Dairy Calves 2024

Base price · 17-08-2023 10:28am

There was a meeting of calf exporters, mart managers and bord bia on Tuesday -

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/scallan-plan-needed-for-extra-120000-dairy-calves-next-year/

jaymla627 · 17-08-2023 10:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989566#Comment_120989566

They're not factoring in hugely increased culling rates on farms into the back-end of the year/ late calvers that are milked on been hung up before calving also, I say you'll see less dairy cows calved next year then last year, their obviously will be the 35000 "Bobby calves" that will need to find a home but the owners of these calves will likely have to keep them till their weaned and find someone to take them, so they won't be clogging up the marts

Jack98 · 17-08-2023 11:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989592#Comment_120989592

Legislation is manufacturing another **** show next spring, on a lot of farms once the 28 days are up these calves will be just dumped into marts again or however they can be got going off the farm due to taking up nitrates. Calves even though most obviously don’t agree are a by product on a certain percentage of farms across the country and these farms are run like businesses only the money making assets the Milkers will be kept on. We rear every calf every year but if we were to lose rented ground with less maps available then we’d probably have to rejig our system too.

jaymla627 · 17-08-2023 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989703#Comment_120989703

The dumping of calves days are over in marts, if not sold farmer will have to bring them back home, Bobby man isn't their to take them anymore which was the get out of jail card for farmers/mart managers to get shot of these calves....

Off-loaded 10 culls yesterday straight out of parlour, where good solid 650kgs holstein cows lacking flesh, they avergaed 300 deadweight and came to 915 euro one screwy lady only came to 500 so messed up the averages, he had went with culls from another local lad 2 days previously high ebi light cows and they came into 290 euro, would love to know how my cows are negative for beef on their ebi and the Irish bred ladies are classed as better

Jack98 · 17-08-2023 1:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120990326#Comment_120990326

We’ll see how it’ll go next spring but even reared calves will be given away at a month to 6 weeks old next spring, their a cost to some enterprises and hood no value I’ve milked for several lads like this…not the most ethical way to work in the world of course but great business men.

The whole cull cow value thing has been thrashed out for years what you made ahead of your man on cull value he probably made up for in solids solid over the years at lower cost base etc. horses for courses and each to their own.

patsy_mccabe · 17-08-2023 1:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120863976#Comment_120863976

Very few wanted heifer calves back then. Poor fences on farms, no injections to abort in-calf heifers etc all made them very unattractive to small operators.

Base price · 17-08-2023 4:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989592#Comment_120989592

IMO there were a lot of older/problem parlour cows sent direct in May/June this year and there has been a steady supply since.

straight · 17-08-2023 4:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120990326#Comment_120990326

How come you chose factory over mart? I sold my bull in the mart there recently and lads were asking me why didn't I take him to the factory. I wouldn't trust them that they would give me a different rate to their friends. Maybe I could have went through an agent.

jaymla627 · 17-08-2023 4:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120991496#Comment_120991496

With the new tb rules I reckon it's safer to factory them, have a good agent beside that does the haulage aswell, he had to go to Slaney in Wexford with them night, in Laois here and none of the local factories would take them...

Best cow on it came into 1190 and she wasn't a monster of a cow, just had the weight and fat score

Base price · 17-08-2023 4:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120991496#Comment_120991496

Cause he'd get less in the marts at this time of the year. His cows were probably P= 2 -/= in flesh and only feedlots are prepaired to feed on under fleshed cows coming into Autum/Winter. Therefore grass buyers at this time of the year (as opposed to Spring) are scarce around the ring and the feedlot lads will take their turn - the "boys" will claim their cows and carve up the lots amongst themselves.

Your bull is a single animal sorta like when seeing one swallow equates to summer 😏

Edit to add - ex parlour cows were easily making €2/kg + in the marts earlier/Spring this year. I commented about it several times here of F&F.

As an aside we buy and feed a few FR/FRx cull cows every year. I bought three ex parlour cows earlier last week - average weight was 625kgs @ €650 (including mart fees but not diesel costs in collecting them) which is €1.04/kg.

Gillespy · 17-08-2023 5:16pm

Ethnically putting old dairy cows through a mart before going to the factory isn’t very nice when you think about it. Probably her first time ever on a trailer and then into a noisy, stressful mart only to go onto to her final destination anyway. They think nothing of taking them past loads of factories either. Sold a cow in Gortatlea once, she came back inconclusive in Donegal. Put me off taking cows to marts after that.

Base price · 17-08-2023 5:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120991671#Comment_120991671

The majority of dairy farmers that we deal with send their cows for direct slaughter especially the older ladies. They will sell their younger cows either direct or to the mart that have HCC, three spins, slow to let down milk etc and are sold suitable to rear calves.

alps · 17-08-2023 7:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989592#Comment_120989592

Huge proportion of the calves going to that facility were from locked up herds. That option will still exist next spring.

