Beef price tracker 2

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816364#Comment_123816364

I agree it did not, however there is no God given right to a profit. 5 years ago we were producing too much, 50%+ of sucklers cows were loss making, there is still probably 20%+ wasting there time ,it's hard to know if they would do any better at anything else. Have no doubt there is farmers not making money at calf to beef etc and other system. However dairy bred calves will always be produced as dairying is inherently profitable if done half right

Suckler cows are a byproduct of milk quotas back in the 80's. Dairy farmers controlled the supply of beef calves. They started improving cow quality which reduced the number of calves they produced. Along with that until the end of the noughties. Most dairy farmers had a beef operation on the side.

Traditionally suckler cows were only along the western seaboard. Even dairy calves went west to be reared to be stores before moving to better land to fatten.

Milk quotas changed the complete landscape along with production based quotas. The end of quotas changed the landscape again. Calves halved in price and it became profitable to have a beef system based calf to beef because of extra supply as dairy farmers went 100% dairying. The changing of subsidies from production based to area based and convergence reduced the reason to keep suckler. Now we have a situation where sucklers profitability has increased because of reduced beef supply and Bluetongue ( which we survived this year.)

If sucklers increase substantially, it will increase beef supply dairy cales will drop back etc.

The appalling vista is if Bluetongue gets in

nearlybreak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816392#Comment_123816392

well if it does the cattle game will be gone lads won’t keep them just be all the dairy herd the suckers needed this otherwise the herd be gone

nearlybreak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816425#Comment_123816425

life has changed though years ago lads work away and were happy with minimal profit now most fellas with sucklers have jobs they won’t bother if they can’t make money too much time and work involved to get nothing back

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123814463#Comment_123814463

There was a man up in Wicklow that had 800 sucklers and when the heifer come into play he had a 1000, had land in Kildare and Wicklow and ended up on the top 10 SFP payments, also was a Simmental breeder back in the day as well as the society and a vet.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816532#Comment_123816532

THat is a while back I think it was nearly all AA bulls he was using. Cows wereculles at 8-10 years of age. I a not remember thecow type he used.

There was a farmer above in co Down as wlwith large numbers I think he used BBxHO cows bred to AA bullshe was carrying everything to finish. Some of the AA were getting into U grade

WoozieWu

there is a very big herd in louth currently

Sheep breeder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816545#Comment_123816545

No all continental cows with Lim, Char, Sim bulls usually bought out of the test station in Tully and doing bull beef, was on a farm walk on a farm in Kildare he had leased and the man looking after the stock herded them on horse back, serious operation

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816532#Comment_123816532

I remember him, an uncle of mine bought a Simmental bull off him.

farawaygrass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123816416#Comment_123816416

looked it up there. It’s 3 times what it was in 1950 and almost double what it was in 1980. Amazing how quality of life has improved so much along with the increase in population