Suckler Farmers

Nutcase

We are going to increase the number of sucklers we have over the next couple of years and I was just wondering how are people getting the best money out of their herd?
I can see 4 different routes with them;

1) Sell as weanlings in autumn
2) Keep over winter and sell following spring
3) Keep over winter and sell them off grass in September October
4) Finish them out of shed before 24 months

At the moment we are finishing them before 24months but we want to change things due to little returns (low prices & rising feed costs) in that system. We have the extra housing and grass for to graze them the second summer so I was thinking more of option 3.
However if not much was to be gained from keeping them that extra time then it would probably be better selling then as weanlings or yearlings?

Has anyone any experiences or advice that could help here thanks in advance.

reilig

Its horses to courses I think.
You will have to do what you have the facilities and land to do. Personally I sell about 2/3 of my weinlings in Autumn and keep the smaller ones to be sold in february and March. I used to finish cattle but found that it wasn't profitable because we have a 6 month winter because of poorer land. We cannot grow any crops other than grass for feeding and helping to finish them and we don't have enough shed space for to keep too many cattle along with teh suckler cows that we keep.

But if you had access to the above - what we don't have, then it might be profitable for you to finish cattle or keep them over winter and sell them off grass in the back end. It really depends on your facilities are and how low you could keep your overheads. I know thats not answering your question, but only you can answer your question by going through what you have.

Nutcase wrote: »

We are going to increase the number of sucklers we have over the next couple of years and I was just wondering how are people getting the best money out of their herd?
I can see 4 different routes with them;

1) Sell as weanlings in autumn
2) Keep over winter and sell following spring
3) Keep over winter and sell them off grass in September October
4) Finish them out of shed before 24 months

At the moment we are finishing them before 24months but we want to change things due to little returns (low prices & rising feed costs) in that system. We have the extra housing and grass for to graze them the second summer so I was thinking more of option 3.
However if not much was to be gained from keeping them that extra time then it would probably be better selling then as weanlings or yearlings?

Has anyone any experiences or advice that could help here thanks in advance.

Tipp Man

I assume you are a spring calving herd??

Just curious - what weight do you think your bullocks will be by September/October - so at year and half?

Are you breeding top of the range cattle or just very good cattle? If you are breeding E grade cattle is there really a market for them in the mart at year and half old?

Nutcase

reilig wrote: »

Its horses to courses I think.
You will have to do what you have the facilities and land to do. Personally I sell about 2/3 of my weinlings in Autumn and keep the smaller ones to be sold in february and March. I used to finish cattle but found that it wasn't profitable because we have a 6 month winter because of poorer land. We cannot grow any crops other than grass for feeding and helping to finish them and we don't have enough shed space for to keep too many cattle along with teh suckler cows that we keep.

But if you had access to the above - what we don't have, then it might be profitable for you to finish cattle or keep them over winter and sell them off grass in the back end. It really depends on your facilities are and how low you could keep your overheads. I know thats not answering your question, but only you can answer your question by going through what you have.

Thanks relig. Id imagine if you wer to sell them off the grass at the back end the bulls would want to be anything from 500-600kgs we could probably finish the heifers and keep the good ones as replacements.
I guess your right about not being able 2 really answer the question but if i got any more information about what sort of a system others farmers are working it would be great too. Then i could take all of it sit down and work out what would best suit us!

Nutcase

Tipp Man wrote: »

I assume you are a spring calving herd??

Just curious - what weight do you think your bullocks will be by September/October - so at year and half?

Are you breeding top of the range cattle or just very good cattle? If you are breeding E grade cattle is there really a market for them in the mart at year and half old?

Yes all spring calvers. And we dont squeeze them they are all bulls. 500-600kg by september for most of them, then some might only be 450kg.
Not E grade cattle all Us & Rs.

leg wax

Nutcase wrote: »

Thanks relig. Id imagine if you wer to sell them off the grass at the back end the bulls would want to be anything from 500-600kgs we could probably finish the heifers and keep the good ones as replacements.
I guess your right about not being able 2 really answer the question but if i got any more information about what sort of a system others farmers are working it would be great too. Then i could take all of it sit down and work out what would best suit us!

if the bulls are 18months they should be going to the factory at that stage. if ihad u grade weanlings i would be selling them as weanlings at top money and keep the r grades for irish factories.

Nutcase

leg wax wrote: »

if the bulls are 18months they should be going to the factory at that stage. if ihad u grade weanlings i would be selling them as weanlings at top money and keep the r grades for irish factories.

Why do you think they should be goin 2 the factory at 18 months old leg wax? These would only be that age in August-September (Feb & March born calves)
That would be a good idea selling the best quality ones and keeping the lesser ones for finishing or selling off the grass later.

blue5000

Hi nutcase,

it really depends on the farm, do you have housing for extra cows or would you have to build? Also if you are thinking of finishing cattle you would really want to be growing your own grain or maybe maize. What sort of extra land have you available, if it is rough/wet then su cows would be best way to make use of it.

I used to graze bulls the second summer and finish them in Oct/Nov but now selling them younger. With higher meal and fertiliser costs now a lighter stocking rate with clover might be more profitable.

just my 2 cents.

Nutcase

blue5000 wrote: »

Hi nutcase,

it really depends on the farm, do you have housing for extra cows or would you have to build? Also if you are thinking of finishing cattle you would really want to be growing your own grain or maybe maize. What sort of extra land have you available, if it is rough/wet then su cows would be best way to make use of it.

I used to graze bulls the second summer and finish them in Oct/Nov but now selling them younger. With higher meal and fertiliser costs now a lighter stocking rate with clover might be more profitable.

just my 2 cents.

Well blue

Yes we have the housing for extra cows might jst need more calving pens and a good shed for to put the cows and calves in (nothing too expensive) for 2-3 weeks before they go out to grass no real grass growth until mid-march i think with us. The land is good enough can start to get heavy in september though you couldnt have heavy animals on the ground then. Depends on the amount of rain that month though.

Yeah we were thinking of growing some grain this year to help with feed costs. But how many years will these high grain prices last for, some people are saying 2 years?

How were you managing to finish them in oct/nov, were you puttin them into the shed in july/august?
What do you mean when you say you are now selling them younger?
Do you finds this system better than finishing them?

blue5000

If grass was plentiful and weather was good I just fed them meal at grass and finished them that way, that was when I was id dairying so they were mostly fresians and it paid better to finish them than selling them as year and a halves.

I think with better quality cattle the bigger the premium for selling them live vs taking them to slaughter.

Nutcase

Great thanks for the tips blue.. Id never heard of anyone finishing bulls off the grass, but if it was working for you with the fresians sure why not!!