The ICBF Beef Quality Awards, are proudly sponsored by FBD Trust alongside the main meat processors ABP, Ashbourne, Dawn, Foyle, Kepak and Liffey Meats. The awards recognise farmers who are achieving outstanding results through genetics, performance recording and efficient beef production. Meet the six Dairy Beef Finisher winners recognised at the 2026 ICBF Beef Quality Awards and learn more about the systems, breeding decisions and CBV performance behind their success.
Strong Genetics, Family Tradition and Calf Health Drive Dairy-Beef Success in Co. Monaghan
Foyle Dairy Beef Finisher Award winner John Graham discusses how strong breeding decisions, excellent calf management and a shared family passion for farming are delivering profitable dairy-beef cattle in Co. Monaghan.
John Graham from Co. Monaghan was recognised as the Foyle Dairy Beef Finisher Award winner at the ICBF Beef Awards 2026, reflecting the strong performance achieved within the family’s dairy-beef enterprise.
A third-generation farmer, John’s lifelong passion for livestock and breeding has helped shape the family farm into the successful operation it is today. Over the years, he has overseen significant growth on the farm, with the dairy herd expanding from 70 cows to 140 following the abolition of milk quotas. Alongside the dairy enterprise, John and his wife Gail have managed a respected suckler herd, breeding pedigree Limousin cattle under the Glasslough prefix since the 1980s.
John fondly recalls one of his homebred Glasslough bulls being selected to go to Tully when it operated as a young bull testing centre, a highlight that reflected the quality of stock being produced on the farm. Today, John farms in partnership with his son Stephen, a fourth-generation farmer who returned home after studying at Greenmount College. The family operation is a true team effort. John continues to work as an agent for Foyle, while Stephen manages the dairy herd and oversees the feeding of the dairy-beef enterprise. A relief milker also supports the demanding workload, with milking beginning at 6:30am and the day’s work often finishing around 6:00pm.
Family remains central to everything they do. Stephen has two young sons, aged five and seven, who already share the family’s passion for farming. As Stephen explains, “The lads can spot a cow from when she was a calf. They’ll say, ‘Daddy, that cow was the calf from over at Grandad’s.’ I don’t know how they do it.” Their enthusiasm suggests the Graham farming story could yet continue into a fifth generation.
Developing a Dairy-Beef Enterprise
Historically, John sold calves and purchased store cattle, retaining only the dairy heifers required as replacements. However, when Stephen returned from Greenmount, he encouraged the family to take a different approach. Rather than selling the calves born on the farm, the family began keeping them and bringing them through to finishing. A successful dairy-beef system now operates alongside the dairy and suckler enterprises, with a clear focus on producing quality cattle from birth through to slaughter.
Breeding from a Strong Dairy Herd
The foundation of the dairy-beef enterprise is the family’s pedigree Holstein-Friesian herd, managed under the Griggy prefix. The herd is made up of of approximately 75% Holstein and 25% Friesian genetics. A combination of artificial insemination (AI) and homebred Glasslough Limousin stock bulls is used throughout the breeding programme. Sexed semen is used to generate replacement dairy heifers, while beef sires are selected to maximise the value and finishing potential of the resulting dairy-beef progeny.
The introduction of the Smaxtec monitoring system last year has further supported reproductive performance and helped increase the effectiveness of the farm’s sexed semen programme.
When selecting sires for dairy replacements, milk production and milk solids remain the main priorities. Replacement heifers are typically calved between 24 and 26 months of age, helping to maximise productivity within the dairy herd. Stephen is not overly concerned with higher calving difficulty figures. “We’ve used bulls with up to 15% calving difficulty on heifers before with them needing little to no assistance,” Stephen explains. Good body condition management and careful observation around calving help ensure cows come through the period successfully.
Selecting Beef Sires for Finishing Performance
When selecting beef sires, Stephen places significant emphasis on carcase weight, a trait that carries considerable weighting within the Dairy Beef Index (DBI).
The DBI helps dairy farmers identify beef sires capable of producing calves with strong finishing potential. The commercial value of those breeding decisions is subsequently reflected through the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) of the progeny.
Dairy-beef steers in within the Graham herd recorded an average CBV of €231, while dairy-beef heifers averaged €229. Both were €81 ahead of their respective national averages, highlighting the strong genetic merit of cattle being produced on the farm.
