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Castlewellan Group

Monitor Farmer: John Milligan Castlewellan

Group activities and results

Farm Details

  • Farm Size – 75ha (185 acres)
  • Land owned – 69 ha (170 acres)
  • Land rented – 6ha (15.5 acres)
  • Farmed in three blocks with 89 acres farmed at main yard, 81 acres farmed at Finnis, Dromara and 15 acres in Camlough.
  • Farm is using range of reseeding and sward improvement methods to improve grass and clover quality.
  • Farm has benchmarked 2004 - 2008 and in the top 25%.
  • Stocking rate 1.58 CE/ha.
  • Farm situated at approx. 530ft above sea level.
  • Farm is in Countryside Management Scheme and has had major work carried out on hedge planting and restoration.
Carnreagh map
Main Farm - Carnreagh Road                     Lower Carnreagh Road Farm
Field No. Area Ha Area Acres          Field No. Area Ha Area Acres
1 2.86 7.06 1 3.29 8.13
2a 1.21 2.99 3 1.04 2.57
2b 0.86 2.12 4 0.48 1.19
3 2.26 5.58 5 2.33 5.76
4 3.16 7.81 9 0.32 0.79
5 3.46 8.55 10 0.11 0.27
6 1.39 3.43 11 0.18 0.44
7 1.29 3.19
8a 2.09 5.16
8b 0.05 0.12
9 1.12 2.77
10 1.74 4.30
11 0.41 1.01
12 0.53 1.31
13 2.35 5.80
15 0.64 1.58
16 1.48 3.66
17 0.41 1.01

Finnis

Outfarm - Drin Road, Finnis
Field No. Area Ha Area Acres
1 2.33 5.76
2 0.39 0.96
3 1.98 4.89
4 0.87 2.15
5 1.80 4.45
6 1.03 2.54
7 2.23 5.51
8 0.95 2.35
9 1.40 3.46
10 0.84 2.07
11 2.93 7.24
12 2.48 6.13
13 2.01 4.96
14 1.01 2.49
15 2.16 5.34
18 2.91 7.19
20 2.39 5.90
21 1.95 4.82
42 0.19 0.47
43 0.10 0.25

Stock Details

Cattle
  • 60 cows suckler producing stores and finished beef.
  • Replacements are a mix of home-bred heifers and purchased heifers.
  • Purchased a new Limousin stock bull with the intention of breeding all replacement heifers from within herd.
  • Purchases 15-20 calves each year for multi sucking to improve output/cow. Calves are mainly Hereford cross.
  • Cattle finished through ABP Newry.
  • Steers killed at 24 months – av. 354kg.
  • Heifers killed at 22 months – av 292kg
  • Bulls killed at 15 months – av. 361kg.
  • Focus is on getting as much liveweight from grass.
  • 2009 cattle were turned out to grass in late February.
Sheep
  • Sheep enterprise has 220 ewes.
  • Ewes served with Texel and Rouge rams.
  • Lambing percentage running @ 1.68 lambs/ewe born.
  • Lambs sold to ABP Lurgan through Antrim lamb group

Grassland management

  • Grazing management varies throughout year depending on grass supply and weather conditions.
  • Grazing mixed between paddocks and set stocking on out-farms.
  • Soil samples are regularly taken to monitor pH. Ground is limed if falls below pH6 to try and maintain clover.
  • Reseeding has been carried out for last 3 years with 15-20 acres done annually.
  • Ground is normally autumn reseeded and carried out using glyphosate spray and einbock drill.
  • Grassland costs have reduced over past 2 years by £1000 due to better response from fertiliser and better use of slurry.
  • Grass varieties used on farm include:
    • Crusader, Alice, Barblanca – White Clovers.
    • Dunluce & Spelga - Intermediate Ryegrass.
    • Tyrella, Pastour, Navan – Late Perennial Ryegrass
  • Cattle grazed in paddocks and have been strip grazed with calves creep grazing ahead of cows.
  • Summer & Autumn 2008, no fertiliser applied, yet stock grazed into December.