Mart Price Tracker

Why not what exactly?

If they go for export then there not slaughtered here and therefore not subject to whatever the beef price is here at the time. Whatever figures the exporters/overseas customers are working off where ever there going must be adding up to allow the export trade to continue but it's nothing that's within our control either way.

It wouldn't be impacting the factory trade as such apart from maybe the more forward heavy (500kg+) bull weanlings which would be suitable for feedlot customers and reasonably short-term finishing. The majority of the lighter type weanlings that are being shipped are no where near the slaughter stage and aren't of interest to feedlots which only buy forward type stores for short term feeding.

It's irrelevant to the factory what weanlings or light stores are making as they don't slaughter these or there feedlots don't usually buy them. Granted if enough of them are shipped there's a knock on effect of less beef/forward stores in time to come but longterm planning and safeguarding supply isn't something they seem overly interested in judging by there actions as regards the bare minimum beef price down through the years.

Yes it's important for the farmer's that are buying the weanlings and competing with the exporters to get a margin on there investment but again it's not directly linked to the beef price on the day. I don't honestly know how you could complete with the exporters atm to buy a bundle of nice weanlings to farm them but that's for everyone to make up there own mind on.

I don't disagree with any of that and it helps reduce down the overall national herd. This reduction combined with a global scarcity of cattle has pushed beef prices to new highs around the world.

However I still don't think that the domestic trade for runners, weanlings and light stores would be as strong only for the export demand. I see very little correlation between what the beef cattle are making and what it would cost to replace them like for like with equivalent weanlings. Seemingly whatever price the exporters are working off they can buy them out almost irregardless of the price and its very hard for a farmer to compete with that .

I don't have an answer to that question I'm afraid, it's something I often wonder myself. The live exporting was always a sort of a magicians type setup and it's no great wonder that outfits went bust from time to time. However it seems to be working atm and there's some amount of stock gone for the boat all year at high prices and whatever additional expense has to be put on them before they reach there destination.

I can't see how there'll ever be a return to the tonnage of beef in times past. The whole cattle farming job has changed and there's neither the stock or the farmers to produce what used to be produced.

Suckler farming used to be the mainstay industry around here but it's on the down and down for years. The men that kept 5 or 10 cows and produced the weanlings are dying off every year and there's no one to replace them. If someone younger does take over there's as good a chance of them going at drystock or sheep to fit in better with there off farm job.

Once upon a time there were cows looking out across every hedge about here but now a lot of that land is in forestry or growing wild with a few cattle running about to draw the payments. The cows and the men that used to keep them are gone and I don't see how they'll be back. The knowledge of how to farm suckler cows is being lost as well and there's not too many overly worried about it. The government are only glad to see the national herd reducing year on year, its better for the environment and whatever beef is wanted can be bought off the south Americans or whoever else.