Beef Plan Movement (READ OP BEFORE POSTING)

wrangler · 17-04-2019 12:02am

coolshannagh28 wrote: »

The UK is out biggest market , the question that has to be asked is this, is the Irish product cheaper because of a lazy stack it high sell it cheap marketing strategy by our processors or because it is inferior ?

Or lazy producers that won't demand a price,
As long as processors have a margin they will keep going until supply of cattle stops. Laying off blame like what went on last night will achieve nothing. Fair enough the problems were highlighted to the powers that be last night but it won't affect the processors business if they ignore these problems, cattle will still come in to them and they will still have their margin.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 12:10am

White Clover wrote: »

The British don't produce enough beef for the home market. They know our beef is good but why is it so heavily discounted?

My relatives in England always buy New zealand lamb, even though the country is flooded with sheep. to sell to them it'd have to be NZ Price, so I presume when brexit happens it'll be Brazilian or Polish if they're not buying Polish already.

Base price · 17-04-2019 12:33am

wrangler wrote: »

My relatives in England always buy New zealand lamb, even though the country is flooded with sheep. to sell to them it'd have to be NZ Price, so I presume when brexit happens it'll be Brazilian or Polish if they're not buying Polish already.

One wonders which way your relatives voted in the Brexit elections :rolleyes:

Bass Reeves · 17-04-2019 1:23am

Any time I was in France there was as many German brands as french brands. I also saw a few Japanese cars it nearly 10 years now so no Hyundai back then.

Food is all about branding and packaging from what I can see. The day of the 400 kg+ carcass is over just like the 2.5kg chicken is gone. That means that continental suckler cattle are not a viable option unless weanlings can be exported for a premium price. However even for light carcasses the present price makes production uneconomical. Cheap beef is disappearing all over the world. US is now heading over 4/ kg again. Farmers my young lad worked for in Australia says fat cows from traditional breeds make about 5/ kg Aussie dollars or about 3.2/kg .big issue is there drought is making production more expensive.

Irish processors have never branded Irish beef and any time we branded it they have stolen control of these brands eg AA and HE schemes and placed them on the bottom shelf in the UK. Kepack/Glanbia scheme is a disgrace and they need to be told that. The farming organisations ( all of them) should have said it as it is about the scheme. But there silence gives the schemes credibility.

We need to create a brand for Irish beef that is credible and highlights the grass fed beef just like some other countries have. But processors do not want that there feedlots would be obsolete

wrangler · 17-04-2019 6:57am

Base price wrote: »

One wonders which way your relatives voted in the Brexit elections :rolleyes:

Actually voted to stay, they were so worried about their future, them and their families, that they have all got Irish passports in the last year.
Apparently having Irish grandparents entitles you to Irish passports, one of the young ones has just paid €2m for a dental practise, uncertainty is the last thing he needs

Grueller · 17-04-2019 6:59am

wrangler wrote: »

Actually voted to stay, they were so worried about their future, them and their families, that they have all got Irish passports in the last year.
Apparently having Irish grandparents entitles you to Irish passports, one of the young ones has just paid €2m for a dental practise, uncertainty is the last thing he needs

Their teeth won't fall out after brexit wrangler. He will be ok if be is good at his job.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 7:03am

Grueller wrote: »

Their teeth won't fall out after brexit wrangler. He will be ok if be is good at his job.

Yea, he has plenty work but any shift in interest rates would have a major effect

coolshannagh28 · 17-04-2019 10:21am

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Any time I was in France there was as many German brands as french brands. I also saw a few Japanese cars it nearly 10 years now so no Hyundai back then.

Food is all about branding and packaging from what I can see. The day of the 400 kg+ carcass is over just like the 2.5kg chicken is gone. That means that continental suckler cattle are not a viable option unless weanlings can be exported for a premium price. However even for light carcasses the present price makes production uneconomical. Cheap beef is disappearing all over the world. US is now heading over 4/ kg again. Farmers my young lad worked for in Australia says fat cows from traditional breeds make about 5/ kg Aussie dollars or about 3.2/kg .big issue is there drought is making production more expensive.

Irish processors have never branded Irish beef and any time we branded it they have stolen control of these brands eg AA and HE schemes and placed them on the bottom shelf in the UK. Kepack/Glanbia scheme is a disgrace and they need to be told that. The farming organisations ( all of them) should have said it as it is about the scheme. But there silence gives the schemes credibility.

