Bull beef ?

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Should have written Grandfather. Dad remembers them though and mentioned it to me as being nothing new.

I wonder when castration was taken up widely originally. Must have been way back?


Ah right as I didn't have you down as in your 70's or older.
I often wonder why castration caught on? Esp as then they started artificially putting the hormone back in again:banghead:
 

Raider112

Member
What gross margins would you say would be realistic? Based on own barley fed at £100 a ton, a bit for the protein and straw, milk powder £70ish and then the continental Bull calf cost £200...

Would you say £500 is realistic? Before overheads are then taken in account of course...
I would say you should value your barley at the price you could sell it for as this gives you a better idea whether buying them will pay. Barley delivered is £150 ish in Cumbria.
 

sodbuster

Member
Contemplating leaving my later born spring calves entire. Probably anything born after 6 weeks into calving. Is there much of a market for store continental bulls this time of year? All suckler bred
 

Selectamatic

Member
Location
North Wales
Diverting this thread off topic a little bit...

Remember when your father and grandfather kept a bullock for two or three years, being fed on turnip, barley, hay, swede, cakemeal etc etc?

Was the taste of the meat from that animal superior to what we have today?

Other than money, why is it not done today?

I know next to nowt about animals... :)
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Contemplating leaving my later born spring calves entire. Probably anything born after 6 weeks into calving. Is there much of a market for store continental bulls this time of year? All suckler bred
Think you'd want a deal lined up with someone who does bulls rather than chancing the markets.
 

bob_01

Member
Finished bulls have been much better here reasonly . A real market for them. Plenty of bidders unlike previous years when you wished you'd cut them. Plenty at £2.40+ p/kg live weight topping at £2.70 in the christmas markets. Such a hit and miss product though. You can soon feed a pen of nice bulls and then wished you hadn't bothered
 

Alicecow

Member
Location
Connacht
Diverting this thread off topic a little bit...

Remember when your father and grandfather kept a bullock for two or three years, being fed on turnip, barley, hay, swede, cakemeal etc etc?

Was the taste of the meat from that animal superior to what we have today?

Other than money, why is it not done today?

I know next to nowt about animals... :)
Probably BSE & the Under 30 Months thing about having them finished young.
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
What gross margins would you say would be realistic? Based on own barley fed at £100 a ton, a bit for the protein and straw, milk powder £70ish and then the continental Bull calf cost £200...

Would you say £500 is realistic? Before overheads are then taken in account of course...

Where can you buy decent continental bull calves for £200

Send me a PM with the details I’d be interested in some.
 

johnspeehs

Member
Location
Co Antrim
What gross margins would you say would be realistic? Based on own barley fed at £100 a ton, a bit for the protein and straw, milk powder £70ish and then the continental Bull calf cost £200...

Would you say £500 is realistic? Before overheads are then taken in account of course...


Not while pussy's a cat, if you have the half of that you will be running a tight ship.
 
More like IMO, barley / protein feed £170 per ton, would need 2 ton ish.
Continental bull calf capable of grading R or better would be closer to £280. Straw / bedding could be £70 per head per year. Vaccines £8.
Other medication and allowing for some mortality say £30.
Selling price perhaps R4L at 270 KG 350ppkg £945 minus haulage and deductions £920 against costs of £728. Would also have to factor in costs of machinery to feed and bed, as well as labour/time spent on cattle housed all year round. By my back of an envelope calculations it's do able, but lots of other costs can creep up.
 
Last edited:
Location
Cleveland
More like IMO, barley / protein feed £170 per ton, would need 2 ton ish.
Continental bull calf capable of grading R or better would be closer to £280. Straw / bedding could be £70 per head per year. Vaccines £8.
Other medication and allowing for some mortality say £30.
Selling price perhaps R4L at 270 KG 350ppkg £945 minus haulage and deductions £920 against costs of £728. Would also have to factor in costs of machinery to feed and bed, as well as labour/time spent on cattle housed all year round. By my back of an envelope calculations it's do able, but lots of other costs can creep up.
270kg? What you doing veal?
 

jackrussell101

Member
Mixed Farmer
More like IMO, barley / protein feed £170 per ton, would need 2 ton ish.
Continental bull calf capable of grading R or better would be closer to £280. Straw / bedding could be £70 per head per year. Vaccines £8.
Other medication and allowing for some mortality say £30.
Selling price perhaps R4L at 270 KG 350ppkg £945 minus haulage and deductions £920 against costs of £728. Would also have to factor in costs of machinery to feed and bed, as well as labour/time spent on cattle housed all year round. By my back of an envelope calculations it's do able, but lots of other costs can creep up.
I think a Blue bull is more than capable of getting to 325kg dead not 270kg in the time rame suggested...

If so by my calculations...

325kg x £3.65 for an R4L = £1186

Against costs of £728 would result in a gross margin of £458?

The latest John Nix implies something similar...
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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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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