Thats exactly what there doing and just started to see a tiny bit of blood drench as stopped that one still strains slightly there just looking abit fed up but still drinking there milk fine just want them to pick up abit
Calf rearing costs..
- Thread starter Guiggs
- Start date
- Location
- somerset
son went to Frome today, 540 stirks, hell of a trade
as were decent calves, wanted 4 or 5 bb hfrs, to make a 'batch' up, dearest £180, the 4 av £150.
getting hold of numbers, ex farm, isn't as easy as we were told, 2nd farm we hoped to take from, didn't use AA, like normal, frx from xbred bulls, small monkey bred things.
so, still out looking, will find some, and more to come from 1st farm, just not many now.
but, as the old saying goes, lilac time, calves are dear.
probably fairly accurate, calve numbers are dropping, funny time of year to calve, will pick up, in numbers, aug onwards.
we want 150 now
as were decent calves, wanted 4 or 5 bb hfrs, to make a 'batch' up, dearest £180, the 4 av £150.
getting hold of numbers, ex farm, isn't as easy as we were told, 2nd farm we hoped to take from, didn't use AA, like normal, frx from xbred bulls, small monkey bred things.
so, still out looking, will find some, and more to come from 1st farm, just not many now.
but, as the old saying goes, lilac time, calves are dear.
probably fairly accurate, calve numbers are dropping, funny time of year to calve, will pick up, in numbers, aug onwards.
we want 150 now
Guiggs
Member
- Location
- Leicestershire
Can someone explain Arla calves to me?
I understand they cant be killed till 8 weeks old but why are they consistently cheaper than other calves?
Are they bred different/ poorer?
I don't understand why ,with the price of bucket calves/ beef, they are always cheap.
I don't buy calves from market, i buy directly from 3 or 4 farms but ny dad always sources from market and he seems to think they are always small/ shite..
Why?
I understand they cant be killed till 8 weeks old but why are they consistently cheaper than other calves?
Are they bred different/ poorer?
I don't understand why ,with the price of bucket calves/ beef, they are always cheap.
I don't buy calves from market, i buy directly from 3 or 4 farms but ny dad always sources from market and he seems to think they are always small/ shite..
Why?
Because they can't be veal'd basically. If you're going to process them straight away holding onto them for another just wont work. So it shrinks the amount of buyers available to purchase them
Guiggs
Member
- Location
- Leicestershire
I didn't realise so many buyers were buying calves just for the veal job!
- Location
- leicestershire
There'd be a lot of spring calving herds selling this time of year so smaller plainer sorts, there'd be a fair few in Melton from evolution farming see the dairy thread why theres are heavily discounted! Arla calves out of proper cows aren't discounted at all.
Guiggs
Member
- Location
- Leicestershire
The buyers for killing won't pay anything for them as they've got to hold them, some buyers for rearing don't seem to like them as much for some reason. Maybe added hassle or something.
Lots tend not to be as well done for many reasons.
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
I think it's more of a by-word for smaller plainer calves.
We have perfectly good strong calves arrive here with the "arla" stamp
- Location
- somerset
an arla calf is only different, in that it has to live 8 weeks min.
as always, if you put a calf in the ring, that buyers/rearer's want, it makes its money, just like any other good calf will do.
the same rule applies, in reverse, for crap calves, so they make bugger all.
as with a lot of spring calving xbred herds, with the best will in the world, a lot of calves are pretty useless for anything other than dog food. Those calves, with the arla stamp, have to live 8 weeks, and the result then, is an older crap calf.
that arla stamp also puts dealers off buying them, they are responsible for the calf, till 8 weeks, they are the primary buyer. A lot of calves are bought by dealers, for farmers, what happens if the farmer kills the calf pre 8 weeks, is it the dealer, or the farmer ? One says its the dealer, as the primary buyer, another may disagree. So who is willing, to risk buying poor calves, over which they have no control, once passed on, to a 3rd party, the farmer/rearer. And the dealer, could be held responsible, by the farmer who sold the calf, on the condition it lived for 8 weeks, because arla are chasing him, because it is his duty, to ensure it lives 8 weeks.
could be summed up as a buggers muddle, hence the lack of demand for the low end calves.
on a broader front, what can one do, with xbred small fr bull calves, or badly bred small beef calves, a lot of the dedicated grass nuts, produce ? They are not worth rearing, full stop. And with arla calves, the crap is just hassle, so no TLC spent on them, so not only a crap calf, but one not given its proper care.
and in the end, going through a mkt as young calves, they make sod all, as there is just to much hassle with arla calves, that won't ever make a decent animal. That applies to all badly bred things.
