Mart Price Tracker

Rule 1 never keep long term cattle, it doesn't matter what margin they leave. No 2 kill before the price collapse. You will win.

Many say it's a gamble (which it is), what I have found it's the only game in town.

I would not agree about long-term cattle. Everyone to their own system. In a low cast system wintering is not a substantial costs.

Look at a lad doing yearlings to beef. He could be buying 250 kg HE bullocks for 6-700 and selling lads for 1700 at present.

You would buy nice Friesians yearlings 250-300 kgs for 500ish euro. If you hang them at 340-360 this June/ july at a guess you be hitting 1750-1900 euro.

There was a lad doing calf to beef with friesian's hitting 360 DW at 28 months on here last year. He would have his pick of Friesians calves at present for 50 euro. He was running a low cost system. Will he 1K a unit out of it this year.

I saw a neighbour sell nice Friesians last September 450 kgs for 750. I taught he should have held them.

I say it again you have no understanding of systems outside you own. You cannot visualise outside of that. If we all followed your theory all cattle would be killed from maybe early October to June.

Price is all relative to cost. You have absolutely no understanding of the advantages of carrying an animal a full grazing season. Turning cattle has a cost. To bring an animal onto a farm if paying for transport is costing 30+/ head when including mart fees. The slaughter costs is a bit more. That 70+/ head. It takes time to buy cattle and it can take time to get them slaughtered.

Lads turning cattle 4-5 times a year have 1-3 bunches that there is little it no margin in.

By the way there is nothing efficient about a cow rearing a calf a year not toin the Irish statistic of 0.8 calves weaned/ cow/ year.

I am at this game long enough these are O grade Friesian. Most O- but O grade all the same . Kerry would not be noted for JE breeding.

I think Killmallock is much the same last Monday.

I did not see the bit about ''up my way''.

This time last year those early month old calves would have been 100 more. Maybe the boat will put a floor on them I suspect not.

Lots of lads that bought early calves last year were sorry they did not wait until March. However IMO there is a massive difference between a Dec born calf and a Feb born one.

All the indications is dairy bull calves will be cheaper this year

Ya you are looking at 50 fancy stores costing 70+k.

At least there is a real lift in grass growth. Around here in the very North West of Cork, grass lifted last January. What it grew in March and April, even the first few days of May was very poor.

Have given up fattening either friesian bulls or bullocks here this last few years. Very hard to get a good one.

With the price of meal the only bull that’s worth feeding is a good one. Failing that it’s a lesser one at the right money.

Fair play, thats massive money €2680 being the highest and €1930 being the lowest.

That's all very well if you are breeding suckler charley beef but when you are like me I cant make a margin on them (most years) so I have to revert to FR cattle. I'm not in anyway proud but I am practical. If you bought the above suckler cattle i dont think you would last long as an independent trader between feedlots and 'posh' farmers they are welcome to them. There would probably be a margin in them long term but i prefer short term cattle. I know i am not much use to the suckler beef man but that's the market.

In and around Kilkenny there is a good bit of British Friesian in dairy herds. I have had some and they are fantastic animals. I have to say when crossed with HO is not the end of the world either.

Them cattle would have got very little meal. 1kg over their first winter (4 months as stop meal 1 before before turnout) and then 2kg 6/7 weeks before killing so around 150kgs in total - around €60-70 a head max. No meal in second winter and finished off grass under 30 months

on good grass on a paddock set up. They’d be moved every 5-7 days depending on growth. Farm is also in one full block which is a massive help

I’ll never deny there is a lot of work with sucklers between calving, tagging, dehorning, getting calves going, weaning, etc. but they always leave a margin for me so don’t accept the blanket line that sucklers lose money.

equally I don’t run down other systems either as you work to suit yourself and your set up.

I go back to it every system is different. It's very hard to procure the type of cattle you produce. Less that 20% of suckler bred cattle are that quality O imagine. IIfyou breed that type of animal you would be crazy to sell them you should take them to slaughter.

The advantage of a FrXCh is his ability to consume grass. While not as efficient as your or as a Ch off a HE or an AA cow he will eat a sight more grass every day.

There are lads out there farmers with no children or children not interested in farming. On a sixty acre farm they might buy 40 bullocks in the spring and will keep all summer long. They will take a a cut of silage but the rest of the time they want cattle to consume grass

Those big ChXFr will often keep gaining up on 2kgs/ from late March to mid August maybe a tad more at time. Your nice efficient top quality animal will not do that as he will not keep the quality in the grass as he will not eat enough of it.

He will hang 10 in August, another ten in September and the last will be hung throughout October early November. I know a lad that used to do similar with friesian's as well until he was over 80.