Suckling in county Clare

The McMahon farm near O’Callaghan’s Mills in east Clare fits the suckler farm profile that is so common in the region. It is fragmented with several land parcels scattered across the area. It is also exceptional in many respects. The farm plays host to a herd of well-bred suckler cows and their offspring. Livestock and land are managed to a high standard, with attention to detail delivering good results for Martin and his son, Daniel.

A family farm

Martin is a lifelong member of the ICMSA and has represented the organisation at home and abroad over the years. With his wife, Philomena, they have three children: Daniel, who is heavily involved in the farm, as well as Amy and Catherine. Daniel has an off-farm job with Munster Group Insurance which, incidentally, provides a lot of farm insurance policies in the region.
When I visited in early April, Daniel was in the middle of spreading fertiliser for silage. He represents the fourth generation of McMahons on the farm with the next generation already well established. Daniel and his wife Susan have four children: Donal, Roisin, Gearóid and Daithi. 

Fragmentation challenges

The farm has good facilities, allowing for the fragmentation, with a main base for wintering and silage storage, in addition to handling and holding facilities on each of the out-farms. Martin pointed to the additional workload of managing the fragmented holding: “It puts a lot of extra time and hardship on you moving between the different land parcels. It has ruled out the dairy option and so suckling is the obvious alternative. We have upland and lowland soils with each needing different management practices.”

He reflected on the positive start to 2025: “It was a good spring to get the cows calved and stock out to grass early. That relieved pressure on sheds and reduced the feed costs and workload considerably.”
Silage is usually harvested in the first week of June on the McMahon farm with a firm eye on quality to suit the diet of the suckler cow, as well as the offspring, before they are sold towards the end of the year.

Farmyard facilities

Daniel described the farmyard layout: “There is a main silage pit for the first cut, with bales taken intermittently along the growing season. The main shed has two feed passages, with slatted accommodation and straw-bedded, lie-back facilities for calving. We have other slatted sheds also with lie-back space to accommodate the cows and calves around the calving period. There are storage sheds in addition, for straw, feed, and machinery. The main calving period is in spring with a proportion of the 90-strong cow herd calved down in the autumn.”

Changing with market demand

Up to a decade ago, the McMahons finished the male calves to bull beef at 18 months. Market circumstances changed and so did the management strategy, Martin explained: “The market for bulls became less certain so we increased cow numbers and began to sell the offspring as weanlings at 10 to 12 months of age. For the last few years, that has delivered good results. The weanling trade has been reinforced by the live export trade and nearly all our weanlings have gone for export. This year, prices are exceptionally strong and a lot of farmers are prepared to pay more for stock on foot of good sales prices for finished animals.”
Daniel outlined the breeding strategy on the farm: “The cows are mainly crossbred Salers/Limousin and these are bred to Charolais and Limousin bulls with the Charolais offspring targeted specifically at the live export market. The Limousin calves can be exported or used to breed our replacements on the farm. We keep some purebred Limousin cows allowing us to breed for our own stockbulls.”
Martin emphasises the importance of breeding for shape and size: “We like to have good conformation. The ICBF puts a lot of emphasis on star rating. I think the place for stars is in the sky. I like a well-framed cow that calves easily. If you go too far down the easy-calving road, you’ll have a poorly framed cow that won’t calve easily. You must get the balance right to deliver commercial calves that the market wants, whether that’s the export market or for finishing in Ireland.”

Daniel gave this positive comment on the current market: “Good weanlings can fetch €5 to €6 per kilogramme and that’s where prices need to be. We were long enough on poor prices and this is what is needed to make a reasonable living out of breeding beef cattle.”

The risk factors

The weanlings are sold at the local marts including Ennis and Sixmilebridge, where buyers for the live export market are regularly in attendance. Demand is strong from a range of customers selling to Morocco, Spain, and Italy. This year is exceptional, Martin noted,

MARTIN'S VIEWS ON Rewetting

“I am critical of our politicians and MEPs who agreed to the rewetting policy. Public lands will cover the requirement for a period but eventually the burden will fall on farms like ours to deliver the acreage needed. That will eventually put a lot of pressure on active farms.”

because many of the alternative exporting countries in Europe are out of the market due to bluetongue disease. “The pity is that the good prices are late. We have lost a generation of farmers. We need to educate the next generation around the source of their food and how important it is to support farming and food production.”
Martin acknowledges the risks around the sector: “I mentioned bluetongue. If it got in, it would be devastating. TB breakdowns are too common in this region and causing a lot of hardship. The outbreaks of foot and mouth disease on the Continent are also worrying. The amount of regulation is a huge imposition on farmers now compared to when I started out. We need to concentrate on food production as well as climate change and the environment. Food producers are getting scarce. Our Clare suckler farmers are mostly older and many have no one to help on the farm. That’s not sustainable.”