Joining the Dots: Breeding Efficient, Sustainable Beef from Grass

Jonathan Chapman, Atlantic Angus, Cornwall

Synopsis

Jonathan Chapman runs Atlantic Angus, a 850-acre pedigree beef enterprise based in Cornwall and is both the 2025 Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year and Farmers Weekly Environmental Champion of the Year. Combining his experience as a farm animal vet with a passion for practical, data-driven farming, Jonathan has developed a system that produces efficient, sustainable and high-quality beef from grass.

Introduction

In many suckler systems, selection has historically prioritised growth and size, often supported by concentrate inputs, with less emphasis on fertility, longevity and performance off grass.

This paper outlines how we use data-driven decisions to build a resilient, low-input, high-output beef system under real-world commercial conditions.

Farm System Overview

Atlantic Angus is a Pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd based in Cornwall, running 220 pedigree cows within a total herd of over 650 cattle. The business operates across 550 acres of owned land and 300 acres of rented land, all managed through a rotational grazing system.

With high rainfall and heavy soils, the system must prioritise soil structure, grass utilisation and cattle that genuinely suit the environment. Our breeding decisions are driven by these realities.

Breeding Objectives

I want to breed cattle that genuinely work:

• For Farmers – moderate-sized, fertile, easy-calving and easy-care cattle
• For the Environment – cattle that thrive on a forage based diet
• For the Consumer – consistently high quality beef

Many systems still select for animals that perform well in an all-you-can-eat, concentrate based environments. Yet most commercial suckler herds operate in grass-based systems with real stocking pressures, weather variability and rising input costs.

I firmly believe in fitting the cow to the system, not the system to the cow. We challenge our cattle to perform under commercially farming conditions with high selection pressure placed on fertility, calving ease, temperament, longevity and early growth.

My ideal cow weighs 630-650kg and weans more than 50% of her bodyweight. However, I also assess her own weight gain and body condition at weaning. A cow that maintains or improves condition through summer is cheaper to winter.

For example, I would rather have a 750kg cow that gains 100kg over summer and weans a 300kg calf (40% bodyweight) than a thin 600kg cow in BCS 2 weaning the same 300kg calf (50% bodyweight) but requiring expensive winter feed. True efficiency must consider the whole system.

All heifers calve at two years of age following a five-week bulling period. Cows receive 10 days of AI followed by six weeks with the bull, giving a compact 7.5-week breeding period. Only bulls from the first three weeks of calving are retained, selecting strongly for fertility. Any animal requiring calving assistance or failing to meet performance standards is culled from the pedigree herd – regardless of pedigree status.

These figures reflect deliberate genetic pressure toward fertility and functionality.

Data Collection and Measurement

Performance recording underpins every decision within the herd. Electronic identification, regular weighing and detailed phenotypic scoring are used to monitor growth, fertility, structural soundness and temperament.

In order to optimise the genetic progress of our herd, we operate a relatively high culling rate of around 25%, ensuring only animals that meet rigorous standards remain in the herd. This demands accurate, timely data to support confident decision-making.

Large contemporary groups, regular weighing and scoring for docility, feet, udder quality, teat structure and calf vigour allow us to go beyond standard EBVs and assess functional traits under commercial conditions. By recording this information in a digital format on a custom app, it means the data is immediately presented in a usable format for analysis. You cannot improve what you do not measure, and data only becomes information when it is used and acted upon.

BREEDPLAN Trends and Interpretation

BREEDPLAN is used as a benchmarking tool to compare herd trends against the wider breed, validating the direction of selection rather than acting as a breeding target in isolation.

The BREEDPLAN herd trend graphs are a good summary of our breeding direction: the red line represents our herd, and the green line is the wider Angus breed.

BREEDPLAN data shows that early growth rates at 200 and 400 days remain ahead of breed average, while mature cow size has been deliberately moderated in recent years.

Chasing growth EBVs inevitably breeds for bigger cattle and I feel it is important to consider the overall picture of what the market needs and costs to keep a large cow. Where the Angus breed has increased cow size by 15% over the last 10 years, I am breeding to maintain cow weight where it is, as I find we are easily finishing cattle off a 95% forage diet at 330-350kg deadweight by 18-20 months of age to meet ‘TESCO spec’ out of a 630-650kg cow. For us, a cow doesn’t need to be any bigger.

Calving ease, both direct and maternal, has improved faster than the breed trend, alongside reductions in birth weight and gestation length. These trends reflect a conscious move toward efficiency and reduced maintenance costs rather than maximum output per animal.

Eating Quality and Market Alignment

Producing beef from grass is not enough – it has to taste good. Yet the UK still largely grades beef on shape and fat cover, neither of which reliably predicts eating quality.

As a founding farm in the GoodBeef Index (GBI), we helped introduce CUP Lab-based ultrasound scanning technology to the UK, significantly improving the accuracy and heritability of intramuscular fat (IMF) measurement.

By scanning cattle pre-slaughter and reviewing carcase data afterwards, we link genetics directly to plate performance. The GBI system scores animals for eating quality alongside production and environmental metrics, with full traceability via a QR code. If we want consumers to keep choosing beef, consistency and transparency matters.

The result is grass-finished cattle at 18-20 months, with sufficient fat cover, consistent marbling and favourable omega-3 levels – without relying on high concentrate inputs.

Eating quality may not yet be on the pricing grid – but it will determine whether consumers return to buy our product.

Take Home Messages

Our system comes down to four key principles:

• Efficiency: Fit the cow to the system. If she cannot perform from grass, she does not stay.
• Fertility: Tight breeding periods (7 weeks cows, 5 weeks heifers), calving at two years, bulls from the first cycle only. Fertility drives profitability.
• Forage: Grass is the cheapest feed available. Select cattle that perform where they are actually farmed.
• Flavour: Cattle must finish at 18-20 months with adequate fat cover. Avoid extended store periods that compromise eating quality. Consistent growth equals consistent beef.

Conclusion

Efficient, sustainable beef production begins with breeding cattle that work on grass. By joining the dots between genetics, grazing, performance recording and eating quality, it is possible to build resilient beef systems that deliver for farmers, the environment and consumers alike.