Spring lamb prices

Green farmer · 17-04-2019 5:29pm

wrangler wrote: »

Probably be told it's too late for easter next week and drop the price.
It's no secret that easter lamb is actually hogget every year

Found over the last few years the demand for Ramadan is way stronger then Easter.

razor8 · 17-04-2019 6:24pm

wrangler wrote: »

Probably be told it's too late for easter next week and drop the price.
It's no secret that easter lamb is actually hogget every year

The agent couldn’t believe they were saying that either & said he was stuck would 2 loads til next week but wouldn’t always believe what a agent had to say

Duke92 · 17-04-2019 7:04pm

razor8 wrote: »

The agent couldn’t believe they were saying that either & said he was stuck would 2 loads til next week but wouldn’t always believe what a agent had to say

The agents love putting that out there
And us spreading it to keep the sheep coming
This week and next are 2 short weeks for them
To

Duke92 · 17-04-2019 7:06pm

Is there that many spring lambs out there
Last I sold the last of my hoggets in the middle of May and they where a great price

Green farmer · 17-04-2019 8:02pm

Duke92 wrote: »

The agents love putting that out there
And us spreading it to keep the sheep coming
This week and next are 2 short weeks for them
To

Send abit of fear out there to flush out lambs. Would make you very cynical about the industry as a whole. No wonder the younger generation aren’t bothering with sheep.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 8:04pm

razor8 wrote: »

The agent couldn’t believe they were saying that either & said he was stuck would 2 loads til next week but wouldn’t always believe what a agent had to say

feck
https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/factories-cut-hogget-quotes-by-1015ckg-38017331.html

farawaygrass · 17-04-2019 9:28pm

The was a queue out the gate in Athenry mart Monday with spring lambs. With spring being a bit later a lot more lambs are suitable, and as you or I would do, you’d hold them for the week before Easter. Ramadan only 2 weeks ago so might be a help

Hard Knocks · 17-04-2019 10:01pm

Duke92 wrote: »

Is there that many spring lambs out there
Last I sold the last of my hoggets in the middle of May and they where a great price

Ramadan was end of May last year
Last year I Got more for spring lambs end of May than I did at Easter
Easter & Ramadan are earlier next year

farawaygrass · 17-04-2019 10:18pm

Ramadam gets earlier every year by aprox a week and a half

Green farmer · 17-04-2019 10:51pm

Any word on live exporters ? In previous years I never got a phone call looking for sheep at Easter, but phone always rings for Ramadan.

tabby aspreme · 17-04-2019 10:59pm

Ramadan begins on May 5th this year.

Mac Taylor · 22-04-2019 11:19am

44kgs- €125. Only 2.5 rows of lambs, no shortage of hoggets though. Really keeping a ceiling on lamb prices

orm0nd · 22-04-2019 4:46pm

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Ramadan was end of May last year
Last year I Got more for spring lambs end of May than I did at Easter
Easter & Ramadan are earlier next year

giving up early lamb here, have to wait each year for the hoggets and imports to dry up to get any decent price.

drastic cut in ewe number this year as later lambing doesnt suit our system with the dairying.

if it wasn't for a local abbattoir we supply, we'd pack it in all to gether.

Green farmer · 22-04-2019 5:23pm

orm0nd wrote: »

giving up early lamb here, have to wait each year for the hoggets and imports to dry up to get any decent price.

drastic cut in ewe number this year as later lambing doesnt suit our system with the dairying.

if it wasn't for a local abbattoir we supply, we'd pack it in all to gether.

Not just the spring lamb price that’s disappointing. Often though you’d make more stacking shelves in lidl as what you do out of sheep. The way processors treat us would leave you very cynical.

early_riser · 22-04-2019 5:40pm

orm0nd wrote: »

giving up early lamb here, have to wait each year for the hoggets and imports to dry up to get any decent price.

Wont be any early lambs here next year either and be cutting ewe numbers and lambing in April. Cleaned out lambing shed at the weekend,20 calves going in during week, might not be much in beef but once calves reared and out to grass not much work with them

early_riser · 22-04-2019 5:45pm

Heard spring lamb cut to 6.30 for this week, didnt ring myself yet but was told this by a neighbor, is there more to be got?

