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Article No. 1
Simon Marsh, Senior Lecturer - Beef Cattle Specialist,
Introduction:
Latest EBLEX costings reveal that Average and Top 1/3rd upland
suckler producers recorded gross margins of £266 and £312 per cow
respectively. However when fixed and non-cash costs are deducted this leaves
a net margin of minus £299 and minus £176 per cow respectively. Suckled calf
producers are therefore using their Single Farm Payment (
The concept of the ‘Harper Adams Beef Focus Farm’ is to identify top 1% beef
producers whose physical performance data would be independently monitored,
reported and demonstrated. The beef industry needs to hear and see how farms
recording top 1% performance is achieved and maintained which will be
reported in the Farmers Weekly.
Top 1% performance:
A ‘top 1%’ suckler beef producer would be operating ‘text book’ herd
management. Their system would include factors such as; compact calving,
utilisation of hybrid vigour within the breeding programme; use of top 1-10%
Terminal Index herd sires with focus on calving ease, growth and muscle
depth EBV’s; maximising use of home grown feeds and fodder with appropriate
body condition score management; focus on grassland management; creep
feeding etc… The farm needs to operate an ‘easy care’ suckler system within
a low fixed cost structure.
One such producer, Simon Frost at Youlgreave in Derbyshire, has been
identified. Simon runs a herd of spring calving
Not everything of course runs smoothly and the ‘trials and tribulations’ of
maintaining top 1% performance will be documented! The current issue Simon
Frost is dealing with is the accuracy of EBV’s of young bulls!
Simon Frost:
Simon Frost’s farm (Hopping Farm) is at Youlgreave in the Derbyshire peak
district. It is an upland farm which consists of some 420 acres, which
includes 80 acres of rough hill ground, in an area with 34” of rain at an
average of 800’ above sea level. Soil type is classified as reasonably light
loam/clay over limestone. The land is noted for problems with copper
deficiency due to the soil containing high levels of molybdenum locking up
the available copper.
Simon keeps a herd of
The suckled calves are sold direct off farm to Alan and John Dore at
Glapwell near
The following is a broad outline of Simon’s suckler herd and John and Alan
Dore’s finishing unit. Subsequent articles will go into significant depth
and detail. Simon Frost and the Dore’s frequently host visits by Harper
Adams students. The visits prove so beneficial to the students and they see
what can be achieved by top 1% performance. The best time to visit is just
after calving when the students see new dropped calves. Many students
comment that the calves don’t look very big or impressive, but the answer to
that is that if you choose easy calving bulls then you are going to get
modest sized calves that are born alive and not dead! When the students then
see the bulls at the Dore’s that are 12 months older there is ‘sheer and
utter silence and a dropping of jaws’ as they cannot believe how much the
bulls have grown!
Simon Frost’s suckler herd:
The
herd consists of 125 spring calving
Some 25 replacement bulling heifers are purchased each year from a local
dairy farm. Unlike many other suckler producers the Holstein influence in
the beef cow holds no fears for Simon since it gives plenty of milk for high
calf growth rates and running a three way cross breeding programme maximises
hybrid vigour and hence improves fertility which is a notoriously bad trait
for the Holstein.
Cows stay indoors after calving aiming to turn out before the 23rd
of April before lambing starts. Cows with bull calves at foot are run
separately from cows with heifer calves. The stock bulls go into the herd on
the 7th of May to the replacement heifers and 13th of
May to the rest of the herd. The bulls are rotated every 3 weeks. Creep
feeding starts with the bull and heifer calves in early and late August
respectively feeding up to a maximum of 1.5kg per calf. The calves therefore
go to the Dore’s ‘knowing what concentrates are’ but they are not fed
ad lib. The key is to continue to
grow frame, especially with the heifers, at this stage.
The
calves are weaned in October and 2 weeks prior they are vaccinated with
Rispoval4® (Pfizer Animal Health)
to
minimise respiratory disorders. They have their backs clipped out and
treated
with
Closamectin® (Norbrook)
and sold to
the Dore’s for intensive finishing. The cows are then put onto
rough hill grazing for 4 days to dry off then put onto deferred grazing to
gain body condition prior to housing.
The
calf weaning weights this year were 391kg @ 212 days equating to a 200 day
weight of 370kg and DLWG of 1.63kg. The heifers were 329kg @ 221 days
equating to a 200 day weight of 302kg and DLWG of 1.31kg. When this is
benchmarked against EBLEX recorded producers (see table below) this is some
43% and 36% higher than Average and Top 1/3rd producers
respectively which is tremendous performance. Simon Frost’s motto is “Growth
is King”.
Table 1. Calf weaning weights at Hopping Farm
compared to EBLEX recorded LFA suckler herds.
The
cows are cubicle housed in the winter and feeding is based on restricted big
bale silage plus straw to hold or manipulate cow condition so that the cows
are ‘fit not fat’ at calving i.e. condition score 2.
With regard to cattle health, the cows are given 2 Cosecure boluses twice
per year in spring and autumn. First and second calvers are vaccinated with
Rotavac to prevent Rotavirus. High magnesium/copper molassed mineral buckets
are fed free access throughout the year with average consumption being
55g/cow/day i.e. 20kg/cow/year.
Last year the herd recorded 92% calves sold per 100 cows put to the bull
which is higher than EBLEX recorded Average and Top 1/3rd
producers with 89.5% and 90.5% respectively.
Alan & John Dore:
The
Dore brothers run Home Farm at Glapwell near
The Dore’s intensive
beef finishing enterprise:
Some 600 cattle are finished each year which includes bulls, steers and
heifers of continental breeding. Charolais and
All
cattle are finished on good quality big bale silage supplemented with a 16%
CP barley based ration containing Hi-pro Soya and Linseed fed at restricted
levels initially to grow frame, especially to the heifers, and then
increased to ad lib to put on
finish.
The
suckled calves are finished at up to 20 months old at weights ranging from
370-500kg carcase weights for bulls and steers and 290-320kg for heifers. As mentioned previously
the last batch of Simon Frost’s bulls
recorded a carcase weight
of 438kg at 447 days old (14.6 months), which is exceptional performance.
The Dore’s also buy 150 twelve week old Belgian Blue x
The cattle are all sold dead weight mainly to Kepak but also to Dunbia and
Woodheads.
Maximising efficiency in suckled calf production:
The key area’s identified in maximising efficiency and hence profit in
suckled calf production are as follows:
Cattle performance will be accurately monitored by Harper Adams. The
information presented will be ‘fact
and not fiction’ which sometimes can be the case with figures presented
by certain breed societies and feed companies!
______________________________________________________________________________
Article No. 2
Choice of suckler cow breed & winter management
This is the second of a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in Derbyshire. Simon achieves top 1% performance with his
upland herd of 125
Choice of cow breed
This is always a debatable issue amongst suckled calf producers and a ‘case
can be presented’ to support most breed types. Simon Frost’s choice of breed
of cow is the
Many suckler producers have moved away from Holstein breeding in their cows
due to issues with fertility, longevity and conformation but Simon’s herd
replacements come from a dairy herd that is not ‘extreme Holstein’.
Suckler producers who have moved to breeding their own replacements can find
issues with cows lacking milk, increased cow size, reduced progeny sales
having chosen a beef breed with maternal traits, and, the need to
subsequently prevent father from serving his daughters! The current trend in
the dairy industry to move away from extreme
The choice of the
Simons’ cows were weighed and condition scored following weaning. An
efficiency measure and target suckler producers should be using is to
achieve a 200 day calf weight that is 50% of the cow live weight. If you are
below this target it indicates that you either have big cows that are costly
to maintain or calf growth rates need attention. When compared with an SAC
Monitor Farm with
Table 1. Cow live weight and efficiency with Limousin cross cows.
