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Know How / Beef / Feed and nutrition

Providing the best feed and nutrition for the beef herd is crucial if growth rate targets are to be hit. Keep up-to-date with latest developments in grazing management, silage-making and ration formulation for the best results.

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AHDB resource

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Case studies

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FEED AND NUTRITION

Farmer cuts out concentrates to secure future for beef

The cost of rations has always been critical to the profitability of the beef enterprise on Jonathan Guilding’s Somerset farm. But this year, in the face of spiralling feed prices,…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Video: Beet and grass mix gives 57p/day winter for grazier

There are many benefits to outwintering cattle and sheep on a diet of forage grass and beet. We speak to sheep and beef farmer James Drummond in Alnwick and farmer…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Video: Maternal traits ensure fertile and low-cost sucklers

Sourcing functional bulls that suit a forage-only, minimal intervention organic system has led one Northumberland suckler unit to consider a three-week heifer bulling period. It has also allowed them to…

BEEF

How a Simmental herd made £79 a cow before subsidy

Focusing on three key efficiency measures has ensured the pedigree suckler cow and bull beef enterprises at Strathisla Farms, Perthshire, have remained commercially viable. The cattle have made a profit…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Beef farmer replaces bought-in protein with home-grown pulses

A Pembrokeshire beef farm has reduced its winter feed costs by £33/t by replacing a bought-in protein blend with home-grown beans and peas. The Jones family grew 8ha of the…

BEEF

4 ways to cut carbon footprint of suckler beef

Embracing a combination of cow and youngstock management changes could help suckler herds reduce the carbon footprint of every kilogramme of meat produced. Ballymena farmer Billy O'Kane recently carried out…

Practical advice

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LIVESTOCK

6 top maize growing tips to help livestock producers

Results from a new survey of maize growers have revealed valuable cropping knowledge which can be shared to help livestock producers get more from their crop. Nearly 100 producers, with…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How to manage common suckler calf health challenges

Performance and weight gain can be knocked for six if a calf suffers health problems in its first few months. This can have a significant economic impact on a suckler…

FEED AND NUTRITION

3 ways to get the best results from maize crops

Making use of cover crops, adopting mechanical weed control practices, and fine-tuning the timing and depth of drilling can all help optimise maize production, according to the latest research by…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How to grow better fodder beet - 5 expert tips

Fodder beet is a high-energy forage crop, consistently providing metabolisable energy (ME) of 12 MJ/kg dry matter (DM),  improved livestock performance and outyielding alternative options. What’s more, it offers farmers…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How to establish brassicas for best yields and weed control

The benefits of including brassicas in a rotation are many, from reducing reliance on bought-in concentrates to extending the grazing season. Once brassicas have established, there are few opportunities for…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Advice on feeding yearling heifers to calve at 22-24 months

Calving at two rather than three years old reduces rearing costs by about £600 a heifer and increases its lifetime productivity.  In addition, it ensures genetics with the best potential…

Insights

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FEED AND NUTRITION

How ‘chemichanical’ approach is aiding maize production

About 180,000ha of maize is grown in Denmark, with the majority of production concentrated in the South West. However, continuous rotations and a reduced chemical armoury mean weed control is…

LIVESTOCK

Calf bottles and tube feeders on test

It is unsurprising many farmers are switching from bottles to buckets with teats for feeding milk to older calves. Our test, carried out over a four-month period at my family…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Why urea-based products should be avoided to preserve grain

Urea-based products used to preserve rolled grain lose at least 40% of nitrogen content before they are consumed by the animal, new research has shown. Urea acts as a preservative,…

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists developing EBV for lower methane emission

Farmers could be selecting cattle bred to produce lower methane emissions in the near future, according to a leading scientist. Methane is an important greenhouse gas, with 28-times the potential…

MAIZE

Rain puts pressure on maize with tricky harvest

Prolonged rain has made maize harvesting difficult in recent days, with some suffering with flooding and high rainfall. Maize maturity has already been slowed by rain as green plants have…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How to profit from forage-based dairy-beef system

Forage-based dairy-beef systems are profitable even in extreme weather conditions, a two-year study at Harper Adams University has concluded. The project investigated whether it was feasible to finish dairy-bred beef…

FEED AND NUTRITION

How feeding wholecrop to dairy-beef steers can cut costs

Diets made up mainly of wholecrop wheat can offer a suitable alternative to bought-in cereals for finishing cattle, a recent study has found. Research at Harper Adams University found that…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Trial shows high iodine cow diet can hinder colostrum uptake

A survey of iodine supplementation in beef herds has revealed that over supplementation pre-calving can negatively affect calves’ ability to absorb colostrum. A collaborative research project between Moredun Research Institute,…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Cattle bounce back after poor fodder beet growth rates

A project at Harper Adams is investigating if it is feasible to finish dairy-bred beef calves on forage alone.  The project, led by Adas and funded by AHDB Beef &…

FEED AND NUTRITION

What are the benefits of milk replacer for calf rearers?

More than half of all dairy and beef farmers in Great Britain now rear their youngstock on calf milk replacer (CMR) instead of whole milk, with potential disease risks a…

LIVESTOCK

High-protein diet worth £56 a head to heifer margin

A trial comparing two levels of protein (160g of crude protein/kg DM or 125g crude protein/kg DM) in maize silage-based finisher rations showed the higher protein diet to be worth…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Promising weight gains made from grass in dairy beef study

Last October, work to investigate the feasibility of a low-cost dairy beef production system was launched at Harper Adams University with the aim of maximising output from forage and minimising…

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