Calf price chitchat

Delaval21 · 09-03-2021 10:35am

grange mac wrote: »

Probably due to carry on few weeks ago and still sulking with Cork marts.

What happened a few weeks ago ? I thought all marts were on line and that there would be no messing in the ring!!

DBK1 · 09-03-2021 10:44am

If we all ask someone will have to tell us eventually!!

What went on a few weeks ago!?

grange mac · 09-03-2021 10:45am

Some Marts have been leaving select few into ring during sales on the quiet when Dept not around.
When certain buyers weren't allowed into ring on one morning upto 5 of them left one Mart and headed off to another Mart.....and said they weren't coming back until they would be allowed ringside again.
So off they went... To another county...

Anto_Meath · 09-03-2021 10:48am

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Why should you give the farmer more in his yard. He is saving mart comission, transport and time by selling to you a regular customer out of the yard. He should be discounting to you.

I know what you are saying, I was mean for my own point of view, that when you factor in the issues with Mart calves that if you were to give more in the yard you would still be better off.

Bass Reeves · 09-03-2021 11:05am

Anto_Meath wrote: »

I know what you are saying, I was mean for my own point of view, that when you factor in the issues with Mart calves that if you were to give more in the yard you would still be better off.

I know what you mean. However some farmers insist on paying top mart prices for calves to farmers out of the yard or have a set price and take everything but are not recieving enough of a discount for poorer quality calves

DukeCaboom · 09-03-2021 11:09am

I'd feel very sorry for the exporters try to buy large numbers off the phone. The margins are already peanuts in that business.
Look how many millions Cork marts list when they tried to go shipping sucks themselves.

Siamsa Sessions · 09-03-2021 11:37am

grange mac wrote: »

Some Marts have been leaving select few into ring during sales on the quiet when Dept not around.
When certain buyers weren't allowed into ring on one morning upto 5 of them left one Mart and headed off to another Mart.....and said they weren't coming back until they would be allowed ringside again.
So off they went... To another county...

Gangsters!

Hopefully whoever left them ringside in the first place has learnt their lesson.

DukeCaboom · 09-03-2021 11:44am

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Gangsters!

Hopefully whoever left them ringside in the first place has learnt their lesson.

It's the farmer will suffer.
One of the main buyers said I'm an old man I have to see the calves or I will loose my job.

jd_12345 · 09-03-2021 12:07pm

As a farmer, this narrative that calf buyers are creaming it and all a gang of cowboys gets sickening.... you just can't judge calves off a camera and these lads keep the marts going with calves in the spring time.
EDIT: I should add that I don't condone the breaking of restrictions but if it means that buyers get a better look at what they're spending their cash on and farmers get a better price then a slight relaxation is no harm

DukeCaboom · 09-03-2021 12:18pm

Camera quality has alot to be said for.
It might have been mentioned already on another thread but sheep rings or special calf rings are alot better to buy calves on.
The camera in gortatlea is diabolical if you were buying calves.

trixi2011 · 09-03-2021 12:40pm

Have 5 aubrack calves to sell out of fr or fr x cows what would they be worth ?

jimini0 · 09-03-2021 1:16pm

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Gangsters!

Hopefully whoever left them ringside in the first place has learnt their lesson.

That's why when you're looking at online marts some of the background is digitally blanked off. I even seen it on the bandon screen where they superimposed the image of the seats in the background. The cattle would dissappear when the walked over into that area. They placed a gate there to stop the calves walking into that area.

liosnagceann75 · 09-03-2021 1:32pm

Who starts off the bidding online? Is it the mart manager who starts the bidding?

4ever · 09-03-2021 2:12pm

All calves sold online should be weighed. Simple as. Camera quality isn't good enough to judge calves.
I would imagine many people find it very handy to buy online and the option will still be used a lot when the pandemic is over

Mooooo · 09-03-2021 3:08pm

Weighing would help I reckon. Also if someone went to make a cup of tea, 40 calves could have passed thru easily., nearly depends on who's looking at the screen at that time. Sold a bunch of good calves 3 weeks to a month old, all cows calves, fleck x in that batch as well as the rest weren't far off him, made 35 euro. They were sold late in the day alright

straight · 09-03-2021 3:23pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Weighing would help I reckon. Also if someone went to make a cup of tea, 40 calves could have passed thru easily., nearly depends on who's looking at the screen at that time. Sold a bunch of good calves 3 weeks to a month old, all cows calves, fleck x in that batch as well as the rest weren't far off him, made 35 euro. They were sold late in the day alright

Sometimes you just have to take your beating on them. I sold mine for similar money. I got sick of dealing with lads calling to the yard annoying me and spreading disease. They seem to love calling after work which is milking time for me.