What is clear is that Simon Frost’s cows are of small-medium size therefore
with low maintenance costs with the ability to milk well. Herd replacement
rate is only 17.6% compared to the
Confirmation that cow size in the suckler herd is increasing with the move
to 100% beef breeds in the cow was presented by the SAC (Hyslop, 2006) with
their
Winter management
Simon Frost’s cows are cubicle housed in the winter and feeding is based on
restricted big bale silage plus straw to hold or manipulate cow condition so
that the cows are ‘fit not fat’ at calving i.e. condition score 2-2.5. The
housing system at Hopping Farm is unique and novel in that they are housed
in a barn that was converted to cubicles that are not on raised beds. Cows
do however have mats to lie on. Five years ago the herd was housed in the
same yard bedded with straw and the move to cubicle housing has saved over
100 tonnes of straw per year. Should Simon Frost ever wish to convert the
yard back then it would be very simple and low cost with not having to take
out cubicle beds.
Dry spring calving suckler cows on most commercial units are fed silage and
this is no different at Hopping Farm. The target condition score for spring
calving sucklers at weaning in the autumn is stated by EBLEX as 3.5 i.e.
very good condition, and then dropping condition score to 2.5 at calving. If
this strategy was adopted by Simon Frost it would result in increased winter
feed costs of over £45 per cow. The reason is simple in that he would have
to feed more purchased straw and an expensive protein concentrate and less
home grown big bale silage if his cows were at score 3.5 at housing. By
holding his cows at condition score 2-2.5 with a weight gain of 0.3kg/day
due to the growth of the foetus over the winter, Simon can feed just silage
and straw to provide then with 89MJ/day of energy.
Simon Frost’s cows had an average condition score of 2.28 at weaning and the
objective will be to hold this condition during the winter with restricted
big bale silage and ad lib straw to calve down at score 2 to help minimise
calving difficulties. The silage is analysed and could be described as being
of medium-good quality although the protein content is low but typical for
big bale silage from an upland farm which doesn’t use a lot of nitrogen
fertiliser.
Table 2. Silage analysis from Hopping Farm.
Feeding a restricted quantity of silage means that all cows must be able to
access the feed. The method of feeding is based on using 2 feed trailers and
4 ring feeders that allow all cows to feed. Each feeder is layered with good
quality wheat straw topped with grass silage which takes just under 24 hours
to be eaten. This ensures that the cow’s rumens’ are full. Feeding silage
with straw is an excellent combination compared to straw and concentrates.
On the latter ration the rumen microbes have to adjust to degrading both
starch and fibre. With just a forage based ration the microbial activity is
enhanced and the cows extract more from the straw than the theoretical
value.
High magnesium/copper/selenium molassed mineral buckets are fed free access
throughout the year with average consumption being 55g/cow/day i.e.
20kg/cow/year.
Table 3. Suckler cow ration at Hopping Farm to hold body condition but
provide for a live weight gain of 0.3kg/d.
Any cows that are at condition score 3 about 6 weeks before calving are
separated from the herd and fed on ad lib straw and minerals in order to
thin down to score 2.5 and hence minimise calving difficulties. This
typically only involves 3-5 cows.
Consideration has been given to buying a feeder wagon however this could not
be justified. The current system is simple, low cost and flexible. Why spend
money on machinery that ‘rusts and burns fuel’, invest it in livestock
instead it will give a better return!
If there is one strategy that Simon Frost could implement would be to split
the herd into mature cows in good condition with another group containing
heifers and lean cows.
Table 4. Average and range of cow weights and condition scores at Hopping
Farm.
As with any population there is a range in weights and condition scores but
this follows the normal standard distribution curve. Despite what appears a
wide range of cow condition scores the vast majority of the cows are between
score 2 and 2.5. The difference in weight between the cows and first calved
heifer is some 80kg so separate grouping would be recommended.
Calving ease is influenced by both the cow and the bull. The cow's
References
Jenkins, T.G and Ferrell, C.L. 1994. Productivity through weaning of nine
breeds of cattle under varying feed availabilities: 1. Initial evaluation.
Journal of Animal Science,
72: 2787-2797
Hyslop, J.J. 2006 Relationship between live weight and condition score in
Aberdeen Angus crossbred and
Article No. 3 click here for word document
Choice of breed of bull & EBVs
This is the third of a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in Derbyshire. Simon achieves top 1% performance with his
upland herd of 125
Choice of terminal sire breed
Choice of terminal sire is often a hotly debated topic amongst suckled calf
producers. Most have their preferences and can justify their allegiance to
their chosen breed.
The last time beef breeds were independently evaluated in the
Table 1. Relative performance of Beef x Friesian steers (Friesian = 100).
(Source: Grange Beef Research Centre 2001)
Over the past 20 years all of the breeds have made significant improvements
in growth rate and Signet and Breedplan data shows that some breeds have
increased their 400 day weights by over 70kg. The Angus and
In a recent survey of English suckler herds by EBLEX it was found that the
The Charolais was once the predominant terminal sire breed in the suckler
herd. Calving difficulties with the Charolais is one of the main reasons why
a number of commercial suckler producers in the past two decades have moved
away from the Charolais to the easier calving
The Charolais is the choice of Simon Frost since this breed is recognised
for having the highest growth rates of any of the terminal sire breeds. The
growth, frame and stature of the Charolais complements the ‘fine-boned’
The data in table 1 shows that on average that the Charolais has the highest
incidence of calving difficulties but it MUST be stated that there is more
variation within a breed than between all of the major beef breeds and that
there are easy calving Charolais bulls as well as very hard calving
Charolais bulls. Simon Frost spends a considerable amount of time studying
the bull sale catalogues to search for ‘curve benders’ – easy calving bulls
identified by EBVs but with very high growth rates and muscle scores.
Using EBVs
Ease of calving is an absolutely essential priority with today’s suckler
herds which need to move to easicare systems requiring less labour thus
following the trends led by the sheep industry.
In a recent study by the SAC three Charolais bulls with different calving
ease EBVs were compared. Calving score is based on a scale from 1
(unassisted) to 5 (caesarian).
Table 2. Relationship between calving ease EBV and % calves born.
(Source SAC, 2004)
The most appropriate statistic is that the bull with the positive calving
ease score resulted in 100% calves born alive. Based on a calf 200 day
weight of 280kg for the easy calving bull the calves from the hard calving
sire would need to be on average 24.3kg heavier to produce the same total
calf weaning weight. This simple calculation also ignores the potential
issues of reduced fertility with cows having suffered increased calving
difficulties.
The beef industry must move forward and embrace the science of EBVs to
progress breed improvement.
Breed improvement is a ‘long term issue’ but with high feed prices it is
even more imperative that we feed ‘well bred’ cattle sired by bulls with
high Indexes. In a recent trial at Harper Adams dairy-bred calves from
Table 3. Performance of progeny from Top 1% and Bottom 1% Bulls.
(Source Harper Adams 2008)
The bull calves from the Top 1% sire finished 25.1 days earlier with carcase
weights some 18kg heavier. Overall performance on every measured trait was
statistically different apart from calving ease which was similar for both
bulls. The earlier finishing and increased slaughter weight and improved
carcase grade of the calves from the Top 1% bull with today’s beef and
cereal prices is worth a phenomenal £116.24 per head. If each bull sires 200
calves then you could in theory afford to pay £23,248 more for the Top 1%
Index bull!
