financial performance of dairy calf to beef systems teagasc grange

farm14

Early maturing steer system finished at 21 months off grass. net profit including bonuses €327/head €998/ha finished off grass in November. without bonuses €257/head €771/ha beef price €3.81/kg bonus of €30.8/head. Calf price €240, carcass weight 280kg

Early maturing heifer system net profit €199/head €697/ha without bonuses €140/head €490/ha finished at 19 months off grass in september with no meal supplementation prior to slaughter. Beef price €3.98/kg calf price €200 carcass weight 235kg

Late maturing heifer system 280 kg carcass weight beef price €3.84/kg calf price €280 net profit €223/head €669/ha

Late maturing steer system 350kg carcass weight, calf price €310 beef price €3.92/kg, net profit €192/head €315/ha

Early maturing steers most profitable, least profitable late maturing steers due to high capital costs housing for a second winter.

Stocking rate for the systems was 200kg organic nitrogen/ha (3.5 cattle/ha)

Don't think these figures include own labour but still decent all the same

_Brian

Just at the desk here so calculator at hand..
So the best system is returning €187/head per year.

Are these net or gross figures ?

farm14

_Brian wrote: »

Just at the desk here so calculator at hand..
So the best system is returning €187/head per year.

Are these net or gross figures ?

Best system is returning €327/head which is finishing hereford angus steers off grass in November at 21 months. Yup net figures

rangler1

farm14 wrote: »

Best system is returning €327/head which is finishing hereford angus steers off grass in November at 21 months. Yup net figures

You could do it by only working public service hours......nearly.

No calving, lambing, late nights etc

I said

rangler1 wrote: »

You could do it by only working public service hours......nearly.

No calving, lambing, late nights etc

Is that with or without flexi time

_Brian

farm14 wrote: »

Best system is returning €327/head which is finishing hereford angus steers off grass in November at 21 months. Yup net figures

Yes but that's €327 over 21 months or €187 if you "annualised" the profit.

larrymiller

What kind of system would want to be in place to finish herford bullocks at 21 months? Plenty of meal I guess?

farm14

larrymiller wrote: »

What kind of system would want to be in place to finish herford bullocks at 21 months? Plenty of meal I guess?

Ah not really 280kg carcass over 21 months works out at about 0.85kg live weight gain/day over 21 months. You need to feed meal to them as a calf tho over the 1st summer at grass & feed some along with silage over 1st winter. Then about 2.5kg/day for last 60 days prior to finish. It is a system that requires v little setbacks in performance no doubt but with good grassland management it is definitely doable.

rangler1

farm14 wrote: »

Ah not really 280kg carcass over 21 months works out at about 0.85kg live weight gain/day over 21 months. You need to feed meal to them as a calf tho over the 1st summer at grass & feed some along with silage over 1st winter. Then about 2.5kg/day for last 60 days prior to finish. It is a system that requires v little setbacks in performance no doubt but with good grassland management it is definitely doable.

Very important to do the first year right, buy early, have a strong calf to graze in april/ may, didn't feed calves meal on grass here until sept but used to do a leader/follower system so the calves always got the best of the grass

farm14

rangler1 wrote: »

Very important to do the first year right, buy early, have a strong calf to graze in april/ may, didn't feed calves meal on grass here until sept but used to do a leader/follower system so the calves always got the best of the grass

Agree 100% rangler. At d minute I not feeding my calves meal they are on a silage aftermath that was cut 20th may lovely leafy material & they don't need it right now I feel but as the summer progresses I will start to feed meal around August. Yeah you want a calf born as early as possible. I'm also v fussy on the calf. I like to handpick mine. I will refuse to buy any small calves.

Muckit

farm14 wrote: »

Ah not really 280kg carcass over 21 months works out at about 0.85kg live weight gain/day over 21 months. You need to feed meal to them as a calf tho over the 1st summer at grass & feed some along with silage over 1st winter. Then about 2.5kg/day for last 60 days prior to finish. It is a system that requires v little setbacks in performance no doubt but with good grassland management it is definitely doable.

Did you factor in the birth weight of the calf? Daily live weight would possibly be a little lower than that using the above figures ~0.74kg.

larrymiller

farm14 wrote: »

Ah not really 280kg carcass over 21 months works out at about 0.85kg live weight gain/day over 21 months. You need to feed meal to them as a calf tho over the 1st summer at grass & feed some along with silage over 1st winter. Then about 2.5kg/day for last 60 days prior to finish. It is a system that requires v little setbacks in performance no doubt but with good grassland management it is definitely doable.

