Dairy Calves 2024

Well my perspective is this, I had a hoofpairer in, told him to go easy on one cow and that her weanling made €1,150. He laughed at this telling me of a previous dairy client who told him to go easy on a cow that she milked over €7,000.

Now I'm not saying everything else is on a level playing field.

He takes all my calves with years. I've movement certs done for most counties in the midlands and northwest at this stage.

What did the 7k euro of milk cost and over how long ?

Out of interest, how much meal would the typical dairy beef calf consume before it hits the grass as a yearling in the second year?

Say 400 kg - €200 on an animal being sold as a yearling, bit less if retained on farm.

I am like yourself pinsnbushings, a part time dairy farmer and part time off farm employment. If I drive on any bit I hear from the farming circle that, sure hasn't he a good off farm job and then the colleagues in the day Job hit me with, sure its easy for him and he with his wages and a herd of cows. Sicken your hole after a while. The ones in the day job that are always at it were all planning their weekends away last week in work while I was facing a weekend of cleaning calf pens out, fencing and milking. Then they tell me it's easy for me🙄

Ye sounds so familiar, as straight says some people just want to drag others down..just pay no attention I suppose as best we can, but it does grate the constant remarks.

The clever ones in other sectors in agriculture (Tillage with 1k's of acres, I'm looking at you.) divide up their empires into separate companies.

So the above headlines or/and bps publications top earners don't make the print. If can't beat them, join them. Then put the begging bowl out and claim poverty.

The world is messed up and increasingly going worse by the day.

Completely by the by on the conversation and topic. Rachel Blackmore had an image of her used in publicity for the cheltenham festival and on betting platforms. She was holding the whip in triumph after a race. The whip was photoshopped out for promotion. Sports promoters were in arms over unrealistic "wokeness" creeping in and the eventual harm this will do to the sport if this continues. The snake eating it's own tail comes to mind.

The dairy industry here hasn't reached the point yet to call out the unrealistic "wokeness" being imposed. The first few inches of the tail are only after been eaten yet.

Profit monitors aren't left anywhere near the media..not in the last 2 or 3 years as far as I can see. Teagasc got a good wrap on the knuckles over breach of confidentiality and misuse of data from a farming source.

The data being presented publicly is from the National Farm Survey. This data is collected from specified voluntary farms, collected by professional people.

This farm survey is a requirement of the EU. I've no idea if it goes on in any other profession or industry. I expect it is, or has been, linked to CAP payments and their justification.

We are all hearing about the dairy farmers getting big milk cheques and I was talking to a guy the other night and we were discussing a large local dairy farmer who gave €600 euro an acre of land but then kicked up stink in the mart recently when his Jex bull calves didn't get a bid. He was telling me the same farmer was recently telling his discussion group that it isn't cents per liter any more, its euro+ per liter.

This lad getting no bid of his calves doesn't seem to want to accept that for him to get €1+ / liter for his milk, he will need to bear the cost of rearing his jex bull calves until they are salable. Just wounder how much is it really costing to produce 1 liter of milk?

What’s the reward 🤔🤔But who’s smarter and financially better off and that’s before you talk workload etc ….there’s no issue selling calves from 10/-4 days take it as given and expected no corners cut with colostrum and milk feed on farm of birth …..just get past getting whatever money be it big or small calves make

Sold a few out of the yard this week, a lad wanted some to put on cows. 160 for Hereford heifers 3 weeks old and 125 for Angus heifers 2 weeks old. Both of us happy

looking at it from a non farming view it makes an even stronger case for the green party to hammer home the agri industry pollution bla bla bla even more.....

Personally I think for calf welfare if they can trial it and make sure calf welfare is ok, no major issues with calf health etc then it has to be a good thing. Whats better for a calf being in a artic trailer for 4days by road, or in a plane 4 hours.

I know which way I'd rather travel