Is there any future in suckler cows ?

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
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. ?

Glad you enjoyed them.

Have a listen to some of the Working Cows podcasts. Some are a bit boring, some can be a bit preachy (the host is very religious) but there is some great material there. Really inspirational stuff.

I heard one recently with Dave Pratt (Ranching for Profit guy in the videos above). In the 1980s, with high interest rates, he had a customer who had a ranch worth $1.5mil which was carrying $1.6mil of debt. Through ranching the owner hd the debt paid off in full in 6 years.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
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 ?
Good business providing everything else is in place, I think it would be unfair to say those that top the store market would be the ones with high costs and/or low profit,
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
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?
that greg judy has sheep as well as cows, didn't quite work out where they fitted in, start improving really wanked grass ? What I did see, was spot the guard/companion dogs in the flock, reminded me of spot wally, from when the kids were small !
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife

This is a great episode. 400 pure bred Angus cows at 5000-8000ft in the Chiuahuan desert in Mexico. It’s an extreme example, but the guy claims to be moving cattle every 30mins at times, as well as having a COP of $40/calf. Says his stocking rate is 5-10 times the local average.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset

This is a great episode. 400 pure bred Angus cows at 5000-8000ft in the Chiuahuan desert in Mexico. It’s an extreme example, but the guy claims to be moving cattle every 30mins at times, as well as having a COP of $40/calf. Says his stocking rate is 5-10 times the local average.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset

This is a great episode. 400 pure bred Angus cows at 5000-8000ft in the Chiuahuan desert in Mexico. It’s an extreme example, but the guy claims to be moving cattle every 30mins at times, as well as having a COP of $40/calf. Says his stocking rate is 5-10 times the local average.
when does he sleep ?
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
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?
You would be shocked if you came down here and saw how little rotational grazing is done for beef cattle here.
 
Glad you enjoyed them.

Have a listen to some of the Working Cows podcasts. Some are a bit boring, some can be a bit preachy (the host is very religious) but there is some great material there. Really inspirational stuff.

I heard one recently with Dave Pratt (Ranching for Profit guy in the videos above). In the 1980s, with high interest rates, he had a customer who had a ranch worth $1.5mil which was carrying $1.6mil of debt. Through ranching the owner hd the debt paid off in full in 6 years.
Look at inputs vs produce in the 80s, 15 to 20 fat cattle would buy you a 100hp 4wd tractor, not applicable to a rancher I know but it's an example of how gaps gave widened.
 
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?
Our industry is full of dinosaurs and cave men, which is why someone with an half sensible idea get noticed.

Just wondered how the theories applied in a UK beef and sheep unit, or if mixed units going to be a thing if the past.
 
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unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Look at inputs vs produce in the 80s, 15 to 20 fat cattle would buy you a 100hp 4wd tractor, not applicable to a rancher I know but it's an example of how gaps gave widened.

The fat cattle haven’t changed since the 80s. The 100hp 4WD tractor of today would have far more bells and whistles.

But, £24,440 for a 90hp tractor. That’s roughly equivalent to 20 fat cattle no?

 

Bob the beef

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scot Borders
I might be wrong but I reckon the single biggest threat to suckler cows is beef from the dairy cow. There are plenty big operators now using sexed AA semen on dairy cows using AA bulls that have been bred to improve the eye muscle yield and provide a consistent marbled product. One of the big German discount supermarkets has recently signed a deal to source 8000 cattle a year from just such a system. They are taking 60 a week at the moment, every one grading 330-350 kg dw and R4L. The variation in suckler beef is it's biggest problem
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Our industry is full of dinosaurs and gave men, which is why someone with an half sensible idea get noticed.

Just wondered how the theories applied in a UK beef and sheep unit, or if mixed units going to be a thing if the past.

Apply them however you want.

Run the sheep and cattle together, mixed species grazing has many benefits.

Or run the sheep over first to get the best of the pasture, with the suckler cows grazing Immediately behind to get the residual down.

Or put the castle over first to groom the pasture, then the sheep follow after an appropriate test period, ensuring they get the best regrowth.


It’s your farm, it’s up to you.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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