We need to create a brand for Irish beef that is credible and highlights the grass fed beef just like some other countries have. But processors do not want that there feedlots would be obsolete

This is as plain as the nose on your face but farmers , farm organisations ,govt etc ignore this , as I said above look at the worldwide success of Kerrygold as a brand and you have to ask why n effort has been made to do it with beef , its fairly apparent that processors are happy to take profits off the UK bottom shelf.

patsy_mccabe · 17-04-2019 10:59am

coolshannagh28 wrote: »

This is as plain as the nose on your face but farmers , farm organisations ,govt etc ignore this , as I said above look at the worldwide success of Kerrygold as a brand and you have to ask why n effort has been made to do it with beef , its fairly apparent that processors are happy to take profits off the UK bottom shelf.

How do you add value to Beef? Milk is different, with all the different yogurts, spreads etc. Beef sells best in it's purest form, just the packaging added.
Unless we can add value in terms of proven lower carbon footprints, sustainability etc, what can we do?

Bass Reeves · 17-04-2019 12:22pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

How do you add value to Beef? Milk is different, with all the different yogurts, spreads etc. Beef sells best in it's purest form, just the packaging added.
Unless we can add value in terms of proven lower carbon footprints, sustainability etc, what can we do?

Those who struggle to put meat, chicken or fish on the table cannot give a F@@k about carbon footprint sustainability or branding. Where beef is concerned we can forget about carbon footprint. We have lost that argument at present. We have to sell on health and taste. And maybe on taste only. We have to forget about ticking all the boxes. It about branding and creating our own brand. Grass fed as much as possible. Grass is where as Irish farmers we make our money. Ration and grain are break even at best especially from the way processors have treated finisher's over the last 2-3 years. We need to rebrand and forget about 500 kg bulls and rations

Base price · 17-04-2019 12:33pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Those who struggle to put meat, chicken or fish on the table cannot give a F@@k about carbon footprint sustainability or branding. Where beef is concerned we can forget about carbon footprint. We have lost that argument at present. We have to sell on health and taste. And maybe on taste only. We have to forget about ticking all the boxes. It about branding and creating our own brand. Grass fed as much as possible. Grass is where as Irish farmers we make our money. Ration and grain are break even at best especially from the way processors have treated finisher's over the last 2-3 years. We need to rebrand and forget about 500 kg bulls and rations

+1 Grass is our usp and that is why Irish butter sells worldwide.

patsy_mccabe · 17-04-2019 1:16pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Those who struggle to put meat, chicken or fish on the table cannot give a F@@k about carbon footprint sustainability or branding. Where beef is concerned we can forget about carbon footprint. We have lost that argument at present. We have to sell on health and taste. And maybe on taste only. We have to forget about ticking all the boxes. It about branding and creating our own brand. Grass fed as much as possible. Grass is where as Irish farmers we make our money. Ration and grain are break even at best especially from the way processors have treated finisher's over the last 2-3 years. We need to rebrand and forget about 500 kg bulls and rations

True, but when the beef prices go back up again, it will be back to finishing bulls in the sheds. Factory price dictates everything.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 1:23pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

True, but when beef pricew goes back up again, it will be back to finishing bulls in the sheds. Factory price dictates everything.

Reminds me of when I used to sow a lot of corn, I reckoned that I was always sorry when I sowed wheat........ some years I was sorry I didn't sow more and other years I was sorry I sowed it at all.
I think feeding bulls is a bit similar, if there's profit in them there's good profit in them, but they'd rob ya in the bad years.

coolshannagh28 · 17-04-2019 2:58pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

How do you add value to Beef? Milk is different, with all the different yogurts, spreads etc. Beef sells best in it's purest form, just the packaging added.
Unless we can add value in terms of proven lower carbon footprints, sustainability etc, what can we do?

The future of beef is about backstory , traceability ,sustainability and taste , Lidll have branded their beef to please Irish consumers and seem to sell a lot of it .
Not everyone will agree but trying to sell Irish beef in the UK using Bord Bia as a stamp or certification is a waste of time it needs to be a simple reliable branding exercise that UK customers understand .
I don't think much of an effort is being made because our processors are happy to sell off the bottom shelf and pay farmers less to make their margin.

bogman_bass · 17-04-2019 4:21pm

Have to disagree about Italian Beef being better. From my experience it’s crap.
No wonder they have gotten so good at making lovely sauces to cover it up.

