The second phase of the Teagasc Green Acres Calf to Beef Programme was launched in April 2019 and Pat Collins, Green Acres calf to beef participant joins Catherine Egan to give an update on his progress. 

Located just outside Castlemartyr, Co. Cork, Pat operates a mixed farming system, consisting of 28ha of leased grassland and a tillage enterprise. 

Having first ventured into calf rearing in 2017, with the purchase of 50 calves, numbers have grown considerably since. All of the calves are sourced from local dairy herds and this reduces the calves’ exposure to disease. 

Initially, Pat operated a calf to store system, with animals sold to meet rising demand from grass buyers. Over recent years, Pat has invested heavily in grassland. As some of the ground was previously under tillage, a large degree of reseeding has been undertaken with high-yielding perennial ryegrass varieties.

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The Beef Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.