Will it pay to keep weanlings ?

Alibaba

Do ye think it will pay to keep and feed weanlings this winter at the prices they are making. I have 30 or so , loads of silage but some of the calves are handy (late ones and heifers calves). I was just wonderin if it would pay to keep them or sell them and sell bales later.

reilig

Alibaba wrote: »

Do ye think it will pay to keep and feed weanlings this winter at the prices they are making. I have 30 or so , loads of silage but some of the calves are handy (late ones and heifers calves). I was just wonderin if it would pay to keep them or sell them and sell bales later.

I'm planning on keeping about 20. They are may and June calves. I always keep this amount and sell them in february. I've never been caught with price yet. I don't have an over supply of silage, but I'll get by.

There appears to be an over supply of silage this year so I don't think that silage will be too expensive.

Alibaba

reilig wrote: »

I'm planning on keeping about 20. They are may and June calves. I always keep this amount and sell them in february. I've never been caught with price yet. I don't have an over supply of silage, but I'll get by.

There appears to be an over supply of silage this year so I don't think that silage will be too expensive.

Could be facing into a long winter do. I always keep the calves as well but with the prices they are making now will we get paid for our effort ?

reilig

Its a gamble. I'm going to hedge my bets. I have 20 sold, 20 more to sell, and I'll keep onto 20 as well.

All the talk is that prices will hold fairly steady for at least 12 months. There is a shortage of cattle in this country and across Europe. Countries like Egypt and Turkey are opening up to Irish markets because they can't source their beef at competitive prices from anywhere else.

There is a lot less beef coming from south america too - they have less to export.

All the signs are positive, but I know that it only takes one foot and mouth scare, dioxin scare or Mad cow disease scare to feck it all up.

I'm going to take a gamble, because I see that the weinling buyers in the marts are willing to gamble and buy them at this time at fairly high prices. They are obviously confident of prices holding up. I won't risk it all though!!

Alibaba

Ya. Ill probably take the gamble as well.

Tora Bora

I always keep and sell in February. I will stick to my usual routine. Not overstocked, so have capacity to keep them on to forward store if I were put to it.
I would say, there was only one year in past seven or eight that I regretted keeping till Feb.
Mostly char calves from own bull. I think they usually look better animals three or four months after weaning than at weaning time.

reilig

Tora Bora wrote: »

Mostly char calves from own bull. I think they usually look better animals three or four months after weaning than at weaning time.

Same as that. The plainer ones are kept on our farm. 4 months on good silage and a small little bit of meal can add a lot of value to weinlings!

bbam

We sold some, more to go soon and then we'll winter about 25.. Lots of silage so we'll be selling some of that too.. :rolleyes:

We too are hedging our bets, selling some that we would usually keep but prices are good and the taught of missing that is too hard to resist..