Meet John Pringle, who farms 59ha in Aughrim, Co. Wicklow, and is hosting the first in a series of FutureBeef Suckler Farm Walks this summer on Friday, 29 May at 6:30p.m. 

John is running one of the most profitable suckler systems in the country.

His system is delivering almost €4,500/ha in beef output while maintaining tight control on costs to achieve a net margin before premia of €1,457/ha.

He runs over 50 high-performing suckler cows alongside 230 mid-season lambing ewes.

His suckler herd is built around Simmental and Limousin-cross genetics, with breeding focused firmly on fertility, milk, and carcass quality.

John’s system is designed around one clear principle - every animal must perform.

He targets one calf per cow per year, with calves achieving over 1.2kg/day liveweight gain pre-weaning, while also consistently calving all replacement heifers at just 24 months-of-age.

Farmers attending the farm walk on Friday, 29 May at 6.30pm in Aughrim will hear how John manages:

Financial performance and cost control;
Breeding policy and synchronisation programme;
Calving heifers at 24 months-of-age;
Bull beef finishing systems and meeting factory specifications;
Mixed grazing with sheep and cattle;
Grassland management to maximise output;
Biodiversity actions that benefit both the environment and livestock performance.

Breeding and replacement policy on John’s farm

Breeding and replacement policy are central to the success of the farm.

John breeds all of his own replacements, selecting efficient, fertile cows capable of rearing high-performing progeny year after year. The end result is a highly productive suckler-to-beef system

All bulls are finished at just over 15 months-of-age, averaging 400kg carcass weight with 'U' grading cattle regularly produced.

This is a system built around hitting factory specifications efficiently and profitably.

The sheep enterprise

John’s flock is based mainly on Suffolk x Texel breeding with some Belclare genetics introduced for prolificacy.

His targets are scanning close to 2.0 lambs/ewe and weaning 1.5 lambs/ewe joined.

Farm walk

This farm walk will give farmers a detailed look at how a high-output, profitable suckler-to-beef system can be achieved while still meeting all key performance targets around fertility, carcass quality, grassland management and biodiversity.

The evening promises to be an excellent practical event with real figures, proven performance and honest discussions around what it takes to run a profitable suckler system in today’s environment.

Any farmer interested in improving output, fertility, carcass performance and profitability should not miss this event.

ABP is kindly sponsoring the event and will give a live demonstration on how farmers can maximise returns by meeting factory specifications and avoiding penalties.

Burgers and chips will also be provided on the night.