Beef price tracker 2

I would say the more and more data, that can be bought out into the open on slaughtering according to herd size, it will given evidence as to the state of our industry. Having data in to open keeps everyone on their toes. Fiddling the figures eventually will catch you out, and its always something small that does it, its the key to Pandora's box. The new food regulator and the CCPC can handle this but we need sustained evidence of this.

With a reduced number of feedlots and larger numbers of cattle going through these big yards, there is an increased pressure on credit in the marts. Bigger limits and one card falls, this could see a number of marts in big trouble. Essentially, if mart credit is funding some of these operations, its dangerous territory

Remember that we have got 3 main processors controlling over 80% of the kill. What is happening is nearly a step by step play of what way the US beef industry has gone. Stores and weanlings move from the Rocky's towards the big feedlots of the central plains. A similarity is store and weanlings moving from the western seaboard to the east. 4 main meat packers control over 80% of the US kill. Just a quick read of what Biden is trying to do for farmers in the US, I know its from the UK Guardian but its extremely well written.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/25/meat-wars-why-biden-wants-to-break-up-the-powerful-us-beef-industry

Weekly data of cattle slaughtering's according to a rolling 12 month average of herd slaughtering is vital to be reported, secondly added to this would be animals slaughtered within 7 days of movement from a herd.

Remember if we don't ask we don't get and the noisy wheel will always be first to get the oil. We just have to keep harping on looking for it.

Mart credit is definitively a source for the big players. I know of a finisher who had almost 350k of credit from a midland mart a few years back.

A different fella tried to dictate his own credit terms to an eastern mart only to be informed by the mart that if prompt payment wasn't forthcoming his was going for judgement on his SFP.

It's all about keeping costs down. These are 12 stores I left off nearly three weeks ago now. Three that are hitting 36 months from march to May. Two black I think NZ cross Friesian's that are November born I will let them go over 30 months and hang in June. Seven younger bullocks three of which could go to O+ over 350 DW.

They were in about 110 days and cost less than 150 euro in feed costs. If I can keep them.out and moving onto good grass they will leave a few bob.

I left 12 more off on Wednesday. I Have no photos of them. They were on a restricted diet for two weeks before turnout as the other lads were a bit hot going out.

Beauts there Bass.

I love the white in the Friesian in pic 2. Great cattle if you can get them.

You'd buy nice 400kg fr in Kilkenny on Thursday around the 900e mark...no hardship. No contractor and kill back end.

The black with the white socks on his back legs 🤣🤣🤣 I be trying to avoid them.

Ya the lad behind him 🤣 is a flaker. At 330kgd DW he will grade O=, at 350ishDW he be an O+. If you could keep him to 400DW he be an 'R' I think.

60% of buying Friesian's is buying the right colours as much as possible. But usually you are buying a mixed bag. Bought him with 5 more @300kg last June for 500 euro. I. The last picture there is two more Friesians from that bunch

I made mistakes starting as well. It took me a while to finesse the system and I am always finessing the system slightly. But traditional breed heifers are tougher than many think. I know a lad that dose them he is a flaking stockman, paddocks, moves them regularly in to nice grass covers. He buys light 18 month stores and the weight will vary by 40-50 kgs in heifers that are the same age and breed when he hangs them, there is seldom more than 10-20 kgs between them when bought

Bought 10 fr bullocks in the mart back in early December average 455kg for €870.Wasnt happy with the look of them thrive wise after a month so weighed them and found they dropped 25kg each on average.So we dosed them with an albenzole fluke/worm drenched and put them on ad-lib red clover silage.Will weight them next week before turnout but to the eye they have definitely turned inside out since the last weighing

Alot to be said for a batch of fr bullocks to kill off grass in june.A batch of 10 can turn into a useful €15k in june most years.But of all the dairy beef systems killing AA and HE heifers and bullocks off grass before their second winter is hard bet.It also allows space to do the 26-28 month fr bullocks too