In the Harper Adams study the calves were from
The beef industry must move forward and adopt the science of EBVs. Numerous
studies have shown that they work and the financial rewards are significant.
The industry change from selecting bulls with fancy masculine heads. What
value is a head to the meat trade – NONE!
The fascination for big back ends should also end. The highest value of the
carcase is in the loin and breeders MUST focus on this area and have bulls
with stretch and depth of loin. The potential move to video image analysis (
A bulls EBV’s may change slightly over time but that is due to more
performance data becoming available on that bull and hence improving
accuracy. The pedigree breeders must be honest about recording calving ease
and with time more data on an individual bull and hence increasing accuracy
of Calving Ease EBV will catch out breeders who falsify their data. The
minimum requirement is 50% accuracy for the Calving Ease EBV when selecting
a bull unless he is a young bull from a breeder you can trust.
Have faith in EBVs and buy bulls with top figures! Many farmers who dismiss
EBVs are usually pedigree breeders with bulls that have poor figures or have
bought bulls very low accuracy figures. Simon Frost has faith in EBVs and
achieves top 1% performance!
Simon Frost’s guideline to EBVs
Simon’s recent bull purchases include
Balthayock Clifford (Terminal Index +45) and Balthayock Elector (TI +44).
Both are top 1% bulls and Elector was bought this February at Stirling.
Balthayock Elector. Purchased at Stirling, February 2011
Simon Frost’s
parameters for the various EBVs that he looks for when buying a Charolais
bull are as follows:
Calving ease direct: Must be a positive figure - the higher the better.
Gestation length: Ideally negative but up to +1 is acceptable
Birth weight: As low as possible. Below +2 is acceptable.
200, 400 and 600 day weights: The 400 day weight EBV should be a minimum of
at least 20 kg above breed average. A 600 day weight EBV above breed average
is less critical since the calves are being finished at about 450 days of
age.
Eye muscle area: Ideally this should be over 6 and will influence carcase
grades targeting U+
Fat depth: This should be negative so that the bulls will grow without
laying down fat which is inefficient
Retail Beef Yield: Over 2 and as high as possible and
The EBVs of Balthayock Elector purchased by Simon Frost at Stirling in
February 2011 are shown in table 4.
Table 4. Balthayock Electors EBVs.
Selecting bulls with the above EBVs results in progeny with the potential
for very high growth rates with U grade carcasses. Last
year 56 bull calves recorded a carcase weight of 438kg at 447 days (14.6
months) old which is exceptional performance and following articles will
report on the progress of the 2010 calf crop which are being intensively
finished by Alan Dore at Galpwell near Chesterfield. Feed intakes are being
monitored to measure the efficiency of growth of both the bull and heifer
calves.
Article No. 4
Pre-calving management and calf finishing update
Introduction:
This is the fourth of a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
Pre-calving management:
The two most critical periods in the annual production cycle for a suckler
herd are bulling and pre-calving. Get them both right and you should exceed
the target of a 95% calf crop with a 365 day calving interval for a herd
with a compact calving period of 9 weeks.
For a spring calving cow the body condition score at calving should be 2
i.e. cows are in lean condition. Cows above score 2.5 have a significantly
higher incidence of dystocia especially when carrying continental bred
calves. With cows below condition score 1.75 there can be issues with
quality of colostrum and strength at calving.
Simon Frost’s Limousin x Holstein-Friesian cows were weighed and condition
scored at weaning and pre-calving having been wintered on a ration of
restricted silage and straw (see second article in Famers Weekly 4th
March 2011 for further details).
Table 1. Weaning and pre-calving cow weights and condition scores.
The pre-calving weight and condition score was recorded at 604kg and 2.08
respectively.
The range in cow condition was relatively small with 85.4% of the herd at
score 2-2.25. Only 8.3% and 6.3% of the herd were either below or above the
target condition score. Sometimes it is advocated to increase feed levels
prior to calving to boost colostrum production but this is not carried out
by Simon Frost because this would result in too much colostrum and milk for
the new born calf to cope with bearing in mind that the cows are half
Holstein-Friesian and therefore very milky.
Calving starts on the 10th of February with 25 replacement
heifers with the main herd calving down three weeks later. This is ideal
since it gives the heifers extra time to grow some frame and rise in
condition before going to the Charolais bulls on the 1st of May
with the rest of the herd. The heifers are also put in-calf to a Charolais
bull. This is something few suckler producers would ever contemplate and
many would use an alternative easy calving breed. The bull currently used on
the heifers, Littlebovey Altra, has a Top 5% Terminal Index with a Calving
Ease Direct EBV of +2.3. He has proven to be very easy calving thus
confirming his Calving Ease EBV. In fact Simon Frost has to intervene less
at calving with his heifers compared to the cows!
During the bulling period records are kept of when cows are served and by
which bull. Simon therefore can predict when each cow will calve and in
conjunction with the visual signs of starting to calve is moved into one of
four straw bedded calving boxes. Assistance is only given if deemed
necessary. The average time from birth for the calf to take its first vital
intake of colostrum is just 30 minutes. Simon supervises this first intake
but he will stomach tube a calf where suckling can prove difficult. There
are many factors that can cause calf mortality but one of the major ones is
an inadequate intake of good quality colostrum. The target is 2 litres
within 6 hours of birth and this quantity can be consumed with 20-25 minutes
of effective suckling.
Once mothered up the cow and calf is moved into a straw yard and she is
turned out a soon as weather and ground conditions allow which relieves
pressure on the building and reduces straw use.
Cow and calf health
First and second calved heifers are vaccinated against Rotavirus 3 weeks
prior to calving. Third plus calvers are not vaccinated since they should
have developed immunity which can be passed onto the calf via colostrum.
Cleanliness in the calving boxes is vital and they are pressure washed and
disinfected every three weeks which minimises disease problems which can
often occur with calves born late in the season. Once born the calves navel
is treated on both sides and then again at 24 hours.
Ensuring the cows have an adequate mineral status, especially copper and
selenium, has also been identified as a crucial factor for success. Simon
Frost’s farm is in a limestone area and high soil molybdenum cause serious
problems with copper lock-up. As well as receiving 2
Cosecure® (Telsol Ltd)
boluses twice per year in spring and autumn, which provide copper, selenium
and cobalt, the cows have year round access to molassed mineral buckets with
a high copper specification including chelated copper. Average intake is
55g/cow/day. If the cows don’t receive this level of copper supplementation
the coats soon start to have a red tinge. Having an adequate selenium status
has eliminated retained cleansings.
Pre-calving summary:
Progress of the 2010 calf crop being finished by Alan and John Dore:
Simon Frost’s calves are sold in October to Alan and John Dore at Home Farm
in Glapwell near
Simon Frost starts creep feeding the Charolais bull and heifer calves in
early and late August respectively feeding up to a maximum of 1.5kg per calf
prior to weaning in October. The calves therefore go to the Dore’s ‘knowing
what concentrates are’ but they are not fed
ad lib. The creep feed (Massey
Feeds 16% CP X-Tender Nuts) are high in energy from digestible fibre (NDF)
to encourage frame and lean carcase growth. The key is to continue to grow
frame, especially with the heifers, at this stage. The bull calf weaning
weights last year were 391kg at 212 days old equating to a DLWG of 1.63kg.
The heifers were 329kg at 221 days equating to DLWG of 1.31kg.
Two weeks prior to weaning the calves are vaccinated with
Rispoval4® (Pfizer Animal Health)
to minimise respiratory disorders. They have their backs clipped out and
treated with
Closamectin® (Norbrook).