Willfarman · 22-04-2019 10:00pm

Green farmer wrote: »

Not just the spring lamb price that’s disappointing. Often though you’d make more stacking shelves in lidl as what you do out of sheep. The way processors treat us would leave you very cynical.

Nail on the head. Total contempt for those that lamb ewes for 24 hour days in the weeks of spring. I promise I will be the last sheep farmer of my family line on this farm if I have any influence on my lads.

Mac Taylor · 22-04-2019 10:23pm

Willfarman wrote: »

Nail on the head. Total contempt for those that lamb ewes for 24 hour days in the weeks of spring. I promise I will be the last sheep farmer of my family line on this farm if I have any influence on my lads.

The only reason we are still at the sheep that we have is that the auld lad loves them, for me it's not worth the effort, no grass in the spring...too hard to manage sheep and cattle on a small farm.

At the moment between ewes and lambs we have 90 sheep...60 odd lambs worth if we are lucky by the time the last ones are sold ~ Gross €6k.

Just not worth all that effort even though this was a great year around here for lambing ewes.

kk.man · 22-04-2019 10:57pm

Mac Taylor wrote: »

The only reason we are still at the sheep that we have is that the auld lad loves them, for me it's not worth the effort, no grass in the spring...too hard to manage sheep and cattle on a small farm.

At the moment between ewes and lambs we have 90 sheep...60 odd lambs worth if we are lucky by the time the last ones are sold ~ Gross €6k.

Just not worth all that effort even though this was a great year around here for lambing ewes.

Yea me too. V hard with the full time job and small family.

I just sold my ewes and lambs and kept the dry hoggets. It was like a morgue around the place for last week and I was kinda sorry. However I'm after buying alot more cattle and I think I did well with my purchase.

Green farmer · 23-04-2019 11:05am

I see icm have cut 30c off their quotes this week, despite next week being probably the peek demand week of the year. more evidence, if it was needed as to why lads are leaving the sector. Moy meats and Kildare holding quotes steady and will be getting my lambs instead. Any plans of expansion scrapped here. Going to cut back numbers 20-30% instead. No reward for pushing anything.

Willfarman · 23-04-2019 3:13pm

What’s the story with the welfare payment and a lad cutting back?

It is the only intelligent response to piss poor prices.. rather than the teagasc industry led advise “more efficiency, higher more ewes per acre , more lambs per ewe” and let the farmer work harder than ever burning hips and knees out while benefiting the fertilizer industry, the meal merchants and loading the processors guns to give as little as they like.

Dinzee Conlee · 23-04-2019 3:25pm

Green farmer wrote: »

I see icm have cut 30c off their quotes this week, despite next week being probably the peek demand week of the year. more evidence, if it was needed as to why lads are leaving the sector. Moy meats and Kildare holding quotes steady and will be getting my lambs instead. Any plans of expansion scrapped here. Going to cut back numbers 20-30% instead. No reward for pushing anything.

Do you have many hog left now Green?

Re cutting numbers - is this a bad year, to be basing a decision to cut numbers on? From what I understand, you only have hog due to the drought last year... Normally you would have all your lambs gone a good while back...

Not that I have large numbers... But I had a bad year last year, just with the snow, and then the drought... So I didn't buy as many store lambs last Autumn. And then this winter was the mildest we had in a long time, and I could have carried more lambs...

So its hard to know whats the best thing to do, but I would suggest looking at what's costing you money, and maybe try to change that? I wonder is it not keeping lambs into the winter might be something you need to consider, rather than ewes lambing?

ganmo · 23-04-2019 3:54pm

Willfarman wrote: »

What’s the story with the welfare payment and a lad cutting back?

It is the only intelligent response to piss poor prices.. rather than the teagasc industry led advise “more efficiency, higher more ewes per acre , more lambs per ewe” and let the farmer work harder than ever burning hips and knees out while benefiting the fertilizer industry, the meal merchants and loading the processors guns to give as little as they like.

you get paid on what you have, up to the max of the reference year.
So you can cut back if you want

Green farmer · 23-04-2019 5:17pm

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Do you have many hog left now Green?

Re cutting numbers - is this a bad year, to be basing a decision to cut numbers on? From what I understand, you only have hog due to the drought last year... Normally you would have all your lambs gone a good while back...

