The highlight from Tullamore Farm this week was of course the farm’s annual heifer sale. This year, farm manager Shaun Diver presented in-calf heifers for sale as opposed to selling yearlings.

Twenty heifers were brought to GVM Mart Tullamore’s weanling and suckler sale on bank holiday Monday evening. All the heifers were bred on Tullamore Farm – born between February and April 2018 – and all were five to six months in calf to easy-calving Limousin and Salers sires.

Sixteen heifers were sold to an average price of €1,337. Breaking it down, 11 Limousin and Simmental continental-cross heifers averaged €1,466. These ranged from €1,240 up to a sale-topping price of €1,720 for a 720kg QCD Simmental heifer due to calve in late February. Seven heifers made over €1,400.

Five Angus-cross heifers were on a different price tier, averaging €1,054. The range for these was €950 to €1,120 per head.

Grass

Grass growth continues at a strong rate on the farm – 25kg DM/ha/day to be exact. Looking around the farm, there are still some very heavy covers of grass but the ewes are working their way through them. The farm will target a closing cover of around 550kg DM/ha – it is currently sitting at 850kg DM/ha.

Shaun says the sheep are a real blessing at this time of year as he wouldn’t be able to graze some of the lower-lying, wetter ground with the cattle.

Ewes

Speaking of the ewes, breeding is going really well with 55% of the ewes bred in 12 days. Raddle was changed last Sunday after seven days of breeding. Rams will be swapped after 17 days of breeding and raddle changed again.

This year, the farm is implementing single-sire mating. While it may not be the most practical or labour-efficient, it is being performed in conjunction with Sheep Ireland to allow more information to be gathered on the ewe flock and the rams.

The ewe lambs will be let with the Charolais rams after the first cycle with the mature ewes is complete. Thirty of these ewe lambs are homebred and 20 are bought in replacement mule ewe lambs.

Cattle

The bull weanlings were housed and clipped last Monday. They will go on to the best silage on the farm and 2.5kg/head/day of meal until they get settled in the shed. They have also been given their IBR booster shot. Thankfully these have settled in very well so far – they certainly seem happier to be indoors.

Thirteen cows, 25 in-calf heifers and 51 weanling heifers remain out. The cows and in-calf heifers will be housed on Monday. If weather permits, the weanling heifers will be left out for the next two to three weeks.

Cows are being fed second-cut silage mainly. But silage quality is still good in this pit so they are being restricted to regulate body condition.

There are five beef heifers, seven cull cows and two teaser bulls to going to the factory next week.