Blog: how will the lack of grass affect how you finish your animals?

The UK has experienced its driest summer in decades and many livestock producers are questioning whether this could become a more regular occurrence. Learning to manage drier conditions to build future resilience is one thing, but how do you get the most from this year’s lamb crop? Steve Powdrill, AHDB’s Beef & Lamb Technical Manager investigates.

With a shortage of available forage and grassland following the dry summer on top of rising feed and fertiliser costs, it’s expected that some livestock producers may be under pressure to send their lambs or cattle for slaughter under-finished this season. 

The way for livestock producers to maximise their returns from their animals is to produce and sell what their buyers really want and are willing to pay the most money for. Careful handling and management is needed to ensure each animal has reached its full potential and meets target specifications. However, the lack of grass this year will have an adverse effect on meeting these ideal weights.

Under-finished cattle or lambs sent to slaughter will potentially have a lower killing-out percentage, lower yield and therefore lower value. Classification will also suffer, conformation will be lower as well as fat cover, resulting in poorer returns to the producer. In some cases, where the carcase is lacking a covering of fat, almost the entire carcase will be minced.

So, what are the options?

Producers are encouraged to plan ahead and discuss available options with their farm team to enable cost-effective decisions and solutions to suit their individual farm circumstances. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the issue, but with the use of our AHDB tools and resources we are here to help you to make the best decision.  

Outwintering: Outwintering livestock may be a viable option for some farmers who are low on cut silage or hay. However, be aware of the potential negative impact that this may have on grass availability in the spring.

Outwintering livestock guide: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/outwintering-livestock-on-brassica-and-forage-crops 

Planning grazing strategies manual: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/planning-grazing-strategies-for-better-returns

Finishing livestock: You can still sell your livestock and accept that they will not meet the target specification.

Feeding growing and finishing cattle for Better Returns: https://projectblue.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Beef%20&%20Lamb/BR_FeedingGrowingFinishingCattle-WEB.pdf  

Growing and finishing lambs for Better Returns: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/growing-and-finishing-lambs-for-better-returns

Buy in additional feed: Buying in extra feed is one option to get your animals to their target weight but be sure to work out the cost of feed versus what your returns will be.

Analyse your forage: The feed and forage calculator is a simple tool that can be used to calculate feed demand by entering livestock numbers and available feed. It can be used to highlight any deficits so decisions can be made early https://ahdb.org.uk/feed-and-forage-calculator 

Carcase classification: think about your potential customers and their specific requirements; by understanding the market, you can target your stock to optimise your returns. Carcase classification is a common language that enables the supply chain to trade and is linked to payment. Improvements in breeding and grassland management have led to animals being ready earlier than in the past, so you might be surprised. The key issues producers face when marketing prime lambs/prime beef are covered in these manuals:

Marketing prime lamb: https://projectblue.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Imported%20Publication%20Docs/Marketing%20prime%20lamb%20for%20better%20returns.pdf   

Marketing prime beef: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/marketing-prime-beef   

Beef carcase classification: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/beef-carcase-classification