Calf prices

[In the pit]

Calf rearer next-door, they buy a lot of sub £25 calves ( which used to be friesian bulls, now Angus) ,they expect high losses the 1st week then they seem to do OK, they reared stuff never tops the market, but they bother welll

Buy cheap ,sell cheap and probaly make good money doing it

 

[sidjon]

Buy cheap ,sell cheap and probaly make good money doing it

They also do horse livery ( 40 horses) that their money earner, but I think they do all right with Thier beef, as just purchased another 130 calves this week.

 

[som farmer]

Buy cheap ,sell cheap and probaly make good money doing it

why don't you buy some, and make a profit, if you reckon its that easy.

cheapest calf we bought last yr, was £1, dearest £180.
BBhfr calf at £1, probably paid the best, 5 months old, £435.

the £180 one, same age, sold same day, £650

but there are some still here, wouldn't make £650, at a year old.

best place for the small aax ones, is in the freezer, they taste great. Same price to kill a 750kg bullock, as a 350kg one.

had a movement problem with some BB calves last year, not my fault, 4 of them, made around the £200 mark, nothing wrong with them, didn't match, so took a quick profit. They went from market, straight to abattoir all in the BCMS movement summary.

it all boils down to how much you have to make from them, and that figure varies considerably.

 

[In the pit]

why don't you buy some, and make a profit, if you reckon its that easy.

cheapest calf we bought last yr, was £1, dearest £180.
BBhfr calf at £1, probably paid the best, 5 months old, £435.

the £180 one, same age, sold same day, £650

but there are some still here, wouldn't make £650, at a year old.

best place for the small aax ones, is in the freezer, they taste great. Same price to kill a 750kg bullock, as a 350kg one.

had a movement problem with some BB calves last year, not my fault, 4 of them, made around the £200 mark, nothing wrong with them, didn't match, so took a quick profit. They went from market, straight to abattoir all in the BCMS movement summary.

it all boils down to how much you have to make from them, and that figure varies considerably.

If you make £10 of them you’ve made a profit
If you watch the markets as you say you do you’ll find 1 or 2 buyers will always buy the cheap calves and then you get 1 or 2 buyers who like being buying the dearest but they will all make some money

 

[som farmer]

If you make £10 of them you’ve made a profit
If you watch the markets as you say you do you’ll find 1 or 2 buyers will always buy the cheap calves and then you get 1 or 2 buyers who like being buying the dearest but they will all make some money

if you make £10, it aint worth doing

unless arla, the vast majority of those cheap calves, end up as dog food, or knacker

the skins from them are worth money, every act parliament passes, is written on calfskin, and stored for prosperity

with powder price, not to many want to rear those small calves, it just isn't worth it. Some grow, others don't. If you rely on it, for your living, the end product is not worth enough, a 400kg fully grown animal, just isn't big enough to pay its costs.

you cannot make a silk purse, from a sows ear.

but get on and try some, prove us wrong, l would love to know how to make a bunch of them pay their way.


don't forget to count the ones that die
or the ones who have had insufficient colostrum, or milk, that never 'do'
add in the extra medicines, for pneumonia, disbudding etc
powder at £70 per 25kg, plus concentrate
straw and sundries
and your labour

please try some, and let us all know how you get on.

 

[In the pit]

if you make £10, it aint worth doing

unless arla, the vast majority of those cheap calves, end up as dog food, or knacker

the skins from them are worth money, every act parliament passes, is written on calfskin, and stored for prosperity

with powder price, not to many want to rear those small calves, it just isn't worth it. Some grow, others don't. If you rely on it, for your living, the end product is not worth enough, a 400kg fully grown animal, just isn't big enough to pay its costs.

you cannot make a silk purse, from a sows ear.

but get on and try some, prove us wrong, l would love to know how to make a bunch of them pay their way.


don't forget to count the ones that die
or the ones who have had insufficient colostrum, or milk, that never 'do'
add in the extra medicines, for pneumonia, disbudding etc
powder at £70 per 25kg, plus concentrate
straw and sundries
and your labour

please try some, and let us all know how you get on.

There’s a lot of people trying them ,just cos you can’t make them pay doesn’t mean someone else can’t
Used to buy and rear a lot of calves when we were kids living at home ,not anymore

 

[Keithy1394]

if you make £10, it aint worth doing

unless arla, the vast majority of those cheap calves, end up as dog food, or knacker

the skins from them are worth money, every act parliament passes, is written on calfskin, and stored for prosperity

with powder price, not to many want to rear those small calves, it just isn't worth it. Some grow, others don't. If you rely on it, for your living, the end product is not worth enough, a 400kg fully grown animal, just isn't big enough to pay its costs.

you cannot make a silk purse, from a sows ear.

but get on and try some, prove us wrong, l would love to know how to make a bunch of them pay their way.


don't forget to count the ones that die
or the ones who have had insufficient colostrum, or milk, that never 'do'
add in the extra medicines, for pneumonia, disbudding etc
powder at £70 per 25kg, plus concentrate
straw and sundries
and your labour

please try some, and let us all know how you get on.