It’s super lean and devoid of flavor

whelan2 · 17-04-2019 6:55pm

Went to tesco in Banbridge today. Bought 2 strip loin steaks in a pack 7.50 pounds same ones here €6.99. Tbh the Irish tesco steak would taste nicer. But why charge more for the same product in sterling? Northern Irish beef 16.52 pounds per kg.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 7:45pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Went to tesco in Banbridge today. Bought 2 strip loin steaks in a pack 7.50 pounds same ones here €6.99. Tbh the Irish tesco steak would taste nicer. But why charge more for the same product in sterling? Northern Irish beef 16.52 pounds per kg.

Was it british beef or Irish, Processors in England are paying more for cattle

whelan2 · 17-04-2019 7:57pm

wrangler wrote: »

Was it british beef or Irish, Processors in England are paying more for cattle

It says produced and packaged in Northern Ireland

wrangler · 17-04-2019 8:08pm

whelan2 wrote: »

It says produced and packaged in Northern Ireland

Don't know what they're paying up there

Base price · 17-04-2019 8:23pm

coolshannagh28 wrote: »

The future of beef is about backstory , traceability ,sustainability and taste , Lidll have branded their beef to please Irish consumers and seem to sell a lot of it .
Not everyone will agree but trying to sell Irish beef in the UK using Bord Bia as a stamp or certification is a waste of time it needs to be a simple reliable branding exercise that UK customers understand .
I don't think much of an effort is being made because our processors are happy to sell off the bottom shelf and pay farmers less to make their margin.

I buy the majority of our meat from our local butcher but I treat ourselves every week to ribeye/striploin/sirloin from Lidl's hereford deluxe range either their 28 or 35 day aged. I've never been disappointed with it's quality and taste.

wrangler · 17-04-2019 8:34pm

coolshannagh28 wrote: »

The future of beef is about backstory , traceability ,sustainability and taste , Lidll have branded their beef to please Irish consumers and seem to sell a lot of it .
Not everyone will agree but trying to sell Irish beef in the UK using Bord Bia as a stamp or certification is a waste of time it needs to be a simple reliable branding exercise that UK customers understand .
I don't think much of an effort is being made because our processors are happy to sell off the bottom shelf and pay farmers less to make their margin.

Bord Bia rep said on monday that English supermarkets don't want to use the Irish label for fear of reprisals from farmers over there, Irish beef being dumped is destroying the price of English beef over there. There was some criticism of us on The Farming Forum five or six weeks ago

Base price · 17-04-2019 8:51pm

wrangler wrote: »

Bord Bia rep said on monday that English supermarkets don't want to use the Irish label for fear of reprisals from farmers over there, Irish beef being dumped is destroying the price of English beef over there. There was some criticism of us on The Farming Forum five or six weeks ago

You cannot blame them to be fair. If the shoe was on the other foot we would be up in arms about it.

Say my name · 17-04-2019 9:07pm

There's one thing about the British and that's they know quality.

Just look at the posts on Facebook and Twitter about Dexter beef. From the Michelin guide and being served at Chequers.

And where does this Irish native breed beef come from?
England and Scotland.

I've no affiliation to the breed. But I think it's a pure joke that it doesn't even register as option to producers in it's native country. :rolleyes:

Grueller · 17-04-2019 9:12pm

Say my name wrote: »

There's one thing about the British and that's they know quality.

Just look at the posts on Facebook and Twitter about Dexter beef. From the Michelin guide and being served at Chequers.

And where does this Irish native breed beef come from?
England and Scotland.

I've no affiliation to the breed. But I think it's a pure joke that it doesn't even register as option to producers in it's native country. :rolleyes:

Our economy is tiny as is our gourmet food sector. Unless an individual can raise process and market his own dexter beef we have not got the capacity for it to work for lads.

Say my name · 17-04-2019 9:36pm

Grueller wrote: »

Our economy is tiny as is our gourmet food sector. Unless an individual can raise process and market his own dexter beef we have not got the capacity for it to work for lads.

They export kerrygold butter based on taste and appearance and omega 3 benefits around the world.
And it gets a premium for the processors.

I can't see how a processor wouldn't set up in the breeds home country and try to do a similar story with the beef.

