beef price tracker

willfarmerman

Big business has to make to make big money to turn their propellor and keep the ship afloat. Retailing and processing is a cut throat business. I think bord bia and teagasc are where the shake up is required. They have access to the cmms and have failed to give a balanced sustainable direction for producers. Marketing of beef is complex, and finely balanced. I would love to learn where are our export markets are, Hear reasonable estimates of tonnage required and what type of carcasses they require.Farming is a low income job and teagasc always seem to be looking for the silver bullet one size fits all solution. There isn't one. They are swinging now from the bulls to the Hereford and Angus steers and heifers. How long until the British market is saturated too.

Farmer Pudsey

willfarmerman wrote: »

Big business has to make to make big money to turn their propellor and keep the ship afloat. Retailing and processing is a cut throat business. I think bord bia and teagasc are where the shake up is required. They have access to the cmms and have failed to give a balanced sustainable direction for producers. Marketing of beef is complex, and finely balanced. I would love to learn where are our export markets are, Hear reasonable estimates of tonnage required and what type of carcasses they require.Farming is a low income job and teagasc always seem to be looking for the silver bullet one size fits all solution. There isn't one. They are swinging now from the bulls to the Hereford and Angus steers and heifers. How long until the British market is saturated too.

I do not think it is Teagasc or Board Bia that are swinging towards the UK but rather market pressure's. Over the last few years a good few Suckler producers have gone down the finishing route as often there land is of average/poor quality they have tended to finish bulls off ration. The question is is it possible to make a profit off a suckler selling an average weanling. The return from the Continental markets are too low at present. If we take it that they average 4/kg and we have to sell in at a 10% discount is producing beef for this market sustainable.

I agree that it is crazy trying to produce beef to EU quality/regulations with ration at 250/ton and a US price of 3.6/kg using hormones. For all the talk about the UK market it has droped from 5/kg pre Christmass to 4.46/kg today. THe Irish factory's have failed over the years to brand Irish beef, they failed to develop nrands associated with Reps. It was the AA and HE societys that developed the AA and HE schemes.

What is really puzzling is the store price that finishers are paying with the predicted outlook.

coolshannagh28

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

I do not think it is Teagasc or Board Bia that are swinging towards the UK but rather market pressure's. Over the last few years a good few Suckler producers have gone down the finishing route as often there land is of average/poor quality they have tended to finish bulls off ration. The question is is it possible to make a profit off a suckler selling an average weanling. The return from the Continental markets are too low at present. If we take it that they average 4/kg and we have to sell in at a 10% discount is producing beef for this market sustainable.

I agree that it is crazy trying to produce beef to EU quality/regulations with ration at 250/ton and a US price of 3.6/kg using hormones. For all the talk about the UK market it has droped from 5/kg pre Christmass to 4.46/kg today. THe Irish factory's have failed over the years to brand Irish beef, they failed to develop nrands associated with Reps. It was the AA and HE societys that developed the AA and HE schemes.

What is really puzzling is the store price that finishers are paying with the predicted outlook.

Farmers are eternal optimists . The Irish processor got lazy selling cheap and buying cheap but this strategy has backfired as the multiples have gotten nervous since the horsemeat saga and are looking very closely at Irish processors with the result that the heavy continentals a big proportion of which that went for processing now falls outside the size and taste spec that they and their customers expect.
The way forward has to be in branding and quality and niche markets but will farmers get rewarded for this or will normal service continue?

willfarmerman

Suckers in the main never have been economically viable without subsidization. When dairy bred calves were better quality and more bf type, double suckling did work. My dad used to be able to rear 4 calves per cow. Then calf prices rose and quality dropped. We found it was better let the the dairyman rear them and buy them as stores. We run a few single suckers for 10 years or so and honestly they were a waste of space. Made sense before the single farm payment but never since. The suckler bred animal is not ever going to compete on production cost with his dairy/beef bred comrade. Head age payment or quality niche market are their only hope.

Hershall

Anyone get quotes for next week? ?

Robson99

Hershall wrote: »

Anyone get quotes for next week? ?

Heifers €4.00 on the grid

willfarmerman

Where that? What for bullocks?

Robson99

willfarmerman wrote: »

Where that? What for bullocks?

Heifers. Most places in the West

TUBBY

E3.95 for bullocks from 2 places in midlands.

locha

TUBBY wrote: »

E3.95 for bullocks from 2 places in midlands.

Assume that is underage QA - is it in/ex of the 12c bonus?

saranac1

If like me you have been finishing bulls for the last few years, is it time to get out of bulls and into heifers and try finish them.

Farmer Pudsey

saranac1 wrote: »

If like me you have been finishing bulls for the last few years, is it time to get out of bulls and into heifers and try finish them.