Mooooo · 09-03-2021 3:32pm

Yeah. Regular buyer took the first batch at home but he would have all his calves bought before the end of Feb. Have more bulls than heifers this year so let them off along with a couple younger ones to keep space and pressure off as with the way numbers came heifers and bulls will be mixed to match drinking speed and size etc for feeding. Prob should have held the younger ones for another week maybe I dunno. As you say you just have to take your beating sometimes.

jd_12345 · 09-03-2021 4:28pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Weighing would help I reckon. Also if someone went to make a cup of tea, 40 calves could have passed thru easily., nearly depends on who's looking at the screen at that time. Sold a bunch of good calves 3 weeks to a month old, all cows calves, fleck x in that batch as well as the rest weren't far off him, made 35 euro. They were sold late in the day alright

If you sold an extra 5 kilos of milk solids/cow across the whole herd for the year you'd take no notice and it'd be the equivalent of getting €50 extra for calves if you sold half your calves every year.... People get hung up on pennies with calves

cosatron · 09-03-2021 4:35pm

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trixi2011 wrote: »

Have 5 aubrack calves to sell out of fr or fr x cows what would they be worth ?

got 290 3 weeks ago for a serious heifer with a reddish colour for some reason. Got 212 last Thursday, good calf but had the mousey brown colour everyone hates.

liosnagceann75 · 09-03-2021 5:07pm

Got 240 for a 3 week heifer in Gortatlea yesterday. Good strong calf

Mooooo · 09-03-2021 5:26pm

jd_12345 wrote: »

If you sold an extra 5 kilos of milk solids/cow across the whole herd for the year you'd take no notice and it'd be the equivalent of getting €50 extra for calves if you sold half your calves every year.... People get hung up on pennies with calves

Point accepted, it is what it is at the end of the day, however price difference between a few years ago and now comes to 6k with no less milk sold, just price difference, not exactly pennies. Lads that used to send calves to bandon are going further afield now with the way sales are going there

charolais0153 · 09-03-2021 5:59pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Point accepted, it is what it is at the end of the day, however price difference between a few years ago and now comes to 6k with no less milk sold, just price difference, not exactly pennies. Lads that used to send calves to bandon are going further afield now with the way sales are going there

What was the price like for calves in 2009?

Bass Reeves · 09-03-2021 6:59pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Point accepted, it is what it is at the end of the day, however price difference between a few years ago and now comes to 6k with no less milk sold, just price difference, not exactly pennies. Lads that used to send calves to bandon are going further afield now with the way sales are going there

And you are probably producing much the same quality calf compared to 5+ years ago. I am not totally gone on the theory that calf price is immaterial. Lads get better at watching and seeing quality of calves and stores.

On an eighty cow herd breeding 15 replacement heifers a year a decent Friesian at 3 weeks compared to a poorer quality calf shifted at 14 days the difference could be 100/ head. However this year that 100/ head and maybe more is also transferring onto HEX and good quality AA calves. That's 6.5k extra .

Mooooo · 09-03-2021 7:35pm

charolais0153 wrote: »

What was the price like for calves in 2009?

Cant remember tbh, milk dropped to 23 I think that year

jd_12345 · 09-03-2021 7:52pm

For anyone that would like to compare if you go onto your ICBF Profit Monitor profile and see what you got for cattle in the mart as far back as 2013 in the drystock section. Rarely got less than €100 for 3 week old Friesian bull calves back then....

green daries · 09-03-2021 8:33pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Cant remember tbh, milk dropped to 23 I think that year

19 cent a litre base
Heard of lads getting 16 or less in the peak months......was a terrible year weather wise wet windy and cold remember fertiliser and diseal were mental money for the first half of the year

Niallers87 · 09-03-2021 8:53pm

Seen €650 given for a Limousin bull calf today in enis... the mind boggles!!

straight · 09-03-2021 8:58pm

green daries wrote: »

19 cent a litre base
Heard of lads getting 16 or less in the peak months......was a terrible year weather wise wet windy and cold remember fertiliser and diseal were mental money for the first half of the year

It was hard to get silage saved. It didn't stop raining all summer, sh1t silage followed by a big freeze and late spring in 2010. All the fields went yellow from the cold.

whelan2 · 09-03-2021 9:17pm

straight wrote: »

It was hard to get silage saved. It didn't stop raining all summer, sh1t silage followed by a big freeze and late spring in 2010. All the fields went yellow from the cold.

Ah we lived to tell the tale. Just about

Pfiddlesticks · 09-03-2021 9:22pm

Anto_Meath wrote: »

We rear 50 - 60 bucket calves a year, if we can at all we buy them from local farmers & have been doing it for years. U get a far healthier calf, collected in farmers yard with a full belly around 2 in the day at home in their bedded pen in about twenty minutes & then a light feed that evening to settle in. They never seem to get a set back that way. Where as with mart calves about a week after they land you will notice a chill or a scour. So you would be better off giving the farmer €20 more in his yard as you will be out it & more on mart calves.

Yeah direct from the farmer is far less stressful on the calf. And it’s nice to see the herd they are from! Mine are coming off whole milk so yeah just a light feed for few days and build them up. What milk powder you use?

straight · 09-03-2021 9:41pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Ah we lived to tell the tale. Just about

I got married that year so I'm still paying the price for 2009. It rained that day too.

degetme · 09-03-2021 9:48pm

straight wrote: »

I got married that year so I'm still paying the price for 2009. It rained that day too.

