Commercial Newsletter 2009

CHAROLAIS CATTLE AND AD LIB FEEDING ACHIEVE TOP PERFORMANCE AT CULFORK Thainstone Centre.

Charolais cross cattle, carefully selected for conformation With price penalties for carcases weighing over and growth potential, achieve top performance and hit the 420kg and the ending of the Beef Special Premium top grade virtually every time for brothers, Gordon, Scheme, the emphasis at Culfork is now on heifers rather Stewart and Dougie Walker at Culfork, Alford, than steers.

Aberdeenshire.

And the adoption of a Total Mixed Ration to “No other breed can match the performance and replace the previous silage and barley regime, has weight gain of the Charolais,” says Stewart, who runs the allowed throughput to be increased 530-acre farming enterprise with by a third with no increase in overGordon, while Dougie works fullheads, except for the acquisition of time with Aberdeen and Northern a second-hand mixer wagon.

Marts.

“The job is easier as we are now And most farmers would be feeding only once a day compared envious of the grading sheets from with twice previously and the cattle Mathers (Inverurie) Ltd which show are performing well on an ad lib that of the 219 cattle slaughtered so diet,” says Gordon. far this year, no fewer than 208 have The ration, devised by Harbro classified U for conformation and sales specialist, David MacKenzie, three have even made the rare E comprises silage plus a mix of barclassification with only eight classifyley, Invercrombies (wheat dark ing R and none falling into the lower grains), molasses, and an 18% procategories. Average carcase weight tein Grampian blend with minerals was just over 400kg. and Yea-Sacc to aid rumen digesA snapshot of one group of The Walker brothers, left, tion. This is fed at a low barley home-bred cattle saw 48 steers Stewart and Gordon inclusion rate initially which is quickkilling-out at 437kg deadweight at ly stepped up within a few days. No problems with bloat or 21 months with all but five achieving U grade and 41 laminitis have been encountered. Silage is made available heifers tipping the scales at 373kg at 19 months of age at two bales per week between 40 animals. Yearling and all but eight hitting U. home-bred cattle receive Harbro’s Cattle 35 concentrate “With a premium of 6p/kg for U grade compared over the first winter. with R, it pays to make sure you get as many as possible Target weight gain is 1.7kg/day and feed cost into the higher category,” says Stewart, who admits he works out at £1.72 per kg of deadweight gain. keeps cattle a month longer to make sure they hit the top “The cattle never stand still as grades. you just can’t afford to have them “But we seldom get anygo through a store period,” says thing grading higher than 4H for fat Stewart. “You’ve got to keep them cover and keeping them a little bit moving to achieve high weight longer ensures a better killing-out gain and get them away as quickpercentage,” he points out. ly as possible.”

The key to achieving this Health is also vitally important to high level of performance is the use ensure good performance and all of superior Charolais sires in their cattle are vaccinated for worms, own herd of 110 cows, most of fluke and pneumonia at housing. which are Simmental cross with a Quality has always been the few Limousin cross, and the careful name of the game at Culfork and selection of Charolais cross stores, cattle from the farm used to do most of which are sourced either in An impressive group of finished well when shown at Thainstone Orkney or at Thainstone Centre.

Charolais cross bulls ready Centre or in carcase shows.

“Buying the cattle right is for slaughter Stores are now purchased all the important,” says Stewart. “We try to year round and fast-finished over three or four months. buy cattle with a bit of potential and outcome and not too “Ad lib feeding has certainly helped us achieve lean. Cattle that will go on and grow quickly from the day better performance and increase our annual throughput they come home.” by a third,” says Gordon. “We are achieving a satisfactory And the Walker’s don’t scrimp on buying the best margin at present but, with costs increasing all the time, it when it comes to selecting stock bulls for their own herd. is absolutely vital that returns for finished cattle remain at One of the current stock bulls, Clinterty Uranium, by the least around the present level.”

French sire, Jumper, bred by Brian Buchan, Clinterty, New Stewart enjoys nothing better than sitting in his Aberdour, was purchased at Perth for 7500gns and the front room of a summer evening watching his cattle graze other, Balthayock Reuben, by Dingle Hofmeister, bred by contentedly. Little wonder that he has named his house Major D H Walter, Balthayock, Perth, cost 5000gns when “Charolais View”! purchased at the Conglass suckler herd dispersal at Fast Growth Rates