The bulls are finished on ad lib
good quality big bale silage
supplemented with 16% protein barley based ration containing Hi-pro Soya and
Linseed Flakes. This is a unique approach since many nutritionists would
advocate a ration containing only 14% protein using straights such as
rapeseed meal and not the ‘luxury proteins’ such as Hi-pro or linseed. The
Dore’s believe that it is essential that suckled bulls from Simon Frost with
the potential to grow consistently in excess of 1.5kg per day to carcase
weights of 438kg by 14.6 months old need highly digestible by-pass protein
sources to maximise lean tissue deposition. The inclusion of some oats takes
‘some heat out of the ration’ being higher in fibre and lower in starch
compared to barley.
Table 2. The Dore’s finishing ration.
The grass silage offered to the calves has an analysis that many dairy
farmers would strive to achieve with a dry matter content of 50.8%, protein
of 13.6% and ME of 11.6 MJ/kg DM)! Intakes average approximately 4kg per
bull per day. Problems with acidosis are non existent.
On arrival the bulls get 4.5kg of barley mix which is fed twice per day and
after a fortnight gradually increased to 6.8kg and then tweaked up to 9kg
per head per day. The finishing ration is fed to appetite twice per day in
troughs which means that the bulls always have an edge to their appetite
which is different compared to offering feed in a hopper.
The heifers are fed lower levels of barley to grow frame and are kept
on 3.1kg of barley mix which is gradually increased 6 weeks prior to
slaughter targeting carcase weights 290-320kg.
The first bulls are about to be slaughtered and full details on bull and
heifer slaughter performance and FCRs will be given in a subsequent article.
Clarification of cow winter feed costs
A number of readers have commented in the second Beef Focus Farm article
(Farmers Weekly - 4 March 2011) on how low Simon Frost’s cow wintering costs
are at 49.8p/cow/day. This was based on 13.1kg silage @ £11.10/t (£24.49/t
DM), 5kg straw purchased from the Dore’s @ £65/t and 55g of high spec
mineral bucket @ £500/t. The silage costs appear very low but this is
because they are only the variable costs of making big bale silage at
Hopping Farm which include fertilizer, sprays, baling, plastic and wrapping
costs. If the fixed costs of making silage at Hopping Farm are included then
it is costed at £37.08/t (£81.86/t DM for 45.3% DM silage) thus increasing
the cow winter feed costs to 83.8p per day.
Article No. 5
Post-calving/pre-bulling Management and Calf Finishing Update
Introduction:
This is the fifth of a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
This article focuses on post-calving and pre-bulling management and outlines
progress of the 2010 calf crop being finished by the Dore’s and will report
on what we believe to be ‘world record performance’ for daily carcase gain
for a commercially finished cross-bred bull calf!.
Interim bull finishing results
The ‘precursors for profit’ with suckled calf production are ease of calving
and maximizing daily carcase gain. Easy calving is facilitated by top 1%
suckler producers Simon Frost by using Charolais bulls with positive Calving
Ease Direct EBVs and making sure the Limousin x Holstein-Friesian cows are
in lean condition (score 2) at calving. High daily carcase gain is
facilitated by using bulls with high EBVs for growth and muscle alongside
focus on herd health and nutrition throughout the production cycle. The
Charolais bulls used by Simon are termed as ‘curve benders’ since they have
top 1-5% Terminal Indexes and are easy calving bulls as well as having very
high growth rates.
The
calves are sold at weaning to Alan and John Dore at Glapwell near
Chesterfield and intensively finished. The specific management of the calves
by the Dore’s was outlined in the previous article (Farmers Weekly 6 May
201) and to date just over half of the bulls have been slaughtered.
The 30 Charolais bulls finished so far have achieved a mean carcase weight
of 417.4kg at 394 days old which is just less than 13 months old (see table
1). This calculates to a carcase gain from birth to slaughter of 1.00kg per
day. The bulls killed out ‘gut full’ at 59.8% which equates to a live
slaughter weight of 698kg and hence DLWG from birth of a 1.67kg. If the
bulls had been weighed ‘gut empty’ i.e. as per in a market or abattoir then
the killing out percentage would be approximately 62%. Some 39% of the bulls
recorded E grades for conformation with the remainder grading U+ which is
out-standing. Full details and averages of all the bulls and also the
heifers with feed intakes and feed conversion ratios will be presented in a
subsequent article.
Table 1 Interim bull finishing results.
Note: Carcase birth weight was assumed to be 24kg
One of Alan and John Dores’s reactions to this year’s very high cereal
prices compared to last year is to slaughter the bulls earlier and lighter
before any possible deterioration in feed conversion ratio. Last year’s crop
of bull calves recorded carcase weights of 438kg i.e. some 21kg heavier but
were 30 days older. I estimate that this strategy has ‘paid off’. Selling
slightly lighter bulls would result in a lower return of £66.15 per bull but
would have cost £72.10 to put on. This is based on £60.10 of feed (9.5kg per
head per day of 16% CP Barley mix and 4kg silage) and £12 of miscellaneous
costs i.e. bedding etc. at 40p/bull/day.
World record performance for carcase daily gain!
Within every population there is variation in performance but it always
follows the random distribution curve with very small numbers of either
‘high fliers’ or ‘relatively poor doers’ which it is why it is important to
discuss average performance rather than quote individuals which can
sometimes occur in the pub or at a discussion group! Nevertheless despite
this comment one particular bull calf stands out with his performance. This
‘high flier’ was a Charolais calf sired by Balthayock Clifford, a bull with
excellent back breeding and a top 1% Terminal Index with an EBV for growth
of +61kg at 400 days. This calf was slaughtered at exactly 365 days old with
a carcase weight of 471kg grading E3 thus recording a carcase gain of 1.22kg
per day. With a kill out percentage of 59.8% this equates to live weight at
slaughter of 788kg with a massive 2.04 kg DLWG from birth to slaughter.
Taking into consideration that the calf would hardly exceed growth rates
above 1kg per day in its first month of life this bull must have recorded
DLWGs of nearly 3kg per day at its peak. The daily carcase gain from birth
to slaughter of 1.22kg we believe is a world record for a commercially
finished bull unless someone can provide evidence to the contrary!
I am a great believer in setting production targets and this is something
Simon Frost follows. His target was to achieve this 1.2kg daily carcase gain
from birth with one of his Charolais sired bull calves. The question is
therefore what are Simon Frost’s next targets?
Is it to achieve the same carcase weight but in 10 days less thus
achieving a carcase gain in excess of 1.25kg?
I would suggest that rather than focus on an individual that he
should aim to get all of his bulls to record a daily carcase gain of 1.0kg
per day from birth to slaughter when last year it was 0.94kg.
The bulls were slaughtered at Kepak in Wakefield and exported to a European
market that does not penalise heavy weight carcasses. It is a crazy
situation that some abattoirs penalise heavy weight carcasses which have
been produced very efficiently. Some abattoirs used to penalise carcase
weight over 400kg but this has changed recently and many have relaxed their
buying specification. For example one of the leading abattoirs in the UK
pays on all weight up to 450kg for E and U grades but deducts 10p/kg for any
additional weight. With the same abattoir if the carcase is an R grade or
below then any weight over 450kg is not paid. This penalty is basically due
to the size of a plastic tray for a sirloin steak in a supermarket since the
steak must be ¾-1 inch thick! Some action needs to be taken to change
butchery techniques to remove this unfair penalty. Kepak do not penalise
heavy weight carcasses.
