nart is really new
Is there any future in suckler cows ?
- Thread starter ges
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- Fife
And there are also ranchers achieving stocking rates double and triple that on a like for like basis. They’re doing this by utilising area specific profit focused genetics, profit focused grazing management and profit focused business management.
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- Location
- North Wales
What about pretty beasts and topping the sale ring? ?
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- Fife
Focus on that is what has led to declines in US ranch profitability. Focus on lbs of beef/acre is what pays.
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- Fife
M-J-G
Member
I have, my point is that many are struggling so not all of their theories are fool proof.
There is good and bad there, just like here.
Nothing new.
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M-J-G
Member
I keep seeing mention of rotational grazing, (which I have practiced since I first kept stock) interestingly we've been reading through records from our local Ag Society and there was an advisory piece saying stock shouldn't hear the church bells twice in the same field, this was from 1912, yet some people talk about rotational grazing like it's some new concept.
Small cows and low slaughter weights on little fat cattle, the UK was full of them 100 years ago, again nothing new
Small cows and low slaughter weights on little fat cattle, the UK was full of them 100 years ago, again nothing new
- Location
- Fife
I agree, nothing is foolproof. You think you have some thing fool proof, someone will just make a better fool....
But I’d suggest those ranchers who follow the “Ranching for Profit” concepts will be in a better position than those who focus on individual weaning weights, set stocking and feeding hay.
I’m not suggesting any of this is new. But I think there’s a lot of people keeping livestock, UK and US, who don’t rotationally graze and keep unsuitable livestock by throwing inputs at them.
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- Location
- Devon
johnspeehs
Member
- Location
- Co Antrim
Would most of your cows be Salers or have you a mixture? @Chae1 .. Would they have been your calves that were up on facebook?
- Location
- somerset
all I am trying to get across, things are changing, we all need to look at what we do, for the future of our industry. the country side would look horrible without livestock.
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- somerset
you have 2 £1200 cont stores through the ring, 600 kg each, £2 kilo, topped the sale, fantastic. or you could have put 3, 500kg stores through at £1.75 kg, or £875, so £2400, or £2625, based on kg/beef /acre,
maths, 2, 750kg cows, or 3, 500kg cows, same food, costs etc, same total weight of cows, bit simplistic, but shows what I mean, the question you have to ask your selves, which is better for me ? We all love to see our names in the mkt report, why, vanity?, or good business ?
tommyurray
Member
They will come to about the same as will eat less but weigh less but you should have less dead calves which you cannot sell,weight produced per acre x sale price per kg
You can argue it either way remember that there is now a top line payment linked to weight
Showing my age by mixing metric and imperial
Weasel
Member
- Location
- in the hills
Your talking about hill cattle there.
Smaller cows which produce store calves to sell to the boys with better ground to fatten them.
M-J-G
Member
I see very little,(if anything) that is revolutionary in any of their videos.
Feed as little concentrate and conserved forage as possible, use grazing to its full potential, keep cows that suit your system and sell what the market wants. Easy!
Out of curiosity, where would sheep fit into that ranchers beef system?
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M-J-G
Member
Good growing cattle don't have to be difficult calving.
Most cattle will finish below weight restrictions, it's the total price that they come to that is the main restriction IMO.
- Location
- somerset
just used an example, the same equation works for lowland, in the dairy industries, we get paid in kg of fat and protein, and measured in kg/ha produced, the higher the amount, the more we get paid. The suckle farmer should be talking about kg beef/ha. If you think the example was to small, as in hill bred, increase the weight of your suckle cow, and store.
cont cow weighs 850 kg, strong stores 700 kg top the mkt, £2 kg, £1400, = £2800
same weight of cow, = 3.4, 500 kg cows , so 3.4 x 500 kg stores @ £1.75 =£2975
maths work both ways
- Location
- North Wales
There are some good clips on there @unlacedgecko I fell asleep watching them last night.
I think a lot of the industry is too far gone. Even if the will to change their way of thinking was there, with low prices and debt, the cost of changing the system, e.g. type of cow, infrastructure wouldn't be viable in a lot of cases. If they sat down and did the sums they'd be far better off getting out of farming. ?
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- Fife
I don’t think it’s that revolutionary either. But the fact it’s seen as revolutionary within their industry is fairly damning. Just as rotational grazing, out wintering and out door lambing are seen as revolutionary by some within the UK industry.
I don’t know where sheep would fit into the system. Why?
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Steers, yes lots of creep and concentrates since they've been weaned.