Beef General Thread

GrandSoftDay

moy83 wrote: »

Do you restrain them at all that way ? I don't think I would be brave enough to go in there without tying up a leg

Good man on the tail, the aul fella has done hundreds if not thousands over his lifetime and he said the only time he ever got a kick was from the one at the front of the crush hence putting a cow in first!

Brown Podzol

greysides wrote: »

The wife is always integral to any farming venture.

Hmmmm Are diamonds not a woman's best friend?

greysides

moy83 wrote: »

Do you restrain them at all that way ? I don't think I would be brave enough to go in there without tying up a leg

A good man on the tail and try to avoid going near their heads, let them push into another animal. Helps keep them from moving sideways and keeps them calm.

A small bit a sedative is a boon for the job. Have them yarded and settled before going near them and deal with them in a calm quiet manner.

just do it

_Brian wrote: »

HOw do lads work grass/ paddock rotation.. How often to fresh grass..

We're not heavily stocked but try and move yearlings to fresh grass every 5-7 days..

As short as daily depending on SR of group.

just do it

I said wrote: »

Must invest in a head scoop I use pouron the whole time.will have to change strategy.

Save yourself some money. Some rope and a 5 ft pole will do the same job.

mayota

moy83 wrote: »

Do you restrain them at all that way ? I don't think I would be brave enough to go in there without tying up a leg

We put a small square bale behind them and as ye say a good man on the tail.

whelan2

moy83 wrote: »

Do you restrain them at all that way ? I don't think I would be brave enough to go in there without tying up a leg

does that not add to the stress on man and beast?

Willfarman

A head halter tied up tight is a good help to knock some of the steam out of mad continental types.

moy83

whelan2 wrote: »

does that not add to the stress on man and beast?

You might be right about stressing the beast but it sure stresses me less knowing his leg is tied up to the bar

mf240

just do it wrote: »

a 5 ft pole will do the same job.

Think that might be racist:D:D

blue5000

mf240 wrote: »

Think that might be racist:D:D

You wouldn't have to pay a head scoop every week

TUBBY

Savage good week promised and the Galway races. Small kills in factories this week and small marts too i would imagine.

any of ye lads going to the marts - what are numbers like of strong stores.

exercise is the antidote

TUBBY wrote: »

Savage good week promised and the Galway races. Small kills in factories this week and small marts too i would imagine.

any of ye lads going to the marts - what are numbers like of strong stores.

Have a few to go this week..

I said

TUBBY wrote: »

Savage good week promised and the Galway races. Small kills in factories this week and small marts too i would imagine.

any of ye lads going to the marts - what are numbers like of strong stores.

Correct fcuk all goes on during race week

Charliebull

lads is there any few pound in buying in a few weanlings in april and running until november, have a 10 acre out farm ideal for the job, newly reseeded as well


its either that or a few whisper it.............sheep

Toplink

Charliebull wrote: »

lads is there any few pound in buying in a few weanlings in april and running until november, have a 10 acre out farm ideal for the job, newly reseeded as well


its either that or a few whisper it.............sheep

Risky business but i'll probably be doing the same next years... thought my land is drier so will be buying in Feb and selling in November.

Think you have to keep them for 8 months to be able to claim the grants?

dharn

Every year is different, generally you have summer grazers who make cattle dear in spring and a glut selling in sept which makes them cheap but last year factory agents were buying cattle in sept for finishing and good prices could be got

blue5000

Charliebull, weight gain is key, if they are too light to be finished the following winter when you go to sell them, there is not as many buyers, they'd need to be up around 500kg for finishers to be interested. Less than that and they are taking up (expensive) feed and housing as a store.

Farmer Pudsey

Charliebull wrote: »

lads is there any few pound in buying in a few weanlings in april and running until november, have a 10 acre out farm ideal for the job, newly reseeded as well


its either that or a few whisper it.............sheep

For the last 2-3 years yes cattle have being cheaper in the spring than the autumn. However all markets go in circles. Hard to see how some lads will make money on some WH AA and contenintals bought last spring. Generally you need to be a good buyer and seller. No point in arriving in a mart to sell and it has being raining all week. I oftem wonder why some lads chase the last 15-20 kgs in the autumn. This can often leave farm slow to recover in spring.

