Why this farmer believes the best cattle in Ireland are in the west
Based just outside Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Tim Meagher sources only the finest 'U' grade continental, suckler-bred cattle for his store-to-beef finishing system.
The farmer recently hosted a Irish Grassland Association (IGA) beef event and the consistent quality of the cattle on the farm was plain to be seen on the day.
Speaking at the event, the farmer explained why he goes to the west to source the best cattle to suit his beef-production system.
Meagher said: 'I was up in Roscommon Mart last year and I said to Marty the auctioneer that he was very hard on me and the cattle I had bought were a shocking price, and he said back to me: 'Ahh, but look at the potential you're buying''.
'And he was right. It's potential I go up to buy.
'I'm not going to drive 80 miles to go up and buy middling sort of cattle. You have to get the best to drive that far and that's what they have up there.'
Meagher acknowledged that sourcing the type of cattle needed for his system is becoming more challenging with the decline in suckler cow numbers.
He said: 'There is still a small group of people that produce those stock. The suckler is under pressure.'
A sample of the type of cattle on the Tim Meagher's Co. Tipperary farm
The farmer believes that the decline in suckler cow numbers is largely due to an ageing farming population and agricultural policy.
Commenting on why suckler cow numbers are in decline, he said: 'It's largely, I think, from politicians and old age.
'There's a lot of people have retired out of it and the younger crew want an easier way of life, so it is changing.
'Having said that, a lot of the lads I'm competing with are also gone out of the market and we're dealing with a lot of big feedlots and things like that you're bidding against.
'It has changed and it's going to stay changing,' he acknowledged.
Meagher has an old-school mantra when it comes to buying cattle.
Explaining his system, he said: 'I spend 6-7 weeks buying cattle from last week of September to the second week of November with October being the peak and whatever I see in front of me, I try and buy it.
'If there's good conformation and I think there's potential there, I'll try and buy it.'
The farm finishes approximately 250 cattle/year, with two-thirds of these being steers (bullocks) and one-third being heifers. Steer carcass weights can range from 500-520kg and 'the heifers are a little bit lighter', he said at the IGA event.
The average grade for both heifers and steers is 'U=3='.
With a major focus on grass growth and utilisation but also some concentrates used to finish cattle, the farm is delivering an impressive gross margin at €1,650/ha.
The farm is producing 11t DM/ha of grass and 89% of the cattle's diet is composed of grass.
The stocking rate on the farm is 2.27livestock unit (LU)/ha but Tim said: 'The stocking rate one, I don't really go by.
'I like doing somewhere between 1-1.1t of beef/ac. That's the old figure I'd rather go by.
'Every animal consumes roughly 2% of their bodyweight and if you can run it off that, that's more of a figure I like to go to.'
Tim said that this year, finishing cattle are eating a reduced level of concentrates at grass, which he attributes to higher feed quality in the grass this year.
He noted that last year, finishing cattle were eating higher quantities of meal at grass.
Meagher said: 'There was less feeding in the grass last year'.
Commenting on his finishing ration at grass, the beef farmer said: 'Everyone will tell you how to put a good ration together for the winter but no one will tell you for the summer.
'It's trial and error with me. We have come up with a ration of 75% barley and 25% soya hulls for the cattle at grass.'
He noted that minerals and other balancers are included in this mix also.
Advantage feeders are placed in the paddocks with finishing cattle to provide concentrates
Tim evidently has a passion for good grass management as well as the type of beef cattle he produces.
He said: 'I might have a passion for good cattle but I have a passion for clover as well.'
Clover seed is spread on paddocks which require it, along with applications of 0:7:30. Paddocks are grazed off in 2-3 days and allowed to recover for 24 days on average.
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