Hereford and Angus crosses will make a very profitable calf-to-beef contribution
Hereford and Aberdeen Angus-bred animals represent 35% of all the calves born to dairy dams in Ireland.
Significantly, heifers of this breed type can be finished at between 19 months and 21 months with steers brought through for slaughter at either 21 months or 23 months-of-age.
All these timeframes confirm the opportunity to maximise grazed grass intakes with early spring-born calves.
Avoiding the need for a second winter feeding period within any calf-to-beef system helps reduce costs while, at the same time, maximising the margin that can be generated from early maturing cattle.
Management of systems