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Dennis Mitchell runs the family business at
Station Farm, Thursford, Fakenham in Norfolk
on behalf of the Mitchell Partnership Family
Trust, and trust is exactly what they have put in
Simmental for many years.
120 Simmental cows are split into
two calving groups, half from
mid January until the end of March and the back-end group
from mid August until October. The enterprise runs on 260
acres of mostly meadow type grass (poor quality ground) with
75% of the grass in Stewardship Schemes. Straw is sourced
locally on a straw in and muck out agreement.
350 tons of grass silage and 700 tons of maize silage are
produced annually. The herd is run commercially but most
of
the cows are Pedigree Registered. 10% of heifers are retained
annually and the herd is relatively young.
All cows are over
wintered on a TMR.
Spring calving cows - calves are weaned
in the middle
of September, creep is introduced when the calves are two
months old, it is a 16% protein finishing blend and maize
silage
is fed after weaning. Last year’s spring bull calves
averaged
400kg with a top of 430kg dead weight, coming to an average
of £1075 and a top of £1204, all were away before
they were
13 months old. Heifer calves are also weaned in September,
and then over wintered on a TMR containing grass and maize
silage, minerals and protein balancer.
Autumn calving cows - bull calves weaned
at the end of March at 7-8 months old then
finished on the same finishing blend and
maize silage, the silage intake is 7-8kg per
head per day.
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Heifers are also weaned in March, turned out
onto grass then over
wintered the following year in open yards on the same ration
as
spring born heifers.
The autumn bull calves are always slightly
heavier and also younger
than the spring born bulls when slaughtered.
3 or 4 bulls
are retained every year and brought out for breeding.
Some Heifers are sold privately off the farm.
Bulls are traded
through H G Blake of Norwich. Live cattle are
traded through Newark market with the majority at one sale
in
the spring. Sale toppers from last year’s spring store
sales included
10 yearling heifers @ £1050,
10 of 14 month old heifers@ £1350
The minerals used
at Station farm are specific to the farm to
balance any deficiencies in the grass.
The herd is in the SAC cattle health scheme
but they do not routinely vaccinate for anything other than
regulatory blue tongue.
All females over 6 months
are treated with a pulse
release bolus and copper
and selenium boluses
before going to the grass
and then dosed for fluke
at housing and a low cost
mectin wormer two weeks
after housing.
The system is simple
and profitable or as
Dennis says “the cows
keep me, not me
keeping the cows.”
“As either a terminal
sire or for breeding
replacements the
Simmental ticks all the
boxes.”
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