Agriculture Videos

Future Beef Farmer Ken Gill Outlines His Organic Suckling System

Ken Gill, an organic beef and tillage farmer in County Offaly, outlines his "organic suckling" system, raising 60‑70 cows annually and finishing them on grass alone at two years of age. He operates on roughly 90 acres, integrating oats into the rotation, and relies solely on on‑farm slurry and occasional chicken litter for fertilization. The core of his profitability lies in three pillars: precise grassland management, strategic breeding, and rigorous health planning. He divides fields into 3‑4 acre paddocks and employs a leader‑follower grazing sequence—young weanlings first, followed by steers, then cows—to achieve optimal grass use. Red clover dominates the winter feed mix for steers, eliminating the need for supplemental meals, while targeted bull selection and early‑calving heifers have lifted his replacement index. Gill highlights practical measures such as constructing a high‑airflow calf shed after respiratory issues and limiting worm treatments to a single dose after the first year, thanks to the preventive focus of organic standards. He notes that 90% of his herd was first calved at two years, and lepto vaccination remains the only vaccine required, keeping veterinary costs well below conventional averages. The system demonstrates that organic beef can be both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. By maximizing on‑farm resources, minimizing external inputs, and emphasizing preventive health, Gill’s model offers a replicable blueprint for producers seeking low‑input, high‑margin livestock operations.