You're right though it'll never be a farmer initiated thing as nearly all beef farmers are part time and time poor or fulltime and cash poor.

patsy_mccabe · 17-04-2019 9:45pm

Say my name wrote: »

There's one thing about the British and that's they know quality.

Just look at the posts on Facebook and Twitter about Dexter beef. From the Michelin guide and being served at Chequers.

And where does this Irish native breed beef come from?
England and Scotland.

I've no affiliation to the breed. But I think it's a pure joke that it doesn't even register as option to producers in it's native country. :rolleyes:

Dexter Cattle - Go to 7:30 mins on this video from some inside info;

Albert Johnson · 17-04-2019 10:07pm

Grueller wrote: »

Our economy is tiny as is our gourmet food sector. Unless an individual can raise process and market his own dexter beef we have not got the capacity for it to work for lads.

This is the crux of the issue regarding dexter and other niche beef products imo. To make such a product a success would require both farming and business-retail management in equal measure. I've considered going down the route of producing rare breed beef but unless I was prepared to promote and market the end product I struggle to see how it would achieve a worthwhile return. A niche product badly marketed is only a commodity by another name imo, I take my hat off to anyone who attempts to carve there own niche but I can't see it working on a large scale.

Say my name · 17-04-2019 10:16pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Dexter Cattle - Go to 7:30 mins on this video from some inside info;

I dunno they just make sense to me especially when they are in demand on the plate.

I mean where do you go for an Irish draft horse?
Where for a Connemara pony?

Where for a Dexter???

Oh I'll stop now. :pac:

https://twitter.com/hminternational/status/930797903148474368?s=20

Siamsa Sessions · 18-04-2019 2:25pm

Had the misfortune to be in a large supermarket this morning. No wonder people buy everything except plain, healthy food - it was wall-to-wall colours, lights, offers, you-name-it, etc.

The consumer hasn’t a hope. Food is only a necessary evil now during your “retail experience”

patsy_mccabe · 19-04-2019 8:01pm

https://twitter.com/ajwwoods/status/1117909084684967937

Bass Reeves · 19-04-2019 11:04pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ajwwoods/status/1117909084684967937

Is that Henry ( there will be money in Elephants again ) Burns. I think it is.

gerryirl · 21-04-2019 12:39pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Is that Henry ( there will be money in Elephants again ) Burns. I think it is.

he spoke the truth.. I feel he said all Id like to say. I've not had my farm in as better shape ever and doing it all by the so called book. For what, so my job can subside it for a few months of the year.. I'd say if he got his way last time we sat outside the factories we'd have went all out

I'm gonna say something and it may not be popular but I think in relation to the farm payments. It has crossed my mind to become a summer farmer but I think something has to done about that and the lad with the donkeys. They are right in what they are doing just to get payments. no law being broke but its not paying to feed over the winter now so we all cant go buying donkeys or buying in the spring and sell in the back end. I think there should be a livestock limit all year not just for 7 months I think it is now. Might not be popular but it might help the full time man that has to be on his knees at the minute

Bass Reeves · 21-04-2019 2:14pm

gerryirl wrote: »

he spoke the truth.. I feel he said all Id like to say. I've not had my farm in as better shape ever and doing it all by the so called book. For what, so my job can subside it for a few months of the year.. I'd say if he got his way last time we sat outside the factories we'd have went all out

I'm gonna say something and it may not be popular but I think in relation to the farm payments. It has crossed my mind to become a summer farmer but I think something has to done about that and the lad with the donkeys. They are right in what they are doing just to get payments. no law being broke but its not paying to feed over the winter now so we all cant go buying donkeys or buying in the spring and sell in the back end. I think there should be a livestock limit all year not just for 7 months I think it is now. Might not be popular but it might help the full time man that has to be on his knees at the minute

I have no issue with lads working the system. They do less harm than lads feeding cattle for Larry for the fun of it. Lads doing that do not have the impact that some would like to think. Most are not handling huge numbers of cattle. They had nothing to do with the price collapse last Autumn and it continuance right through the winter. The stocking numbers being raised would only get them competing for more cattle and most lads with donkey's and ponies have them all year long. They do not buy calves or weanlings to keep them in the country.