2012 was a way worse year. 2009 wasn't bad in the autumn. 2012 was a washout all year

Injuryprone · 09-03-2021 10:17pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Ah we lived to tell the tale. Just about

I'd say the existence of a quota saved alot of people. Farms weren't stretched as much. If the same were to happen now, it'd be a bloodbath I'd say.

Anto_Meath · 09-03-2021 10:19pm

Pfiddlesticks wrote: »

Yeah direct from the farmer is far less stressful on the calf. And it’s nice to see the herd they are from! Mine are coming off whole milk so yeah just a light feed for few days and build them up. What milk powder you use?

We use the volac heiferlac and have been for the last 7 - 8 years and are very happy with it. It's a little bit more expensive than some of the others but I think you can see the better results in the calves when they are weaned.

Anto_Meath · 09-03-2021 10:21pm

degetme wrote: »

2012 was a way worse year. 2009 wasn't bad in the autumn. 2012 was a washout all year

Ye 2012 was a wash out, I got married that October and slagging was the only 2 good Saturdays that came were the day of the stag & the day of the wedding....

green daries · 09-03-2021 10:50pm

straight wrote: »

It was hard to get silage saved. It didn't stop raining all summer, sh1t silage followed by a big freeze and late spring in 2010. All the fields went yellow from the cold.

Ya hard frosts this side of the country out till early April hard as in still frozen until the middle of the day ya Whelan we survived thankfully I wonder how much of a shock some lads and ladies would put up with now

K.G. · 14-03-2021 1:51pm

Say my name wrote: »

Probably the best way to do would be show breed percentages. There could be three generations of freisian breeding and the calf still shows up as frx on the card.
That's the way it's working with me having had Monty, NR in the past.
There's 85% freisians 15% montbeliarde. Just plainly frx on the card out of frx.

Yeah i bought a few shorthorn heifers off a neighbour when they retired years ago and the calves still show x on the card

stanflt · 15-03-2021 4:10pm

Got 10 10 10 10 15 and 15 for 14-18 day old calves- happy that I got a buyer tbh

Bass Reeves · 15-03-2021 4:12pm

stanflt wrote: »

Got 10 10 10 10 15 and 15 for 14-18 day old calves- happy that I got a buyer tbh

What type of calves

stanflt · 15-03-2021 4:18pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

What type of calves

Holstein all under 50kg

Mooooo · 15-03-2021 4:57pm

stanflt wrote: »

Got 10 10 10 10 15 and 15 for 14-18 day old calves- happy that I got a buyer tbh

Mart or from the yard?

stanflt · 15-03-2021 6:08pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Mart or from the yard?

Mart good few lots with no bids

tanko · 15-03-2021 6:18pm

stanflt wrote: »

Mart good few lots with no bids

When will calf numbers peak in Carnaross?

whelan2 · 15-03-2021 6:24pm

stanflt wrote: »

Mart good few lots with no bids

8 fr bulls out of yard today 50 euro each

stanflt · 15-03-2021 6:26pm

tanko wrote: »

When will calf numbers peak in Carnaross?

This and next week

K.G. · 15-03-2021 7:17pm

Seems to be more demand for them this year.

whelan2 · 15-03-2021 9:03pm

stanflt wrote: »

Got 10 10 10 10 15 and 15 for 14-18 day old calves- happy that I got a buyer tbh

What's the commission in carnaross?

Bass Reeves · 16-03-2021 12:14am

stanflt wrote: »

Holstein all under 50kg

There is Holstein and Holstein. Huge variation in there quality. Most Fr bulls sld are 70%+ HO. However watching marts you would buy decent ones 12-20 days often for sub 50 euro. Watching Castleisland today for awhile. I say these younger HO/Fr bulls making sub 20-50 euro Imo there was value in some of the bunches. Then i say a lad buy a bunch of 6 calves 5 poor quality JE (2 of them were brown in colour) and one Fr/Ho bull for 5/head. He on a lose even if he sends 3-4 direct for calf slaughter as with mat fees they are costing 80-90 euro as a bunch.

While those 4-5 weks old Ho calves making 90-150 euro are good value as it is only 30-50 euro will turn those younger calves into the same product in 10-15 days time. If one is set up to handle calves it would be easy enough to manage a couple of bunches of 15-20 10-15 days apart

Injuryprone · 16-03-2021 8:54pm

You'd want to be sourcing the calves direct off farm I'd say. A day at the mart knocks a hell of a lot out of a 2-3 week old calf imo. But I agree with you, there's a margin there in carrying a 2 week old calf to 5-6 weeks if you can keep them right.

straight · 18-03-2021 5:13pm

Sold 10 fr bulls yesterday in the mart between 2 weeks and 1 month old. 60 euro on average.

Calf price chitchat

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