Calf registrations '14

blue5000

I hear that beef registrations are down 10% on last year, but dairy registrations are up 10% Just wondering what the knock on effect of this will be? Will quality cattle be dearer or will it make any difference, what do you think?

maxxuumman

I'd say it will depend on what the boat situation is. If the boat is absorbing a lot of that 10%, those 50€ calves could turn a profit yet.

blue5000

maxxuumman wrote: »

I'd say it will depend on what the boat situation is. If the boat is absorbing a lot of that 10%, those 50€ calves could turn a profit yet.

Ya and everyone talking about larry buying whitehead calves too, is he just creating a bit of a demand for them so that more cows will go in calf to whitehead and make a surge of them next year for him to mop up real cheap?

Farmer Pudsey

blue5000 wrote: »

Ya and everyone talking about larry buying whitehead calves too, is he just creating a bit of a demand for them so that more cows will go in calf to whitehead and make a surge of them next year for him to mop up real cheap?

The reason that Larry is buying AA and HE calves I think is that last fall and late this winter he paid a huge price for these cattle as forward stores. With the amount of calves going abroad and IMO weanlings will follow at the end of the year as farmers will not compete with shippers. Larrry is hedging his bets if he has 50% of his requirment for late 2015 he will not need to be as active in the mart.

It has little to do with encourging lads to put cows incalf to AA and HE. Sexed semen will do that in 3-4 years time.

keep going

Cattl will be scarce out and mad dear next spring , dont forget all the animals that died last winter /spring as well

reilig

keep going wrote: »

Cattl will be scarce out and mad dear next spring , dont forget all the animals that died last winter /spring as well

Young cattle are already scarce this spring and prices are pretty good. When I think about all the men that I know that have reduced suckler cow numbers or got out of suckling altogether, I don't know 1 man who has increased cow numbers (only myself ) . The guys that have got out and the guys that have reduced numbers are going to buy stores instead. You can see them in the marts around the country already - loads of small farmers/part-timers who used to sell weinlings are now buying them and they are not afraid to dip into the off farm cheque to pay that little bit extra. It's going to be a good spring. prices for older animals are hitting the headlines as being too low. Younger animal prices slipped under the radar without notice these last few weeks and will only increase as grass grows and farmers get the itch to buy!

maxxuumman

keep going wrote: »

Cattl will be scarce out and mad dear next spring , dont forget all the animals that died last winter /spring as well

... And there'll be F all cull cows (dairy) around next. Lads have been culling hard over the last couple of years. And anything that won't be milked next year will be culled early this year.

onyerbikepat

Big changes afoot alright. Those friesian calves are even starting to look very cheap.:D

keep going

onyerbikepat wrote: »

Big changes afoot alright. Those friesian calves are even starting to look very cheap.:D

I heard fr bull calves have actually got dearer