Spring 2020..... 1.5m Dairy calves.... discuss.

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074048#Comment_119074048

You can blame Teagasc or who ever if you wish but farmers should be able to think and act for themselves. These calves should not be produced full stop.

Farmers and farm organisations should be ahead of the narrative here and openly condemn and actively discourage this practice .

It will be too late when you have a Panorama style expose similar what was screened in the UK .

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074629#Comment_119074629

Exactly what I was going to say.

Are dairy farmers really that stupid that they just blindly follow all advice they get without thinking of the consequences? I certainly don’t think so and that’s why the push to blame teagasc for all of this mess is laughable really.

Dairy farmers themselves have to man up now and take the hit on the mess they’re after causing. If that means they have to lose money on the calf then so be it. They may take it from the milk price the cow is earning and view it as a business expense or else change their ways back to when they were producing a worthwhile calf that they could earn money from.

mahoney_j

Few posters here with agendas ….a lot just saw calf slaughter and jumped on it …like most farmers I want no association with it ….I don’t agree with it ….I don’t want to see it as common practice

yes farmers are the ones making decisions and running farms but our advisory bodies are meant to be the ones giving us clear concise unbiased advice …..clearly havnt been and too busy promoting kiwi style dairying which has many flaws

smallbeef

Vegans are using the calf in all anti-dairy billboards I've seen. The calf is central to their campaigns. Like a poster said above its only a matter of time until its on Primetime or something similar showing some pig of a farmer shoveling calves into a skip and laughing about it. 99% of farmers care for their animals but that 1% will really damage the entire industry. That farmer saving 30k by not rearing calves to 4 weeks could cost the industry billions. DAFM know who they are and they should be sanctioned. Its a small price to pay in the long run.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074761#Comment_119074761

Farmers aren't fools, they knew right well what was going to happen. Blaming teagasc is the cop out. They should at least man up and take responsibility

If teagasc told them to jump on the river would they do it

Responsibility is accepting that you are the cause and the solution of the matter.”

Base price

I remember back in 2019 there was talk of a RTE/Primetime programme on the fate of some dairy male calves that from memory was suppose to air early 2020. I don't know if Covid stopped it from airing but I heard that it was supposed to be rough watching.

straight

Calves are flying in the mart at the moment. Got 250 euro for two Angus calves yesterday at 18 days. Got 290 for a fr bull calf at 3 months old. They're like houses. Everyone wants them when they're expensive and nobody wants them when they're cheap. Human beings are very strange.

I'd blame teagasc for their more cows - less milk kiwi model they were pushing. Alot of naive people grabbed that advice and hype and ran with it.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119073260#Comment_119073260

Ok....so these figures refer to calves sent for veal.

The article read like these were being slaughtered on farm..

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074939#Comment_119074939

They are our leading advisory body o….lots take there preachings as gospel and figure out the downsides when too late ….at least pat dillon put his hands up ….real arrogant tone from some of top advisors when questioned on alternative views

ginger22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074714#Comment_119074714

But shure the thing is no matter how good your dairy calf is bred of a big strong dairy cow you will still only get a pittance for them. You would need some mighty black and white calf to make a hundred euros this spring after feeding them for a few weeks.

Base price

What happens when the new EU regulations which are suppose to come into force sometime next year - Calves under 28 days cannot be transported over distances of 50km and only by the farmers transporting them. There is a huge calf welfare issue coming down the tracks and it doesn't appear that anything is been done about it.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074714#Comment_119074714

Aye indeed, the screw calves would be the first thing I'd think of when considering breeding extreme dairy calves. Animal welfare lobby are asleep not to latch onto this and make use of it

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119076273#Comment_119076273

To be honest I don't know what I m going to do next year. I've always tried to to sell locally and direct to readers but this has really tested it.between not taking them on time,not paying and leaving money short and trying to hand pick the best I really am beginning to wonder do fellas really want to buy them at home at all.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080522#Comment_119080522

It's a two way issue. When I see figures for calves bought at home, most lads would be better off buying in the mart. It's probably got to the stage when buying farm to farm that lads are no longer interest in the odds and ends. Ya at the start of the year it much of a muchness. However the last two years calf prices collapsed in March and April. Lads are probably having second thoughts about buying straight from the farm.

There is probably not enough of a discount allowed for later or poorer calves.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080642#Comment_119080642

Is buying direct from farm not a better thing tho bass from bio security point of view …..calves in mart could bring anything home

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080522#Comment_119080522

Is it dealers or farmers who are calling and acting the maggot?

Probably me being innocent but I didn't think a farmer looking for stock that they'll spend the next two years looking after would be messing around like that with the animal.

If its dealers you're selling to , could you find out if any farmers in the region might be interested and just cut out the middle man?

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080642#Comment_119080642

I got 250 euro in the mart Monday for a May born Angus. The march/April ones only made about 25% of that. The whole thing is ridiculous.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119081307#Comment_119081307

I got sick of lads calling to the yard. They'd a habit of calling after work which is in the middle of milking time. I'd lads coming back to me saying that my calves did away better than the other calves they bought. When I said I wanted 80 euro they ran a mile and good luck to them. Between talking about square calves and all that sh1t they'd give you a pain in your head. Remember one lad walked into the parlour, came into the pit talking about how he'd love to milk cows if only he had the setup. Pain in the arse at the wrong time of the year. I there training in heifers and taking out antibiotic milk and he wanted me to go out showing him calves.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119081289#Comment_119081289

Probably but why should the buyer pay a premium. After all there is a potential saving on mart fees for both parties and haulage and selling time for the dairy farmer. The other advantages is it ideally should reduce price risk for the dairy farmer.