Bass Reeves · 17-08-2023 9:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992104#Comment_120992104

There is a proportion from locked herds not a huge proportion. Know a large dairy farmer that was locked up 200+ cows and he reared all the calves.

If there was a huge proportion there from locked up herds they would need to be a lot of Hex and AA going which is not happening. Where locked herds have decent calves if they do not rear them themselves they generally go to feedlot type calf rearers.

The vast amount of calves slaughtered are dairyXdairy animals from herds using a lot of jersey or similar breeding although I think there is lighter Friesian breeding at present that is, if not more of a serious problem. A substantial number are calves which used to be bought to the mart and if unsold a bobby truck arrived for them

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120989703#Comment_120989703

They cannot be just dumped into marts. Buyers are becoming much more selective with there calves. The dairy farmers can no longer leave them in the mart. Minimum calf slaughter age next year will be 8 weeks otherwise you fail your Board Bia certification. Lads will need calves to be sold in the mart.

Saw a lad near me this year getting calves free at 14-21 days with about 20 litres of milk( mainly beastings) arriving with every calf. There will be more deals like this especially where milk/nitrate banding is borderline.

alps · 17-08-2023 11:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120992628#Comment_120992628

Go back to your sources. Feedlot outlet almost non existant and they play guys along for weeks to try and achieve the reared calf for nothing. Dairy bull calves from locked up herds almost 40% of kill. After initial surge in calving lightens and beef calves start to arrive, more time and facilities allows for their retention.

Anto_Meath · 17-08-2023 11:40pm

I was at the Mart 2 weeks ago there was a nice run of reared calves circa 4 months. They made between €150 -€200, AAx & Fr.from Frx cows It wouldn't have paid to feed them. (Not that they appeard to have gotten too much feeding) . I was telling a friend who has good calves from a British Fr x Ho dairy herd. He said the whole JEx thing is crazy as yes he is loosing on the bonuses but he is making it back on the litres supplied plus he tells me he gets longer out of his cows.

Bass Reeves · 17-08-2023 11:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993278#Comment_120993278

Banding will catch him. However another farmer said that to me. He had HO cows, and he said volume had a quality in itself. At present he is adding Fleckveidh breeding onto his cows.

Grueller · 18-08-2023 12:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993299#Comment_120993299

If he adds flekvieh breeding, banding won't be a problem.

jaymla627 · 18-08-2023 7:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993397#Comment_120993397

Their modern day rotbunts, lads are starting to wise up, isn't the same buzz about them anymore to many lads after getting stung, the funny thing is have holstein x fleck cows that where crossed back again to holstein and these heifers/cows are savage animals they're what I thought the first cross of the fleck would be

Grueller · 18-08-2023 8:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120993632#Comment_120993632

That's an interesting one. What are the improvements over the holstein Jay? Type and solids I would assume. Not stereotyping holsteins as low solids either. I have a friend with pedigree holsteins doing 3.6 + protein in peak production.

Bass Reeves · 22-09-2023 4:56pm

The dairy boys will need to up there game here. Killed a few earlier in the week. 2XHE 30 months 290 ISH kgs 1400 average, a two year old AA 240 kgs 1150 euro. Two Friesians just under 30 months 330 DW 1550 euro. An over age friesian 290 kgs 1250.

Dead weigh of dairy bred beef is absolutely collapsing. I was critical earlier in the year of the DW out of some of the green acres calf to beef systems. I think all calves need to be genitally tested at birth and the beef value displayed in marts. The dairy man should have to rear them to 6 months and lads get them for nothing then.

Jack98 · 22-09-2023 5:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121143964#Comment_121143964

If a buyer is purchasing rats of calves from dairy farmers and they’re leaving them little to no margin that is the buyers problem. All farm types are businesses and should be treated accordingly.

If you’re a beef farmer buying in, find an animal type that suits whatever system you wish to carry out and stop complaining about poorer quality stock and just don’t buy poorer quality stock.

If a farmer isn’t making money from dairy bred stock that’s his own issue for bad decision making.

whelan2 · 22-09-2023 6:31pm

Only had 2 fr bull calves this autumn, used sexed. Was being offered 20 euro by dealer. Sold off farm for 40, Angus bull 150.

Sheep breeder · 22-09-2023 7:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121144059#Comment_121144059

Well said, the day you purchase is the day you sell, lads buying these poor calves and cattle is sending a message to the dairy man keep producing what you’re doing and don’t improve. Buying poor cattle it’s very hard to get performance out of them and lads on here talking them up and on YouTube how great Jex are best cattle to buy and then trying to convince how great they are. When killing cattle the only thing that pays is weight. A neighbour bought FRX and Jex bull calves spring 2022 and sold 15 three weeks ago 570 average for bulls.What did they leave behind them in profit.