Is there any future in suckler cows ?

[unlacedgecko]

slow finish?
extensively?

Grazed forage based system.

6week calving from 1 Jun. Calves winter with their mothers’ first winter, then weaned following spring onto good grass growth. Would outwinter on roots once weaned. Sell the summer following 2nd winter.

However, I‘d be open to selling as finishing cattle or sending to feedlot for contract finishing.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Angus x jersey with an Angus or BSH calf and a bought in dairy x calf.

I suppose I might get shot for suggesting that a BSH heifer by a lengthy bull out of an Angus x Jersey would make a very nice mid sized suckler cow? Harder than the Jersey, still got that drop of real milk and double beef to cross with whatever too produce a real nice native bred beef calf??

Would have thought they will need very careful management to rear a pair and be back in calf sharpish though?

 

[unlacedgecko]

I suppose I might get shot for suggesting that a BSH heifer by a lengthy bull out of an Angus x Jersey would make a very nice mid sized suckler cow? Harder than the Jersey, still got that drop of real milk and double beef to cross with whatever too produce a real nice native bred beef calf??

Would have thought they will need very careful management to rear a pair and be back in calf sharpish though?

Only one way to find out!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Only one way to find out!

Don't forget pictures!!

 

[choochter]

I’m hoping a small (500-550kg) cow rearing 2 calves will be profitable.

here you are
she's not very profitable though

 

[unlacedgecko]

here you are
she's not very profitable though
View attachment 903141

Why is she not profitable?

 

[Ashtree]

There hasn’t been a future in suckler cows for at least 20 years!
20 years on, they are still there!
Keep it up suckler cows!

 

[Old Spot]

I rotate mine around herbal leys, between arable.
i am very glad to have them at the moment seeing my grain yields!
my arable will loose money this year but the sucklers keep plugging away producing a calf a year
(eating me out of house and home at the moment though). I don’t get so stressed when it rains in August now.

 

[ollie989898]

I rotate mine around herbal leys, between arable.
i am very glad to have them at the moment seeing my grain yields!
my arable will loose money this year but the sucklers keep plugging away producing a calf a year
(eating me out of house and home at the moment though). I don’t get so stressed when it rains in August now.

How long do your leys stay down and what do you put in them?

I suppose a suckler cow not giving 40 litres a day has half a chance at making a decent living off a herbal ley and growing two calves at the same time.

Is your farm well fenced already? I guess I'm asking is your system a template that could be put on other arable farms? During periods of low grain prices you can put some of your own grain to your own cattle to finish them rather than put on a stores?

 

[Top Tip.]

How long do your leys stay down and what do you put in them?

I suppose a suckler cow not giving 40 litres a day has half a chance at making a decent living off a herbal ley and growing two calves at the same time.

Is your farm well fenced already? I guess I'm asking is your system a template that could be put on other arable farms? During periods of low grain prices you can put some of your own grain to your own cattle to finish them rather than put on a stores?

It’s called mixed farming and was invented long before the current drive for so called efficiency, this would be far more sustainable.

 

[choochter]

Why is she not profitable?

Here she is today. Her roan calf (if it was male) would be worth £180 less when sold store than the male orange calf.
Which is exactly what happened the other week at thainstone when I sold their older brothers.

 

[M-J-G]

Grazed forage based system.

6week calving from 1 Jun. Calves winter with their mothers’ first winter, then weaned following spring onto good grass growth. Would outwinter on roots once weaned. Sell the summer following 2nd winter.

However, I‘d be open to selling as finishing cattle or sending to feedlot for contract finishing.

How many cows are you considering?
What method will you use to winter the cows and calves?

 

[Wellytrack]

Wait a few more months!

We're going to see out this year before making any major changes.

This time next year Rodney.

Update.

Due to calve from December.

Kept an older group to fatten off grass separate, an improperly squeezed big bellied gutty simmy bullock with one ball got in with them and they are in calf too...

 

[unlacedgecko]

How many cows are you considering?
What method will you use to winter the cows and calves?

Finances will dictate numbers. Outwinter on cover crop, or maybe fodder beer and silage.

 

[Hilly]

There hasn’t been a future in suckler cows for at least 20 years!
20 years on, they are still there!
Keep it up suckler cows!

They ain’t all still their a hell of a lot have gone .

 

[som farmer]

getting beef cows to take a 2nd calf, can be interesting, we have done it, but not as easy as people think. We used to buy the cheap cows, from dairy dispersals, and put calves on them, the easiest way to set calves on cows, we made up some 10 ft hurdles, 1 cow, 3or 4 calves, in a 10ft square pen, when cow was 'dealing' with 1 calf, the others dived in, once settled, turn out with 2 calves. If doing it with dairy, the cows will melt, and not get i/c without some sort of extra feed, best way is to take 1 calf away, at 10/12 weeks. Occasionally, you will get a cow that really loves calves, keep her seperate, or all the foster calves will end up sucking a pile of bones ! But, keep her in, feed her properly, she could rear 12/15 calves, and get i/c, bit of a grind, putting her into the calves, everyday, but very profitable. We went back into milk, so stopped, but, interesting at the time. To answer the question, i do not think there is any future, in big cows, producing 1 calf, calf sales might be great, but profitable ? yes for the top 10%. It's kg of beef/ac the figure, you need, more kg, = more income.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Update.

Due to calve from December.

Kept an older group to fatten off grass separate, an improperly squeezed big bellied gutty simmy bullock with one ball got in with them and they are in calf too...

Always the way.

 

[M-J-G]

Update.

Due to calve from December.

Kept an older group to fatten off grass separate, an improperly squeezed big bellied gutty simmy bullock with one ball got in with them and they are in calf too...

I haven't squeezed a calf since the 90s it's not definate enough IMO.
We did cut them at about 4/5 months, to see how pure bulls were going to do.
Now we just ring them as soon as they've had their first suck.

 

[M-J-G]

Finances will dictate numbers. Outwinter on cover crop, or maybe fodder beer and silage.

I take it you have access to plenty of very free draining land.
We outwinter cows on sandy fields and they do well, but I gave up autumn calvers because outwintered cows and calves aren't ideal unless they have scope to run over.

Water troughs need to be thought about if you have any more than a handful in an outwintered batch.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I take it you have access to plenty of very free draining land.
We outwinter cows on sandy fields and they do well, but I gave up autumn calvers because outwintered cows and calves aren't ideal unless they have scope to run over.

Water troughs need to be thought about if you have any more than a handful in an outwintered batch.

Yeah I've land on the wolds. Free draining brash.