Tom Ziemelis, Gamechanger farmer: Improving his farm’s efficiency

Like many farmers, Northumberland-based arable and beef farmer Tom Ziemelis is open to strategic ways to improve the farm’s business efficiency. Previously the farm’s redundant shed space was used to house pigs, which didn’t suit the buildings particularly well, so Tom looked for alternatives and discovered Gamechanger.

Discussions with his local Gamechanger representative showed that the most suitable option for this farming enterprise was to introduce batches of weaned Gamechanger growing calves and feed a homegrown forage-based diet right through to finishing. Tom opted for the monthly management payment model which offers a known and regular income, supporting cashflow and business security.

The first batch of calves arrived on the farm in December 2024, fully vaccinated and of a uniform size with an average weight of 125kg. For the first month after arrival, calves are transitioned onto their new diet, weaning them slowly off rearer pellets and onto herbal-ley silage supplemented with molasses and straw, giving them a growth performance of 1-1.1kg/dlwg. Monthly silage analyses dictate how the feed rations are formulated with Harbro nutritionist Michael Richardson tailoring rations for these cattle. Finishing rations include homegrown barley and beans to meet target protein levels, metabolisable energy and dry matter and cattle are performing at an average of 1.3kg/dlwg, though lately, growth has been up to 1.4-1.5kg/dlwg.

Tom says: “From a start-up business point of view, joining Gamechanger with the management fee payment model has reduced the financial risk, it’s brilliant, it’s given me peace of mind knowing what we will get each month. The biggest factors to us are daily liveweight gain and an efficient diet. The growing cattle are performing well with a protein content of 16.1%, we’re seeing them grow upwards one month and outwards the next month, putting that frame on and filling it, we’ll be aiming to finish them at around 15-16 months of age at 580kg for heifers and 620kg for steers.”

A valuable tool in Tom’s data recording arsenal is AgriWebb’s livestock management software which is provided without charge to Gamechanger rearers, growers and finishers.

The AgriWebb Weight Insights feature allows farmers to track livestock performance including feed efficiency and the Weight Forecast feature assists sale planning and enables data-backed decision making up to three months in advance.

Tom adds: “We know how much feed each batch of cattle is eating because we record it with AgriWebb which allows us to calculate feed costs accurately. We weigh calves monthly with the help of our Gamechanger Weigh Technician and receive all the data the next day. This data helps us to scrutinise batch performance and forecasts when cattle will be ready to send, so we know right now how many we will be sending this November, meaning we can book them in now, and prepare for the next batches of cattle coming after that.”

The finishing shed is managed with around 90 cattle at a time and Tom will be welcoming batches of 45 Gamechanger growing cattle to maintain a steady flow, optimising shed space and staff efficiency. Next year, Tom plans to grow more herbal leys and stitch clover into permanent pasture for grazing cattle out, which will increase the number of cattle on the farm throughout summer.

Running the arable and cattle enterprises simultaneously is advantageous to both – Tom’s growing nitrogen-fixing plants to benefit arable crop production, making leguminous forage crops readily available to silage or for grazing, and the barley and beans are fed to the cattle, with straw available on-farm for cattle bedding.

Tom ends with: “We chose Gamechanger because we value the bespoke payment model, the quality of the cattle and the great support from the Gamechanger team including the use of AgriWebb to help support my farms performance.”

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Gamechanger farmers are supported by dedicated, regional staff who are contactable by phone for advice, and who can guide farmers to specialist support as needed. All calves are sired by one of six industry leading Aberdeen Angus bulls exclusive to Gamechanger and sourced by Genus and Cogent for their exceptional fertility, calving ease, and growth rates.

Gamechanger is expanding and needs more dairy calf suppliers to increase throughput, offering regular and reliable income for calves, on farm collections and the option to rear, grow and finish cattle as well, with models to suit the needs of every farming business. To explore the full range of options call 01458 259413 and see the Gamechanger website for testimonials gamechangerfarming.com.