Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

Anymulewilldo

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Al R said:
What I meant was a Jersian x AA calf which is then added to the bull herd and used again on Jersian cows. So breeding wise it’s getting more Jersian every time, easy calving for sure and resulting cows sufficient to graze 4500 litres OAD. But putting them into the beef trade when their that extreme isn’t good, I have literally seen them been blown over by wind at 10 months old.
Click to expand...
I know of a fella who kept back 5 AAx (Jersey X fresian) bull calves too use instead of using proper Angus. Sold his calves as AAx in market for £100-£180 at 3 weeks. I was astounded as they looked like black jerseys. Next calving he rocked up again with a trailer full and got all arsey with the auctioneer when they made £10-£25 for killing. Apparently the auctioneer had had a stuffing from each buyer who had bought the supposed AAx calves. The auctioneer in question then turned on the vendor and told him in no uncertain terms if that was the best he could breed he’d best take them elsewhere because his buyers didn’t want them. Good luck trying too get those calves on a MQ Angus contract!

First cross beef on the kiwi is fine, had a few over the years. Just got the pick the ones that aren’t showing too the jersey! Just not 3/4 kiwi 1/4 beef!

As for the £2-£4 calves. Without you were there we can’t judge them. When Chelford was still going a run of poor Angus heifers out of heifers went through at £5-£40 when a nice Angus heifer was £90-£140. 2 days after I was being told about these good Angus heifer calves been given away for £5 each... I pointed out they were talking sh!t and did they know what a good calf looked like? Front legs the width of my thumb doesn’t count!
 
Al R

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Anymulewilldo said:
I know of a fella who kept back 5 AAx (Jersey X fresian) bull calves too use instead of using proper Angus. Sold his calves as AAx in market for £100-£180 at 3 weeks. I was astounded as they looked like black jerseys. Next calving he rocked up again with a trailer full and got all arsey with the auctioneer when they made £10-£25 for killing. Apparently the auctioneer had had a stuffing from each buyer who had bought the supposed AAx calves. The auctioneer in question then turned on the vendor and told him in no uncertain terms if that was the best he could breed he’d best take them elsewhere because his buyers didn’t want them. Good luck trying too get those calves on a MQ Angus contract!

First cross beef on the kiwi is fine, had a few over the years. Just got the pick the ones that aren’t showing too the jersey! Just not 3/4 kiwi 1/4 beef!

As for the £2-£4 calves. Without you were there we can’t judge them. When Chelford was still going a run of poor Angus heifers out of heifers went through at £5-£40 when a nice Angus heifer was £90-£140. 2 days after I was being told about these good Angus heifer calves been given away for £5 each... I pointed out they were talking sh!t and did they know what a good calf looked like? Front legs the width of my thumb doesn’t count!
Click to expand...
You’ve seen the types then, surprised you’ve seen them up there as it’s mainly the 100% grass/outdoor systems that have them. Know of a few that have put cubicles in for the cows, with no roof 😮 that’s like giving someone tobacco but no papers or lighter 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
Anymulewilldo

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Al R said:
You’ve seen the types then, surprised you’ve seen them up there as it’s mainly the 100% grass/outdoor systems that have them. Know of a few that have put cubicles in for the cows, with no roof 😮 that’s like giving someone tobacco but no papers or lighter 🤦🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
There’s plenty of them in Cheshire. When I was at Reaseheath they were trying too tell us how it was the future and we should all be doing it. Some of the units they took us too were a disgrace. Expecting 3 people too work a 40/40 swingover properly in the freezing wind because the sides on a parlour are an “unnecessary expense” you could tell which outfits valued staff and which just treated them like sh!t. In fairness we went too some really really good units too, but they tended too the the ones who actually worked on farm as well rather than just being the “overseer” always seemed too have used more kiwi fresian in the breeding too 🤔
Then we went too a 500 head beef unit, all outdoors, outwintered beef on maize stubble so you can imagine the mud. All Angus but they looked more like water buffalo. Openly told us he had trading standards in the yard every week through the winter over people reporting cattle wading in mud and he thought it was perfectly normal. And this man won Cheshire Grassland farmer of the year!! Seemed too think that a £100/head margin on a 29 month old beast that came as a milk calf was doing well... Jesus we had a very heated debate on that trip when we got back too college. I had too leave the room for a second or two! Luckily the lecturer thought that me getting so heated was hilarious and used too wind me up on purpose too see how loud the bang was when I let rip! 😁
 
Beef farmer

Beef farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North cornish coast. It's always windy here
Al R said:
What I meant was a Jersian x AA calf which is then added to the bull herd and used again on Jersian cows. So breeding wise it’s getting more Jersian every time, easy calving for sure and resulting cows sufficient to graze 4500 litres OAD. But putting them into the beef trade when their that extreme isn’t good, I have literally seen them been blown over by wind at 10 months old.
Click to expand...
They deserve £1 for the calf
 
N

Northern territory

Member
Livestock Farmer
Anymulewilldo said:
Found this the last few years. Whichever festival it is in the autumn, can’t buy feeding ewes before it then soon as it’s past you can buy as many as you want. I’ve found the 2/3 weeks prior too the festival far better than the week before as it always used too be. And I found that out by accident as I thought it was “the week” so rushed a load in and had got the date wrong! As it was they made £13 more than they would have on festival week when everyone else turned up with them. So I carried on trying too do that!
Click to expand...
I agree it is never good the week before but usually the lead up to one.
 
