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

Lads around the ring calling everything a jersey x is annoying when they're not.

IMO there is a huge difference in performance between rearing calves on whole milk and cmr and that is what is standing to your calves along with the fact that as a dairy farmer you're grass management/silage is ahead of the majority of livestock farmers. Having said that unfortunately the country is polluted with poor performing calves out of JE/Kiwi cows irrespective of the beef sire breed. Over the past eight years I've seen more and more of the best BR/Friesian/HO dairy farmers (that we buy bull calves from) using more JE/Kiwi bulls within their herds. They tell us it's because they get paid more for the milk cause the pr and bf is better.

Hard to disagree with you. I did the AI course 20 years ago and one thing I didn't forget was the instructor saying we heading down the NZ route. Farmers going out in the morning and taking the hammer to the bull calves born that night and farmers burnt out at 50. We all laughed.

It all depends. If you let them control you they will. If you decide on your margin and do not go beyond it then no they cannot. Buying online has them beat for the last two years. They have kinda bounced back over the last 2-3 months but you can still manage it of you like

I’m with Bass on this one. I’d never pass any remarks on what anyone else is doing around the ring. I pick out any animals that suit me and I bid for them. I don’t care or even want to know who’s bidding against me. If I don’t buy then so be it, I’ll at least have made the other person pay for them!

Cheaper having them doing the research than us lowly farmers.

Farmers usually hang themselves the first day by giving too much money for the calf, I've been saying that for years

The escalating costs in rearing these calves now mean the calf to beef man simply won't stay at it, where he can't source calves like in the project above that are hitting the 300kgs plus deadweight before their 2nd birthday...

Teagasc are going to seriously discredit themselves if they keep peddling the myth that high dbi bulls will give saleable calves regardless of the dam, they need to cop the f**k on and spell out that low maintenance 500kgs mature weight cows on a good day are going to leave you with a pretty lousy beef cross animal that's not suitable for the beef farmer to make a few quid on,its a serious disservice to their calf to beef clients if noting else

Looking at the 100kg carcase weight difference it's the equivalent of having 33% less output with the same cost. Compared to the aim of having a 280-300kg carcase at 24 months it's taking 3 calves to get the same weight of beef vs 2 calves. That's why farmers are shying away from these calves. So over an average of 6 lactations these poor calves have produced 2 full 300kg carcases less of beef, with the full whack of costs. You can't make a silks purse out of a sows ear

Dairy farmers have to admit they have corporate social responsibility in there breeding policy. Change is happening dairy farmers, icbf and teagasc need to get on this train quick or see the yard full of calves for all of the rearing period with no outlet or buyers. Calf to beef farmers want calves but are more picky, and every right to be. The data backs this up

Fixing issues in breeding, is not quick fix, it's going to be at least 4 years before corrections can be seen

Good point in fairness....no point in producing a glut of it.

If they get more suckler farmers into organics ( good few older farmers like myself at a few open days recently ) then they will reduce numbers but stay suckling. Can't use milk replacer in organics so less buyers for calves also

Dairy farmers will do what they always did if they can get rid of the calves,

Even giving away calves for nothing isn't going to destroy the profitability of a cow yielding maybe €4000 worth of milk in the year.

Why would they worry about the quality of the calf above the ease of calving. they know the damage they're doing and still persist.

Blaming teagasc etc is just a smokescreen, greed is the real problem

Larry is looking at it from his side as well, lighter carcases means more to kill to get the tonnage. As said earlier in the thread 280-340kg is the sweet spot for carcase weight. More cattle means running the line for longer with more staffing, energy, haulage and admin costs. Larry's demo farm has a motive of putting pressure on teagasc and icbf, and he's dead right

First step to finding a solution is admitting there is problem. Beef farmers have, Larry has, some dairy farmers have. All we have left is the crossbred contingent and teagasc/icbf.

Teagasc - Slaughter of dairy calves must be eliminated.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/teagasc-slaughter-of-dairy-calves-must-be-eliminated/