Some negative comments have been made by readers about the quality of Simon
Frost’s Limousin x Holstein-Friesian suckler cows based on the picture shown
in the first article (Farmers Weekly 21st January 2011). The cow
pictured was a first calved heifer and her bull calf went on to produce a
carcase weighing 430.8kg at 388 days old grading U+3. I trust this silences
those sceptics!
Post-calving management
Calving starts on the 10th of February with 25 replacement
heifers with the main herd calving down three weeks later. The average time
from birth for the calf to take its first vital intake of colostrum is just
30 minutes which is crucial for calf health and performance. Colostrum is
the ‘elixir of life’!
Calving problems at Hopping Farm are relatively minimal and the birth
weights and calving ease scores are being recorded which will be presented
in a subsequent article. Using Charolais bulls with positive Calving Ease
Direct EBVs with high accuracy (50+%) on cows in lean condition (score 2)
minimises calving difficulties. However if an occasional calf does
has a very difficult birth and is struggling to survive Simon Frost
administers a ‘health cocktail’ of Dopram, Voren, Selenium, multi vits and
Synulox. This has proven to be very effective in minimising mortality.
Once the calf is paired up with its mother they are turned out as soon as
weather and ground conditions allow. They go out onto minimal grazing but
fed silage since putting them initially on to good quality grazing i.e.
8-10cm sward heights for the first 4-6 weeks would result in excessive milk
yields with Simon Frost’s milky Limousin x Holstein-Friesian cows which
would be too much for the calf to take. Thereafter grazing quality is
gradually improved with the objective of offering pasture at 8-10cm sward
heights to increase milk yields and cow condition score in readiness for
bulling. Having cows in a rising plane of nutrition leading up to and during
the bulling period at condition score 2.25+ is a key factor in optimising
fertility.
High Mag
molassed mineral
buckets which also have a high copper specification are offered for free
access feeding and the cows are also given a Cosecure bolus supplying
copper, selenium and cobalt. Copper deficiency is a major problem on Simon
Frost’s farm due to the high molybdenum soil content which locks up copper.
In 2010 there was only 1 cow death in the 125 cow herd at Hopping Farm and
that was a cow that had been knocked in an accident.
Calf health
Power washing and disinfecting the calving boxes every 3 weeks has
significantly improved calf health and cut down on anti-biotic use
especially with calves born late in the calving period. The only major
threat to calf health in recent years at Hopping Farm is coccidiosis. The
symptoms are a ‘mucky dark scour’ which if untreated quickly include blood.
Simon Frost’s immediate action is to treat with the coccidiostat Vecoxan
which has proven to be very effective and quickly clears up problems. Simon
believes that calves quickly recover and it doesn’t significantly affect
subsequent performance provided the calf has early and successful treatment.
Bull management
The Charolais bulls used to be put in with the replacement heifers on the 1st
of May and the cows on the 21st. This year it has been decided to
put bulling dates back by three weeks for calving to start in mid March
which is now considered to be more appropriate for an upland farm in the
Derbyshire dales. The very dry spring this year has been a bonus and
facilitated early turnout but will this happen again?
The bulls have their feet trimmed about 3 months prior to going into the
herd. This is good practice since if foot trimming is done within 2 months
of work and causes some initial curative lameness it can influence
spermatogenesis (sperm development takes 50-60 days) and subsequent
fertility. Last year it was found that one of the 3 bulls on the farm was
found to be infertile and was ‘firing blanks’. This has resulted in a batch
of late calving (May-early June) cows. This problem is commonly seen in a
lot of herds as the reason for having a batch of late calving cows.
Prior to this year Simon Frost had a
calving period of just 14 weeks which compares favourably to EBLEX recorded
herds with a 20 week calving period. Even the top 1/3rd EBLEX
producers recorded a calving interval of 19 weeks!
An option to consider is to semen test the bulls using electro-ejaculation
techniques which costs approximately £100 per bull. Some veterinary
practices that semen test a lot of bulls are reporting issues of either
sub-fertility or infertility in 20% of the bulls they test. However electro
ejaculation only gives a picture of the bulls’ semen on that day and it does
not assess the bulls’ libido and its physical capability to serve a cow.
There are also reports that a couple of bulls after been semen tested with
an electro-ejaculator have subsequently failed to serve cows. Ideally semen
should be collected by AV from a bull that is given a synchronized cow to
mount which then also assesses libido. If an electro ejaculator test is to
be done it must be by an experienced competent operator.
Simon Frost firmly believes that all bulls sold before breed society sales
should be semen tested. This should prove highly beneficial for the
purchaser and also lower bull fertility insurance premiums for the vendor.
This year Simon will rotate bulls every 3 weeks around the bulling groups.
Post-calving/bulling summary:
Article No. 6
Ease of Calving
Introduction:
This is the sixth of a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
This article discusses factors affecting calving ease and presents the birth
weight and calving ease scores from the 2011 Hopping Farm calf crop.
Ease of calving
Ease of calving together with high daily carcase gains are key factors in
determining profitability with suckled calf production.
Simon Frost uses high index Charolais bulls across his herd of Limousin x
Holstein-Friesian suckler cows. Charolais bulls are also used on the bulling
heifers which is a strategy few suckler producers would contemplate. This
decision is taken based on the confidence in the bulls Calving Ease Direct
EBV which have a high accuracy percentage. This avoids keeping a bull of a
different breed which is likely to have a lower daily carcase gain.
The Charolais has the highest carcase weight for age figure of all the beef
breeds but this is associated with the highest incidence of difficult
calvings since high growth rates are correlated to increased calf birth
weights which creates issues with calving difficulties. It should be stated
however that there is more variation within a breed than between all of the
major beef breeds and that there are easy calving Charolais bulls as well as
very hard calving Charolais bulls. Simon Frost spends a considerable amount
of time studying the bull sale catalogues to search for ‘curve benders’ –
easy calving bulls identified by EBVs but with very high growth rates and
muscle area. The Breedplan performance recording system provides breeders
with practical help in identifying bulls with excellent growth and muscling
that the breed is renowned for. Meanwhile an improvement in Calving Ease of
the national Charolais herd has been achieved in the last year and the
Charolais is the only beef breed to have achieved this.
Pedigree breeders must give greater priority to calving ease and I see no
place for hard calving bulls in the beef industry. Bulls that are easy
calving can be identified by the Calving Ease Direct EBV which should have a
positive score with a high accuracy of at least 45% but ideally over 50%.
Using these bulls on cows that are in lean condition (score 2) at calving
will significantly minimise calving problems and deaths.
The calving data from the 2011 calf crop from Simon Frost is presented in
table 1. It compares the calving results from two sires, Littlebovey Altra
and Balthayock Clifford. When comparing the two bulls Altra has the best
Calving Ease Direct EBV (+2.4 versus -3.1) and lower Birth Weight EBV (+2.2
versus +3.6kg) however Clifford has the highest 400 day weight EBV (+62
versus +44kg) and Terminal Index (45 versus 35). The results clearly show
how faith can be put in EBVs with Altra’s calves being born lighter with an
easier calving score. Calving difficulty score is based on a scale from 1
(unassisted) to 5 (caesarian).
Table 1. Hopping Farm 2011 Calf Crop Results.
