Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

[Woolless]

That’s ‘progress’ for you.

Have you stopped recording the Easycares too?

Nope, very much still recording most of the flock. The cattle are more a case of 'back to the future'.

My apparently contradictory position with the Herefords is that 'introgression' of other breeds (proven by DNA analysis), and probably to an extent recording and pushing the modern Hereford for growth, has turned it into a separate breed from the traditional type. My contention is that the traditional type will be better suited to what will be required in the future: moderate frame size, easily fleshed off grass and forage, docile. And much less likely to cause calving problems for the dairy farmer, as @Anymulewilldo alludes to.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Nope, very much still recording most of the flock. The cattle are more a case of 'back to the future'.

My apparently contradictory position with the Herefords is that 'introgression' of other breeds (proven by DNA analysis), and probably to an extent recording and pushing the modern Hereford for growth, has turned it into a separate breed from the traditional type. My contention is that the traditional type will be better suited to what will be required in the future: moderate frame size, easily fleshed off grass and forage, docile. And much less likely to cause calving problems for the dairy farmer, as @Anymulewilldo alludes to.

Nothing wrong with old genetics in the correct circumstances! Just because we’ve been chasing certain genetics for years doesn’t exactly mean we arrived where we intended. The store of old AI straws too provide a chance too start again sounds a damn good idea!!

 

[jendan]

It's not always women, there's a fella that goes around the North West marts who very very rarely stops on blue heifers (as happened in J36 last week) he doesn't seem to see or care that a few other buyers are running him big time. There is also 1 or 2 females who buy cattle who know exactly what they are doing and probably do a better job than the rest of us.
Then there is the odd ones like you described who can't help themselves.

A guy at Carlisle last Wednesday took some dairy bred 7 month old blue heifers to £750.I would have liked them but dropped out mid £600s.They were nice,but plenty for them i thought.

 

[jendan]

Don’t be a typical moaning farmer !!!

Did you get any outfits on friday? What was the trade like? A Limx second calver and strong calf went through the weaner ring on wednesday but only made £960.Her coat hadnt come out yet,but would have been a good buy even if she lost a couple of months.

 

[Cowgirl]

Nope, very much still recording most of the flock. The cattle are more a case of 'back to the future'.

My apparently contradictory position with the Herefords is that 'introgression' of other breeds (proven by DNA analysis), and probably to an extent recording and pushing the modern Hereford for growth, has turned it into a separate breed from the traditional type. My contention is that the traditional type will be better suited to what will be required in the future: moderate frame size, easily fleshed off grass and forage, docile. And much less likely to cause calving problems for the dairy farmer, as @Anymulewilldo alludes to.

The “Hereford” is now a mixture of many different lines, from many different places. They are all red and white, to some extent, because the white face is a dominant spotting gene, even if heterozygous (though the Traditionals are homozygous meaning they always produce a white face). Other than the Traditionals, all Herefords contain imported bloodlines from mainly Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand. Their performance depends on where they came from and how much actual “Hereford” is in them. The Line 1s came originally from a US government ranch near Miles City, Montana, where they were line bred for performance since the1930s, but they are still horned and probably not very different genetically from the original population (although the ones in this country have been genetically altered a fair bit by two related families called Holden and Cooper.) Most of the N Americans ranch bred horned Herefords are quite distinct genetically from the Traditionals but have been bred for years for calving ease and performance off grass - any bull producing calves over 90lb birthweight will be culled. These are fantastic easy care cattle but not especially big or muscular. The polled Hereford is a collection of completely different strains again and some are less than 50% Hereford. The Australian polleds are now very popular here, mostly among the show people, as they are big and often dark coloured. In the news this week a UK consortium have paid $42000 for an Australian bull.

I have nothing against imported animals but if you are going to use a “Hereford” bull, you need to ask some searching questions about what is behind it. They may all look the same but genetically they may be very different. This is a bull which belongs to a friend of ours in North Dakota. His family have bred Herefords for generations. I know which I’d rather have! “All the same genetically”? I think not!

 

[livestock 1]

Did you get any outfits on friday? What was the trade like? A Limx second calver and strong calf went through the weaner ring on wednesday but only made £960.Her coat hadnt come out yet,but would have been a good buy even if she lost a couple of months.

Ha probably wanted a copper and Selinium bolus there’s a lot look like that easy cured.
Got 5 bulling heifers in the end 2 blue x and 3 lim big heifers straight to the bull. Nice sorts. Just got them then went home didn’t stay long. A lot of bulling heifers were too small to go to the bull. Generally I think they were the things to buy on the day probably not that dear especially if you could take some of the running on types or not in amongst the better end. Watched a few heifers and calves through I didn’t see a great lot as phone never stopped so had to keep going outside then couldn’t get back in as Covid police were there. My lad was watching them though he said good types were very dear but the others weren’t as dear as other places. First cross dairy or types with a poor calf £1700/£2300 the rest above that good fit ups near £3000 or over.

