Beef and sheep farm striving for 365 days outside

The latest in a series of farm walks organised by the Nature Friendly Farming Network in partnership with Danske Bank saw Downpatrick beef and sheep farmer Dale Orr outline the challenges and opportunities associated with running a low input organic system in Northern Ireland.

Historically the Orr farm was predominantly arable until it moved to organic over 20 years ago. It comprises 330 acres (133.5 hectares) of owned land located in a 1km radius around the main farm yard.

The main aim of the farm is to produce as much meat as possible from grass, with zero concentrates and no nitrogen fertiliser inputs. The farm runs 40 suckler cows and 260 pure-bred Lleyn breeding ewes, with all progeny either retained for replacements or finished on farm.

Typically, livestock are fed brassica and silage for a part of the winter, with Dale hoping to move towards 365 days outside by using hay bales rolled out across the field.

A feed fence will be used in order to reduce the amount of soil exposed in the winter months and limiting potential run-off.

The farm is working on a stocking rate of 1.34 livestock units per hectare, with Dale explaining that a reduction from 1.6 is to allow some added flexibility in the system as he moves towards his 365-day target.

He said profitability of the farm is not related to his stocking rate, as more animals above a certain threshold result in increased costs and negative margins.

The farm participates in the ABP prism scheme, with results from a carbon audit showing a footprint of 17kg carbon dioxide equivalents per kg of beef, which is 49% of the UK average beef figure at present.

Dale intends lowering his figure even more by displacing the black plastic in round bales of silage by utilising hay that is treated with a preservative.

The suckler herd on the Orr farm is mainly based on a two-breed rotation using traditional breeds Aberdeen Angus and Hereford, with the average cow weight at 650kg.

An Angus sire is being used at present and will be kept for a number of years before being replaced with a Hereford.

This system has been selected to achieve hybrid vigour on farm to maximise performance from grass as no concentrates are fed to cattle.

Replacement heifers are artificially inseminated for ease of calving but also to increase genetic biodiversity, with Speckle Park, Shorthorn and Galloways used in the past. Docility is a key selection criteria for livestock.

“Animals need to be quiet to allow being handled when working on our own and ultimately we need an animal that can produce meat from grass and grass alone,” Dale said.

Calving on the farm mostly occurs over a four-week period commencing around mid-March with the aim to get cows and calves out to grass the next day after calving as cattle accommodation is limited on the farm.

Heifers are finished on farm between 22 and 24 months, averaging 300kg carcase achieving O+/R- conformation, while steers are retained a little longer at 26 to 28 months averaging 360kg carcase weight. Steers achieve slightly better grades than heifers.

Dale explained he is getting a premium for organic beef but this does not change in line with the standard payment grid.

“At present we are getting 750p/kg for an R grading animal. The system can make a profit, with 2024 benchmarked cost of production at 585p/kg of beef produced,” he said.

To aid clover establishment and maximise grass growth on the farm, Dale tries to keep soil pH in and around 6.3 to 6.5.

The main permanent pasture is white clover leys, while there is also some red clover which is generally grown for silage production. There is also some sheep grazing of red clover swards pre-lambing to ensure ewes get sufficient protein in their diet.

Reseeding in this organic system is completed by using oats grown alongside red clover and perennial ryegrass.

Oats are a natural weed suppressant, allowing grass and red clover to establish easily in a sward.

The red clover swards are very productive, on average producing 14t dry matter per hectare across the farm.

Dale said: “Lambs thrive on these red clover swards at 250g/day in the autumn. I aim to cut red clover when 50% of clover in a paddock is flowering, cutting down to 5cm height. Clover on the farm has the potential to fix 240kgN/ha of nitrogen, which is the equivalent of £92/acre.”

Cattle are grazing from February onwards on half day paddocks. This leaves paddocks bare at start of April, allowing them to be stitched using an air seed drill to add clover and herbs to paddocks with good results.

Multispecies (MSS) leys were established on the farm in 2018, consisting of perennial ryegrass, white and red clover, chicory and plantain.

In order to establish the benefits of MSS, in 2019 the ewe flock was split equally between grass clover and MSS swards.

Lambs on MSS weighed heavier at four and eight weeks, finished 26 days earlier with 12% faster growth and rates of gain up to 400g per day seen in some cases. Lambs fed MSS were also cleaner going to market in comparison to grass clover swards possibly due to the anthelmintic properties of chicory.

No difference in growth rates have been observed in cattle between these swards but there is more forage to eat in dry weather with the herbal leys.

Soon after establishing MSS, Dale discovered that sheep left behind the perennial ryegrass, with the herbs and clover consumed first due to sheep being more selective grazers of highly palatable plants.

As a result, since 2020 MSS are grown without perennial ryegrass. Dale has designed a MSS to include red and white clover, plantain, lucerne, sheep’s burnet and yarrow with the latter selected to improve trace element consumption in the ewe flock.

MSS are typically grazed in four-day paddocks to 7cm with Dale explaining this ensures that plants remain longer in the sward otherwise the plant will weaken and disappear from the pasture.

Timothy and meadow fescue are added to MSS, with cocksfoot replacing perennial ryegrass across the farm as this deep rooting plant will help to improve carbon sequestration on the farm.

Dale said he is growing more grass than ever before since he moved away from topping fields after grazing.

Instead plants are allowed to go to seed to aid regeneration in fields.

The farm has quite stony land and Dale explained it means the soil has poor water holding capacity.

During the months of June and July swards burn up on the farm, however, since using MSS on some areas of the farm he sees the potential from the deep rooting capacity of the herbal leys.

He explained that he has seen a marked change in soil structure, with these swards seeing reduced waterlogging over the winter.

As part of an AgriSearch-led project in 2023, a Lucerne crop was established with the aim to identify if it could be grown as an alternative protein crop in Northern Ireland.

In 2024, a total silage yield of 12t over 3 cuts was achieved, with individual cuts ranging in crude protein levels between 18 and 21% CP and with high fibre levels. An additional 1t was grazed by sheep in the autumn period.

Dale explained this crop would suit high input systems, where it could be added to a total-mixed ration (TMR) as a protein and fibre source.

“There are benefits due to the deep-rooting nature of Lucerne. It has a 2m rooting depth, so given the farm is prone to drying and burning out in dry conditions it should keep growing throughout the summer to provide livestock with forage and silage,” he said.

“However, it doesn’t cope well with traffic, resulting in the plant dying if trampled on.”