Altra was used on the replacement heifers which go to the bull 3 weeks
before the main herd and he was then put to a group of cows. It is
interesting to note that the calf birth weights from the cows were on
average 6.2kg heavier compared to the first calving heifers. Simon Frost
attributes much of this to the condition of the heifers. The heifers started
the winter in mid pregnancy in fit condition (score 3-3.5) and were outside
living off ‘snow and straw’ (they also got 3.5kg of 45%DM silage plus free
access to mineral buckets). They were housed in early January four-six weeks
from calving and fed a low energy ration based on 6kg of silage and ad lib
straw supplying only 62 MJ of ME. The heifers calved down at condition score
2.25 and as can be noted from table 1 calving problems were virtually
nonexistent.
Simon Frosts approach to managing calving and hence minimises losses is to
try and be present at the birth which does mean some late nights or early
starts in the morning. This is only practically possible with a compact
calving period. This supervision ensures that the calf receives its first
vital colostrum intake within 30 minutes of being born. Over the years Simon
has developed his expertise to supervise calvings and believes too many
stockmen are too quick to get on the calving ropes and pull the calf
especially when the head and shoulders are out. Patience is often required!
The calf that died from Clifford was 1 out of 29 bull calves that were born
and according to Simon Frost it was a thick heavy shouldered and well
fleshed calf that weighed 47kg and would have easily graded an E if he had
survived. Despite this loss a
mortality rate of 1.2% from 84 calves sired from the 2 bulls is exceptional
performance. Overall calf mortality for the herd was 0.8% which compares
favourably to calf mortality rates in ‘average’ and top 1/3rd
EBLEX recorded LFA sucker herds of 2.2% and 1.7% respectively.
The mother of the calf that died also had a very difficult calving last year
so she has been marked for culling. This aspect of culling dams which have
birthing difficulties (not attributed to the sire) is a strategy which the
easicare sheep producers have adopted.
This year the vet was only called out once to deal with a difficult calving.
It was a big calf presented backwards so the decision was taken to carry out
a caesarian in order to get a live calf.
The third bull used by Simon Frost last year was Swalesmoor Duke. His
Calving Ease Direct EBV is +4.5 with a Birth Weight of +2.0kg yet an
impressive 400 day weight EBV of +48kg and Terminal Index of +40 making him
a Top 1% bull. His calving data is shown in table 2 and clearly identifies
him as having the easiest calving figures of the three bulls and again
confirms the reliability of EBVs.
Table 2. Calving Data for Duke.
Simon Frost regularly hosts visit by Harper Adams students. The ideal time
is just after calving when the students see the new born calves. Many
students comment that the calves don’t look very big or impressive, but the
answer to that is that if you choose easy calving bulls then you are going
to get modest sized calves that are born alive and not dead! When the
students then see the bulls that are intensively finished that are from last
year’s calf crop weighing 700kg at 13 months old there is ‘sheer and utter
silence and a dropping of jaws’ as they cannot believe how much the bulls
have grown!
The results from the 2011 calf crop clearly illustrate that EBVs work and
the take home message is ‘have faith in EBVs to improve performance and
profit’.
The beef industry must embrace EBVs. In North America and Australia breeding
bulls are often purchased ‘blind’ by the buyer and selected purely on EBVs.
They are also starting to embrace genomic enhanced EBVs using DNA technology
to identify factors such as tenderness, marbling but also recently to
identify dry matter intake and residual feed intake. Some pedigree breeders
in the UK are now starting to use this technology to aid breed selection and
improvement. This gives a lot more data to support bull buying decisions.
There is a classic phrase ‘Information is Power’ which definitely applies to
EBVs.
The UK beef producer would never buy a bull without seeing him in the flesh
since he will want to see the bull walk and assess his style. My plea to the
industry is that if he has an ugly head or his ears are in the wrong
position do not reject him if he has fantastic EBVs! What commercial value
has a head - NONE.
Ease of Calving summary:
______________________________________________________________________________
Article No. 7
Bull Calf Finishing Results
Introduction:
This is the seventh in a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
This article reports the finishing results of the 2010 born bull calves. The
results for the heifers will be reported in a subsequent article.
Bull finishing results
Easy calving and aiming for the highest possible daily carcase gain are the
key drivers of profitability in suckled calf production. Simon Frost
achieves top 1% herd performance by focusing on these traits by using
Charolais bulls with positive Calving Ease Direct EBVs and making sure that
his Limousin x Holstein-Friesian suckler cows are in lean condition (score
2) at calving. High daily carcase gains are achieved by using bulls with
high EBVs for growth and muscle area alongside focus on herd health and
nutrition throughout the production cycle. The Charolais bulls used by Simon
are termed as ‘curve benders’ since they have top 1-5% Terminal Indexes and
are easy calving bulls as well as having very high growth rates.
The
calves are sold at weaning in mid October to Alan and John Dore at Glapwell
near Chesterfield and intensively finished.
The bull calves arrive at the Dore’s having been creep fed up to a maximum
of 1.5kg per head per day from early August prior to weaning in October. The
calves therefore go to the Dore’s ‘knowing what concentrates are’ but they
are not fed ad lib. The bull calf
weaning weights last year were 391kg at 212 days old equating to a DLWG of
1.63kg from birth.
Two weeks prior to weaning the calves are vaccinated
with
Rispoval4® (Pfizer Animal Health)
to minimise respiratory disorders. They have their backs clipped
out and treated
with
Closamectin® (Norbrook).
The
bulls are finished on a barley based home mix with
ad lib top quality big bale
silage.
The 56 Charolais bulls finished this year achieved a mean carcase weight of
427kg at 415 days of age which is just over 13½ months old (see table 1).
The recognised industry target (EBLEX 2005) for intensively finished suckled
bulls is a slaughter weight of 590kg at 14 months old. If a killing out
percentage of 60% is assumed this equates to a carcase weight of 354kg.
Simon Frost’s bull calves have ‘blown this target out of the water’.
28.6% of the bulls recorded E grades for conformation, 67.8% graded U and
only 3.6% R which is out-standing and contrary to many beef producers’
thoughts that there are alternative breeds that have superior conformation
to the Charolais. Simon Frost selects terminal sires with very high Eye
Muscle Area EBVs as well as bulls with positive Calving Ease Direct and high
400 day weight EBVs. His target Eye Muscle Area EBV is +6.0sq cm compared to
the breed average of +2.9 which is a major contributory factor to the
excellent carcase grades being achieved. The bulls recorded a mean fat score
of 3.26 (scale 1-5) and graded either fat class 3 or 4L so there were no
issues of carcasses being ‘too lean’.
The bulls killed out ‘gut full’ at 59.8% which equates to a live slaughter
weight of 714kg and hence DLWG from weaning to slaughter of 1.59kg with a
birth to slaughter DLWG of 1.62kg. Since breeds vary in their killing out
percentage it is more appropriate to calculate and quote daily carcase
gains. To do this requires the birth carcase weight to be deducted and the
standard practice is to take 24kg off the carcase weight to account for the
birth weight. When this is done Simon Frost’s bulls have recorded a
phenomenal daily carcase gain from birth to slaughter of 0.97kg per day.
Table 1. Hopping Farm bull finishing results.
Note: Carcase birth weight was
assumed to be 24kg
Last year’s bull calves recorded a slaughter weight of 438kg at 447 days old
equating to a daily carcase gain from birth of 0.94kg. This year’s bulls
have shown an improvement with a daily carcase gain of 0.97kg. The target
for next year is 1.00kg.
Feeding management and FCRs
The bulls are a fed a 16% CP barley mix containing Hi-pro Soya and Linseed
Flakes. The Dore’s believe that it is essential that suckled bulls with
exceptional growth potential need highly digestible by-pass protein sources
to maximise lean tissue deposition. Details of the Dore’s finishing ration
were presented in the 4th FW article dated 6 May 2011.
