The level of meal required for cattle over the winter will depend on the silage quality and the required outcome for the cattle being fed.

Naturally enough, if the cattle are being stored with the aim of going back to grass this spring, the level of concentrate supplementation required will be much lower than if the cattle are being pushed on for a shed finish.

Despite this, it is still important that cattle are meeting an acceptable average daily live weight gain over the course of the winter even if they are going back to grass in the spring.

The table below details guideline concentrate supplementation required in kg based on silage quality:

Where cattle are going to grass in the spring, some farmers prefer to 'front load' the meal feeding rates meaning extra concentrates are fed early in the winter and concentrates are removed completely from the diet in advance of cattle going back to grass.

Grass silage is the main source of forage used to make up the diets on beef farms but the feed value of silage can vary significantly and knowing the feed value of your silage is essential in determining the level of concentrates to feed.

With beef prices currently at record highs, more farmers will be pushing to finish cattle earlier to avail of the strong trade.

Where younger cattle are housed, there will be more of a focus on frame growth than fattening. While high energy diets are required for beef cattle, protein is the key component for growing weanling or yearling cattle.

Drier farms that can generally get cattle out to grass early in the year may well be commencing grazing in the coming weeks so many of these farmers may be easing back concentrate feeding in preparation for grazing.

Other heavier farms may be a while out from grazing yet and so should continue to ensure cattle are being supplemented to meet their required weight performance targets.