Quality genetics give dairy business a boost reported by Dairy Farmer September 2024 by Farmers Guardian Ltd.
The addition of Aberdeen-Angus genetics has created a robust market for beef stores for one Worcestershire dairy farm looking to enhance its farm business.
Angela Turney returned to her family’s dairy farm in 2017, and now manages the 300-cow Freisian dairy herd in Malvern, alongside her parents, Francis and Diana Harcombe.
The herd operates an autumn block calving system, with twice-daily milking through a 24/48 GEA herringbone parlour. Milk yields average 7,000 litres per cow per year, sold on direct contract to Muller.
Mrs Turney says running a sustainable, self-sufficient operation that utilises home-grown feed, is very much the focus for their farm, which comprises 850-acres of grazing and arable.
“We could push for more milk but it’s not my priority to drive the cows to their limits.
“I want long life, healthy and efficient cows – so our current milk yield is their sweet spot.”
She explains other than calf milk powder, starter cutlets and a soya blend during winter which is supplied by GLW feeds all other supplies are grown on the farm, including maize, cereals and straw for their loose housed yards.
Breeding for success
Starting in November, cows and heifers are served to natural heat by artificial insemination (AI) with Friesian sexed semen, the target is to achieve 100 dairy bred heifer calves to retain as replacements.
Cows that return after second service, or that are unsuitable to breed dairy replacements, run with their Aberdeen-Angus bulls, with all beef calves reared on the farm and sold privately to a nearby finishing unit at 16 to 18 months old.
“We invested in CowManager ear tag sensors in 2023 and have been very pleased with their performance, acting as an additional pair of eyes around the clock.
“It allows us to react to health alerts but most importantly be much more accurate with our heat detection and timing of services.
“This has been a huge help in tightening our calving block, but inevitably there will be some that still slip through the net, which are then swept up by the Aberdeen-Angus bull.”
Running a closed herd allows Mrs Turney to have full control over the characteristics they breed for.
She knows what is needed to work in their system, and when it comes to using beef sires, she carefully balances trait selection to suit both the dairy herd and their store beef operation.
Priorities
Explaining her priorities for breeding dairy replacements, she says: “Ultimately, I need fit cattle; they can walk up to a mile a day between grazing paddocks and the parlour along a network of 12,000 concrete railway sleepers, which obviously takes up a proportion of their energy that isn’t then being used to produce milk.
“But practically and logistically, that’s what they need to be able to do here, and we take a great deal of pleasure seeing our herd out grazing.
“A good grazing animal is vital to achieve our grass residuals, we put fresh grass in front of the herd twice a day and keep them out for as long as possible throughout the year.”
Consistency is key
Having previously used Limousin and Simmental bulls as sweepers, Mrs Turney is very content with what the Aberdeen-Angus genetics have been bringing to the herd for over 15 years
“We weren’t getting consistency with the bulls before, both in their fertility and the calves they produced.
“Simplicity is key, and that wasn’t the way to keep things simple,” she says.
The farm has sourced a number of Aberdeen-Angus bulls from Paul Westaway and his Melview herd.
She says they provide exactly what she needs to work in harmony with the dairy herd, including a short gestation, easy calving and a good temperament.
“They’re good-sized bulls that I know will work with the stature of the Friesians and produce a decent-sized calf without any calving issues.
“Any intervention at calving limits her ability to get back into calf the following year, so I’m pleased to have not had any significant problems last year.”
Mrs Turney says with calving outdoors they also need vigorous calves that get up and suck, with a good temperament to make handling easier.
She adds: “We take care in rearing both the dairy and the beef sired calves; if you’re not willing to invest time and effort at this stage, then it’s a waste of time.
“The dairy cross beef calves have a great temperament, and that comes from having a bull you don’t feel the need to watch over your shoulder whenever you’re in the same field.”
Mrs Turney explains the breeds innate hardiness and ability to thrive off forage also lends itself to the low cost out-wintering system in which they operate.
This is important in alleviating the pinch points in the farm’s winter housing space while fitting in with their ethos of maximising forage.
Housing
“All the cows and calves are housed inside but we’re able to out-winter 100 Aberdeen-Angus weanlings on fodder beet and they’re perfectly happy on the lighter free draining land around the farm.”
With a strong market for Aberdeen-Angus named sired cattle, four years ago, Mrs Turney started selling approximately 90 dairy cross beef stores direct to a finishing unit, having previously sold them at Worcester market.
She says: “They are often more attractive to finishing units than other beef breeds because of the market premium on offer and their ability to finish quickly.”
All beef calves are reared on farm and then grown on to 16-18 months of age before being sold to Gloucestershire finisher, Peter Hewlett, who mostly supplies Co-Op as well as a few butchers.
“He only wants pedigree Aberdeen-Angus sired calves and for good reason; the market demand is there on the supermarket shelves for the breed, from a premium steak right through to beef mince.”