Using CBV to Support Cattle Selection
As an agent for Foyle, John occasionally purchases a small number of cattle to finish alongside those bred on the farm. When asked what catches his eye when selecting stock, his answer is straightforward: “Shape, style and size for age.”
Purchased stores are generally around 18 months of age and are typically retained for less than a year before finishing. Although CBV has not historically been a major factor in John’s purchasing decisions, he believes it will become increasingly relevant. “I will be looking at it now,” he says, acknowledging the growing importance of genetic information when identifying animals with strong finishing and profit potential.
The value of higher CBV cattle can be clearly seen in the farm’s finishing performance. Steers in the top CBV third generated €348 more in factory value than those in the bottom third and produced carcasses that were 40kg heavier, averaging 376kg compared with 336kg. They also returned an additional €0.50 per day over their lifetime, achieving €3.56 per day compared with €3.06 per day for the lower CBV group.
A similar trend was evident among the heifers. Heifers in the top third of CBV delivered €235 more in factory value and produced carcasses that were 35kg heavier than those in the bottom third.
These results demonstrate how stronger genetics can translate into heavier carcasses, increased factory returns and improved lifetime profitability.
Calf Health as the Foundation of Performance
A straightforward but effective herd health plan is followed across both farms, with routine vaccinations forming the foundation of disease prevention.
John and Stephen place particular importance on calf health, believing that the first six months of an animal’s life have a lasting impact on subsequent growth and finishing performance.
“We can often spot an animal that had a chill or illness as a calf when it becomes a mature animal,” Stephen explains. As a result, calf management and preventative health measures receive significant attention from day one.
A Grass-Based Feeding System
The feeding system is designed to achieve steady growth while making maximum use of grass.
Calves are reared on milk replacer before being turned out to grass for their first summer. During their first winter, cattle receive approximately 2kg of meal per head each day.
Animals are generally moved to John’s herd in early spring as they approach one year of age. Weather permitting, they are turned out to grass around the middle of March, with no concentrate supplementation provided while grazing.
The finishing system then varies according to animal type. Bulls are typically housed in August and intensively finished for slaughter around Christmas time. Heifers remain at grass later into the autumn before housing. They initially receive approximately 1kg of meal per day, with concentrate levels gradually increased throughout the winter. As finishing approaches, heifers receive between 8kg and 10kg per day before being finished in April or May.
Managing Performance in a Changing Industry
Stephen participates in the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme and NGP, while both herds are also participating in the Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme. These programmes provide valuable weight, parentage and performance information that helps support breeding and management decisions across the enterprise.
Like many farmers, John and Stephen are also navigating volatile markets and rising costs. “It’s been a lean year for milk and beef,” John notes. The family is alsoaccustomed to long winters, with Stephen explaining that “A seven-month winter is normal for us. We’re not afraid to open the pit in August and stay feeding,”
This year, feed management has been particularly important due to dry weather conditions and the resulting high milk urea levels. As a result, careful planning around forage quality and supplementation has been essential to maintain herd performance.
Despite these challenges, the biggest concern remains the uncertainty around returns on investment. As John puts it, “There’s no guarantee. There’s always risk.”
Experience, Health and Quality Stock
When asked what advice the family would give to someone hoping to establish a successful dairy-beef enterprise, John returns to the importance of early-life management, “The first six months of a calf’s life are vitally important. Health is everything, and quality stock is paramount.”
John also recognises that the partnership he and Stephen have in place provides an excellent foundation for shared responsibility and learning.
For the Graham family, success begins long before cattle enter the finishing shed. Strong breeding decisions, careful calf management, excellent herd health and steady performance from an early age are all essential to producing profitable dairy-beef cattle.
When asked about future plans, John paused briefly before replying with a grin: “Keep at it. I absolutely love what I do.”
That passion, combined with generations of farming experience, strong genetics and a willingness to embrace new technology, helped John Graham earn recognition as the 2026 Foyle Dairy Beef Finisher Award winner. With another generation already growing up around the farm, the Graham family enterprise appears well positioned for the future.
Dairy Beef Finisher Tomás Mulhall Known for High-Quality Belgian Blues
Third-generation Kilkenny farmer Tomás Mulhall finishes up to 200 dairy-beef animals annually for ABP alongside his father, Thomas. His system combines dairy-beef heifers and steers, with most sourced as three- to six-week-old calves from a small number of trusted dairy farmers and the remainder bought as stores when required. The calves, predominantly Belgian Blues, are brought through a grass-based finishing system and finished at an average age of 27 months.
