Is there any future in suckler cows ?

[Henarar]

Many would just open all the gates and let the cattle run the whole block.

muddy gateways then
pointless

 

[ollie989898]

You would be shocked if you came down here and saw how little rotational grazing is done for beef cattle here.

Its the same down here. Stocking seems to be let them out across the lot and bring them back in autumn. Loader tractors seem more fashionable than electric fences.

 

[Bossfarmer]

They will come to about the same as will eat less but weigh less but you should have less dead calves which you cannot sell,weight produced per acre x sale price per kg
You can argue it either way remember that there is now a top line payment linked to weight
Showing my age by mixing metric and imperial

how will you have less dead calves?

 

[Samcowman]

If you have small fields you have little choice but to rotational graze unless you put two in each field or have very muddy gateways, I have never set stocked the cows but that said a few of the fields are still to big

Many would just open all the gates and let the cattle run the whole block.

Beat me to it. And then in the autumn put ring feeders put in the easiest access field and still let them run the whole block.

 

[bitwrx]

View attachment 855123

Someone American finished up a video by reading out that quote. I've been trying for ages to find the video.

Can anyone think what video I may be thinking of?

 

[ollie989898]

I think this thread exemplifies the conundrum facing the industry at large. Traditional methods maybe need review or revamping. In future less money will be siphoned off to the feed company or whatever. In many ways it is quite an exciting prospect as people develop new ways going forward. This talk of beef sold per hectare or milk solids per hectare brings operations into focus and rearranges your mind a bit. Merely asset vs output.

 

[manhill]

The fat cattle haven’t changed since the 80s. The 100hp 4WD tractor of today would have far more bells and whistles.

But, £24,440 for a 90hp tractor. That’s roughly equivalent to 20 fat cattle no?

Categories --- Danelander

www.danelanderonline.co.uk

Wish it was like 1960, four of five fat would get a new tractor.

 

[unlacedgecko]

how will you have less dead calves?

AA calve easier than Charolais.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Wish it was like 1960, four of five fat would get a new tractor.

And I wish my parents were millionaire landowner’s who signed the business over to me at 18...

 

[Henarar]

AA calve easier than Charolais.

Not always by any means

 

[scholland]

I can see a future for sucklers yes.
Far price has been too low for everyone for the last year or so but it looks to be steadying a bit now.
For us the key is to produce what our market wants, make cattle graze the max % of their annual intake, wherever possible keep machinery out the system, 310kg ish average carcase, no 2nd winter for fattening cattle, cull every cow that doesn't perform in our system.
It's all very simple stuff but keeping strictly to the criteria that drive profit with our cows means we see a margin.

 

[Hilly]

I don’t think it’s that revolutionary either. But the fact it’s seen as revolutionary within their industry is fairly damning. Just as rotational grazing, out wintering and out door lambing are seen as revolutionary by some within the UK industry.

I don’t know where sheep would fit into the system. Why?

Cos the sheep make more money today no matter what new dangled system some think they have invented .

 

[unlacedgecko]

Cos the sheep make more money today no matter what new dangled system some think they have invented .

Not in all cases.

 

[Farmer Fin]

I should know, but afraid i don't.

Would be a fair amount.

Creep feeding is good to maximise growth rate as long as cost effective. It becomes expensive when creep is being used to substitute cheaper forage rather than an addition to maximise intake.

 

[Tim W]

Ep. 118 – Marcos Jeffers – Too Much Grass in the Desert

Marcos Jeffers of Jeffers Cattle Co. joined me to discuss how they have been steadily increasing their stocking rates through increased stock density for more than a decade in the Chihuahuan Desert…

workingcows.net

This is a great episode. 400 pure bred Angus cows at 5000-8000ft in the Chiuahuan desert in Mexico. It’s an extreme example, but the guy claims to be moving cattle every 30mins at times, as well as having a COP of $40/calf. Says his stocking rate is 5-10 times the local average.

If he moves every 30 mins and has a cop of $40/calf he must not be counting his labour?

 

[Hilly]

Not in all cases.

Never is but will be for the majority , it can change quick though .

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Creep feeding is good to maximise growth rate as long as cost effective. It becomes expensive when creep is being used to substitute cheaper forage rather than an addition to maximise intake.

Exactly!! I did a trial. one batch (8-10 months old) on ad lib creep through a protequip creep feeder. Both cows and calves on silage.
The other group (same age) were fed 1.5kg through a creep gate. Cows on hay, calves on silage.

The difference in DLWG was 0.1kg more for the ones on ad lib creep. When you take into consideration the difference in feeding costs of the reduced creep and the lower cost cow diet, it is a no brainer.

I discussed this with the vet who reckoned that if you feed over 2kg to suckled calves of that age, all that happens is that they substitute forage for creep.

 

[Samcowman]

Exactly!! I did a trial. one batch (8-10 months old) on ad lib creep through a protequip creep feeder. Both cows and calves on silage.
The other group (same age) were fed 1.5kg through a creep gate. Cows on hay, calves on silage.

The difference in DLWG was 0.1kg more for the ones on ad lib creep. When you take into consideration the difference in feeding costs of the reduced creep and the lower cost cow diet, it is a no brainer.

I discussed this with the vet who reckoned that if you feed over 2kg to suckled calves of that age, all that happens is that they substitute forage for creep.

Do you have the costings for that?
Would have been interesting to do a no creep group as well.

 

[unlacedgecko]

If he moves every 30 mins and has a cop of $40/calf he must not be counting his labour?

I don't think so. I'll ask.

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Creep feeding is good to maximise growth rate as long as cost effective. It becomes expensive when creep is being used to substitute cheaper forage rather than an addition to maximise intake.

Exactly!! I did a trial. one batch (8-10 months old) on ad lib creep through a protequip creep feeder. Both cows and calvher group (same age) were fed 1.5kg through a creep gate. Cows on hay, calves on silage.

The difference in DLWG was 0.1kg more for the ones on ad lib creep. When you take into consideration the difference in feeding costs of the reduced creep and the lower cost cow diet, it is a no brainer.

I discussed this with the vet who reckoned that if you feed over 2kg to suckled calves of that age, all that happens is that they substitute forage for creep.es on silage.
The ot

Do you have the costings for that?
Would have been interesting to do a no creep group as well.

Afraid I don't. It sort of came about by accident as I didn't have enough creep feeders so made a creep gate. I use Carrs Billington's Ambassador product that worked out at about 23p/kg. So to take an average of 3.5kg/hd/day for the ad lib group, that works out at £0.80/hd/day. The creep gate lot at 1.5kg/day would have cost £0.345/hd/day.
And then there is the saving in forage and associated bedding due to the cows diet being dryer.