Not that I have large numbers... But I had a bad year last year, just with the snow, and then the drought... So I didn't buy as many store lambs last Autumn. And then this winter was the mildest we had in a long time, and I could have carried more lambs...

?

Ya, just disillusioning to watch poor prices over a number of years. All we hear is stories of poor demand, weak markets etc and lorries coming off the ferries to certain processors, to ensure the price never rises. No, I’ll cut back the numbers, to a Low stocked, low cost enterprise. Wills 100% right. Why push things only to make money for everyone else and none for yourself.

Siamsa Sessions · 23-04-2019 5:52pm

Was going to go up in numbers this year but think I’ll buy 8-10 calves instead.

It’ll make a change to lose money on cattle instead of sheep anyway!

razor8 · 23-04-2019 7:23pm

Do you know your costs per ewe, I work off the basis that the first lamb covers cost of ewe for year and second is the profit but unfortunately all don’t end up with 2

kk.man · 23-04-2019 7:38pm

razor8 wrote: »

Do you know your costs per ewe, I work off the basis that the first lamb covers cost of ewe for year and second is the profit but unfortunately all don’t end up with 2

At a weaning rate of 1.5% and 90 euro for the finished mid season lamb that leave a margin of 45 per ewe. I don't think you be getting that margin ...now i might be wrong.

razor8 · 23-04-2019 7:45pm

Aim to wean 1.7 and averaged €105 last year. It can be done but problem is most people haven’t a clue of their costs

Siamsa Sessions · 23-04-2019 8:55pm

Tracking costs properly this year so should have a good idea next Sept since I started when the rams went in last Sept.

I looked at the Teagasc eProfit report too. Think the top 1/3 of farmers were about 50 euro for variable costs and another 50 euro for fixed costs per ewe

Green farmer · 23-04-2019 9:29pm

razor8 wrote: »

Aim to wean 1.7 and averaged €105 last year. It can be done but problem is most people haven’t a clue of their costs

Your doing well getting that average. They must consistently kill out well for you. It’s all the hidden fixed costs that catch people all right. Every ewe has to carry abit of tractor depreciation, farm insurance, rent or mortgage interest, repaires &maintenance, the list goes on and on.

kk.man · 23-04-2019 10:08pm

I think I read on some teagasc manual about 7 years ago that the net was 40 per ewe.
However the costs have went up since then but I think the lamb price has increased. I stand corrected on the lamb price increase as I had no sheep 7 years ago.

razor8 · 23-04-2019 11:36pm

Green farmer wrote: »

Your doing well getting that average. They must consistently kill out well for you. It’s all the hidden fixed costs that catch people all right. Every ewe has to carry abit of tractor depreciation, farm insurance, rent or mortgage interest, repaires &maintenance, the list goes on and on.

The list goes on & on

They killed well. Had 2 O grades & 1 E the rest were split 50 50 with R & U’s

Western Pomise · 24-04-2019 1:04am

ganmo wrote: »

you get paid on what you have, up to the max of the reference year.
So you can cut back if you want

Do the Sheep Welfare Scheme people base your payment on what you sent in on Census in January 2019 I wonder?

I’ve gone up in ewe numbers compared to last year on Scheme but am still below my original reference number.

So I think I should be paid for the extra ewes this year?

farming93 · 24-04-2019 6:54am

I don't think so , I went up the year after the scheme started and I'm only getting paid for my original census number the last few years . They cut you if you go below it though.

ganmo · 24-04-2019 9:59am

Western Pomise wrote: »

Do the Sheep Welfare Scheme people base your payment on what you sent in on Census in January 2019 I wonder?

I’ve gone up in ewe numbers compared to last year on Scheme but am still below my original reference number.

So I think I should be paid for the extra ewes this year?

yes

sheepfarmer92 · 24-04-2019 10:55am

ganmo wrote: »

yes

They will only pay on the lower number of ewes, so the original number you sent in, that's why we aren't bothered keeping any more than we need too

Western Pomise · 25-04-2019 8:09pm

farming93 wrote: »

I don't think so , I went up the year after the scheme started and I'm only getting paid for my original census number the last few years . They cut you if you go below it though.

