Dairy Calves 2024

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121316924#Comment_121316924

I’m looking at the impact of beef animals from FRx and JEx cows every day in the shed at the moment. I bought them as BB and SIM calves in Spring 2022. They’ll be the last to leave the yard and will leave the smallest margin.

Its a cod from Teagasc and IFJ to ignore the cow and say the bull’s DBI or CBV or whatever will make all the difference.

To paraphrase George Bush, Cod me once shame on you … you won’t cod me a second time.

kk.man

I bought 392kgs frx 22nd June avg 731...they killed to 1,111e per head up to two weeks ago.... never doubt the friesan.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317822#Comment_121317822

What kind of FS had they. Mostly "P's"?, 270 kgs average? Nice margin on them.

I bought some of them June '22 they were about 400 kgs part of a bunch of 6-7 cattle. November 20 born. Slaughtered them last May nearly 345DW, I think they average 1740 ish euro

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317843#Comment_121317843

265kgs...Good man...

Shite fat scores and grades

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317852#Comment_121317852

The weather played havoc because the were flesher a week before I killed them but they never saw a shed with me.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317876#Comment_121317876

Friesians struggle in rainy weather and especially if it's cold as well. You might have been better off housing them 3-4 weeks ago. Were you feeding them ration

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121317959#Comment_121317959

Yes they got meal..u r right about housing them but I knew I was making money so I didn't

Anto_Meath

You need a frame to carry weight. Anything killing less than 300kgs is costing someone money. AAx or Frx that are killing out any less than that no good to a beef farmer as the they are also killing out "P" or poor "O" I ve had them. Will try and avoid in the future no matter how tempting the price looks. It's very disappointing seen your payment price at 56 cent less than a similar weight R- grad BB/Je x bullock.

@kk.man whoever you bought them cattle off lost on them. Especially if they were near 24 months when you bought them.

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318031#Comment_121318031

No they were 21 months dead. Yes they lost it was a bad mart day but I filled the trailer. I bought 21 that day a suckler farmer would struggle to make that on 21 cows.

I don't mean to be cocky or to have the up on someone else but it's all about the margin... I was in kilkenny today and ch bullocks making mad money there was no margin in them. I actually don't care what my road side field looks like with grass rats as they call them.

I killed cattle in June r minus types which at best broke even. Remember factories pulled from mid May.

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318031#Comment_121318031

4700 on 21 cattle for small money in 4 months (no shed or black plastic) is not disappointing no matter how you access it.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318018#Comment_121318018

Friesians shrink outside in this weather, TBH all cattle struggle if you had housed and fed the same meal they would have powered along. You are actually better off feeding cattle like that from the start of August and hanging end of September

The Friesians I had were only mealed for four weeks.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318031#Comment_121318031

It may be costing someone but all you can worry about is your margin. See lads going to the wrong mart, not dehorning or castarating, cattle not having thrived.

It's all about the price you buy those BBXJE will struggle to gain weight. Seeing it more and more with cattle even on high energy diets they struggle to gain more than 8-900 grams a day and on grass it's 5-600/ day even on the best of grass. Those BBXJE wound struggle to hand 250 kgs at the same age as @kkman's FRx. So about 130 euro more in the cheque.

Had an AA Bullock this year bought him@300 kgs last November, he only hung 230 kgs in September and was on ration 4-5 weeks. He only made 1111 as well if I remember right. He cost 500 euro.

Kkman what was you net margin out of them 180-200/ head or slightly less

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318322#Comment_121318322

224e

I had no room in the sheds I was banking on a mild autumn. The last field they were is very dry and sheltered.

Anto_Meath

@Bass Reeves & @kk.man you are both correct in that all that really matters at the end of the day is that your enterprise makes a margin. I have no preference for any type of cattle, I have all kinds of everything. (My sucklers are mostly Lmx) but I would buy anything in the Mart that I can see a profit in. Picked up 5 April 22 AAx bullock last Monday avg 405kgs @ €712 each, there is 2 KYA bred lads on it but happy enough. But again the lads selling them are loosing money, so I can't see them staying at that. I believe margins are so tight in the beef there is only profit for 1 farmer. So the middle lad rearing the calf to store is going to leave or start feeding to finish & when you are at that it cost the same to feed a decent O+ animal that will kill 300kgs+ as it cost to feed a P grade one killing sub 280kgs. But there could be over €200 difference in your return.