so, put a calf people want to buy, and arla or not, it makes its money, which is high, at the moment.
we have been looking at putting in a TB calf unit, and decided against it, there are to many, competing for decent calves, the difference in price between TB or TB free calves, is now very narrow, for calves one would want to rear.
as always, if you put a calf in the ring, that buyers/rearer's want, it makes its money, just like any other good calf will do.
the same rule applies, in reverse, for crap calves, so they make bugger all.
as with a lot of spring calving xbred herds, with the best will in the world, a lot of calves are pretty useless for anything other than dog food. Those calves, with the arla stamp, have to live 8 weeks, and the result then, is an older crap calf.
that arla stamp also puts dealers off buying them, they are responsible for the calf, till 8 weeks, they are the primary buyer. A lot of calves are bought by dealers, for farmers, what happens if the farmer kills the calf pre 8 weeks, is it the dealer, or the farmer ? One says its the dealer, as the primary buyer, another may disagree. So who is willing, to risk buying poor calves, over which they have no control, once passed on, to a 3rd party, the farmer/rearer. And the dealer, could be held responsible, by the farmer who sold the calf, on the condition it lived for 8 weeks, because arla are chasing him, because it is his duty, to ensure it lives 8 weeks.
could be summed up as a buggers muddle, hence the lack of demand for the low end calves.
on a broader front, what can one do, with xbred small fr bull calves, or badly bred small beef calves, a lot of the dedicated grass nuts, produce ? They are not worth rearing, full stop. And with arla calves, the crap is just hassle, so no TLC spent on them, so not only a crap calf, but one not given its proper care.
and in the end, going through a mkt as young calves, they make sod all, as there is just to much hassle with arla calves, that won't ever make a decent animal. That applies to all badly bred things.
so, put a calf people want to buy, and arla or not, it makes its money, which is high, at the moment.
we have been looking at putting in a TB calf unit, and decided against it, there are to many, competing for decent calves, the difference in price between TB or TB free calves, is now very narrow, for calves one would want to rear.
- Location
- Boston, Lincolnshire
There are some very poorly bred calves going through at the moment. They happen to be from 2 Arla farms. I don’t think it’s the fact they are Arla calves more that one herd has a small grazing cow and the other herd is a disgrace to farming
I always wonder how many calves must go for processing as it makes a big difference on the cheaper ones.
As @ringi says the better Arla calves are going to Game changer and the like on contracts
When we buy calves its only the poor arla calves that are for nothing as no one wants them .. the poor calves cant be killed ijand the rearing men don't want them but decent arla calves are no cheaper than others
- Location
- Galway Ireland
Stupid question here I’m from Ireland and wondering is arla a milk coop that insists the calves are kept 8 weeks or is it something else? Slaughtering of calves has more or less stopped here this year so plenty of rubbish calves around
- Location
- Boston, Lincolnshire
Exactly as you say. They can’t be killed before 8 weeks
- Location
- somerset
it still remains the fact, the calves are only fit for dogfood, whether crap arla calves or just bad calves out of grass rats.
its a badly thought out policy, but l reckon it will spread to other processors.
being a cynical old git, l just wonder if its an underhand way, the big retailers are behind it, to ensure a good supply of cheap mince, down the line.
but its a good publicity stunt, and to be honest, we shouldn't be euthanising calves at birth.
dairy farmers could help by using better bulls, not a lot, or retailers developing a mkt for them. A lot go for processing at 8 weeks old, so just as well spare the hassle of rearing them up to 8 wks.
its a badly thought out policy, but l reckon it will spread to other processors.
being a cynical old git, l just wonder if its an underhand way, the big retailers are behind it, to ensure a good supply of cheap mince, down the line.
but its a good publicity stunt, and to be honest, we shouldn't be euthanising calves at birth.
dairy farmers could help by using better bulls, not a lot, or retailers developing a mkt for them. A lot go for processing at 8 weeks old, so just as well spare the hassle of rearing them up to 8 wks.
TheRanger
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
Can you still export them to the continent? Could have quite an effect on beef price here in 2 years time if the Republic has banned slaughter and export of dairy calves.
- Location
- somerset
if they are being exported, its being done very quietly, haven't seen anything in the press !
Sedgemoor mkt states on its reports, 'calves not for export' so l presume it is still possible to export them.
but with a shortage of decent calves, export would have to compete with home buyers.
TheRanger
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
I was referring to ROI, export to Europe historically took a large % of their calves, but there was talk of banning it.
- Location
- Galway Ireland
Yes there still exporting but slower this year as problems with weather and boats as cut everything back. But I believe the shippers are busy buying all types of calves this past two weeks