What would you think of feeding rolled barley in the first summer and winter?
Or would wean n build be a better (but dearer) choice?

farm14

larrymiller wrote: »

What would you think of feeding rolled barley in the first summer and winter?
Or would wean n build be a better (but dearer) choice?

Not a bother on it we feed rolled barley here but put a decent amount of soyabean meal into it aswell for protein. Those wean n build are terrible expensive about €310/t & they were €360 last year. Feeding barley & soya for years here too the calves

larrymiller

farm14 wrote: »

Not a bother on it we feed rolled barley here but put a decent amount of soyabean meal into it aswell for protein. Those wean n build are terrible expensive about €310/t & they were €360 last year. Feeding barley & soya for years here too the calves

Yeah there unreal dear.
Sounds like a good system you have

farm14

larrymiller wrote: »

Yeah there unreal dear.
Sounds like a good system you have

I like to keep my costs as low as possible tbh

larrymiller

farm14 wrote: »

I like to keep my costs as low as possible tbh

What ratio would you be mixing the barley and soya?
Do you also use that to finish them?

larrymiller

farm14 wrote: »

Early maturing steer system finished at 21 months off grass. net profit including bonuses €327/head €998/ha finished off grass in November. without bonuses €257/head €771/ha beef price €3.81/kg bonus of €30.8/head. Calf price €240, carcass weight 280kg

Early maturing heifer system net profit €199/head €697/ha without bonuses €140/head €490/ha finished at 19 months off grass in september with no meal supplementation prior to slaughter. Beef price €3.98/kg calf price €200 carcass weight 235kg

Late maturing heifer system 280 kg carcass weight beef price €3.84/kg calf price €280 net profit €223/head €669/ha

Late maturing steer system 350kg carcass weight, calf price €310 beef price €3.92/kg, net profit €192/head €315/ha

Early maturing steers most profitable, least profitable late maturing steers due to high capital costs housing for a second winter.

Stocking rate for the systems was 200kg organic nitrogen/ha (3.5 cattle/ha)

Don't think these figures include own labour but still decent all the same

Could you do heifers in the same way that the early maturing steers are been done here?

joejobrien

Lads, the SR is very high. I would say there arent too many at that stocking rate, at alot of land is marginal enough in beef enterprise. Allowing that you reseed this ground it is still very high. Just to put it into prespective Moorepark herd is trail is running at 3.2/ha and we all know what kind of farm that is

rangler1

larrymiller wrote: »

What ratio would you be mixing the barley and soya?
Do you also use that to finish them?

4:1 for young stock and you need to put in vitamins and minerals as well.
5:1 for fattening, but it's hard to get high levels of feed, I used to feed 10-12lb/day

larrymiller

rangler1 wrote: »

4:1 for young stock and you need to put in vitamins and minerals as well.
5:1 for fattening, but it's hard to get high levels of feed, I used to feed 10-12lb/day

What do you mean it's hard to get high levels of feed?

ellewood

larrymiller wrote: »

What do you mean it's hard to get high levels of feed?

palatability id say? not being able to get enough of it in to them wit just 2 ingredients in it

ellewood

_Brian wrote: »

Just at the desk here so calculator at hand..
So the best system is returning €187/head per year.

Are these net or gross figures ?

So is that a Net E187/ head/year

At 3.5/hec stocking rate that's E654/Hec E654 NET!!


With only 1 winter for weaning it look attractive


Has anyone any more detailed figures on this system?

I know the stocking rate makes it look good but it still has merit

rangler1

ellewood wrote: »

palatability id say? not being able to get enough of it in to them wit just 2 ingredients in it

That's right, used to grow my own barley and store it at around 20%, which would be more palatable than dried barley when rolled, but it was easy enough sicken them. The barley/soya worked alright for the calves

farm14

larrymiller wrote: »

What do you mean it's hard to get high levels of feed?

Just on the issue of finishing ration I put citrus pulp into it as it increases intakes & is a the digestible fibre source. Barley soya works well for calves they just get a lick of it to supplement the grass late in the summer. Yeah 4:1 is the rate I mix barley & soya & yeah the heifer system is managed the very same with the exception they got no meal at grass prior to slaughter in september