The IFA elections will be along soon. Henry no doubt has an eye on that. There was no big hoha for the last 2-3 years when lads with weanlings took a beating at the marts. But because a few big lads get hammered for gambling (then IMO it was not a gamble but pure stupidity) we need to load the system for them again. Lads overpaying for cattle in the spring is there as long as I can remember.
When heavy cattle were first cut I remember going to an IFA meeting all those years ago. The bold Henry's rocked into the meeting threw off the jacket rolled up his sleeves to become a common man. His contribution to the complaining faithful was that this was a temporary blip and elephants of cattle would be needed again. That was when I started to lose faith in the IFA because they could not see what way the market was going. Yes they were paid for again on and off but any time there was an oversupply of cattle they got hammered. Most lads caught with bulls this year were at the elephant game again. Speaking to two lads that do bulls all the time both while not overly happy this year with them had them all moved by mid February and took the hit and moved on. But both were killing bulls sub 400 kgs DW not Henry's elephants

Dinzee Conlee · 21-04-2019 2:15pm

gerryirl wrote: »

he

I'm gonna say something and it may not be popular but I think in relation to the farm payments. It has crossed my mind to become a summer farmer but I think something has to done about that and the lad with the donkeys. They are right in what they are doing just to get payments. no law being broke but its not paying to feed over the winter now so we all cant go buying donkeys or buying in the spring and sell in the back end. I think there should be a livestock limit all year not just for 7 months I think it is now. Might not be popular but it might help the full time man that has to be on his knees at the minute

What 7 month rule?

Bass Reeves · 21-04-2019 2:20pm

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

What 7 month rule?

The 7 month rule is for stocking density for the ANC payment. You have to keep cattle for 7 months of the year and have an average stocking density of 0.15LU/HA over the 12 months to draw the payment

Albert Johnson · 21-04-2019 2:57pm

gerryirl wrote: »

he spoke the truth.. I feel he said all Id like to say. I've not had my farm in as better shape ever and doing it all by the so called book. For what, so my job can subside it for a few months of the year.. I'd say if he got his way last time we sat outside the factories we'd have went all out

I'm gonna say something and it may not be popular but I think in relation to the farm payments. It has crossed my mind to become a summer farmer but I think something has to done about that and the lad with the donkeys. They are right in what they are doing just to get payments. no law being broke but its not paying to feed over the winter now so we all cant go buying donkeys or buying in the spring and sell in the back end. I think there should be a livestock limit all year not just for 7 months I think it is now. Might not be popular but it might help the full time man that has to be on his knees at the minute

How exactly do you propose this would help the struggling full-time man? It's somewhat confusing to me that even though the so called "7 months men" pay way over the odds for cattle in the spring that it's still not viable to winter stock most years. I don't see how forcing them to keep a certain stock level all year round will alleviate any of the current problems. The full-time beef farmer may be struggling in the last few years but aiming to drag us all down to the lowest common denominator isn't any help. Perhaps if these lads stopped producing a lot of these currently unviable stock there finances would improve.

As I've stated before I think there's at least twice to much beef being produced in this country. Halving the weekly kill may not improve the price but would reduce the need for inputs such as meal, fertilizer and so on dramatically. It's not a great outlook to aim to break even on the stock and to retain the sub as profit but it's still better than many are achieving currently. We need to stop looking down upon the lads with donkeys and the bare bones of stock for the summer, there not producing more unwanted beef and adding fuel to the fire. "Production is vanity, profit is sanity", it's all well and good beating our chests about the "bad" armchair or dairy farmer's or whoever is the lastest enemy but it won't put bread on the table.

Finally I thought that the ANC was only received by those in certain regions and not a country wide measure. If so then this concept of men only buying stock to fulfill the requirements of the scheme is hardly epidemic? I was of the opinion that no livestock are need to claim the BPS just that the land be kept in good agricultural condition. Indeed if many of the full timers on good land where given 40 rushy acres on the side of Arigna or any other mountain and faced with an 8 month winter would they be as eager to persevere with a minimum 12 month stocking rate? I think the conifers or a ass would be sought fairly quickly, even Cromwell drew the line at Connaught.

