Hill Sucklers to be discussed at CAFRE-Teagasc Uplands Open Day

Date published: 21 August 2025

These priorities are balanced with appropriate management of a range of habitats that attract and support an increasing number of breeding birds, many of which are in significant decline across Northern Ireland. Martin Kirk, CAFRE Beef and Sheep Technologist, outlines the key areas and targets for the herd.

Breeding and management

The suckler herd is a three-breed rotation of Angus, Shorthorn and Limousin. The focus is to breed moderate sized, efficient cows suited to the environment, producing replacement females with improved genetic potential, good fertility with high health status or a high value beef animal with good health and growth potential which will target mainstream and added value markets.

Cows begin to calve in April and are finished by mid-June. Once calved, the cow and calf will go straight outdoors weather permitting, this minimises disease build up over the calving period and reduces potential for disease and intervention.

The focus for herd productivity is ensuring each cow produces a calf every year, the current calving interval is 371 days, with cows scanning at 95%. Cow performance is monitored; a key performance indicator is cow efficiency calculated by measuring calf wean weight as a percentage of mature cow weight. The target is for each cow is to wean a calf 40% of her mature weight, the herd average is currently 42%.  Based on a mature cow weight of 652 kg weaning a 274 kg calf in 2024. Heifer performance is also measured and in 2024 average heifer weight was 577 kg and calf weight was 233 kg at 200 days, achieving 40%.

Cows are mated in groups of approximately 30 from late June for ten weeks giving a compact calving season. The cows are divided into three breeding groups based on breed, Angus cows are mated with the Shorthorn bull, Shorthorn cows are mated with the Limousin bull and Limousin cows are mated with the Angus. Bull selection is heavily weighted on maternal traits, such as milk and calving ease. The aim is for cows to calf unaided, so calf birth weight is also an important trait, in 2025 average calf birth weight was 39.4 kg for cows and 34.8 kg for first calf heifers. Mothering ability, cow temperament, teats and udders are also monitored and recorded at the point of calving to ensure all females are viable for the herd.

Managing and improving genetics

Replacements are home bred, selected based on their genetic merit for growth, maternal calving ease, temperament and previous maternal weaning efficiency of their mother. The more records we keep, the more accurate this becomes. The herd will be genotyped this incoming autumn, the genomic evaluations will drive animal selection, inform management decisions and improve the speed at which we make genetic progress. Heifers are managed to calf down at 24-months old.  For this to be achieved growth and development is monitored from birth to mating to ensure animals are on target, this means an average daily liveweight gain of 0.8 kg/day from birth to mating. Currently, heifers calf down at an average of 24.1 months. This year, replacement heifers have been given two rounds of AI under a fixed time AI protocol. Females not selected for breeding or those that are not in calf after breeding move into the beef heifer group.

Animal health

Health planning is an important aspect that drives productivity. The herd is in an animal health plan which is reviewed annually or more frequently if required with the farm vet.  The previous year’s performance is discussed and any issues highlighted. The vaccination programme is agreed based on herd health and potential risk. Parasite burdens and anthelmintic use will also be agreed, and all antimicrobial and anthelmintic use is recorded. A proactive approach to health planning minimises loses in production while also ensuring responsible use of antibiotics and anthelmintics. 

Habitat management and virtual fencing technology

Managing the diverse range of habitats and vegetation across the farm is an integral aspect of livestock systems at the CAFRE Hill Farm. Applying appropriate grazing pressure throughout the year is essential to keep all the habitats in a healthy, productive state which positively impacts livestock systems and the diverse range of wildlife on the farm and surrounding area.

The integration of virtual fence technology which enables a designated area to be allocated to a group of animals has greatly enhanced the ability to manage cows on large areas of the hill. The technology creates an invisible fence through a Global Positioning System (GPS), connected to a collar worn by the cow, which, via sound and electric pulse signals keeps the cow within the boundary.

The technology has been extremely successful for the management of the breeding wader site. This habitat requires management of the vegetation at various times of the year but particularly over the winter to create the most desirable condition for birds the following spring. A quarter of the herd was first outwintered in 2022 to help manage this area. This group of cows are outwintered on a 72 hectare block, they will be moved around the grazing areas as required, no supplementary feed is offered to the cows while they are within this designated habitat. Grazing this area provides better habitat for birds such as breeding waders, increased nesting activity and bird numbers have been recorded within the site.

Outwintering hasn’t had any negative impact on productivity, cows outwintered arrive at calving in optimal body condition of 3. Calf birth weight for outwintered cows (37 kg) is slightly lower to that of cows housed.  This is similar for calving ease, average calving difficulty is scored at 1.13 for cows outwintered and 1.45 for those housed over winter on a 1-5 scale, highlighting slightly easier calving for the outwintered cows (1 being no intervention – 5 being a Caesarean section).

The system of outwintering has been very successful with regards to habitat management but other benefits have transpired, silage requirements have reduced by 160 tonnes, slurry produced has reduced by 150 m³.  Less slurry to store and manage will reduce ammonia levels and reduce the potential impact on air quality.

Uplands Open Day

Improving genetic potential, planning for animal health and welfare, maximising production from available forages while appropriately managing a diverse range of habitats are key areas of focus for the suckler herd. 

To hear more about the CAFRE Hill cattle enterprises and the vital role they play in habitat management, come along to the CAFRE and Teagasc joint Uplands Open Day at the CAFRE Hill Farm Centre on Wednesday 3 September, for more information and to register to attend the event, please visit the CAFRE website.

Registration and booking your time slot for a tour at the CAFRE Hill Farm Open Day on Wednesday 3 September is recommended, however anyone who wishes to attend and has not registered will be accommodated on the next available tour when they arrive.