However from what I see the buyer gets s small reduction in the early part of the year and pays a massive premium compared to Mart prices for mid season calves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119081414#Comment_119081414

That is really down to supply and demand. I could make the exact same comparison with prices paid for 15-20 days old Jan and Feb calves compIng them to prices paid for 6-8 month old beef and dairy runners that time of year

whelan2

Had a lad bought 6 fr bull calves off me in January, he's an ai man. He has sent 4 different lads to me to buy calves, telling them the calves he got off me are the best he ever bought anywhere. Another lad rang this evening looking for a couple. Haven't been to mart this year yet

kevthegaff

Was in the mart the other day after the calf sale in the office. Anyway girl in the office asked a calf dealer how are things? Yer man says the dairy lads have it all ruined... the attitude to dairy lads is dreadful among farming and non farming community

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082611#Comment_119082611

I'd say he knew who was listening too.

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119080522#Comment_119080522

We used to normally buy direct from the same 5 or 6 farmers every year but Covid put a spanner in the works. The introduction of online sales has imo given better price opportunities for both the seller and buyer. I've bought calves online both this year and last year for €50 to €80 a head less than what I would have to pay ex farm. There is the added risk of buying in health problems but if you manage your newly bought in stock properly this can be mitigated by using a specific isolation shed/pens, vaccinating calves upon arrival and monitoring them carefully for a week or so.

Love them or hate them but imo calf sales prices will collapse if the dealers are absent around the ring. The 50km/farmer rule is going to effect them badly.

Say my name

If the grid was changed to eating quality and marbling instead of shoe leather double muscle breeds it'd solve lots.

There's going to be a famine in the world and here is a thread about dairy calves.

Base price

Irrespective whether there is going to be a world wide famine or not us discussing the calf trade situation in Ireland will have no effect on either preventing it or contributing to it. However the new under 28 day old calf 50km transport/farmer only regulations are going to severely effect the calf trade in Ireland which imo is going to lead to animal welfare issues. We've read in the recent past about dairy bull calves been left unsold overnight in some marts. These new regulations will only make it worse.

mr.stonewall

A side note that I spotted was the the ICBF had the rate of decline in carcase weight for dairy bred stock at a rate of -0.5kg/Yr and Suckler bred stock were increasing carcase weight at a rate of 1.2kg/yr. Over a 5 year period that is a has increased the gap between the Suckler and dairy bred stock by nearly 10kg in DW. This is gap is going to grow at a greater rate and a lot of of it down to the the influence of the maintenance figure on EBI. Using better beef bull will help some bit, but the influence of this coming from the cow is going to take at least 5-6 years to address this decline.

Next year the calf trade will be worse as the cost of inputs is going to be worse. Replacer will be over 3k/ton, driven by the current milk price and energy. Add in the cost or ration. It will only pay on calf to beef if you have a calf which will have the potential for a good carcase weight.

I was thinking about this possibility of trying to get calf birth weight linked in with ICBF data. This could be game changer on a number of fronts regarding calving ease and carcase weight potential. Should the dept be looking for a birth weight up to 5 days old for a small fee. Say provide this data for €3-5/head. This wouldnt take long to add up to a nice few Bob on a typical dairy herd

carrollsno1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082693#Comment_119082693

Some of the finest beef in the world is JEX and Dara McCullough did a piece on ETTG on a restaurant in Galway i think selling cull cow steaks as a delicacy. Ive said before on here about how there is a serious lack of variety in cuts sold in supermarkets compared to the UK, NZ and AUS even i.e. neck chops, mutton knuckle/shoulder etc. I bought a lamb butchered off a friend last November 12 months €170/ delivered in a white box the abbattoir didnt even send on the liver let alone the neck chops.

Weve had it too handy as a nation (coming from the snowflake generation here 🙄). I know there is people struggling out there but weve a massive throwaway culture in this country at the moment. There should be very little waste on an animal at all IMO but most people who can afford to eat meat regularly only want the premium cuts.

There should be a massive push to grow Veal in popularity both with farmers and the consumer it could turn out to be a natural, local, ethical, environmentally friendly affordable protein source and reduce the want for importing **** soya products from the other side of the world. Ive never had Veal yet myself deslite it being available along my travels however i shouldnt have a huge problem eating it as i have no guilty conscious from eating lamb.

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082797#Comment_119082797

Some marts show the calf weights, Carnaross Mart do and it is very helpful but they are the only one of the four marts that I would buy calves from. It is also very annoying that most marts do not display the dams breed code. I see (online) that a lot of the Southern marts do show the dam's breed code unfortunately non of the marts up this way do.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119082797#Comment_119082797

What they mentioned aswell was that age of slaughter had decreased. There is a trend to slaughter dairyXBeef at 18ish months. This has caused the drop in weights. With improved grading the tendancy to carry cattle to over 30 months has decreased aswell. The same has not effected suckler cattle as much

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119083026#Comment_119083026

We recently transported a load of bullocks for a neighbour to the factory. The majority were HEx with three AAx and they were all bought in and reared as calves. I was surprised to see that the average age was 25.5 months, all graded R-/= (other than one O=3=) the rest were 3= or 3+. This man is a part time farmer and other than getting crunch as calves they never saw a grain of meal after.