Mart Price Tracker

Albert Johnson · 30-05-2019 09:56PM

It's hard to comment without seeing the cattle in question although I would agree that the above prices are average at best. At circa 350-400kg I would expect either side of €2.40 a kg for quality Continentals regardless of the time of year. I find it hard to justify producing such stock for any less especially after wintering them and incurring the associated costs.

The bull weanling trade has slackened in recent weeks and southern cattle always seem to be slightly cheaper imo. I can't help but think the above stock would have made as much if not more a month ago. Selling off the cow at Christmas regardless of weight is often a better option than feeding on such stock to the spring in my experience.

Bass Reeves · 30-05-2019 10:43PM

More and more farmers are realizing that these type of cattle have a limited value.nGone are the days that these could be taken to 500 kgs as bulls or bullocks. At present the base price is 3.9/ kg killed as bullock's or young at 400kgs these type of weanlings would gross 1650 euro, carried to under 24 months bulls killing 480 kgs they would net 1800 euro. Anybody paying 2.4/kg for them will not make a margin.

Who2 · 30-05-2019 11:08PM

The mart trade for light weanlings in the last few weeks in the north east seems to be going well enough. i sold a batch of very average autumn born limo bull weanlings just over a week ago and they averaged over 2.80 a kg at 340kg. Some made more than 500kg bulls id sold a month earlier.

Dozer1 · 31-05-2019 09:13AM

Buyers were limited for good stock, Purcell's were there buying (220 - 260kgs) Hereford and Angus.

There were about 12 well shaped LM bulls Jan 18 to Apr 18 ranging 400-440 kgs that didn't break 1000 euro mark either that looked like they were on meal and inside.

I took mine straight off the cows no nuts bar a kg a head from Dec-Mar at turnout
without an export option the picture isn't great so I'm just keeping my costs as low as possible.

The Autumn cow is probably under pressure if there isn't a better market

TooOldBoots · 31-05-2019 09:33AM

Dozer1 wrote: »

Castleisland yesterday trade was only average
thought the 2 lads over 400kgs were worth 1K...
only 1 man there buying the mart weren't buying for some reason
lads were saying try Gortalea.
only saw a few exceptional lads make over the 1K

all CHx bulls
3 x Aug 18 born
394 kgs 875 - he was lacking height
424 kgs 975
428 kgs 900

3 x Oct 18 born
354 kgs 855
320 kgs 710
324 kgs 690 - plain and cow had no milk

I don't think these are good prices for cattle when you factor in the costs involved.
If these prices are the norm then I think a lot of lads will be getting out of the business

Bass Reeves · 31-05-2019 11:05AM

TooOldBoots wrote: »

I don't think these are good prices for cattle when you factor in the costs involved.
If these prices are the norm then I think a lot of lads will be getting out of the business

There is no doubt that suckler bred cattle are under pressure. The market can only return what the market can bear. What the real catch is that for all processors double speak about needing suckler bred cattle there hands are tied. If they redirect money away from dairy bred stock by reconfiguring the grid they will leave themselves open to new operator's coming in and competing on cheap beef on the lower grades on the grid. It questionable whether the grid discriminates already against these cattle when you consider the way the beef market has gone with processors putting beef onto a tray for supermarkets.

Even if processors do the new grid will add little to heifers price and will only add 8-10c/ kg onto U grade cattle. Weight limits on U16 month bulls will wipe out any extra price there and bullock's the same.At the end of the day that is where the market is going and will this will limit returns. The ICSA may have been ahead of the posse with regard to a suckler cow destocking payment with Phil Hogan speaking about the same in this year's journal. We can take it that dairy expansion will have to stop and that suckler cow numbers will have to reduce by 20-50% over the next 5-8 years. With suckler cow's only weaning 0.8 calves per unit/ year they are an inefficient method of beef production but more importantly they are also very inefficient carbon wise when we have the issue regarding that.

Cavanjack · 31-05-2019 09:25PM

Dozer1 wrote: »

Buyers were limited for good stock, Purcell's were there buying (220 - 260kgs) Hereford and Angus.

