not only provide essential

materials for the calf’s growth, but also

contain microorganisms, which help

develop the calf’s rumen flora and

enable it digest fibrous material.

Weaning on to Hay and Concentrates -

2



By the time the calf is four weeks old, he / she

should be eating 300-400 g of concentrates

daily.



When the calf is weaned from milk replacer,

he / she should be eating 500 g a day.



At this time the calf is allowed onto grass, but

is still fed concentrates, hay and water.

4. The Calf on Grass

•

Calves should be allowed onto grass until

the weather is warm.

•

The change from warm housing to cold

outdoor conditions can cause a shock

and can disturb the calf’s growth.

•

Meals should be fed for 2 – 3 weeks after

being put onto grass, to help the calf

adjust to the new diet.

•

Calves are selective grazers, and should

always be kept on fresh, palatable grass

and certainly should not be left graze

pastures bare.

The Calf on Grass - 2

•

They should graze under a leader –

follower system.

•

They should always graze in advance of

older cows.

•

This also inhibits the spread of stomach

and lungworms.

•

When grass is scarce at the end of the

summer, concentrates should be fed.

•

When calves are housed for the winter,

they should weigh 200kg.