Dawn Meats hosts open day
Dawn Meats recently hosted a farm open day at its Newford Suckler Demonstration farm to highlight beef farming best practice to over 2,000 farmers.
Some of the 2,000 farmers who attended the Dawn Meats farm open day at the Newford Suckler Demonstration Farm in County Galway.
The 56 hectare farm in County Galway was established by Dawn Meats in 2015 to demonstrate best practice in sustainable suckler beef production. It has targets to improve profitability of its herd of 100 cattle over a five-year plan.
The farm’s breeding policy is said to be successfully producing calves that gain weight rapidly and will deliver carcass sizes that meet customer and market requirements.
According to Dawn Meats this year’s crop of 90 calves is on track to reach 50% of their mother’s weight within six months, with performance helped by the recent improved weather and a surge in grass growth at the farm.
The open day offered guided walking tours of the farm to give visitors the chance to see the production system in action and learn how it dealt with the impact of a difficult spring.
Key areas for discussion included cow type, grassland management, herd health, breeding approach, and planning and data gathering.
Isla Roebuck, operations director, Dawn Meats (UK), said: “The idea to establish the Newford Herd was all about sharing best practice and developing practical examples to improve the profitability and sustainability of beef farming.
“We are delighted with today’s high turnout. The number of visitors proves that farmers have a real appetite to learn more about adapting their farm systems to produce the lighter type of animals which meet modern customer requirements.”
Farm manager, Matthew Murphy, added: “The Newford system is all about driving efficiency and reducing reliance on factors farmers cannot control, like the price of bought-in feed.
“We are encouraging farmers to focus on the profitability and efficiency of their farm system rather than showcasing what might be a very good looking animal, but one that isn’t what the market is looking for and cannot be reproduced consistently. What farmers may lose in carcass size they will more than make up for through the lower cost of production.”
Student to visit livestock markets for charity
2 Sisters founder says Brexit could spell disaster
