.gif)
Newford Farm is a joint partnership between Teagasc, Dawn Meats and McDonald’s and this is the first event since the Newford suckler herd relocated from Athenry at the end of 2023. Farmers from neighbouring counties were keen to see the livestock and see the management practices on the farm, and they turned out in their plenty. The 90-cow suckler calf-to-beef demonstration herd has continued to pursue its core aims: compact, AI-based breeding; efficient profitable finishing of heifers and steers at a young age; and practical on farm measures to reduce emissions and enhance biodiversity through the Future Beef and Signpost programmes. The herd is performing strongly, achieving high levels of technical excellence, which is driving the financial performance of the farm. The cows are bred using 100 per cent AI with a highly compact calving pattern using 5-star terminal genetics. The progeny are finished efficiently with heifers drafted at approximately 20 months of age and steers at 22 months, balancing carcass output with control of variable costs.
The farm is part of both the Teagasc Future Beef and Signpost programmes, which promote sustainable production. This has led to the adoption of precision technologies to reduce carbon and nutrient footprints while supporting biodiversity. The farm has availed of funding through the Farming for Water EIP, enabling the implementation of a range of initiatives aimed at improving water quality. These include the management of surface rainwater flows on roadways and the use of settlement tanks to capture and segregate wastewater from the farmyard, supporting best practice in environmental protection. You can learn more about the farm in the May issue of Irish Farmers Monthly.