Will the price cull cows improve.

cacs

I have a some factory fit cows suckler bred R3. Looking at mart bids the last prices was better at the mart than the factory from what I understand cull cows mainly go Europe. They mainly end up in the food services market. Hard to see much of a demand on that sector at moment with all the lock downs. Staring to think I should never have fed them. I would gotten as much last September when dried them. Starting to tight for shed space.

Albert Johnson

cacs wrote: »

I have a some factory fit cows suckler bred R3. Looking at mart bids the last prices was better at the mart than the factory from what I understand cull cows mainly go Europe. They mainly end up in the food services market. Hard to see much of a demand on that sector at moment with all the lock downs. Staring to think I should never have fed them. I would gotten as much last September when dried them. Starting to tight for shed space.

I'd agree that the mart trade is currently ahead of factory prices, culls have came back in the mart but not to the extent you'd expect given the price cuts in the factory. There's no shortage of culls being traded at present although good well fleshed continental cows wouldn't be that plentiful. Having said that there's a lot of reasonably fleshy type cows being bought for immediate slaughter atm so I don't see much of a lift in factory prices for cows this side of Xmas tbh.

Your in the peak trading period for culls currently which won't do much to help the trade even if your cow's would be better than the majority. Being honest I wouldn't consider this a great time of year to be feeding cull cow's intensively. There's too much competition from the last of the grass cattle and weather/fodder/accomodation pressure usually forces lad's to move cattle regardless of price at this time of year. You'd really want to be targeting culls for periods when the weekly kill is reduced imo, eg July-Aug or January-Feb. It's not much use to you now but if I was tight for shed space I'd have sold them a month or 6 weeks ago and let someone else work with them since.

cacs

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I'd agree that the mart trade is currently ahead of factory prices, culls have came back in the mart but not to the extent you'd expect given the price cuts in the factory. There's no shortage of culls being traded at present although good well fleshed continental cows wouldn't be that plentiful. Having said that there's a lot of reasonably fleshy type cows being bought for immediate slaughter atm so I don't see much of a lift in factory prices for cows this side of Xmas tbh.

Your in the peak trading period for culls currently which won't do much to help the trade even if your cow's would be better than the majority. Being honest I wouldn't consider this a great time of year to be feeding cull cow's intensively. There's too much competition from the last of the grass cattle and weather/fodder/accomodation pressure usually forces lad's to move cattle regardless of price at this time of year. You'd really want to be targeting culls for periods when the weekly kill is reduced imo, eg July-Aug or January-Feb. It's not much use to you now but if I was tight for shed space I'd have sold them a month or 6 weeks ago and let someone else work with them since.

thanks for that. You just confirmed exactly what i thought. I had them booked into the mart six weeks ago and the night before i realised one was missing both tags so i decide to feed them. What a waste of Money each one has ate €250 in meal and straw

Albert Johnson

cacs wrote: »

thanks for that. You just confirmed exactly what i thought. I had them booked into the mart six weeks ago and the night before i realised one was missing both tags so i decide to feed them. What a waste of Money each one has ate €250 in meal and straw

I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic and you made what you thought was the best call at the time. The should be good types from what you've described and there's a lot of those sort of good fleshy cows going north atm. I see a shrewd cow man showing heavy slaughter fit cow's in the marts locally in the last fortnight. The same man would usually be killing them and buying heavy cow's to make up a load, when he's going back to the ring with everything then it doesn't say much for the factory trade.

Donegalforever

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic and you made what you thought was the best call at the time. The should be good types from what you've described and there's a lot of those sort of good fleshy cows going north atm. I see a shrewd cow man showing heavy slaughter fit cow's in the marts locally in the last fortnight. The same man would usually be killing them and buying heavy cow's to make up a load, when he's going back to the ring with everything then it doesn't say much for the factory trade.

Mostly making around €1.50 per kilo liveweight at the Mart in my area.

cacs

Donegalforever wrote: »

Mostly making around €1.50 per kilo liveweight at the Mart in my area.

Sold them at home tonight 1.70 / kg delighted to be shot of them. One still needs another good shot of meal and she will still only grade O

Albert Johnson

Donegalforever wrote: »

Mostly making around €1.50 per kilo liveweight at the Mart in my area.

It will vary depending on the cow but that would be a ballpark figure for fleshy O grade cows locally atm. I'd be expecting €1.70-€1.90 for tighter R grade or better cows but it depends on the cow. Older or more gutty types will be less and there's an odd real good U grade cow
crossing the €2 a kilo. In spite of everything there's good enough demand for cow's for immediate slaughter and there buying forward stores as well as what I'd consider slaughter fit cow's atm.

Albert Johnson

cacs wrote: »

Sold them at home tonight 1.70 / kg delighted to be shot of them. One still needs another good shot of meal and she will still only grade O

I'd consider that a fair price out of the shed, by the time you'd put haulage, weight loss and commission on them you'd struggle to better it in the mart imo.

cacs

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I'd consider that a fair price out of the shed, by the time you'd put haulage, weight loss and commission on them you'd struggle to better it in the mart imo.

100% agree. But never again. Someone else can feed them

jfh

I have 2 dry cows to go, wonder would it be better to wait until after 1st Dec when level 5 ends?

50HX

Rang abp yestarday for cull prices

Was told...ring back in 3 weeks, no market for them