Yeah but I never ‘went up’ after start of scheme....have kept a good few less ewes than my original max allowed and increased by around 15 ewes for lambing this Spring but am still well below my original max allowed so as Ganmo says I think I will be getting 150 euro more in payment this year.

Mac Taylor · 25-04-2019 8:56pm

7 lambs 42kgs -€122, not allot of lambs in it.

Green farmer · 26-04-2019 9:09pm

When’s the switch over to electronic tags ? Have a few slaughter tags I want to use on lambs going to factory ?

orm0nd · 26-04-2019 9:26pm

Green farmer wrote: »

When’s the switch over to electronic tags ? Have a few slaughter tags I want to use on lambs going to factory ?

1st June.. Afaik

Green farmer · 28-04-2019 5:50pm

Anyone get any wool prices for this year ?

ganmo · 28-04-2019 6:54pm

https://www.britishwool.org.uk/price-indicator
Not much change in that from last year

https://www.landmark.com.au/wool/wool-market-reports-selling-roster
Haven't looked at the data in that link

Rows Grower · 28-04-2019 7:03pm

Green farmer wrote: »

Anyone get any wool prices for this year ?

Is there any representative of Irish sheep farmers that meets with the wholesale wool buyers?

Genuine question.

I only rear a couple a year myself for the table over the last decade but I can't understand how wool seems to be a non profit (for the farmer), non negotiable market.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 28-04-2019 7:21pm

Rows Grower wrote: »

Is there any representative of Irish sheep farmers that meets with the wholesale wool buyers?

Genuine question.

I only rear a couple a year myself for the table over the last decade but I can't understand how wool seems to be a non profit (for the farmer), non negotiable market.

Demand for synthetic fibers is greater than that for wool. The last time it was profitable to shear sheep was the last time that Chinese demand for wool and natural fibers drove demand.

ganmo · 28-04-2019 7:22pm

Rows Grower wrote: »

Is there any representative of Irish sheep farmers that meets with the wholesale wool buyers?

Genuine question.

I only rear a couple a year myself for the table over the last decade but I can't understand how wool seems to be a non profit (for the farmer), non negotiable market.

In Ireland it's an open market with 3 or 4 buyers with the only regulations being about how the wool is stored.
In England the farmer has to sell to the wool board and gets paid when they sell it

Rows Grower · 28-04-2019 7:58pm

ganmo wrote: »

In Ireland it's an open market with 3 or 4 buyers with the only regulations being about how the wool is stored.
In England the farmer has to sell to the wool board and gets paid when they sell it

So is the wool board like an English sheep farmers union?

Do Irish sheep farmers have any collective bargaining with the buyers?

ganmo · 28-04-2019 8:27pm

Rows Grower wrote: »

So is the wool board like an English sheep farmers union?

Do Irish sheep farmers have any collective bargaining with the buyers?

The collective bargaining generally takes the form of gathering a load together which will mean an extra 5c/kg

A few years back the Donegal carpet company approached the wicklow sheep owners society looking to source wool, that was the only time I've know for domestic demand to have any impact on the price

Bleating Lamb · 28-04-2019 11:41pm

Was talking to a man that is still producing lambs for ‘Easter trade’....not surprisingly this is going to be his last year at it.....factories extracting the urine in last while with quotes for lamb.
There will be a lot of sinewy hoggett ‘lamb’ on market next year methinks.

orm0nd · 06-05-2019 2:50pm

Was offered 6.60 +.10 for a bundle of springs. Anybody know if there's more to be had.

Lambman · 07-05-2019 7:56pm

Was chatting till a butcher from kilkenny over the weekend he has his own abbatoir and we got talking about sheep and the prices and he agrees the price off spring lamb is madness he's paying 6.50 till 23kg for spring lamb at the minute. He wreckons he can still get plenty a hoggets down there paying till 23.5 and I said it must be some difference killing a hogget at say 50kg live weight till kill out at that and was probably just about kept alive over the winter and never seen meal and a spring lamb at 45kg till kill out at 23.5 because it was creeped from a week old and he totally agrees and said there isn't a big enough difference in the prices till make any farmer even consider lambing early till have spring lambs.

Spring lamb prices

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