Latest news with #TimMeagher
Agriland
5 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
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.
Agriland
09-05-2025
- General
- Agriland
Roscrea-based beef finisher to host IGA event on June 10
The Irish Grassland Association's (IGA's) annual beef event is set to take place outside Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, on the farm of Tim Meagher (Eircode: E53 V054) on Tuesday, June 10. The beef farm walk is set to kick off at 6:30p.m and conclude at approximately 8:30p.m. Flame-grilled Irish beef burgers will be served from 6:00p.m onwards – before the farm walk kicks off. The event is sponsored by FBD Insurance. Ahead of the event, IGA council member and Elanco Animal Health's Niall Claffey caught up with the host farmer to find out more about his beef farming system. Tim, his wife Shauna, and their four children operate a store-to-beef system on the 88ha of grassland and 24ha of tillage on the farm, which has been in the Meaghers' family for generations. The old farm system The farm was a suckler-beef enterprise when Tim took over the reins, and he increased suckler cow numbers to 90. These cows were predominately Limousin and were crossed with a Charolais stock bull. Replacement heifers were ran with an Angus bull. Weanlings were also purchased from the west of Ireland. At the time, the farm was also home to roughly 200 breeding ewes. However, over a decade ago, Tim moved to simplify the operation and focused on changing to a traditional store-to-beef enterprise – prioritising on incorporating as much grass into the diet as possible. All cattle are purchased from marts in the west of Ireland ,with a clear emphasis on buying-in quality cattle to the beef enterprise. Current beef system on the farm Heifers and bullocks are bought in September and October each year weighing in the 500-520kg weight bracket. These are then finished the following year from July to October as they come fit for slaughter. All cattle are slaughtered under 30 months-of-age. Some of the key figures are as follows: Number of cattle on farm: 250; Bullocks: 160; Heifers: 90; Number of paddocks: 43; Number of cattle/grazing group: 40-50. Strip wires are also used to achieve desired clean outs and to manage paddocks correctly. In the springtime, all cattle are grouped according to age to ensure easy management during the summer grazing period. To reduce the farms' dependence on purchased meal, 24ha of spring barley is sown on the farm each year. This grain is fed to the finishing cattle at grass along with soya hulls and minerals. The straw is baled at harvest and used to bed cattle over the winter months. Silage clover and animal health The farm has a big focus on making high-quality silage as winter feed. The aim is to produce silage with a dry matter digestibility (DMD) of 75% or above. High-quality silage available over the winter reduces the need for bought-in concentrates on the farm. Due to the difficult weather conditions in 2024, silage quality ranged from 68% to 73% DMD on the three cuts harvested last year. Tim started reseeding with clover in the early 2000s, and now both red and white clover play a pivotal role in both silage production and the grazing platform. Since incorporating clover into the system, he has reduced his dependence on chemical nitrogen (N), while not negatively impacting the amount of beef sold off the farm. Animal health protocols are strictly adhered to on the farm with a vaccination programme in place and and dosing is carried out as required. Tim has invested in a state-of-the-art handling facility to manage animals efficiently and safely. A slurry aeration system is used to agitate slurry on the farm, which is beneficial from a health and safety point of view and eliminates the need for agitation. Speaking ahead of the event, Trish O'Halloran from FBD Insurance said: 'At FBD, we're delighted to support the IGA Beef Event again in 2025. 'We recognise the important role that events like this play in fostering innovation, and collaboration within the farming community. 'Knowledge sharing and education empowers farmers to develop and maintain efficient, sustainable beef production systems, ensuring the continued success and global competitiveness of Ireland's beef industry for years to come.'