There were about 12 well shaped LM bulls Jan 18 to Apr 18 ranging 400-440 kgs that didn't break 1000 euro mark either that looked like they were on meal and inside.

I took mine straight off the cows no nuts bar a kg a head from Dec-Mar at turnout
without an export option the picture isn't great so I'm just keeping my costs as low as possible.

The Autumn cow is probably under pressure if there isn't a better market

I’d be happy paying those prices for them bulls. Wouldn’t get them up this country for that money

Albert Johnson · 31-05-2019 11:25PM

I agree with Cavanjack that similar stock here in the West are a shade dearer. The beef game has changed in recent years and perhaps the day of €2.50 a kg for goodish suckler bred weanlings is coming to an end. If this turns out to be the case then it's only another nail in the coffin for the suckler cow imo. The figures barely add up currently and another €100 odd off the weanling price will really bring the house of cards crashing down.

At current prices I struggle to see how an autumn calving cow has any place in a suckler to weanling system. Perhaps if bringing all progeny through to beef it may be feasible but it only seems like a more expensive way to produce the same end product imo. I think extensification is the name of the suckler game going forward, less cows and sell off the calves as runners incurring the least cost possible.

Butcher Boy · 01-06-2019 06:17PM

Good trade for cows in macroom today ,900kgs herford cow 1650.me think that was ok.

bosallagh88 · 01-06-2019 06:28PM

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I agree with Cavanjack that similar stock here in the West are a shade dearer. The beef game has changed in recent years and perhaps the day of €2.50 a kg for goodish suckler bred weanlings is coming to an end. If this turns out to be the case then it's only another nail in the coffin for the suckler cow imo. The figures barely add up currently and another €100 odd off the weanling price will really bring the house of cards crashing down.

At current prices I struggle to see how an autumn calving cow has any place in a suckler to weanling system. Perhaps if bringing all progeny through to beef it may be feasible but it only seems like a more expensive way to produce the
same end product imo. I think extensification is the name of the suckler game going forward, less cows and sell off the calves as runners incurring the least cost possible.

What would you say is the lowest cost system ? What size would you call runners? I always find spring calves over 250kgs sold in October November cost a lot less to keep than the autumn calves although they are heavier when weaned

Pidae.m · 01-06-2019 06:50PM

Butcher Boy wrote: »

Good trade for cows in macroom today ,900kgs herford cow 1650.me think that was ok.

Heard it was a small sale, 70 ish.

Butcher Boy · 01-06-2019 07:21PM

Pidae.m wrote: »

Heard it was a small sale, 70 ish.

ya anything with flesh was doing fine ,the man from ballincollig was not there for the cows he made a big difference the last few weeks.

Albert Johnson · 01-06-2019 07:47PM

bosallagh88 wrote: »

What would you say is the lowest cost system ? What size would you call runners? I always find spring calves over 250kgs sold in October November cost a lot less to keep than the autumn calves although they are heavier when weaned

The lowest cost system imo would be a late spring calving herd consisting of traditional breed (most likely SHx) cows crossed to a CH bull and out wintered. I consider calves under 6 months and 250kg to be runners but the term is open to interpretation.

I believe that calving to grass in mid May and selling the resulting calf at 3 to 4 months would be probably the most extensive suckler system possible. If the cow was dried off in September she should be in good condition facing into the winter and easily maintained. A low stocking rate would allow sufficient grass supplies to accumulate which could be used in the place of fodder over the winter. A few square bales of hay or meal could be supplemented in the event of snowfall. The cow should also go back incalf faster after being weaned. I believe an average sale target of €550 @ 180kg should be achievable at 3 months.

The main benefits would be minimal need for expensive housing and winter fodder combined with less calf health problems due to calving outdoors. Conversely the main cons would be the risk of mastitis from drying off cows in August/September and a Tb outbreak preventing selling off stock before the winter.

Western Pomise · 01-06-2019 11:42PM

Albert Johnson wrote: »

The lowest cost system imo would be a late spring calving herd consisting of traditional breed (most likely SHx) cows crossed to a CH bull and out wintered. I consider calves under 6 months and 250kg to be runners but the term is open to interpretation.