MIKEKC · 21-04-2019 6:15pm

gerryirl wrote: »

he spoke the truth.. I feel he said all Id like to say. I've not had my farm in as better shape ever and doing it all by the so called book. For what, so my job can subside it for a few months of the year.. I'd say if he got his way last time we sat outside the factories we'd have went all out

I'm gonna say something and it may not be popular but I think in relation to the farm payments. It has crossed my mind to become a summer farmer but I think something has to done about that and the lad with the donkeys. They are right in what they are doing just to get payments. no law being broke but its not paying to feed over the winter now so we all cant go buying donkeys or buying in the spring and sell in the back end. I think there should be a livestock limit all year not just for 7 months I think it is now. Might not be popular but it might help the full time man that has to be on his knees at the minute

If people had to have stock all year round it would mean building housing for many. If the full time man is on his knees why should others be brought to their knees with expensive housing when ther is no return from the business. 7 months is too long. We have all the schemes geared to protect the environment yet you want the land cut up with cattle on it too long.

bogman_bass · 21-04-2019 8:50pm

7 months is too long? At .15LU per Ha?
If that’s the case you’d be better off planting trees on that land and being done with it.

wrangler · 21-04-2019 8:58pm

bogman_bass wrote: »

7 months is too long? At .15LU per Ha?
If that’s the case you’d be better off planting trees on that land and being done with it.

Are you serius, that's only the equivalent to a minimum of one ewe to the hectare or one 2 year old bullock to seven hectares.
Doesn't sound too onerous

Albert Johnson · 21-04-2019 9:13pm

bogman_bass wrote: »

7 months is too long? At .15LU per Ha?
If that’s the case you’d be better off planting trees on that land and being done with it.

As to whether it's too long is dependent on your land type and housing facilities to be fair. I'd rate our own land here as average if not slightly better than most of the adjoining area. It wouldn't be overstocked and I still wouldn't finish feeding until the 1st of May on average. If I was like a lot of summer grazers locally with limited housing, machinery and no fodder I wouldn't buy stock before this date to ensure they could be let straight to grass. Fast forward 7 months and it's now the first of December, depending on the weather ground conditions may be very poor and it's definitely time to either house or sell the stock. A 5 month winter around here would be very optimistic imo and run a risk of getting caught at either end of the grazing season most years.

Bass Reeves · 22-04-2019 10:45am

wrangler wrote: »

bogman_bass wrote: »

7 months is too long? At .15LU per Ha?
If that’s the case you’d be better off planting trees on that land and being done with it.

Are you serius, that's only the equivalent to a minimum of one ewe to the hectare or one 2 year old bullock to seven hectares.
Doesn't sound too onerous

It all depends on your land. I came from a farm 75 acre owned and 75 acres of commage rights. Commage was either rock or north facing mountain . The amount of stock kept on it was 8-10 sucklers cows, 2 milking cows, a horse, and 80 -100 mountain ewes. There was a certain amount of hay and turnips bough is as the father worked in the Co Council. About 25 LU on 150 acres or 60 HA or a stocking rate of 0.4 LU/ HA. Weanling sold in the autumn would only be 150 kgs at best. It needed mixed grazing to help the greenish bits green. Lambs reared to ewes about 0.6-0.8 even now they struggle to hit 0.8/ ewe. It was land that did not react to fertlizer. We were 20 years ahead of a lot around us as the father worked.
So ya 0.15/ HA could a struggle on North facing rocky mountain land. You might not be able to maintain that. On that sort of land you need to have 2 year old wether's. The lads from the Commeragh mountains used to buy them to carry them up there as it was the only animal that could live up there.
If it was all planted there would be no tourism in Kerry or football teams ot of it.

Albert Johnson · 22-04-2019 11:50am

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It all depends on your land. I came from a farm 75 acre owned and 75 acres of commage rights. Commage was either rock or north facing mountain . The amount of stock kept on it was 8-10 sucklers cows, 2 milking cows, a horse, and 80 -100 mountain ewes. There was a certain amount of hay and turnips bough is as the father worked in the Co Council. About 25 LU on 150 acres or 60 HA or a stocking rate of 0.4 LU/ HA. Weanling sold in the autumn would only be 150 kgs at best. It needed mixed grazing to help the greenish bits green. Lambs reared to ewes about 0.6-0.8 even now they struggle to hit 0.8/ ewe. It was land that did not react to fertlizer. We were 20 years ahead of a lot around us as the father worked.
So ya 0.15/ HA could a struggle on North facing rocky mountain land. You might not be able to maintain that. On that sort of land you need to have 2 year old wether's. The lads from the Commeragh mountains used to buy them to carry them up there as it was the only animal that could live up there.
If it was all planted there would be no tourism in Kerry or football teams ot of it.

