Maximising grass ulilisation at Newford

‘Breeding efficient and profitable sucklers’ was the theme of the open day at the Newford suckler demonstration farm in Scrine, Co. Roscommon. The day marked the first event since the Newford suckler herd relocated from Athenry at the end of 2023 and farmers from neighbouring counties were keen to see the livestock, as well as the management practices on this top-tier commercial farm.
According to Teagasc, the 90-cow suckler calf-to-beef demonstration herd has continued to pursue its core aims: compact, AI-based breeding; efficient profitable finishing of heifers and steers at a young age; and practical on-farm measures to reduce emissions and enhance biodiversity through the Future Beef and Signpost programmes.
Teagasc published a series of papers to coincide with the Newford farm open day. Here, we focus on a paper written by Peter Doyle, Catherine Egan, and Michael Fagan from Teagasc on how how grass utilisation and animal performance are maximised at the commercial farm.

Grass to the max

Newford farm’s grazing platform is divided into two blocks: 53.1 hectares (ha) on the home block, and an out farm comprising 21.8ha. In 2025, it produced an impressive 12t DM/ha of pasture using 170kg N/ha (138 units N/acre). Grazed grass continues to offer the cheapest source of feed, despite rising fertiliser costs, and maximum grass utilisation is acheived at Newford in a number of ways, the authors explain: “This is achieved by turning stock out as early as conditions allow, maintaining sward quality throughout the season, and building grass covers in autumn to extend grazing while still ensuring an adequate supply for early spring.”
They point out that grass production on many commercial farms still falls behind that achieved at Newford – the data from Teagasc states that 6.5t DM/ha is being achieved on the former, while 12t DM/ha is being grown on the latter.
The authors continue: “Increasing herbage production and utilisation can be achieved through improved soil fertility, better grazing infrastructure, vigorous perennial ryegrass swards, and the incorporation of clover.”

Fertility is the foundation

As we know, soil fertility is the foundation for grass production and the Teagasc authors note that soil testing regularly is an essential task that must be carried out. They write: “Correcting soil pH is particularly important, as lime application on acidic soils can increase grass production by 1-1.5t DM/ha annually – that is the equivalent of five to 10 additional bales of silage per hectare – from a relatively low-cost investment (approximately €70/ha).”
The slurry at Newford, they write, is targeted towards fields with low phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels, particularly silage ground where nutrient offtake is highest. Good grazing infrastructure is essential for efficient grass utilisation and with this in mind, the water troughs are centrally located to allow paddocks to be easily subdivided, improving grazing control and enabling practices such as back-fencing. Additionally, all paddocks have multiple access points and farm roadway access to move cattle easily between paddocks and back to the farmyard.

Clover use

Clover, the Teagasc authors write, plays a central role in reducing reliance on chemical nitrogen at Newford, while maintaining high levels of grass production. Clover has been established across 94 per cent of the grazing area there. Not only does this impact grass growth, but animal performance is also influenced by clover. The Teagasc authors write: “Research from Teagasc Grange shows that incorporating white clover into swards can improve animal performance, increasing weaning weights by approximately 14kg and carcass weights by 10-14kg compared to grass-only systems."

Silage

Another important animal performance factor is silage quality and in 2025, silage quality at Newford ranged from 67 per cent to 80 per cent DMD. The authors write: “The higher quality silage was prioritised for weanlings and replacement heifers, while lower DMD silage (67 per cent DMD) was fed to suckler cows pre-calving. Producing high-quality silage reduces the quantity of concentrate supplementation required during the first winter, while supporting target daily gains of 0.6 kg/head/day for weanlings.” At Newford, a fodder budget is completed annually to ensure there are sufficient winter feed supplies.

Driving performance from grass

The final section of the Teagasc paper highlighted the contribution of grass to liveweight gain. The authors write that in 2025, animal performance at grass averaged 0.97kg/head/day for steers, and 0.77kg/head/day for heifers. Weanlings reached a 200-day weight of 310kg for males and 292kg for females. In 2025, the grazing season at Newford began on February 1 with the turnout of 39 yearling heifers. This year was delayed due to weather and on March 3, 36 yearlings were turned out.