In the latest episode of the Beef Brief Podcast, Agriland caught up with Michael Cunniffe, who runs a specialist breeding heifer system in Fuerty, Co. Roscommon.

Michael discusses his in-calf heifer production system and talks in detail about the genetics he prioritises.

As well as this, he pays close attention to grassland management, which allows him to graze earlier in the spring.

He shares his experiences and insights on the industry, including the challenges of sourcing high-quality heifers and the importance of grass measurement.

Michael uses a combination of artificial insemination (AI) and stock bulls for breeding, with a focus on Limousin and Limousin-cross genetics.

He sources cattle for the breeding heifer system through local marts buying heifers at around 12-18 months-of-age.

With over a decade of experience in the business, he talks about how customer demand has changed over the years.

Early spring grazing

The Cunniffe farm recently hosted a Teagasc beef farm walk focused on early spring grazing advice.

At the event, farmers heard that grazed grass has an estimated cost of 9.4c/kg dry matter (DM) versus pit silage costing an estimated 22.2c/kg DM.

The importance of good grazing infrastructure was also outlined on the day.

The Teagasc message to farmers was that getting grazing infrastructure right will improve grazing efficiency and labour efficiency by reducing the time spent on grazing management and providing better livestock performance outcomes.

Farmers will know that cattle getting access to fresh grass every few days or being grazed in a rotational paddock grazing system will generally perform better than cattle that are grazed more extensively.

There was also some talk about preparing silage ground for the first cut. Farmers that have not already grazed off heavy covers of grass from the silage ground were advised to do so if conditions allow.

Farmers were also advised to match the nitrogen (N) application to the expected cutting date.

As a general guide, approximately two units of N/day will be used up by a growing silage crop.

Farmers can work backwards from the expected cutting date to see how much fertiliser they should apply.