 

[Ceri]

A guy at Carlisle last Wednesday took some dairy bred 7 month old blue heifers to £750.I would have liked them but dropped out mid £600s.They were nice,but plenty for them i thought.

Zero £££ in them @ that money...... Silly people

 

[Mr always wrong]

Ha probably wanted a copper and Selinium bolus there’s a lot look like that easy cured.
Got 5 bulling heifers in the end 2 blue x and 3 lim big heifers straight to the bull. Nice sorts. Just got them then went home didn’t stay long. A lot of bulling heifers were too small to go to the bull. Generally I think they were the things to buy on the day probably not that dear especially if you could take some of the running on types or not in amongst the better end. Watched a few heifers and calves through I didn’t see a great lot as phone never stopped so had to keep going outside then couldn’t get back in as Covid police were there. My lad was watching them though he said good types were very dear but the others weren’t as dear as other places. First cross dairy or types with a poor calf £1700/£2300 the rest above that good fit ups near £3000 or over.

I assumed you would have filled up on first 18 lots of breeding cows, just perfect for you following what you,ve said.

 

[mghley]

Strong show of hoggs and lambs in Bentham this morning

At one point was thinking of selling some hoggs and lambs but decided to keep them.
You have been to Bentham, Longtown etc how do you value them ??Texel x hoggs out of Cheviot Mule ewes with Texelx lambs at foot.
I have backed the trade both ways with the dry hoggs, kept the better end to farm or sell and sold the bottom end for circa £150 when trade was good

 

[Anymulewilldo]

At one point was thinking of selling some hoggs and lambs but decided to keep them.
You have been to Bentham, Longtown etc how do you value them ??Texel x hoggs out of Cheviot Mule ewes with Texelx lambs at foot.
I have backed the trade both ways with the dry hoggs, kept the better end to farm or sell and sold the bottom end for circa £150 when trade was goodView attachment 964399View attachment 964400View attachment 964401View attachment 964402View attachment 964403

They look good farming type sheep. Yesterday they would have been £240/outfit comfortably. Bentham seems too have a real trade for the texel cross hoggs, and anything out of a Cheviot mule at the moment seems in vogue. Especially with those nice shapely lambs at foot.

 

[sticky]

At one point was thinking of selling some hoggs and lambs but decided to keep them.
You have been to Bentham, Longtown etc how do you value them ??Texel x hoggs out of Cheviot Mule ewes with Texelx lambs at foot.
I have backed the trade both ways with the dry hoggs, kept the better end to farm or sell and sold the bottom end for circa £150 when trade was goodView attachment 964399View attachment 964400View attachment 964401View attachment 964402View attachment 964403

So,those lambs are 3/4 texel out of tegs?
did you have to pull many and did you lamb inside or out?
very nice by the way.

 

[Woolless]

So,those lambs are 3/4 texel out of tegs?

That's what I was thinking. A bit strong for me.

 

[livestock 1]

I assumed you would have filled up on first 18 lots of breeding cows, just perfect for you following what you,ve said.

You mean the Angus stock cows?

 

[mghley]

So,those lambs are 3/4 texel out of tegs?
did you have to pull many and did you lamb inside or out?
very nice by the way.

I tell a lie ! The lambs will be by Char x Beltex ( @neilo ) or Tex x Beltex tups. Early ones lambed inside because they were a bit scatty but didn’t take tups out so the end went outside and were ok, didn’t have to pull too many, generally pleased with how they lambed

 

[Mr always wrong]

You mean the Angus stock cows?

yes, was looking out for you bidding as they were coming through

 

[JSmith]

They look good farming type sheep. Yesterday they would have been £240/outfit comfortably. Bentham seems too have a real trade for the texel cross hoggs, and anything out of a Cheviot mule at the moment seems in vogue. Especially with those nice shapely lambs at foot.

I said 250 soon as I saw them, if it’s got a white face an texel in the title they fly to 240-250 all day long!!

 

[livestock 1]

yes, was looking out for you bidding as they were coming through

Ha I was bidding at a few of them cheap as chips! I didn’t keep going as one of my friends was buying them

 

[mghley]

I said 250 soon as I saw them, if it’s got a white face an texel in the title they fly to 240-250 all day long!!

At that sort of money there is a good margin in wintering and lambing the right hoggs

 

[goodevans]

Ewe lambs could easily be £150 this year and sold next June for £180, not so much margin then and I'm an optimist by nature

 

[Anymulewilldo]

I said 250 soon as I saw them, if it’s got a white face an texel in the title they fly to 240-250 all day long!!

I always quote on the bottom side, then when they get too market it’s a nice surprise. From the looks of them a pen of the 10 best hoggs should be up near the £260/270 mark. Bit rich for my blood but plenty of folk are willing too give it this year.