Advice for new system on 80 acre farm

[Farmercw1]

Hi all, for the past 30 years we have grown wheat and barley and fed ad lib to all our cattle (mainly Angus x steers) finishing at about 14 months. Has worked well but unfortunately due to our old machinery, mainly the Claas dominator 85! Needing abit too much tlc each year we are thinking of trying a new system with round bale silage, can get plenty of barley straw from neighbouring farmers for bedding and have enough housing to keep about 80 catttle in all year round. So basically just looking for any ideas on what you would do/ feed with (cheap as possible) would be great. Thanks

 

[BRB John]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Where are you located?

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

On inside Barley beef I would have thought that was do able.

 

[Wesley]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

Stitch their balls back on I imagine would help. Pretty efficient in terms of haulage though. You’d get a lot on a lorry.

 

[BRB John]

On inside Barley beef I would have thought that was do able.

Bull beef maybe but nah heifers unless he's killing out at like 200kgs

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Perhaps easier with the more dumpy type of Angus rather than the Limousin type, but say 420 days at overall DLWG 1.2 = 504 kg plus birth weight 45 kg
Total weight 553 kg k/O 52% 287 kg carcass, above the minimum weight and should, or could be above fat class 3, so no deductions there.
Hopefully @Farmercw1 will give us details ?

 

[harperfarmer]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

Very achievable on the right ration.

 

[Ed Gaskit]

Get a contractor to combine your crops!

 

[David1968]

Hi all, for the past 30 years we have grown wheat and barley and fed ad lib to all our cattle (mainly Angus x steers) finishing at about 14 months. Has worked well but unfortunately due to our old machinery, mainly the Claas dominator 85! Needing abit too much tlc each year we are thinking of trying a new system with round bale silage, can get plenty of barley straw from neighbouring farmers for bedding and have enough housing to keep about 80 catttle in all year round. So basically just looking for any ideas on what you would do/ feed with (cheap as possible) would be great. Thanks

If you're number-crunching, you'll have to take into account changing from ad lib cereals to silage will likely extend the finishing period beyond (possibly well beyond) 14 months.

 

[jackrussell101]

Time on farm is the big one, feed is all relative

 

[bobk]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

Cos they get fat before ready

 

[thorpe]

How the hell do you finish Aberdeen Angus at 14 months old?

that's quite possible but they might not be very big

 

[Jasper]

Farm I do a bit on finish traditional breeds on red clover silage and just a handful of rolled barley but they would finish without the barley

 

[czechmate]

Farm I do a bit on finish traditional breeds on red clover silage and just a handful of rolled barley but they would finish without the barley

Are you talking pure red clover or a grass mix including red clover ?

 

[harperfarmer]

I'd say you'd be as well to keep the system the same if it works for you, but potentially look at upgrading the combine. There are decent second hand options out there.

 

[HarryB97]

I would get a contractor in to combine. A mix of arable and grass in the rotation is hard to beat with lots of benefits! As it’s for home use I wouldn’t worry about storing it at 17-18% as long as you have some fans, could always crimp it?

 

[Jasper]

Are you talking pure red clover or a grass mix including red clover ?

They grow a mixture but a lot of the silage is pure . They are organic at fist I scoffed at this but I don’t now the crops of silage they get are massive and they get some good crops of wheat after it as well