Mart Price Tracker

I be if the same opinion that they are 6+ weeks old. They may even be weaned. A couple litres of milk once a day access to decent silage and a kg or two of calf nuts.

A bag of milk powder would easily wean them

If he went for slaughter about 6-6.3/kg. FS would be what would catch him.in the Mary.

Crazy stuff, you will buy 4-500kg AA and HE bullocks for 3/ kg and they are a risk even

Was looking back at Killmallock last Monday Suckler bred CHx heifer 12 months 200kgs 500 euro. 282 CBV, 126 replacement index, genomic tested.

I know which I would prefer to buy. That heifer was still value at 600 euro. She was in with the calves

About 6-7 years ago I bought 3 suckler Salers bulls 18-20 months old I think 350 kgs, I killed them 33 ish months at 380ish kgs DW a bit with a year later as bullocks 2 U's in them. Often nothing wrong with light cattle just badly done.

It not all about the ground it's about giving animals time as well. The Salers were exceptional. It's not unusual to see poorly done sucklers at 180-250 kgs at 12 months. The owner of that CHx heifer put her into the wrong section and probably the wrong mart. She would have made 100 easily more elsewhere. I have often seen cattle look younger than there age as well. There is a few lads out there too mean to use up another tag and to pay a knackery fee on a 3-4 month calf. Calves can be taken off the cows at 10-12 weeks and there growth slows and not all Ch will gain a kg a day.

However If you carry that heifer to June 2026 I suspect she is capable of hanging 300kgs+ DW in most systems.

Young lad bought a few heifers for a neighbour December 2022. One was a CHX 250 kgs, the neighbour hung her 430 DW last August. Admittedly another exception.

But getting that heifer to 300+ DW in most systems is possible a bit of decent silage this and next winter a kg of ration until turnout this year. Minerals and vitamins, dosing properly rotational grazing etc. 8-10 weeks ration pre slaughter will then finish her.

@ 300 kgs DW she will hit 1650 @ 5.5/ kg. Ever 10kgs more DW is 55 euro. Every 10 cent more or less is 30 euro on or off the figure and a euro on the 10 kgs.

I always go back to John Shirley's quote it never pays to breed a bad on it often pays to buy one

Any ideas what cull FR cows are making? Ones in decent condition but not fully finished

You get good at it after a while it's the ability to adapt. We are picking up 100+ every year now. You will not get them all at exceptional value buy if you put 30 of the 100 in like that it makes some difference to the profitability at the end of the year. 30 cattle with a 200 euro extra margin adds 6k to you profitability. It's easy to see the problem, with anything and soend you time dwelling on it. Rather than dwelling on the problem look at possible solutions.

That It in a nutshell. Everyone will point out the exceptional animal that makes crazy money buy few look at the bit and pieces of value around. With the online apps you can buy or leave behind. If you were within ten miles of mart would it pay you to spin accross after work to collect one or two like that of course it would. Often you might pick up a bIt of other value. There was a dairy herd dispersal sale in Kilmallock the smke day you I saw a few bits there as well. A goid vulture will always find a bit of a carcasse in the desert.

Admittedly now is not a great time to be picking up cattle, however the wheel is always turning. I heard that Marts are running into issues with credit limits. The banks are enforcing there overdraft limits. In turn the marts are having to limit credit to buyers. A lad that had a credit limit of 100k that previously could buy 90 cattle with that limit is now back to 65. That will impact the trade if it happens. Not everyone pays on the day like you and me KK or the average small trader

I have a RAV and a 10X5 box. The jeep is an UK import. I have it 6 years in May, it's fairly.bomb proof knock on wood. Gortalea, Listowel, Tralee, Castleisland are an average of 50 miles, Killmallock Sixmilebride, Abveyfeale and Newport are probably 20 mile average.

To collect a few from Kerry costs 30ish euro in diesel, add 10 euro for maintenance. Over the year its an average 4+ per trip. So a tenner a head transport costs. To collect that heifer from Killmallock if I had bought her by herself would cost less than 20 euro and about two hours in time allowing for tine spend sorting in mart

if a lad spent €20 and 2 hours tedding grass, you’d be threatening the guards on them……

it was more around the 2 hours bit as didn’t notice a cost included for that?

You’ve regularly put up the point that you spend 10 hours or so a week farming and everyone should be the same but if a lad has to buy 100 cattle then the two hours will soon add up. Not many part timers have that to spare in a week.

But if a lad tedded grass for 2 hours…….