The event was organized by Teagasc in collaboration with ABP Food Group, and the farm was described as “one of the most profitable lactation systems in the country”, according to Teagasc.
The farm system delivers approximately €4,500/ha of beef production while maintaining strict cost control to achieve a net pre-premium margin of €1,457/ha.
The farm’s lactating herd includes more than 50 high-performance lactating cows along with 230 mid-season ewes.
His suckler herd is built around Simmental and Limousin genetics, with the breeding focusing strongly on fertility, milk and carcass quality.
The farm participates in the Teagasc Future Beef programme, has fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and was described as “the perfect setting on a sunny evening” for the event held on the farm last Friday.
The evening’s discussions included an overview of the farm’s production, focusing on how Pringle achieved an impressive net profit of over €1,450 per hectare.
The farm brings all the offspring and herd to completion.
Lambs are slaughtered at Irish Country Meats (ICM) and bulls and young heifers produced on the farm are slaughtered on the ABP through Beef Advantage Program.
Other discussions during the farm walk included:
- biodiversity;
- management of replacement cows;
- Re-seeding
- grassland management;
- Cow type and breeding;
- Sheep project management;
- Finishing beef.
The beef finishing station on the farm walk displayed an impressive shed of bulls under 16 months of age in the final stage of finishing.
The final talk of the evening was a final presentation by John Kelly from ABP Waterford, who gave a practical demonstration of selecting suitable animals for slaughter and the carcass specifications required.
He also discussed the Advantage Beef program that John Pringle is a part of and how he qualifies for an additional program 20c/kg sustainability bonus on qualified livestock in addition to advice and support available to farmers from the service team.
Pringle also recently bought a new bull stock and received €500 through ABP Bull Improvement Initiative.
The event then ended with a burger and chips sponsored by ABP to conclude the evening.
Farmers with any questions about the Advantage Beef program can contact any of the ABP Advantage team or the nearest ABP plant outlet.