F

Frank-the-Wool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
We used to buy loads of Friesian/Holstein steers that had been outwintered and were as hard as nails. It was possible to finish them off grass alone or not much feed. The important point was they were already 18 months plus when we got them.
Now I understand where GUTH is coming from on the costs of keeping these for such a long period but with the Dairy companies forcing the producers not to kill these calves and the increased use of sexed semen there will be many more of these poor quality calves.

Up until now most of them have been put into intensive finishing units and providing they grade at an O+ it has been working financially with big numbers. However I believe we are unlikely to see concentrate feed drop back in price to where it was and the reason for that is of course China.
The Chinese pig herd is now rapidly being rebuilt and they will need much more feed than in the last few months. The new pig genetics are much better (many have come from here and the EU) and relatively quickly the world meat protein market will come back into balance.

With the need to capture more Co2 and ELMS it is possible there may be more extensive grassland which could graze cheap cattle for long periods as in the "old" days.
Like my Father always used to say "Patience is cheaper than a bag!"
 
Ceri

Ceri

Member
Anymulewilldo said:
There’s plenty of them in Cheshire. When I was at Reaseheath they were trying too tell us how it was the future and we should all be doing it. Some of the units they took us too were a disgrace. Expecting 3 people too work a 40/40 swingover properly in the freezing wind because the sides on a parlour are an “unnecessary expense” you could tell which outfits valued staff and which just treated them like sh!t. In fairness we went too some really really good units too, but they tended too the the ones who actually worked on farm as well rather than just being the “overseer” always seemed too have used more kiwi fresian in the breeding too 🤔
Then we went too a 500 head beef unit, all outdoors, outwintered beef on maize stubble so you can imagine the mud. All Angus but they looked more like water buffalo. Openly told us he had trading standards in the yard every week through the winter over people reporting cattle wading in mud and he thought it was perfectly normal. And this man won Cheshire Grassland farmer of the year!! Seemed too think that a £100/head margin on a 29 month old beast that came as a milk calf was doing well... Jesus we had a very heated debate on that trip when we got back too college. I had too leave the room for a second or two! Luckily the lecturer thought that me getting so heated was hilarious and used too wind me up on purpose too see how loud the bang was when I let rip! 😁
Click to expand...
What years we're u at reaseheath & who was the lecturer....??
 
beefandsleep

beefandsleep

Member
Location
Staffordshire
Valtra130 said:
www.thegrocer.co.uk

Waitrose to extend beef production at its Leckford Estate farm

The move means the retailer will be able to source some of its beef directly from its own farm
www.thegrocer.co.uk www.thegrocer.co.uk

Interesting changes !
Did have a heard of 500+ cows in a new unit ( last 10-15years)
Now going for low input suckler beef
Click to expand...

Leckford blows with the wind like many such estates, it will be something different in another 10 years, none of the work done by the people who make the decisions and that is why it will never be profitable.
 
beefandsleep

beefandsleep

Member
Location
Staffordshire
Gov stats say 325-330kgs, levy figures look like they include calves also as 6-36m.
On age, how many heifers are killed in 1st lactation? I think the levy data is too raw for drawing the conclusions you are. Look for prime beef stats for a fairer picture.
I do think a lot of improvement can be made on slaughter age, easiest efficiency gain for the industry.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 102 41.1%

  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 91 36.7%

  • 25-50%

    Votes: 36 14.5%

  • 50-75%

    Votes: 5 2.0%

  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.2%

  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 11 4.4%
See comments…

May Event: The most profitable farm diversification strategy 2024 - Mobile Data Centres

Apr 02
  • 884
  • 13
With just a internet connection and a plug socket you too can join over 70 farms currently earning up to £1.27 ppkw ~ 201% ROI

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mo...2024-mobile-data-centres-tickets-871045770347

Tuesday, May 21 · 10am - 2pm GMT+1

Location: Village Hotel Bury, Rochdale Road, Bury, BL9 7BQ

The Farming Forum has teamed up with the award winning hardware manufacturer Easy Compute to bring you an educational talk about how AI and blockchain technology is helping farmers to diversify their land.

Over the past 7 years, Easy Compute have been working with farmers, agricultural businesses, and renewable energy farms all across the UK to help turn leftover space into mini data centres. With...
News
Continue…

Share this page

Top