I do not know what it is time to get into, heifers seem too expensive. Believe it or not was doing the sums on JEXFR bulls and at the price the calves are and you are set up to handle them( I am not set up for calves) then I consider it viable to finish them at under 16 months. No fortune but a good operator finishing as U16 months bulls in May/June could average 200+/head margin at a projected price of 4.25/kg.

The sums on heifers are all wrong at present. Hard to know what will replace bulls however we have to wait until September to decide. It is better to do nothing that to make a loss, break even or be a busy fool.

I would not get hooked up on having to finish cattle.

Robson99

saranac1 wrote: »

If like me you have been finishing bulls for the last few years, is it time to get out of bulls and into heifers and try finish them.

When everyone is running its time to walk. A lot running away from bulls and into heifers, however 300- 500kg heifers are very expensive at the moment and at crrent beef prices will leave very little profit if any

TUBBY

locha wrote: »

Assume that is underage QA - is it in/ex of the 12c bonus?

Underage on the grid without including the 12c bord bia bonus.Nothing to get excited about but not looking like getting any better. Will be a long few months I reckon til numbers get smaller.

willfarmerman

We will be lucky if they don't try another 5 or 10 cent cut. There is a backlog of cattle here locally anyway.

Hershall

saranac1 wrote: »

If like me you have been finishing bulls for the last few years, is it time to get out of bulls and into heifers and try finish them.

You will get some shock when you see the conversion rate of heifers compared to bulls. They'd want to be bought €200 less than what they're making! !!!

simx

3.20 r grade cows today
2.90 o grade
2.80 p+3

stand on!!

simx wrote: »

3.20 r grade cows today
2.90 o grade
2.80 p+3

What part of country was that? Would you get more for r grades if over 400kilos dead?

simx

stand on!! wrote: »

What part of country was that? Would you get more for r grades if over 400kilos dead?

South east, nope

saranac1

Was at carnaross mart yesterday and it was just crazy, heifers going for mad money, what or where are these heifers going and how they are going to make money out of them too. I'd be looking into British Freisin bulls as a possible alternative , buying them young and holding till finishing or sell before finishing. It's crazy stuff out there now just like it was feb 2012

locha

saranac1 wrote: »

Was at carnaross mart yesterday and it was just crazy, heifers going for mad money, what or where are these heifers going and how they are going to make money out of them too. I'd be looking into British Freisin bulls as a possible alternative , buying them young and holding till finishing or sell before finishing. It's crazy stuff out there now just like it was feb 2012

Were you at the bullock ring? A few of the dealers did not get their stuff away... 450-490kg was back as far as I could see..

severeoversteer

What are people gettin for over 30mth and kill over 420kg u grade bullocks

Cavanjack

severeoversteer wrote: »

What are people gettin for over 30mth and kill over 420kg u grade bullocks

€3.85 base price for overage bullocks last week in kepak. Cut 10c for any over 420kg

locha

I got 3.80 for R's last week. Should have tried Kepak!

Farmer Pudsey

severeoversteer wrote: »

What are people gettin for over 30mth and kill over 420kg u grade bullocks

In todays FI some factory's are penalising above 380kgs, it seem to be where the market is moving.

nashmach

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

In todays FI some factory's are penalising above 380kgs, it seem to be where the market is moving.

Slaney tried that last week and didn't get their way.

I'm beginning to wonder do any of these factories want cattle - 380kgs will get most suckler stock and also any FR crossed stock from the dairy herd.

willfarmerman

Over 30 month stock are heavily penalised and agents seem to having the most difficulty getting these away even. heavy cattle under 30 are reasonabley saleable. 3.95. Just acting the bolox not taking them till next week off me anyway. were slaney not talking about 400 kg carcass nashmach?

nashmach

willfarmerman wrote: »

Over 30 month stock are heavily penalised and agents seem to having the most difficulty getting these away even. heavy cattle under 30 are reasonabley saleable. 3.95. Just acting the bolox not taking them till next week off me anyway. were slaney not talking about 400 kg carcass nashmach?

Pretty sure it was 380kgs, hopefully deferred for another six weeks or so!

nashmach

willfarmerman wrote: »

Over 30 month stock are heavily penalised and agents seem to having the most difficulty getting these away even. heavy cattle under 30 are reasonabley saleable. 3.95. Just acting the bolox not taking them till next week off me anyway. were slaney not talking about 400 kg carcass nashmach?

Pretty sure it was 380kgs, hopefully deferred for another six weeks or so!

willfarmerman

I'm beautifully positive it was 400 kg.. Was in with the head the balls at the meeting last Thursday night..