My advice is try to buy in late feb/early march light cattle need less to eat this time of year. Q few bases of hay or straw and a few kgs of ration with limited grass will generally keep cattle going for a month. You have to be prepared to work to fork out part of a bale every day and throw a few nuts to them and move a fence. 10 cattle eating a bale every 5 days and 2kgs of ration will cost about 1.2/day if you buy hay while it is relative value at present. If you do not need it hay or straw can sit in a shed for 4-5 years.

Charliebull

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

For the last 2-3 years yes cattle have being cheaper in the spring than the autumn. However all markets go in circles. Hard to see how some lads will make money on some WH AA and contenintals bought last spring. Generally you need to be a good buyer and seller. No point in arriving in a mart to sell and it has being raining all week. I oftem wonder why some lads chase the last 15-20 kgs in the autumn. This can often leave farm slow to recover in spring.

My advice is try to buy in late feb/early march light cattle need less to eat this time of year. Q few bases of hay or straw and a few kgs of ration with limited grass will generally keep cattle going for a month. You have to be prepared to work to fork out part of a bale every day and throw a few nuts to them and move a fence. 10 cattle eating a bale every 5 days and 2kgs of ration will cost about 1.2/day if you buy hay while it is relative value at present. If you do not need it hay or straw can sit in a shed for 4-5 years.

feeding bit would not bother me as am feeding the cows anyway so an extra half hour makes fook all difference,

dont know if this particular plot would be dry enough for early spring february grazing, realistically its probably late march,

hay already there in shed,
ok blue so with the target weights in mind maybe a few heifers with a view to selling as maidens in the back end might be safer bet

Farmer Pudsey

Charliebull wrote: »

feeding bit would not bother me as am feeding the cows anyway so an extra half hour makes fook all difference,

dont know if this particular plot would be dry enough for early spring february grazing, realistically its probably late march,

hay already there in shed,
ok blue so with the target weights in mind maybe a few heifers with a view to selling as maidens in the back end might be safer bet

Heifers have the advantage of selling as maidens, incalf or feeding a bit to sell as forward stores or finished

dharn

Depends on where you are, over here in the west we have buyers from meath and buyers for horse stables buying in spring so seldom bargains to be got after end of march

Charliebull

dharn wrote: »

Depends on where you are, over here in the west we have buyers from meath and buyers for horse stables buying in spring so seldom bargains to be got after end of march

i know, id be in the same side as you

Genghis Cant

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

Heifers have the advantage of selling as maidens, incalf or feeding a bit to sell as forward stores or finished

That's a point I was gonna make too. There's a lot of versatility with a heifer.
You've several options.
They're getting to be quite the commodity though!

blue5000

Anyone reading the suckler articles in the journal? I thought the bit about Donegal cows being heavier and having most continental breeding was interesting. Limerick had only about 50% continental but had lighter carcase weights for cows.

Also somebody wrote in a letter about icbf % calf/cow figures being skewed by having empty cull cows grazing. I tend to do this too, graze culls the following summer instead of fattening them on meal and silage after drying off. I wonder which pays better, fatten off grass almost a year later or meal them and start fattening them in the shed as soon as you know they are empty?

I said

The minister of defence has spoken on the boycott of the QA by the ICSA.Farmers and processors should work together he is quoted as saying.I wonder to whose benefit?

moy83

I said wrote: »

The minister of defence has spoken on the boycott of the QA by the ICSA.Farmers and processors should work together he is quoted as saying.I wonder to whose benefit?

I was just reading the front of the indo there and thinking the exact same thing .
I don't know what would happen if the scheme was boycotted . But sure aren't the factories not applying it to hapes of cattle anyhow for one reason or another and they still seem to be shifting the non QA beef :rolleyes:
I would like to see it boycotted for awhile if only to shake up Bord Bia to get more money for this green grass fed beef thats supposed to be so delicious in demand .

I said

I agree might just shake things up it's definitely not in finishers interests the way it stands at the moment.

_Brian

I said wrote: »

I agree might just shake things up it's definitely not in finishers interests the way it stands at the moment.

Not just finishers either... Its working against prices right down the line.

Farmer Pudsey

It is amazing that the Minister for the Fence could not say anything all spring long in favour of farmers but can now come out to try to save the processors. It was something I suggested on one of the beef threads a months back that as BQAS was no benefit we should arrange a boycott of it.

The factory's and ministers are fast off the mark, cattle that are getting less than 3.5/kg(cows, bulls and O- or less cattle) it is no benefit. These cattle will alaways find a market at that price so why should farmers jump through hoops to produce a product to a premium spec(as opposes to a premium product) and recieve no benefit.