The average daily feed rate of barley mix from weaning to slaughter is
6.8kg. On arrival the bulls get 4.1kg/h/d of barley mix which is fed twice
per day and after a fortnight gradually increased to 5.9kg. The ration is
then tweaked up to 8.2kg per head per day to get adequate fat cover (3-4L)
on the bulls. The finishing ration is fed to appetite twice per day in
troughs which means that the bulls always have an edge to their appetite
which is different compared to offering feed via a hopper. The calves are
also offered ad lib top quality
(50.8% DM, 13.6% CP, 11.6 ME) big bale grass silage and intakes averaged 4kg
per bull per day.
Table 2. Bull calves feed intakes and FCR.
The bulls converted their feed with incredible efficiency with an FCR of
4.74(kg DM):1 compared to the recognised target of 5.0:1. If the lifetime
concentrates FCR is calculated including the 90kg of creep feed this equates
to a lifetime concentrate FCR of 2.08:1 which is better than finishing pigs
and close to broiler chicken FCRs! If the FCR is calculated based on kg feed
dry matter per kg carcase gain then it is 2.96:1. I recognise that the
calves were also fed cow’s milk (produced from grass) and silage but this
cannot be used by humans and is a different angle to consider when beef
production is considered to be inefficient compared to pig and poultry meat
production.
Bull calves from Cows and 1st Calved Heifers
Charolais bulls are also used on the bulling heifers which is a strategy few
suckler producers would ever consider. This decision is taken based on the
confidence in the bulls Calving Ease Direct EBV which have a high accuracy
percentage.
The performance of the bull calves
produced from the cows and first calved heifers in shown in table 3 and
whilst the calves from the heifers had 16kg lighter carcase weights I
estimate that if a different breed that is very easy calving had been used
that the carcase weights would be some 80kg lighter on the same finishing
system. The alternative would be finishing the calves on 24+month extensive
system to achieve the same carcase weight thus virtually doubling their age
at slaughter.
Table 3. Bull calves from Cows and 1st Calved Heifers.
Bull progeny comparison
The bull calf finishing results have been analysed for the progeny from two
sires; Littlebovey Altra (Terminal Index +46 – a top 5% bull) and Balthayock
Clifford (TI +62 – a top 1% bull). Altra is a very easy calving bull with a
Calving Ease Direct EBV of +2.4% compared to Clifford which is a more
difficult calver with an EBV of -2.8%. Clifford however has a very high
400day weight EBV of +62kg compared to Altra at +43kg and the breed average
of +38kg.
Table 4. Bull calves from Top 1% and Top 5% Sires.
The data in table 4 clearly illustrates that EBVs work and show that
Clifford calves recorded higher daily carcase gains with carcase weights
some 39kg heavier. With a finished beef price of £3.30kg carcase weight this
makes the Clifford calves worth some £129 more. If the cost of 3.4%
mortality and slightly harder calving is factored into the calculation the
net benefit for the Clifford calves is £74 per bull. This difference is
greater than predicted by the EBVs of the bulls.
These results also mirror those found in a study recently carried out at
Harper Adams when progeny from Limousin bulls with either a Top 1% or Top
10% Beef Value were compared. In this study the carcase weights were 14kg
heavier for the Top 1% bull worth an extra £53. This again highlights that
EBVs can underestimate the financial benefits of selecting Top 1% bulls and
offers even more reasons why bull buyers should use EBVs as the basis for
their selection and buy a bull with the best possible figures.
Bull calf finishing summary:
References
EBLEX Beef Action for Profit 5 (2005)
Better Returns from Suckler-Bred Bulls. Huntingdon: English Beef & Lamb
Executive.
Article No.
8
Lessons that can be learnt from the Poultry Industry
Introduction:
This is the eigth in a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
By Jeremy Hunt
When beef meets poultry – Peak District beef producer Simon Frost – Farmers
Weekly/Harper Adams’ Beef Focus farmer – came face-to-face with award
winning poultry producer David Speller to see if there was any “common
ground” between profitable poultry production and ways to make more money
out of beef. JEREMY HUNT was there.
While it may seem churlish to try and draw comparisons between intensive
poultry and the production of suckled calves, the meticulous attention to
every facet of management and performance that underpins David Speller’s
broiler unit near Chesterfield must prove that there are lessons to be
learned by the beef sector.
Working with a system over which you have total “push button” control - in
terms of environment and feeding – is the template of livestock production
operated on this award winning unit. But it’s certainly a world apart from
the plethora of unpredictability that is very much the norm for our
traditional management of beef cattle.
Although beef farmers can never be expected to achieve the same level of
control, there are elements of the cutting edge management at David
Speller’s unit that should be examined more closely by the red meat sector
in an attempt to emulate them in part to help create a much tighter and more
effective approach to performance and cost control.
This poultry unit, which always has 180,000 birds on site, is staffed by one
man for five-hours a day – an indication of the degree of computerisation
that is responsible for every aspect of management.
And when any minor changes may have to be made they can all be undertaken,
if necessary, by accessing the software through a mobile phone. On a recent
visit to China, David Speller was able to make changes to the ventilation of
one of his broiler sheds in Derbyshire via his mobile.
But it’s how he’s able to monitor every aspect of his costs of production -
and the level of performance he demands to generate maximum profit from the
1.2 million birds he produces every year - that could be a valuable
management stimulus to beef producers.
One of the most fundamental aspects of David Speller’s business is that he
knows the birds on his unit are gaining 25% of their bodyweight every day.
There is no guesswork over weight gain. He knows the level of performance to
expect because the birds are the product of decades of genetic selection for
optimum growth. So is that the challenge, via the use of Estimated Breeding
Values, faced by the beef sector?
David Speller is also acutely aware of the financial impact on his turnover
should any minor aspect of his management fail. A “blip” – even for a few
hours – can mean fractions of grammes of lost weight gain that quickly
multiply into significant cash losses through poorer growth.
Applying that approach to beef production should stimulate greater awareness
of the knock-on effect of time-delays in marketing, forced extensions to the
length of finishing times and short-falls in management – all of which can
seriously erode margins.
“Feed conversion rate is my paramount concern – it’s absolutely critical to
the profitability of every one of the 1.2 million birds we produce every
year,” says David Speller, Farmers Weekly’s Poultry Farmer of the Year 2009.
“As the price of feed keeps rising FCR becomes more and more relevant.
Maintaining the optimum level of FCR – and we’re currently averaging about
1:6 - is about management, but it’s also about genetics. Efficiency is
directly affected by age and the younger the birds the higher the feed
conversion. The bigger they get the more calories they use.”
A new contract to produce birds to kill at 42 days will fractionally affect
feed conversion rate compared with that being achieved with birds killed at
37 days and weighing 2.25kg.
“All sorts of things can affect the birds’ performance. They burn calories
just by breathing and moving around but stress is a big user of calories –
and the same losses can occur if conditions are too hot or too cold. So with
45,000 birds in a shed, if they all burn two calories because they are too
cold, I have to feed them 90,000 calories just to counter that loss.”
But it’s this level of monitoring that warrants high investment. An under
floor heating system has been installed costing £300,000.
Based on one chicken’s ability to feed a family of four, David Speller’s 2.5
acre unit produces around five million meals a year, but he stresses that
it’s the birds’ genetics that are “vital” to the business’s profitability.
