Making the most of grass, planning winter forage ahead of time and focusing on heifers are three non-negotiables for a profitable suckler business this year and longer-term.
In episode seven of the Wynnstay Agri-hub podcast, Tony and I discuss what suckler beef businesses should focus on to enable profitability. Although input costs are unprecedentedly high, the current price of beef is buoyant, with good cull cow, finishing and store beef prices.
With another lambing season fast approaching, or even underway for some, thoughts turn to how to ensure an efficient and profitable year. How taking tips from competitor markets, can help to ride the storm of a potentially challenging, and expensive, 2022.
Here are few areas to focus on in the build-up and during this year’s lambing season.
The nutrition of the ewe is key in achieving an optimum body condition score (BCS) at tupping, ensuring high levels of fertility, and a maximum lamb crop next season. It can take up to 6 weeks to increase a ewes BCS by one point, therefore it is important to act sooner rather than later.
Whether lambs will be retained for breeding or finishing, it is imperative that they have the correct balance of trace elements in order to thrive. The 4 key trace elements needed for optimal performance are Selenium, Cobalt, Iodine and Zinc. All these trace elements are contained within the ‘Wynnstay Lamb Bolus’, or alternatively if lambs only require Cobalt, then the ‘Wynnstay Cobalt B12’ bolus is a suitable alternative.
Rigorous and sustained adoption by farmers of an established disease management protocol is what’s needed to reduce the incidence of sheep lameness on many UK farms.
In mid-season lambing flocks, the aim is to get lambs to 32 to 42kg as soon as possible, capitalising on early feed conversion efficiency (FCE). Investing in early nutrition to capitalise on this early growth potential will pay dividends.
With the fortnight of Eid celebrations commencing in mid-July, those who lambed early to mid-March need to get lambs finished quickly to ensure they don’t miss market opportunities.
The treatment of your slurry lagoons is highly important for any farmer. Incorporating a good management plan to oversee this process is just as important for the farmer manager to keep up with to ensure slurry is managed safely. Within the Wynnstay Slurry guide, we look at the 3 steps for the treatment of a slurry lagoon.
Liver fluke can cause significant issues in both sheep and cattle. The risk varies throughout the year, meaning different approaches are needed to manage the challenges.
Fertility is the key driver in all flocks as the number of lambs reared will infl uence the farms profitability. Ensure both ewes and rams are in a good Body Condition Score (BCS) prior to tupping (3.5). Remember it can take up to six weeks to increase a ewes BCS by one condition score.