I dont know alot of what i would call proper calf rearers buying them at market, you tend to find they get sold to more part time calf rearers who cant miss a bargin or so they think. We have had all tried the odd few cheap calves and 9 out of 10 never amount to anything other that dispointment in my opinion. Thats why you notice buyers who are there week in week out all buy the bigger stronger calves,or only small calves from farms they know .

 

[TheRanger]

If you cant make good money rearing calves at current fat/store price, something is wrong somewhere.

 

[som farmer]

If you cant make good money rearing calves at current fat/store price, something is wrong somewhere.

but you have to produce an animal they want
anything out of 'spec' doesn't get near the headline price

and why should it ? Good cattle make good money, bad cattle don't.

 

[Wee Willy]

Certainly up on the year though

Up 5p ?? £15 on a 300 kg AA heifer carcass. Sorry,I'm not getting excited. People read about £3/kg for weanlings and think cattle are a great trade. Over here (NI) plenty of dairy bred weanlings under £2/kg. The weather doesn't help trade.

 

[TheRanger]

Up 5p ?? £15 on a 300 kg AA heifer carcass. Sorry,I'm not getting excited. People read about £3/kg for weanlings and think cattle are a great trade. Over here (NI) plenty of dairy bred weanlings under £2/kg. The weather doesn't help trade.

Doing something wrong if you’re not getting £3/kg live for suckled calves here. Dairy bred AAs easily hitting the £2.70-£2.90 mark at similar weights to the suckled calves. See very few B&W bullocks through the live ring these days.

 

[Wee Willy]

Sucks are over £3 here but dairy AA is a lot less. I sold a ten month great AA bullock (out of a fkv cow) . 400 kg £920. That's the best.

 

[Keithy1394]

If you cant make good money rearing calves at current fat/store price, something is wrong somewhere.

I agree but also if you are buying a calf today it will be at least 12 months at best when you send it in. The beef price can have moved alot by then and a large proportion will not be killed til 24months so i still think its quite a gamble when calf prices are high due to following the fat price

 

[Bruce Almighty]

bad memories lie with you foreer, in the bak of your mind

High interest rates in the 80s will haunt me ‘til the day I die, it nearly broke Dad

Do you worry about other things from 30 years ago.

Once bitten twice shy.

 

[crashbox]

Sucks are over £3 here but dairy AA is a lot less. I sold a ten month great AA bullock (out of a fkv cow) . 400 kg £920. That's the best.

Do you think you made profit at that?

 

[Just because]

if you make £10, it aint worth doing

unless arla, the vast majority of those cheap calves, end up as dog food, or knacker

the skins from them are worth money, every act parliament passes, is written on calfskin, and stored for prosperity

with powder price, not to many want to rear those small calves, it just isn't worth it. Some grow, others don't. If you rely on it, for your living, the end product is not worth enough, a 400kg fully grown animal, just isn't big enough to pay its costs.

you cannot make a silk purse, from a sows ear.

but get on and try some, prove us wrong, l would love to know how to make a bunch of them pay their way.


don't forget to count the ones that die
or the ones who have had insufficient colostrum, or milk, that never 'do'
add in the extra medicines, for pneumonia, disbudding etc
powder at £70 per 25kg, plus concentrate
straw and sundries
and your labour

please try some, and let us all know how you get on.

£70 a bag ?? Twice the price we pay

 

[Jdunn55]

£70 a bag ?? Twice the price we pay

What are you buying for £1400/t?

 

[TheRanger]

£70 a bag ?? Twice the price we pay

You’re paying £1400 a ton for milk powder?

 

[Just because]

What are you buying for £1400/t?

£34.20 20kg bags pallet price 60 on pallet

 

[som farmer]

£70 a bag ?? Twice the price we pay

we don't buy much at all. £1800/ton l was quoted though. What brand /make was that ? As we will soon have to buy a ton. Reared 150+, on 2 bags of powder, we use stored colostrum and any waste milk.

but with milk powder, you get what you pay for.

my calculator is telling me, that's £1,710/ ton, 25 kg bags, at that are £45, £1800 ton, reckon l got the ton rate right, just not the bag rate, which l am happy to admit !