Mart Price Tracker

I have 25 pure British friesians here. They have super calves but still will be bred out because they are way behind any british/holstein crosses I have in milk. Milk is the game lads, not the by product calf.

Milk would be near as makes no difference to 100kg of milk solids in the differ. So depends on price of milk but at the minute about €550-600.

Calf price difference would be no more than €100.

Think in the backend store cattle will be cheap and fleshed will be dear, all dear next spring

What way are mart prices going this week (yearling suckler heifers and bullocks)? And how do ye see it going over the next few weeks?

Is it early for grass buyers?

picked up 3 red LM weanlings heifers average weight 330kgs for 850 thought it wasn't too bad

Basically the suckler / rearing farmer takes the hit yet again

You don't have to have pure BF to have the calf.

Same as you don't have to have a Hol for milk.

There's a middle ground where you can have both.

Those type are their own breed. Pick a square bull that his mother milked well with kgs and %'s and for fertility obvs.

You should always have one eye on calf quality and the other on milk. Sold Angus calves yesterday tops of 330. Sold a fr bull then for 30 which was as good as the Angus. But in a sale where lesser fr calves got no bid and had to go home. I sold. They didn't. No matter how many calves they had in a lot.

Averaged out then on my 8 calves. Angus and the fr bull. 250 euro.

It's lads that are breeding nonsense calves and wanting out as early as possible are ruining the whole dairy industry and giving a bad image to anyone that watches the sales. The short term gain is bringing long term pain. And do they care...

I can't disagree with any of that. The sweet spot as far as I can see is about 60-70% holstein friesian cross. Good milk, good fertility, good calf.

That man in Kilworth hasn’t been Number one with a while - he had been knocked off it before the lists ended but I’d imagine with so much genomics going on and looking at the bulls he’s producing for sale he’s probably a bit off it now. Imo he lost out cause of the narrow nature of the British Friesian bloodlines available EBI wise. Tbf though he does have the dream herd.

Imo The fact that fr4513 Albert is so popular is down to his 25% Friesian - not cause of the fact he is 25% Friesian but the fact that he Carries the traditional protein, fertility and natural condition level (not over excessive) of the British Fr

If the average farmer crossed with British Friesian today from a 80/20 herd yes they’ll gain longevity but they will lose production in the short run and the objective of the EBI is to improve this fertility without the drop in milk. Whether that has been achieved or not is another question