Building a Dairy-Beef System Around Belgian Blues
Tomás has built a strong reputation locally for finishing high-quality Belgian Blue cattle. Sourcing the majority of his calves directly from 3-4 trusted dairy farmers allows him to maintain consistency and have greater input into sire selection.
Developing these direct relationships with dairy farmers who share this preference has been a key part of the system’s success. This arrangement benefits all parties, as the dairy farmers have a consistent customer each year to take calves during the busy calving season, while Tomás has direct input into sire selection to ensure the quality of calf he needs for his beef enterprise.
In the past, Tomás would have used tried and trusted, proven sires such as Manitou De Belle Eau (DBZ), but as the number of straws for these bulls has dwindled over time, he has had to focus more on the younger sires. “By the time a bull is proven, the straws could be all gone, particularly with Belgian Blues, so you are always trying to figure out what the next replacement for the likes of DBZ is.”
Allow Time to Mature and Maximise Compensatory Growth
The calves mature over two grazing seasons and spend two winters indoors. They are not pushed hard while housed, allowing Tomás to maximise compensatory growth when they return to grass. After the second winter, the cattle enter an intensive finishing period at grass, supplemented with meal, building up to meal ad-lib for the last 6 weeks.
Belgian Blues, as with most continental breeds, are later maturing, and Tomás likes to give them a bit more time to mature before putting them on a more intensive feed regime. “If you feed blues too hard too early, it can be very hard to get the fat scores up on them, they just keep growing. If you let them mature to the right age, it is a lot easier, which is why I am probably finishing them a little bit older than a lot of finishers”
CBV Performance Brings Confidence in the Science
Tomás has started to pay more attention recently to the Commercial Beef Value (CBV). The quality of the calves he will go onto purchase is driven primarily by sire selection from the previous breeding season. However, Tomás regularly buys more forward cattle such as stores to supplement his numbers, and CBV is becoming increasingly important in his decision making when purchasing these animals.
The quality of the cattle being finished from these selected Belgian Blue sires is reflected in the farm’s CBV performance. Dairy-beef heifers and steers had average CBVs of €292 and €286 respectively, highlighting the strong genetic merit of the animals entering the system.
Among dairy-beef heifers, the top third for CBV averaged an impressive €341. These higher-CBV animals finished 3.5 weeks earlier, achieved a full carcass grade improvement and generated an additional €239 in carcass value compared to lower-CBV animals. These figures reinforce Tomás’s growing confidence in CBV as a tool when selecting cattle.
While he thinks it will take time, Tomás believes the CBV will become more and more important with time. “Now that I am aware of CBV, I can see it line up with the performance of the animals and that gives me confidence in the science behind it”
Vaccination Programme Critical to Calf Health
Herd health is another key component of the system. Every calf entering the farm is vaccinated against IBR and respiratory diseases, helping to maintain performance and reduce health-related setbacks. When asked to give one recommendation to other beef producers, Tomás immediately highlighted the importance of vaccination. “Not vaccinating is a slippery slope. You might escape for a few years but then when you do get hit, you can get hit hard. It is not just that the calves get IBR for example, but then their immune systems are low and they are more open to picking everything else that is on the go”
Making Life Easier in a Time of Uncertainty
Looking to the future, Tomás plans to continue to reinvest in the farm and improve efficiency wherever possible. Having recently completed a new shed, future plans include upgrading handling facilities, fencing, gates and other infrastructure.
“Anything that will make life a little easier.”
Despite the challenges facing the industry, Tomás remains focused on continuing to improve efficiency, infrastructure and cattle performance. Through strong calf sourcing, practical management, a proactive vaccination programme and an increasing focus on Commercial Beef Value, he has developed a system capable of consistently producing high-quality dairy-beef cattle.
While he acknowledges that uncertainty remains around issues such as input costs, calf prices and global beef markets, he remains optimistic about the future of the sector.
“Hopefully, prices will settle at a more sustainable long-term level over the next couple of years and there is still work to be done to raise awareness of dairy farmers to pick bulls with better beef sub-indexes.”
His recognition as the ABP Dairy Beef Finisher at the ICBF Beef Quality Awards 2026 reflects the success of that approach and the performance being achieved on the farm today.