- Location
- East Sussex
The best time to sell Store cattle really depends on what they are.
Looking at it from a buyers point of view then it depends what the objective is and the greatest profit. My Father would not buy any Stores until after 1st February, his logic being twofold that the shooting season was over and cattle that had survived until then would last another couple of months ready for when the grass grew.
He would only buy outliers until early April and all cattle that were bought were turned straight out and survived very much on straw and low quality hay. They were of course mostly older cattle with a high proportion of Friesians, Shorthorns and various crosses. Used to buy cattle out of Dorchester Candlemas Fair that would have come off the Purbeck and probably run there for at least 3 years. He would only think about buying cattle that had cut at least two broad teeth and if the price was right we would come home with upwards of a 100 cattle from there. When Dorchester closed we went to Yeovil and now very occasionally to Frome.
Of course things have changed in that these old cattle no longer exist and of course BSE came along and the magic 30 month date appeared and of course the Holstein became the cow of choice.
However what is true still is that outlying or open yarded cattle bought in February and March and remaining outside (on better feed these days!) do grow far more quickly and finish better on a grass diet than yarded cattle turned out in April and May.
The dearest cattle are always bought in May and I always try to stop buying by the end of April.
We do have to buy better and younger cattle these days to sell on again to the specialist finishers who I am sure get a better price than I do.
Looking at it from a buyers point of view then it depends what the objective is and the greatest profit. My Father would not buy any Stores until after 1st February, his logic being twofold that the shooting season was over and cattle that had survived until then would last another couple of months ready for when the grass grew.
He would only buy outliers until early April and all cattle that were bought were turned straight out and survived very much on straw and low quality hay. They were of course mostly older cattle with a high proportion of Friesians, Shorthorns and various crosses. Used to buy cattle out of Dorchester Candlemas Fair that would have come off the Purbeck and probably run there for at least 3 years. He would only think about buying cattle that had cut at least two broad teeth and if the price was right we would come home with upwards of a 100 cattle from there. When Dorchester closed we went to Yeovil and now very occasionally to Frome.
Of course things have changed in that these old cattle no longer exist and of course BSE came along and the magic 30 month date appeared and of course the Holstein became the cow of choice.
However what is true still is that outlying or open yarded cattle bought in February and March and remaining outside (on better feed these days!) do grow far more quickly and finish better on a grass diet than yarded cattle turned out in April and May.
The dearest cattle are always bought in May and I always try to stop buying by the end of April.
We do have to buy better and younger cattle these days to sell on again to the specialist finishers who I am sure get a better price than I do.
