Selective breeding, tight management, and disciplined weighing put the Kavanaghs at the forefront of top‑quality beef production.
Limousin breeder Graham Kavanagh farms 180 acres on the Carlow–Wexford border alongside his father, Pat. His wife, Adrienne, and their three sons — Daniel and twins Donnacha and Diarmuid — also play key roles in managing the operation. The Kavanaghs run a closed herd of 100 cows and heifers across a split spring–autumn calving system. One of their main priorities in recent years has been tightening calving periods, which had drifted due to an underlying mineral deficiency.
Over 30 years ago, the family transitioned from Simmental cattle to Limousins, attracted by strong market demand, reliable finishing ability, and consistent progeny performance. “Limousins will nearly always be up there,” Graham explains. The farm hasn’t needed to sell at a mart in nearly three years — a testament to the efficient finishing system they have developed. Initially, all stock was sold as weanlings, but a TB restriction several years ago encouraged the family to begin finishing animals themselves. This change has now become a permanent and valuable part of the enterprise.
Careful monitoring is central to their system. Animals are closely assessed and pushed when necessary to hit key milestones. Bulls are targeted to reach 500 kg at 12 months, enabling finishing at around 16 months of age. Heifers aim for 430–450 kg at 12 months, with typical finishing ages of 18–20 months.
Weighing drives the majority of decision-making on the farm. “Output is number one. You can’t manage what you’re not measuring,” Graham says. Every pass through the crush records a new weight via EID tags, providing accurate Average Daily Gain (ADG) data and confidence in predicting finishing dates. Graham emphasises that visual assessment alone can be misleading: “Cattle can deceive you. They can look one way and finish very differently.” For that reason, he believes a weighing scales is essential for anyone fattening cattle.
The breeding strategy is geared strongly toward terminal traits — particularly carcass weight and conformation. Graham notes that high CBV scores naturally follow when using top-quality terminal sires. Strategic AI use in recent years has focused on breeding replacements, while maintaining a competitive edge through genetic improvement remains a key goal. Bull selection is central to this, and Graham credits recent stock bulls — all sourced from Gary Morrissey’s Grangeford herd — with significantly improving his cattle. “The last three bulls have changed our stock completely,” he says. He keeps three bulls at all times: two with cows and one dedicated to heifers. His eldest Grangeford bull has sired over 250 calves, a testament to his consistency and reliability.
Graham has taken part in several schemes and programmes, including BDGP, SCEP, and NGP, and considers genotyping a particularly useful tool when selecting breeding bulls.
Herd health is a constant priority. Cows are vaccinated for leptospirosis and IBR, while calves receive an intranasal pneumonia vaccine followed by a booster six weeks later, as well as an IBR vaccination. The farm has been free of TB for several years, though Graham highlights ongoing local uncertainty about whether deer or badgers are driving recent outbreaks.
On the challenges facing the beef sector, Graham points to volatile beef prices and rising input costs as major pressures. “A lot of work goes into getting them to the factory gate, and uncertainty on the price makes it challenging. If we knew what we were getting, it would be easier.” He also acknowledges the difficulties facing new entrants, particularly the high costs and limited access to land.
Looking ahead, Graham intends to keep his system simple while continually refining performance. He sees a growing market for “shapey replacements” and hopes to take advantage of this trend.
His top piece of advice to any farmer is straightforward: invest in a weighing scales — “It will pay for itself tenfold.”
ICBF would like to congratulate the Kavanagh family on winning the 2025 Suckler Farmer Finisher Award for ABP.