Bookings are now open for the Deeside Monitor Farm summer meeting on Tuesday 16 July, with visitors set to discuss forage and finishing cattle among other key topics.
The meeting, which is open to anyone in agriculture, will see Monitor Farmers Duncan and Claire Morrison take a close look at their system and costs for finishing bulls. July is a key month for finishing beef cattle off grass; grass quality and quantity begins to decline while cattle weights need to increase, so Duncan and Claire will be discussing ‘Is finishing bulls at grass better or worse financially than finishing intensively?’
They will be joined by four industry speakers:
Gregor Welsh from SoilEssentials will be talking about the SKAi precision spot-spraying system. This is being demonstrated at Duncan and Claire’s Upper Ingliston Farm, where it could help tackle docks while protecting mixed species swards and reducing spray costs
Lanarkshire farmer, Michael Shannon will be discussing how he finishes all his cattle off grass and forage crops, plus how he markets his livestock through his shop under the Damn Delicious brand
where cattle might need a nutritional boost to finish, Jill Hunter, beef and sheep nutritionist for Harbro, will discuss the options, how finishing cattle can be managed at grass, and how best to transition onto feed
the buyer’s perspective on finished cattle will come from Highland Meats buyer, Stuart Annand. He will explain what he looks for in finishing cattle, and how farmers can optimise the price they receive
Peter Beattie, Monitor Farm regional adviser, said: “This will be a great meeting for all producers, especially those finishing cattle, with a real focus on cost, efficiency and producing what buyers want. Duncan and Claire will be discussing figures from their own business, and it will be really interesting to see how the costs stack up in reality.”
The meeting starts at 12.30pm, and finishes at 3.30pm, with a BBQ to follow. Booking is essential. All visitors are asked to come with clean cars, footwear and clothing for biosecurity reasons, and to car share wherever possible to help with limited parking.
Deeside Monitor Farm Summer open meeting; Tuesday 16 July, 12.30pm for a 1pm start, 3.30pm finish then BBQ at Upper Ingliston Farm, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 0LE. Booking: https://www.monitorfarms.co.uk/event/deeside-monitor-farm-summer-24-open-meet/