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121318628#Comment_121318628

I don't buy the argument these lads wont stay at the game. Firstly for as long as I've been farming there has been lads losing their shirts and keep at it. The meat processors could be/or are saying the same about the beef finisher, yet year after year they keep getting cattle. Its true some lads who have a clue will get out. I saw a mountain of second movement diary stock in Kilkenny yesterday and I doubt if a bob was made on any of them.

Good loser

They had been bought as calves/weanlings? Or they were reared on home farm?

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121322774#Comment_121322774

The were 2nd movement cattle in the most. I'd like to think it was calf rearers who needed a few quid to keep the thing going till the got properly set up.

Bass Reeves

I see where the EU is bringing in a 5 weeks minimum age limit for calf transport will this be the minimum sake age as well. Minimum weight 50kgs

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/eu-proposes-minimum-age-of-five-weeks-for-transport-of-unweaned-calves/

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473515#Comment_121473515

It's only a proposal and hopefully doesn't get passed.

I can't understand your obsession with trying to impede exports from Ireland. IMO live exports/on the hoof is better for farmers than those same livestock being retained on our little island.

whelan2

All the more reason to use sexed semen

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473545#Comment_121473545

The proposal are from the Commission not the Parliament. The final agreement will be somewhere along these lines. Billy Kelliher intends to table amendments, however by the tenor of his statement, I suspect the chance of these substantially changing the regulations are slim. There could be more restriction amendments as well. This will not stop calf export as sea journeys are exempt in the present regulations

By the way I am not trying to impede exports but I do deal with reality. Whether we like it or not there will be substantial change to calf welfare regulations.

weatherbyfoxer

Will it effect farm to farm sale of calves?

Mooooo

Any reduction in live exports will drop the price of beef here, wouldn't matter if every calf born was a Hereford or Limo

Good loser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473902#Comment_121473902

Well I don't like it and 'we' don't like it either.

As far as calf welfare is concerned the quicker calves leave dairy farms imo the better for the calves. They're going from people that don't want them to people that do. In the grand scheme of things the sooner that transfer is effected the better.

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121473983#Comment_121473983

AFAIK any reduction on calf age for sale will affect farm to farm movements otherwise you will have farmers buying/taking calves into their herds to ship.

Edit to add - there was talk of an exemption when a suckler cow lost a calf and I think that should be allowed.

Jjameson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121474002#Comment_121474002

The exporters have no objection to a hardy calf. They are all for this.

From my perspective this is a very positive thing for the industry. Anyone currently breeding a a calf worth 70€ less than nothing and effectively dumping it will have to look after it and then take its market value.. likely 0€ at 5 weeks. Proper order.

Jjameson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121477143#Comment_121477143

This isn’t proving to be the case. Nobody wants these low value young calves. There was a pretty horrific headline this year that the industry never wants repeated.

Anto_Meath

Anyone breeding animals has to take responsibility for them and has to accept the financial consequences if they breed an animal that isn't wanted. The reality is no one wants a bull calf with Jex or Frx breeding that are under 50 kgs at 3 week old. These types of animal cost more to feed for beef than they will ever return.

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121479425#Comment_121479425

My point was a reduction in live exports will drop the price paid for beef within the country. If they want to change the rules or whatever its fine but if it leads to a reduction in exports then that is an undeniable fact.

Re the 5 wk rule or whatever, at least let their be a move of the 42 day tb test out to what it was during covid, took pressure off the whole system. Their blaming Europe for not doing it then fcuking talk to them.

The people I know rearing calves seem to prefer em at the 3/ 4 weeks get em on to their own system and alot of the time have all calves bought by 1st march off farm, even if they are on the young side

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121479545#Comment_121479545

If the calves are good enough how could there be a drop in live exports?

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121479728#Comment_121479728

Didn't mention anything about calves being good enough or not. My comment was in relation to the discussion above which was possible restrictions on live exports which could reduce the amount of stock leaving the country