Average family income on cattle-rearing farms revealed
The results of the survey were released today (June 23), with approximately 15,675 cattle rearing farms represented in the survey.
According to the NFS, the average family farm income (FFI) on cattle rearing farms was €13,547, up 93% year-on-year. The survey found that suckler cow production is the dominant enterprise on these farms.
The table below outlines the different components in FFI on cattle rearing farms in 2024:
Source: Teagasc National Farm Survey
Teagasc believes that lower production costs contributed to the improved economic performance on these farms.
Participation in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), the National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS), and Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) also helped to underpin the improvement in incomes.
The table below outlines the average indicators on cattle rearing farms in 2024:
Source: Teagasc National Farm Survey
On individual cost items, expenditure on fertiliser declined by 30% to €2,352 on average. The data indicates that there has been some increase in usage on a per hectare basis.
The NFS found that spending on bulky feed declined, while expenditure on concentrates at €4,131 remained relatively stable compared to 2023.
Contracting expenditure increased by 9% to €4,466 on average, livestock and veterinary costs remained generally stable at €2,368, while other costs increased by 7% to €1,827.
According to the survey, overhead costs on the average cattle-rearing farm fell in 2024 to €18,937.
The table below outlines the distribution in cattle-rearing FFI between 2022 and 2024.
Source: Teagasc National Farm Survey
Teagasc noted that on 48% of cattle-rearing farms, the holder also worked off-farm in 2024.
Cattle other
Elsewhere, there were approximately 35,823 'cattle other' farms represented in the survey in 2024, with an average income of €18,101. This represents a 32% increase on the 2023 level.
Cattle finishing is the dominant enterprise on these farms.
Teagasc found that the average output value per cattle other farm was relatively unchanged in 2024 at €61,387, due to a reduction in production value.
The table below outlines the different components in FFI on 'cattle other' farms in 2024:
Source: Teagasc National Farm Survey
The NFS found that the proportion of farms reporting an FFI below €5,000 decreased to 20%, down 21 percentage points compared to 2023.
The proportion of 'cattle other' farms with an FFI of between €5,000 and €10,000 increased by 11 percentage points to 25%.
Meanwhile, farms reporting an FFI of between €10,000 and €20,000 increased from 19% to 25% year-on-year, and the proportion reporting income in the €20,000 to €50,000 category increased to 23% in 2024.
There was a four percentage point increase in the proportion of 'cattle other' farms earning more than €50,000, at 8%, on average in 2024.
As in other farm systems in 2024, total costs declined on cattle other farms compared to 2023, with a reduction in both direct and overhead costs.
On average, production costs declined by 8%, and overhead costs declined by 14%.
Spending on fertiliser declined by 24% to €3,208 on average, while nitrogen usage was down compared to 2023.
Contracting related costs increased by 14% year-on-year to €4,825, on average. Expenditure relating to livestock and veterinary averaged €2,384, down slightly on the 2023 level.
The table below outlines the concentrate feed use per livestock unit on 'cattle other' farms in 2024:
Source: Teagasc National Farm Survey
The average utilised agricultural area on 'cattle other' farms in 2024 was 32ha.
Livestock numbers were also down, by 5%, while the gross margin per hectare increased by 6% in 2024 to €1,193.
In terms of the overall population of 'cattle other' farms, approximately 3%of farms fall into the greater than 100ha size category, with 12% in the 50-100ha bracket, and a further 19% in the 30-50ha category.
According to Teagasc, about 21% of 'cattle other' farms were in the 20-30ha category, with the remaining 44% comprising farms of less than 20ha.
Teagasc noted that 56% of 'cattle other' farm holders also worked off farm in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
a day ago
- Agriland
What are the economic and environmental gains from lime application?
Why the application of Grolime is both an economic and environmental win. Increasing soil pH of an acidic soil through the application of lime delivers a major reduction in nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions, improves grassland productivity and provides a cost-effective route to greater farm profitability. In current farming practices, where reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is now a key objective for Irish farmers, the application of Grolime is an efficient and reliable route to enhanced sustainability. In addition to being licenced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), all certified Grolime suppliers undergo twice yearly testing for total neutralising value, moisture value, and grading. That is why sourcing agricultural lime through a certified Grolime supplier is so crucial. Research from Teagasc shows that maintaining higher soil pH levels reduces N 2 O emissions by up to 39%. Soil acidity is recognised as the 'master variable' given its ability to control nutrient availability and microbial activity in the soil, along with its direct impact on the levels of N 2 O emitted from the soil. Research demonstrates that gaseous emissions increase when soil pH drops to between 6.0 and 6.2. In addition, essential nutrients, including phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) become less available to the plant when soil pH falls to such levels. Correcting soil pH also generates an improvement in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) from 35% to 53% where P and K is sub-optimal in the soil. Building on the previously mentioned environmental benefits, liming acidic soils can release up to 70 kg N/ha/year from the soil's organic nitrogen reserves. While this is also considered an environmental gain, it has the added advantage of reducing the need for chemical fertilisers, thereby lowering costs - equivalent to the value of a bag of urea per acre. As Denis Griffin of Ardfert Quarry Products, a certified Grolime supplier put it: 'In monetary terms, a farmer would have to spend approximately €100/ha/year of chemical fertiliser to achieve that 70kg N/ha/year, whereas using 5t of lime/ha over five years costs €35/ha/year. "This is based on the assumption that the soil is at optimal pH and subsequently maintained at this level.' In the case of grass clover swards, research has proven that increasing soil pH from 5.5 up to 6.8 by liming generates up to 1.4 additional tonnes of dry matter (DM)/ha. Therefore, spending money on lime to correct and maintain soil pH also makes economic sense, with Teagasc estimating a return of €6-€10 for every €1 invested in lime. Balanced soil fertility and improved NUE go hand-in-hand as limed soils drain more efficiently. This drainage helps to prevent soil compaction and creates better conditions for root growth and biological activity. Lime also plays a key role in the soil's physical structure, fertility and biological activity. Good soil structure is characterised by the presence of small, rounded aggregates or peds - clumps of particles bound by the action of soil constituents, including clay particles, organic matter and cations including calcium. Stabilising these peds improves porosity, in turn improving water movement through the soil, reducing nutrient run-off and leaching. However, lime must only be applied according to soil test results, as liming too much too soon can create new problems when it comes to nutrient lock-up and loss. Soil analysis reports are valid for four years. Grolime delivers the desired environment for optimum soil performance during each and every application and represents the best long-term investment that farmers can make when it comes to soil health.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Agriland