I believe that calving to grass in mid May and selling the resulting calf at 3 to 4 months would be probably the most extensive suckler system possible. If the cow was dried off in September she should be in good condition facing into the winter and easily maintained. A low stocking rate would allow sufficient grass supplies to accumulate which could be used in the place of fodder over the winter. A few square bales of hay or meal could be supplemented in the event of snowfall. The cow should also go back incalf faster after being weaned. I believe an average sale target of €550 @ 180kg should be achievable at 3 months.

The main benefits would be minimal need for expensive housing and winter fodder combined with less calf health problems due to calving outdoors. Conversely the main cons would be the risk of mastitis from drying off cows in August/September and a Tb outbreak preventing selling off stock before the winter.

Speaking from experience of having a lot of SH and SHx cows over the years,calving in Feb/Mar/April and weaning and selling good Ch calves off them in October the cows still have loads of milk even then and need to be put on restricted diet,milked,and dried off properly with dry cow tubes.

I think you would run into a lot of problems trying to dry off proper SH or SHx cows in Aug/Sept.

Albert Johnson · 02-06-2019 11:43AM

Western Pomise wrote: »

Speaking from experience of having a lot of SH and SHx cows over the years,calving in Feb/Mar/April and weaning and selling good Ch calves off them in October the cows still have loads of milk even then and need to be put on restricted diet,milked,and dried off properly with dry cow tubes.

I think you would run into a lot of problems trying to dry off proper SH or SHx cows in Aug/Sept.

I agree that mastitis at drying off was one of the first issues that I expected to encounter in a such a setup. Having said that I've witnessed good milking cows being dried off successfully after only a restricted diet so I believe it can be done.

I never agreed with milking cows while drying off unless mastitis had all ready set in, it's only opening up the teat canals to let in bacteria as well as encouraging the cow to produce more milk imo. A restricted diet and a pour-on or Stockholm tar application to combat flies is the best standard treatment in my experience. A secure bare field is the best environment to minimize the risk of mastitis and keep a close eye on the them for the first few weeks.

pat73 · 03-06-2019 02:48PM

Was there any one in kilmallock mart today,what are 350 kg fresians making

Bass Reeves · 03-06-2019 03:49PM

pat73 wrote: »

Was there any one in kilmallock mart today,what are 350 kg fresians making

Are you buying or selling.

pat73 · 03-06-2019 04:08PM

Selling

Bass Reeves · 03-06-2019 06:23PM

Bought some 2weeks ago they were 360 and cost 550. Most lots that weight were making 40-50 more but these had 3 moves. Cattle were quite hot that day.

They are supposed to have dropped a bit since but I was not in the mart to see

orm0nd · 03-06-2019 08:01PM

pat73 wrote: »

Was there any one in kilmallock mart today,what are 350 kg fresians making

1.40 to 1.60/kg

Most would be in the lower scale.

Robson99 · 03-06-2019 09:37PM

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Bought some 2weeks ago they were 360 and cost 550. Most lots that weight were making 40-50 more but these had 3 moves. Cattle were quite hot that day.

They are supposed to have dropped a bit since but I was not in the mart to see

To be honest I think to many lads buying stores to bring to slaughter get too worried about movements and QA in general. As you see yourself they can be bought cheaper and you can let them run into 35 months and still get them on the grid.
Gave up worrying about QA when buying. If the animal comes at the right price well thats the most important thing

Bass Reeves · 04-06-2019 07:02AM

Robson99 wrote: »

To be honest I think to many lads buying stores to bring to slaughter get too worried about movements and QA in general. As you see yourself they can be bought cheaper and you can let them run into 35 months and still get them on the grid.
Gave up worrying about QA when buying. If the animal comes at the right price well thats the most important thing

It is something I never worry at the end of the day across a bunch of Friesians on a good day only 35% will be O= at 30 months. I do not even worry about 36 months if the animal is at the right price. You wil always get one away in a load but if the price is right and you do get a 20c penalty you can afford to accept it.

