For those that are not aware we have recently set up a Livestock discussion group open to both clients and non-clients.  So far, we have met twice on two different beef units with very different challenges to deal with.

Discussions at the meetings have ranged widely from:

• Feeding
• Grazing management and reseeding
• Soil management and improving fertility
• Carcase conformation and the new grading grid
• Out-wintering
• Calf rearing and milk powder use
• Establishing key performance factors, (KPI’s), to measure performance
• Converting to dairy production

The aim of the group is to help members become more profitable by improving the performance of their business, enabling them to see different systems, learn from others and gain confidence to change.  We also want to encourage members to start using KPI’s to measure business performance so that targets can be set to enable business to improve.  Are you achieving a stocking rate 1500 kgs live weight per hectare on your farm or growing and utilising 10 tonnes of forage dry matter per hectare of grass per annum?  These are targets that the top beef farmers are achieving.

We will be visiting a number of different farms in 2017 looking at nutrition, grazing, abattoir trip, KPI’s and other areas.

If you would interested in finding out more about being in a discussion group or want to be part of a group please contact Phil at pcooper@fcgagric.com