The auld lad tells a story of bringing milk to the creamery one morning in the late 70's just as a lorry load of fertilizer had arrived from Cork. There being no forklift locally meant a team of men had been assembled to manually unload the cargo. The creamery was less than half a mile from our house and the father was in no great hurry home as usual.

He got chatting to the driver who was a good Cork man and was informed that it was his first time this far west. The driver was astounded at the variable quality of land he'd encountered and probably wondered to himself why anyone would bother buying fertilizer for the same. It was a particularly cold hard April day and the hills surrounding the creamery yard looked especially bleak and dark.

Our man happened to be facing in the direction of our place and spotted probably the bleakest of the bleak hills which belonged to a neighbor who happened to be part of the group unloading the lorry. The hill in question was almost vertical, never grew anything until mid June and still only managed a crop of heather and sprat rushes. Remaining totally straight faced the driver enquired of no one in particular as to "what mountains are those?". The owner of said ranch (who was cantankerous at best) proceeded to call him everything under the sun much to his confusion having asked an honest question.

Bass Reeves · 22-04-2019 12:09pm

The one I heard was of a young lad who was after going to Limerick with a match maker. He arrived home and was telling his father about the farm he visited as his blind grandfather listened from the corner by the open fire. There was nothing but thistle's on the place he exclaimed. '' How big were they'' came from the corner. ''So big I tied the horse to one of them'' said the young bucko. ''Is she very old'' from the corner. ''About ten years older than me'' said the young lad getting flustered.
''Marry her if the thistle's are that big it is good land'' said the grandfather, '' she might not be in great fettle but the land is they were always lazy up there''

patsy_mccabe · 22-04-2019 5:12pm

An old neighbour of mine who was gone very bald, always said that moss won't grow on a good field. :rolleyes:

Reggie. · 22-04-2019 5:21pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

An old neighbour of mine who was gone very bald, always said that moss won't grow on a good field. :rolleyes:

Or a busy road

kk.man · 22-04-2019 5:44pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

The one I heard was of a young lad who was after going to Limerick with a match maker. He arrived home and was telling his father about the farm he visited as his blind grandfather listened from the corner by the open fire. There was nothing but thistle's on the place he exclaimed. '' How big were they'' came from the corner. ''So big I tied the horse to one of them'' said the young bucko. ''Is she very old'' from the corner. ''About ten years older than me'' said the young lad getting flustered.
''Marry her if the thistle's are that big it is good land'' said the grandfather, '' she might not be in great fettle but the land is they were always lazy up there''

Reminds me of a memory;
When I was a young lad I was passing comment on the thistles at the side of a ditch in one of our fields. The boss man said that's the sign of good ground and see the blacktorn right beside it.

MIKEKC · 22-04-2019 7:31pm

bogman_bass wrote: »

7 months is too long? At .15LU per Ha?
If that’s the case you’d be better off planting trees on that land and being

7 months would extend into 8. You can't buy or sell all stock in one day . It will take a few weeks at start and finish, so probably 8 months

Albert Johnson · 22-04-2019 7:50pm

MIKEKC wrote: »

7 months would extend into 8. You can't buy or sell all stock in one day . It will take a few weeks at start and finish, so probably 8 months

I agree that it's not always going to be possible to assemble all the stock on the one day especially if handling large numbers. Having said that a lot of the summer grazers around here have small farms and therefore don't keep much stock. I'd imagine a fair percentage would have less than 10 cattle, most purchase either off dealer's or at least get an "agent" to buy for them and save taking a day off work to attend the mart. In such cases the stock are often assembled within a day or 2 and are almost certainly all sold in one batch in the back end.

patsy_mccabe · 29-04-2019 8:42am

Is this buying for Larry, I wonder;

https://www.donedeal.ie/all?userId=114065

wrangler · 29-04-2019 10:07am

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I agree that it's not always going to be possible to assemble all the stock on the one day especially if handling large numbers. Having said that a lot of the summer grazers around here have small farms and therefore don't keep much stock. I'd imagine a fair percentage would have less than 10 cattle, most purchase either off dealer's or at least get an "agent" to buy for them and save taking a day off work to attend the mart. In such cases the stock are often assembled within a day or 2 and are almost certainly all sold in one batch in the back end.

Also it's only the equivalent of I store bullock to 9 acres, some seem to be confusing it with the dole where you get paid for doing nothing

Beef Plan Movement (READ OP BEFORE POSTING)

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