“We aren’t artificially stimulating growth. We feed a high protein, high
calorific diet. Genetics and the level of management to get the optimum
performance from those genetics has to be fundamental to any system of meat
production. But the more you fine-tune the genetics to improve performance
the greater the need for higher standards of management to fully exploit and
keep pace with the improvement.
“But in the business we run every part of the production chain is working
together. Everyone involved at every stage wants to keep their business
profitable. In the beef sector it would seem there’s mutual benefit to be
gained by developing closer links along the chain. We are working with Moy
Park which has its own parent breeding stock, its own hatcheries and mills
producing chicks for us to rear which then go back to them to be slaughtered
and sold.
“I’ve worked in other sectors of the farming industry and seen the sort of
cut-throat tactics that operate. Working together in an integrated supply
chain with the joint mentality of everyone making a profit at every stage,
has got to be the way forward.”
While David Speller acknowledges his intensive poultry system is far removed
from producing beef from the suckler herd, he still believes there are big
opportunities for beef producers;
“Working with cattle of known genetic potential, closely monitoring costs of
production and any elements of the system that may affect it and more
co-operation in the supply chain - these are the areas of the beef farming
business that have the potential to improve beef producers’ profits.”
Genetics play an equally important part in the profitable production of beef
cattle as they do in the profitable production of poultry - but they have
got to be the right genetics in terms of how they influence an animal’s
performance and that can only be achieved by basing all breeding decisions
on Estimated Breeding Values, say Simon Frost.
“David Speller’s broiler unit is at the cutting edge of meat production and
I was hugely impressed by the high standards he’s achieved throughout the
production cycle. There are lessons we can all learn from the way in which
every aspect of the management of the birds is so precisely monitored to
achieve maximum profitability, but it’s all aimed at achieving the best FCR
– that’s the trigger for profit and that’s what beef producers must
concentrate on.”
Simon Frost was in full agreement with the importance placed by David
Speller on establishing a close relationship between every stage of the
supply chain. “It’s something I also believe is essential and can be of
tremendous benefit to beef producers. The aim must be to try and eliminate
as many of the variables and unknowns as possible.”
“By using high index bulls on suckler cows of known breeding we are
producing calves that we know have superior genetic potential in terms of
growth and feed conversion. And in our case they are sold to the Dore family
in Chesterfield who have a system of feeding geared to getting the very best
out of these calves as our figures of up to 3kg daily live weight gain a day
have proved beyond doubt.
“We may be working in a very different world to David Speller but our aim
has also been to link together as many aspects of the production chain as
possible to ensure finished cattle with a high potential for growth based on
their genetics are given every opportunity to prove their true value.”
“David Speller firmly believes there’s a big opportunity to establish closer
associations between each part of the beef supply chain based on an openness
and commitment at each stage. The beef industry needs to work together on
this. Through EBVs we’ve got the ability to produce cattle with superior
growth; the next stage must be to ensure that we manage and market these
animals in a way that will bring assured stability to the beef production
chain.”
Article No. 9
Heifer Calf Finishing Results
Introduction:
This is the ninth in a series of 12 articles on Simon Frost’s suckler herd
at Youlgreave in the Peak District. Simon achieves top 1% performance with
his upland herd of 125
This article reports the finishing results of the 2010 born heifer calves.
The suckler herd
Running a herd of small-medium sized milky beef cross dairy-bred suckler
cows which are put to high index, easy calving, fast growing terminal sires
is viewed by both Simon Marsh and Simon Frost as a blueprint for efficient
and profitable suckled calf production.
Simon Frost achieves top 1% herd performance by using Charolais bulls with
positive Calving Ease Direct EBVs and making sure that his spring calving
Limousin x Holstein-Friesian suckler cows are in lean condition (score 2) at
calving. By using bulls with high EBVs for 400 day growth the calves daily
carcase gain can be maximised. These bulls which have top 1-5% Terminal
Indexes are termed as ‘curve benders’.
Last year the bull calves recorded a phenomenal DLWG of 1.63kg to weaning at
212 days old weighing 391kg. These excellent DLWGs are produced from a
copious supply of milk from the Limousin x Holstein-Friesian cows which put
their energy intake from cheap grazed grass into milk and not body
condition.
The very high DLWGs are achieved without the calves being stuffed with creep
feed which is only introduced in early August with the bulls and late August
with the heifers. The creep is fed to a maximum of 1.5kg per calf day and is
a 16% protein high NDF nut
(Massey Feeds 16% CP X-Tender Nuts)
with the objective of growing frame rather than putting on flesh. Feeding
creep is an absolute essential priority since not only does it improve rumen
development, it is also extremely efficient with the calves converting their
creep at FCR’s at 3.5:1 but most importantly it helps minimise the growth
check at weaning.
The
calves are sold at weaning in mid October to Alan and John Dore at Glapwell
near Chesterfield and intensively finished. They therefore arrive at the
finishing unit knowing what concentrate feed is. They are wormed, vaccinated
against pneumonia 2 weeks prior to weaning and have their backs clipped out.
The Dore’s finish some 600 cattle per year buying Continental bred bulls,
steers and heifers either direct from farm or via markets. They appreciate
knowing that the calves from Simon Frost are bred from high index bulls with
exceptional growth potential. The question I would ask store buyers is that
when they buy a tractor they look at the colour and age of the machine but
always get a full breakdown of the spec of the machine. The industry needs
to adopt this philosophy to buying store cattle since most buyers of store
cattle only look at their colour, shape and age and then spend a lot of
money on them without knowing their spec i.e. have they have been bred by
high index bulls!
The results from Simon Frost’s 2010 born bulls are shown in table 1 which
have been benchmarked against EBLEX targets.
The 56 Charolais bulls from Simon Frost achieved a massive carcase weight of
427kg at 415 days of age which is just over 13½ months old. Simon Frost’s
bull calves have smashed the EBLEX targets.
Table 1. Bull finishing results – EBLEX target vs S Frost’s bulls.
Heifer finishing results
It is well accepted that the problem with intensively finishing heifers is
that since they are an early maturing breed type i.e. are easily fleshed,
that they will finish at significantly lower slaughter weights compared to
bulls. The strategy adopted by the Dore’s is feed the heifers top quality
(11.6ME, 50.6% DM, 13.6% CP) big bale grass silage but with significantly
lower home mix feed levels compared to the bulls.
‘As per’ the bulls the home mix fed to the heifers is formulated to contain
16% CP. It is based on rolled barley with some oats to take the heat out of
the ration i.e. lower the starch content and provide some fibre, quality
protein from hipro soya and linseed flakes with minerals. This might appear
to be a ‘Rolls Royce’ feeding strategy but when you have high genetic merit
stock with potential to record above average DLWGs they need this level of
nutrition. There is a classic saying that ‘If you have a Formula 1 car you
shouldn’t put diesel in it’ and this applies to Simon Frost’s calves!
The daily home mix feed rate to the heifers is fixed at 3.1kg per head which
is fed in two feeds with ad lib
access to silage. From 5 weeks prior to slaughter the home mix is increased
to 5.7kg to accelerate DLWGs and get adequate fat cover to target fat class
4L, although getting sufficient finish on the heifers does not tend to be a
problem.
The average carcase weight for all heifers slaughtered in the UK is 322 kg
with a slaughter age of 712 days (23.3 months). Simon Frost’s heifers
achieved a mean carcase weight of 313kg at just 447 days of age which is
just over 14.6 months old. Compared to the UK average the heifers were
therefore finished some 265 days (8.7 months) sooner which will help to
reduce their carbon foot print. Full animal performance details are shown in
table 2.
Table 2. Heifer calves finishing results. There were a range of fat classifications with 32.7
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