Spring 2020..... 1.5m Dairy calves.... discuss.

Is complete and utter bullshit......the ag minister is either brainwashed or beholden to other interests or a complete moron ....I doubt its the latter.

As for finishing dairy cross animals easy enough under 24 months......ur having a laugh.

Been there, done that and no its not unless a lad is working off these fabled British friesian crosses which are few and far between even then I'd have my doubts.

About 75/80% beef animals I've had here start piling on the weight naturally above about 26/27 months and will go close to finish if not finish with very little inputs over about 2/3 months and will leave a twist ....and come just about under the 30 month limit ....which puts you under undue pressure to sell (the one lever you should absolutely have to protect your margin) and means you are more or less forced to try pump the others

That's if they are not poor dairy x animals ........ there are some outliers but not many

Any proposal which lowers age limits only worsens that problem and will in all probability if everything was considered produce more GHGs

Especially the real Holstein crosses. They start going over fat from 21 months very quickly.

I aim for around the 650kg mark ..... gives me a margin for error in terms of weight if its mart they are going to....some go over and if prices are good I'll let them off earlier etc....gives me flexibility on mart or factory etc

They shouldn't lose 50 kilo by the time they leave yard and go onto scales....generally I find they sell a lot better in mart once they over the 600....or at least they achieve a price I'm willing to sell them for.......

For heifers it's a different story if they are a quality/stylish animal....550kg on average if im carrying them fir a similar amount of time ...but that's a different buyer.

50 euro.....150-220 kgs/ head

You could go sideways trying to get some Lmx finish at 24 months.

Often did it with aax and whx heifers, but you would want to going for the right one that will be gone before winter. Bullocks, couldn't see the benefit in it.

Lmx can be a heart breaking bollox to finish early.

You would want to know your cattle and your sums tight in a under 24 month finishing, the intensive nature of it comes with significant risk for a questionable extra reward for the farmer.

What would happen to fr bullocks if 24 months was the target, a Whitish coat and they are only still framing up. If they were all killed prior to 30 months it would flood the market would poor grade beef. The intensive Man killing or less would be in trouble then.

Removing flexibility on age hits farmers, forcing a more intensive finishing system hits farmers.

I’ve been told that Dutch farmers have solar panels on their shed roof which generates an income for them

Half of the dairy beef animals are slaughtered from the farm of their birth, and they are slaughtered at a younger age than those that go to calf to beef operations.

Why is that?

Availability of milk to feed them maybe?

If a calf to beef lad takes them he probably has to use CMR...although I know some dairy lads using CMR as their milk worth more but the supplement with stuff they don't sell.

No or less setbacks changing farm and system

And if a guy/gal has to keep them all they won't be keeping the poorer quality animals ...and if hey sell a portion its the poorer ones with less potential go for sale.

All possibilities I'd say.

It was from data collected for a teagasc submission on calf exports, as an introduction around the perceptions around dairy beef, and the perceptions around them being an unwanted by product.

I think the whole emissions thing is a farce the way it is put on the producer and not the consumer. I think it's about 1 in 12 of the Irish cattle are consumed here. The livestock farming here are far less destructive to the environment than in other countries where everything from water to feed has to be transported in.

in fairness who reads the Sunday Times? last kick of a dying mule. aren't they laying off half the 'journalists ' working there