Any leads on organic steers for sale?
- Thread starter Badshot
- Start date
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Very few about in this part of the world.
Cutcombe will have a few in their suckled calve sales this autumn ( will be good steers/ heifers and worth buying )
Sedge have a monthly ( i think ) sale of organic store cattle sold at the start of the normal store market on a Saturday.
Suckler bred? Dairy bred? Beef sired? Conti's? Natives?
volume?
Out of curiosity, what premium is there?
I could lie my way to organic status, which i wouldn't really want to do...but everything has a price!
It's not for me.
Where my daughter may do some work placement whilst at college is looking for them.
I thought I'd ask on here to try to help them out.
I'd guess beef sired would be the aim.
I think they'd probably do as well without the organic status myself, but I suppose once you have it, you don't want to give it up easily.
Yes they do still have the monthly organic sales, some nice cattle entered from what I have seen
- Location
- Romney Marsh
Not many people sell 6 month old cattle, let alone organic ones.
I know someone close that may have some 20 month old ones for sale....... but not until they have been TB tested in november.
I know someone close that may have some 20 month old ones for sale....... but not until they have been TB tested in november.
ringi
Member
With true, self contained (not buying in feed or renting short term land), very low input system, I can't think of much where being organic registered is a meaningful restriction. So mostly more paperwork and paying for inspections.
I expect spot weedkiller with glyphosate is the main restriction.
Watching the organic cattle sold at Frome they seem to sell well so yes there seems to be some premium but if it would be enough to warrant the paperwork and hassle is another matter
- Location
- Ceredigion
4 big breeders here pulled out of the Scheme this last 6 months , be no breeders left in Wales
looking at OP, it appears he's after dairy bred youngstock....suckled calves fitting the bill would be as rare as hens teeth.
(my SD pure steers sell straight off the farm at 6m, uncrept, non organic, and are already circa £700.....)
To go organic, I'd have to forego the sheep dip, and orange gloopy fluke jabs for coos and yows.
And for animal welfare reasons, that ain't happening any time soon.
OP needs to find an organic dairy farm - bound to be such a thing.
I have thought about organic for our suckler cows as we haven't used fert or spay for a number of years nor do we fluke or worm, as said there are farmers who want organic stores, its the paperwork and hassle we don't want
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Have you not been to market recently?
Unless they are the size of a rabbit they should be at least £800 head ex farm on the current trade.
They have big rabbits on dartmoor
ringi
Member
The organic rules indicate the organic "regulators" don't like organic dairy farms who sell calfs at market rather then finishing calfs themselfs or have a long term agreement with another orangic farm to take the calfs.
I was down with TB last fall, and am reliably informed that's what they would've made (same steers, same mart, 30 years)
And i wouldn't want you to confuse these creatures with 10 month old creep fed calves, raised by dams on actual grass.
My South Devons live out, at 1000', in 90+" of rain.
the ground they live on has almost no brown loam...it's mostly peat, granite, bog, gorse, rushes, and bracken.
Calve in April, calves sold October, unfed.
So they might look like rabbits to you, but they're highly sought after rabbits!
That's the kind of thing that put me off far more than the wormer use etc.
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Trade has moved on somewhat since last Autumn,
You wont buy anything suckled bred ( esp steer ) for less than £800 head in the market currently, most even grass based natives like Herefords 6 months old are £815 to £900 head without any bother!
You certainly need to be asking £800 head ex farm for what you are selling this year.
tb excepting...they'll go through the ring as normal, and I'll take what I'm bid.
i'll be dissapointed if they don't top £700...
...but then, I wintered them myself last winter- going clear in the spring.
Since they averaged a touch over a grand each at 12 months, and ate/shat/cost slightly over £350...... I'd have been better off if I coulda sold em at £700 as weaners.
Galloways interest me.
Sold out privately at £600 at 12 months last spring* (barring some held for a private sale this fall)
They ate/cost £270 total, so if trade was static, I'd be wanting upwards of £330 off the cow (*and that was steers and unreg hfrs.)
Never try em through the ring as calves...perhaps I should!
Martyn
Member
- Location
- South west
I would look on of&g classified sometimes see stock. We sold our stores earlier in the summer and recently been inidated with calls & txt wanting organic stores
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