Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

Sheepykid

Member
The bigger cattle we have out now are getting feed. The grass is getting long as they won't eat it.

Remember that there is a significant transport cost involved in sending the cattle. No-one round here can match St M or seems to want them, especially with Cleveland going down. £7m?
Do you not send many fri to dunbia @mo! ? Lots from down by me (cornwall) send to dunbia.
 
Location
Devon
There might be a "hell of a demand" but the number of white faced calves available bears no relation to the numbers back in the '80's

The reality is you have to work with what you can source.

Yes because the native breeds have partly been replaced with breeds like Char/ Sim/ BB etc etc.

I agree you have to work with what you can source but you need to feed them on a ration according to breed, what you are doing would be fine with native breeds but not Fri steers!
 

Sheepykid

Member
No. Just St M and ABP. ABP are local but the 225 grid, VIA and bloody cheques make them second choice.
I admit I use dunbia quite often. As I struggle to get finish on the fri, unlike yourself. Some of that I wonder is I wouldn't take them to as heavy a weight. I have found them a lot kinder than Bodmin st m on grading in the past. But lately I've gone back to Bodmin as they seem to be keen to deal. We buy from sedgemoor. Not that's it any of my business but is your buyer a tall gent initials G S?
 
Location
Devon
I admit I use dunbia quite often. As I struggle to get finish on the fri, unlike yourself. Some of that I wonder is I wouldn't take them to as heavy a weight. I have found them a lot kinder than Bodmin st m on grading in the past. But lately I've gone back to Bodmin as they seem to be keen to deal. We buy from sedgemoor. Not that's it any of my business but is your buyer a tall gent initials G S?

What is your ration?

Ref dunbia, I think now they are in partnership with Dawn things will play out and Fri steers maybe wont have to go North.
 

Sheepykid

Member
What is your ration?

Ref dunbia, I think now they are in partnership with Dawn things will play out and Fri steers maybe wont have to go North.
I guess that would make treburley a dunbia plant? Or are they not changing names.
Ration consists of maize grass and barley. Not really got access to biscuits/bread waste. Been offered lots of potatoes and brewers grain though.
 
Location
Devon
I guess that would make treburley a dunbia plant? Or are they not changing names.
Ration consists of maize grass and barley. Not really got access to biscuits/bread waste. Been offered lots of potatoes and brewers grain though.

Spuds would be good to add ( thou chop them up ) I would also suggest replacing some of the barley with Wheat.

On that ration you should get them to 650+ kilos easily unless you are buying NZ mongrels and if you buy them then they will get to 560/580 kilos and that is as far as they will move regardless of ration!

How often do you weigh?
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Spuds would be good to add ( thou chop them up ) I would also suggest replacing some of the barley with Wheat.

On that ration you should get them to 650+ kilos easily unless you are buying NZ mongrels and if you buy them then they will get to 560/580 kilos and that is as far as they will move regardless of ration!

How often do you weigh?

I can get over 650kg off grass with supplementary feeding with Crushed Barley.
Perhaps I'm not doing it all wrong after all :whistle:
 

Sheepykid

Member
Spuds would be good to add ( thou chop them up ) I would also suggest replacing some of the barley with Wheat.

On that ration you should get them to 650+ kilos easily unless you are buying NZ mongrels and if you buy them then they will get to 560/580 kilos and that is as far as they will move regardless of ration!

How often do you weigh?
Yeah I get them to 650kg no problem. But 750 doesn't really suit me I feel they eat too much for my liking. I try and weigh every month but it's more like 6-8 weeks. I've been tempted to try some wheat. Would ground maize be a better bet than wheat though with current prices?
 
Location
Devon
Yeah I get them to 650kg no problem. But 750 doesn't really suit me I feel they eat too much for my liking. I try and weigh every month but it's more like 6-8 weeks. I've been tempted to try some wheat. Would ground maize be a better bet than wheat though with current prices?

Maybe but you already have maize in the diet, better to give them a mix of stuff but the best way is too cost each diet up, try them on one of them and see how they go and what works for you but you defo need more starch as said above and the barley % needs to be lowered in exchange for something else.

Yea they will eat you out of house and home at that weight but that is a Fri steer for you, as long as they are putting on more weight than they are eating in ££s is all that matters!

Anything over 600 kilos needs to be weighed monthly! no point keeping them if they stop doing.

Also your haulage/ killing costs are the same for a 740 animal as a 650 kilo one.
 

mo!

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
York
Yeah I get them to 650kg no problem. But 750 doesn't really suit me I feel they eat too much for my liking. I try and weigh every month but it's more like 6-8 weeks. I've been tempted to try some wheat. Would ground maize be a better bet than wheat though with current prices?
Maize is good feed, especially as you don't have to process it.
 

Sheepykid

Member
Maybe but you already have maize in the diet, better to give them a mix of stuff!

Yea they will eat you out of house and home at that weight but that is a Fri steer for you, as long as they are putting on more weight than they are eating in ££s is all that matters!

Anything over 600 kilos needs to be weighed monthly! no point keeping them if they stop doing.

Also your haulage/ killing costs are the same for a 740 animal as a 650 kilo one.
That's essentially what I find very few cattle on the current diet pay for themselves above 650kg on my farm. But that is just probably due to the cost of the diet. Waste products that mo! uses will change that. Anything that drops below the paying for themselves is up the road.
 

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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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