Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

Location
Devon
Speaking to a friend of mine who was at my local mart on monday said NZ freisian x Aberdeen angus heifers calves at £2- £4 , wonder if they are worth the punt at that price even if you kept them as sucklers in the future ?

The bottom end of these calves ( ie the ones only making £2/4 in the market ) are only worth having if they are delivered free and come with £120 head from the seller, otherwise steer well clear!
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
We aren’t saying that. What we are saying is it’s less about ‘the week’ now if you read it If you keep them back for ‘the week’ then you may not just miss the boat but miss the tide too
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!
 
Location
Devon
Bull beef is up to what age though? A 200kg liveweight entire bull with horns at 12 months is not good for man or beast or pocket!

Yes i agree about the 200 kilo bull at 12 months, bull beef needs to be done correctly and they need to be away no older than 16 months.

Quite clear that the UK dairy industry is going to have to change the breeding of these NZ grass rats cows.

Made me laugh on a thread in the dairy section a few months ago where these NZ type calves were being talked about and what to do with them when Arla's new policy came in and a few dairy farmers piped up that beef farmers WILL HAVE to buy these calves and will need to change their farming practices if they wont pay under a beef system, they live in cloud cuckoo land!
 
Yes i agree about the 200 kilo bull at 12 months, bull beef needs to be done correctly and they need to be away no older than 16 months.

Quite clear that the UK dairy industry is going to have to change the breeding of these NZ grass rats cows.

Made me laugh on a thread in the dairy section a few months ago where these NZ type calves were being talked about and what to do with them when Arla's new policy came in and a few dairy farmers piped up that beef farmers WILL HAVE to buy these calves and will need to change their farming practices if they wont pay under a beef system, they live in cloud cuckoo land!
No they don't. Make no mistake more beef from the dairy herd will hurt suckler cow numbers. Beef from a kiwi x cow is fine, just not everyone knows how to farm them. Our hereford, Angus and blues from grass rats all finish at 24 months, the angus from grass with no cake and all above minimum weights.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
No they don't. Make no mistake more beef from the dairy herd will hurt suckler cow numbers. Beef from a kiwi x cow is fine, just not everyone knows how to farm them. Our hereford, Angus and blues from grass rats all finish at 24 months, the angus from grass with no cake and all above minimum weights.
How many times back in have you crossed the Jersian and Angus bull calves back together with the herd?
 
How many times back in have you crossed the Jersian and Angus bull calves back together with the herd?
Say again please?
Jersey x fresian x AA is fine. Forage based and allowed to grow for 2 years. There not going to be 290kg @ 16 months.

Were using more blue on the xbred cows. They will pi55 320kg dead @ 22-24 months

People dismiss the xbred x beef calf because they can not farm them.
There used to stuffing a holstien x with£200/ton corn not using grass/Forage

Graze the beef like a dairy farmer, and you'll be shocked.
 
Say again please?
Jersey x fresian x AA is fine. Forage based and allowed to grow for 2 years. There not going to be 290kg @ 16 months.

Were using more blue on the xbred cows. They will pi55 320kg dead @ 22-24 months

People dismiss the xbred x beef calf because they can not farm them.
There used to stuffing a holstien x with£200/ton corn not using grass/Forage

Graze the beef like a dairy farmer, and you'll be shocked.
Thought provoking post. I would compare them to hill lambs that need till may June to come right
 
Location
Devon
No they don't. Make no mistake more beef from the dairy herd will hurt suckler cow numbers. Beef from a kiwi x cow is fine, just not everyone knows how to farm them. Our hereford, Angus and blues from grass rats all finish at 24 months, the angus from grass with no cake and all above minimum weights.

Yes they will that is for sure but of course that does not mean all NZ type farms, some like yourself are breeding calves that are worth rearing but no end of farms are not doing this, two years ago at Sedge i saw about 90 NZ mongrel calves sold, out of that 90 only 4/5 calves were of your type of calve and worth rearing, the rest needed a bullet that day i am sad to say.

Reality is that a 280/300 deadweight animal at 2+ years now is an utter waste of time, they need to be 100 kilos heavier on the hook by that age and on a mostly grass based system to show a decent return for all the work/costs involved, esp when for example straw will be £110+ ton and fert is £60 ton up on the year alone, housing cattle and grazing grass in the summer is not cost free!
 
Yes they will that is for sure but of course that does not mean all NZ type farms, some like yourself are breeding calves that are worth rearing but no end of farms are not doing this, two years ago at Sedge i saw about 90 NZ mongrel calves sold, out of that 90 only 4/5 calves were of your type of calve and worth rearing, the rest needed a bullet that day i am sad to say.

Reality is that a 280/300 deadweight animal at 2+ years now is an utter waste of time, they need to be 100 kilos heavier on the hook by that age and on a mostly grass based system to show a decent return for all the work/costs involved, esp when for example straw will be £110+ ton and fert is £60 ton up on the year alone, housing cattle and grazing grass in the summer is not cost free!
Look at the data for average weight and age of heifer killed. Its 280kgs at 27 months
Pleading poverty with those averages wont cut the mustard.

The calves you mention are nz bull sired not beef x calves.

300kg deadweight is in spec. Your 100kg heavier is out of spec. Produce what your customer wants is surely vital
 
Location
Devon
Look at the data for average weight and age of heifer killed. Its 280kgs at 27 months
Pleading poverty with those averages wont cut the mustard.

The calves you mention are nz bull sired not beef x calves.

300kg deadweight is in spec. Your 100kg heavier is out of spec. Produce what your customer wants is surely vital

399 kilos is not out of spec, end of the day weight pays more than anything!

Where do you get the figure of 280 kilos at 27 months from??
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Say again please?
Jersey x fresian x AA is fine. Forage based and allowed to grow for 2 years. There not going to be 290kg @ 16 months.

Were using more blue on the xbred cows. They will pi55 320kg dead @ 22-24 months

People dismiss the xbred x beef calf because they can not farm them.
There used to stuffing a holstien x with£200/ton corn not using grass/Forage

Graze the beef like a dairy farmer, and you'll be shocked.
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.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
But sold off grass at normally high prices.
Some suck lambs are fed cake and sold in July with the other million that week and make 75 quid.
If we all did it off grass though it would be even more seasonal though surely?! It needs those suck lambs on concs too keep the flow of British lamb going. If they were left on just grass they would be worth fu@k all in July/August when the major glut hit.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,287
  • 1
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/
Top