Robson99 · 04-06-2019 09:09PM

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It is something I never worry at the end of the day across a bunch of Friesians on a good day only 35% will be O= at 30 months. I do not even worry about 36 months if the animal is at the right price. You wil always get one away in a load but if the price is right and you do get a 20c penalty you can afford to accept it.

Even with good contenintal cattle. Its amazing the ways lads back off bidding when say a 24 month old 450kg animal comes into the ring compared to one say 14 months old or say one with 3 movements
An extra 15 / 20 days grazing gaining 1kg overweight would compensate for the QA loss

sonnybill · 12-06-2019 10:18AM

Are continental culls going well in mart at the moment ?

Albert Johnson · 12-06-2019 10:41AM

sonnybill wrote: »

Are continental culls going well in mart at the moment ?

The cow trade is holding it's own here in the North West, young fleshed cows are in particular demand. In general for fleshed cows either side of €1.80 a kg is the going rate with up to €2 a kg for young muscular cows. The store cow trade seems to have slipped slightly in the last week or so. I sold an average CHx cow last week 540kg @ €850 for a neighbor, she calved a dead calf 2 months ago and only started to thrive in the last few weeks.

Bass Reeves · 14-06-2019 07:15PM

Was in Gortnalea today. There seems to be a large amount of forward stores in both heifers and bullocks sold there. I taught lot of the finished cattle would leave 50-70+ fees to the lads buying them. A large amount were not QA. The forward stores that were within around 70 days of finish will leave the buyers about 100 euro if finished prices remain the same as at present. What I was surprised about was the about of 24-30 month finished bulls sold there. Most were R grade bulls and were selling for 1.5-1.8/kg live weight(2.9-3.3/kg DW). Very little lighter cattle there so hard to get stuck in.

kk.man · 14-06-2019 07:38PM

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Was in Gortnalea today. There seems to be a large amount of forward stores in both heifers and bullocks sold there. I taught lot of the finished cattle would leave 50-70+ fees to the lads buying them. A large amount were not QA. The forward stores that were within around 70 days of finish will leave the buyers about 100 euro if finished prices remain the same as at present. What I was surprised about was the about of 24-30 month finished bulls sold there. Most were R grade bulls and were selling for 1.5-1.8/kg live weight(2.9-3.3/kg DW). Very little lighter cattle there so hard to get stuck in.

Selling live might be a better option for bulls now because once they leave the farm they are gone. No waiting and costly feeding. Agents have a better chance of getting them killed quick.
With regards the forward stores, why should lads keep them and prices only heading south. Probably a few of them will be dead by mid morning too.

Cavanjack · 14-06-2019 11:12PM

kk.man wrote: »

Selling live might be a better option for bulls now because once they leave the farm they are gone. No waiting and costly feeding. Agents have a better chance of getting them killed quick.
With regards the forward stores, why should lads keep them and prices only heading south. Probably a few of them will be dead by mid morning too.

Killed a load during the week, mixture of bullocks and bulls (some overage). No delay getting them killed.

Pidae.m · 15-06-2019 06:46AM

Impossible to get stock killed down here. Over half the kill is still house cattle.

Bass Reeves · 15-06-2019 07:00AM

kk.man wrote: »

Selling live might be a better option for bulls now because once they leave the farm they are gone. No waiting and costly feeding. Agents have a better chance of getting them killed quick.
With regards the forward stores, why should lads keep them and prices only heading south. Probably a few of them will be dead by mid morning too.

The forward stores would not be FS 3 most were Friesian, FRX or Continental and they needed 50-70 days grass to get into FS3 IMO. As well the smore of the more finished cattle that were HE and AA were not QA so if held 70 days the breed premium and QA were in play as well as a climb in grade. While the price is heading south at present it is not as rapid as normal Junes for a few reasons we are working off a lower base price than normal and it started earlier because of cattle throughput.

There was a lot more younger cattle killed last autumn/early winter compared to previous years and at this stage the kill is 43K higher than 2018 and rising and 63K higher on the 5 year average in a year where the kill is supposed to drop 40-60K below 2018 levels because of exports in 2017 and early 2018. So prices may not keep going south.

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