The importance of measuring crude protein levels in pig feed
According to Teagasc, pig prices took a "huge hit" this past month, with an unprecedented 20 cent/kg drop over a fortnight. In its latest Pig Newsletter, Teagasc said: "While it could be argued that the first 10 cent/kg drop was a realigning of Irish pig price with the European one, but the second 10 cent/kg drop a week later is really difficult to explain". "This was a massive blow to a sector that is still recovering from being on its knees less than two years ago." Also in the newsletter, Teagasc described how it has been analysing cereals for over a year as part of its feed and feedstuffs analysis programme for the pig sector. The results of the analysis has shown a consistent decrease in crude protein in the 2023 and 2024 barley and wheat harvests,with the variations outlined in the table below. Source: Teagasc This led Teagasc to query what is taking the place of the crude protein in wheat and barley. The newsletter highlighted that whilst the sum of the other nutrients does increase with crude protein, so far fat, fibre, ash and sugar do not seem to follow a similar predictable pattern. However, Teagasc pointed out their analysis indicates that that dry matter and starch content do seem to have a closer link to crude protein levels, as shown in the table below. Source: Teagasc According to Teagasc, this is because less moisture in the grain allows more space for nutrients. In addition, the lower the protein in the cereal the higher the starch. Teagasc said: "As wheat and barley are bought mainly for their starch content, this isn't a bad outcome." "However, additional starch doesn't necessarily mean that the energy of an ingredient is higher." The newsletter highlighted that protein is also a contributor to the energy of a cereal, which means that barley with 8% crude protein could potentially have the same energy as barley with 11% crude protein when incorporated into a diet. As higher concentrate protein levels usually result in increased purchase cost per tonne of feed, this can affect profitability on farm. For example, in a case where barley is 60% of the diet, using the 8% crude barley vs an 11% crude protein barley would lead to a decrease of 1.8% dietary crude protein with little or no energy decrease, according to the newsletter. Teagasc said this example shows that as pigs eat to energise, farmers may be under or oversupplying protein to them. The Teagasc research highlighted how diet consistency can vary, even when using the same formulation. In one example, two finisher diets made to the same recipe just 10 days apart showed crude protein levels of 14.6% and 17.3%, while lysine levels were measured at 1.04% and 1.16%, respectively. The target lysine level was the average of these two. As synthetic lysine accounted for 42% of the total dietary lysine in these two diets, its addition helped buffer the impact of the crude protein inclusion on lysine availability. The newsletter also highlighted that the two diets had identical energy content. This meant that while the pigs consumed similar amounts of feed each week, those receiving the second batch had significantly more crude protein. According to Teagasc: "While pigs may still perform adequately on the 14.6% crude protein diet, the 17.3% batch represents a potential overspend. "In fact, this difference could amount to an estimated cost of €3.50/t - highlighting the importance of consistent diet mixing and regular feed testing."
Agriland
4 days ago
- Agriland
Opinion: What constitutes an Irish tillage farmer must be clearly defined
The recent income projections calculated by Teagasc highlight the need to clearly define what constitutes the term 'an Irish tillage farmer'. The current scenario allows for livestock income from subsidiary livestock enterprises to be included within a tillage enterprise assessment. And herein lies the problem. The projected increase in tillage incomes published by Teagasc can be entirely attributed to the increase in cattle prices recorded over recent months. So what about the 4,000 Irish tillage farmers whose enterprises are centred entirety on the growing of crops? They are now looking at a scenario within which they have no option but to absorb the 10% reduction in international grain prices, recorded over the past year. And it doesn't take Albert Einstein to work out that their incomes will be impacted accordingly. So the question arises: should Teagasc and, for that matter, the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) introduce a new and additional tillage definition which recognises those farmers that grow crops exclusively? It is an issue that has much more than abstract farm income assessments linked to it. For example, over the coming weeks the government will be finalising its plans linked to Budget 2026. It would be very easy for ministers to take a peripheral look at the recent Teagasc income assessments, and conclude that the tillage sector is on an upward economic trajectory. In reality, however, very large numbers of farmers who commit to solely growing crops are continuing to make more than significant losses. This is the real story of Irish tillage in 2025. Moreover, it is on the basis of such assessments that decisions to support - or not to support - the tillage sector will be made. And this principle is equally relevant for the upcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) review as it is for Budget 2026. Ireland's Climate Change Act contains a fundamental commitment to expand the footprint of the tillage sector. The target that has been set is a cropping area of 400,000ha by 2030. However, we are still some 70,000ha short of this projection. And, at the end of the day, it is those farmers committed to the growing of crops only who have the wherewithal to expand the tillage sector. They have the equipment and genuine know how to make this happen in the most efficient way possible. It would make absolute sense for government to recognise this fundamental reality.
