One of Ireland’s top-performing suckler farms to host farm walk

Wicklow farmer John Pringle will host a farm walk on his beef and sheep farm, considered one of the top-performing suckler farms in the country.

Future Beef representative, John Pringle will host a farm walk in Wicklow.

John Pringle, Future Beef representative, will be hosting a farm walk on May 29 on his farm, considered one of Ireland’s top-performing suckler farms.

The farm walk will be hosted on Mr Pringle's farm in Aughrim, Co Wicklow, Y14PT99. Starting at 6.30 pm, the event is free, and all suckler and sheep farmers are welcome to attend.

Mr Pringle farms 59 ha and operates one of the most profitable suckler systems in the country. 

His system is delivering almost €4,500/ha in beef output while maintaining tight control of costs, achieving a net margin before premia of €1,457/ha.

Organised by Teagasc, the farm walk will give farmers a detailed insight into how a high-output, profitable suckler-to-beef system can be achieved while consistently meeting key targets around fertility, carcass quality, grassland management and biodiversity.

Mr Pringle runs more than 50 high-performing suckler cows alongside 230 mid-season lambing ewes on the farm. His suckler herd is based on Simmental and Limousin-cross genetics, with breeding decisions focused firmly on fertility, milk production and carcass quality.

Mr Pringle operates around one clear principle: ‘every animal must perform’. He targets one calf per cow per year, with calves achieving more than 1.2kg per day liveweight gain pre-weaning, while all replacement heifers are calved down at 24 months of age.

He breeds all of his own replacements, selecting efficient, fertile cows capable of rearing high-performing progeny year after year. The result is a highly productive and efficient suckler-to-beef enterprise.

All bulls are finished at just over 15 months of age, averaging 400 kg carcass weight, with U-grading cattle regularly produced. The system is focused on efficiently and profitably meeting factory specifications.

Farmers attending the event will hear how John manages:

• Financial performance and cost control.
• Breeding policy and synchronisation programmes.
• Calving heifers at 24 months.
• Bull beef finishing systems and meeting factory specifications.
• Mixed grazing with sheep and cattle.
• Grassland management to maximise output.
• Biodiversity actions that benefit both the environment and livestock performance.

Speaking ahead of the event, Teagasc Future Beef Programme Manager, Martina Harrington, said: “2025 has been a great year for suckler farmers, with good weather and strong beef prices helping drive profitability.

John Pringle’s farm is an excellent example of what can be achieved through good genetics, strong management and keeping a tight handle on costs. This farm walk will be well worth attending for any farmer looking to pick up practical ideas to improve performance and profit on their own farm.” 

The sheep enterprise will also feature strongly during the evening farm walk. John’s flock is based mainly on Suffolk x Texel breeding, with some Belclare genetics introduced to improve prolificacy. The flock is targeting close to 2.0 lambs scanned per ewe and 1.5 lambs weaned per ewe joined.

ABP is kindly sponsoring the event and will provide a live demonstration on how farmers can maximise returns by meeting factory specifications and avoiding penalties. Food will also be provided on the night.