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|New ped Blue

Location
Cleveland
I'm unsure if you are agreeing with me or not!

If costed properly it is very hard to make money at beef production. At least be as efficient as you can. I love to see 40kg calves spat out - rather than 80kg calves cut out.
No one was disputing the size I'd imagine most farmers would prefer it coming out the rear as oppose to the side
 

Alicecow

Member
Location
Connacht
When will farmers get over the fact is doesn't matter what bloody colour it is. What matters is how easily it is born, how quickly it grows, how fast it can finish etc......

Seems crazy alright. I had a ped simmy heifer for sale on done deal, when i took her photo she was standing half in sunlight and half in shadow. One guy phoned about her but wasn't at all interested in her breeding etc just was she red or orange cos he didn't want an orange one, he wanted a dark red one. :scratchhead:
I kept her myself!
 

notorious

Member
Seems crazy alright. I had a ped simmy heifer for sale on done deal, when i took her photo she was standing half in sunlight and half in shadow. One guy phoned about her but wasn't at all interested in her breeding etc just was she red or orange cos he didn't want an orange one, he wanted a dark red one. :scratchhead:
I kept her myself!

Could this be related to the theory that the deep red ones wouldn't sunburn unlike the lighter ones how much evidence provded to support this theory though I'm not sure
 
Could this be related to the theory that the deep red ones wouldn't sunburn unlike the lighter ones how much evidence provded to support this theory though I'm not sure

There's not that much sun in Ireland for it to matter:) It's just a fashion for red at the moment, especially in Ireland, 20 years ago it was the pale colours that were trendy. These trends tend to be fuelled by breeders who are trying to push the colour that they have to sell

A good beast is never a bad colour, however you point is valid on the sunburn point, the regions of the globe that are more equatorial and get more sun will go for stock with as much dark pigment as possible, and dark pigmented eyes are almost always selected where possible to avoid cancers.

One issue that I have with white cattle is that if they get any kind of photosensitivity, it can be very tough on them, as they whole body can peel badly. We had an almost all white cow that got it a couple of years back and it was a tough time for her, we've had others that were nearly all coloured have the same condition, but it tends to be much much less severe.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
When we bought our first blue bull we were advised to get a white one for calf colour, but when we were looking for females we looked with an open mind as far as there colour was concerned and still ended up buying while ones, they do tend to be more the way I like them and also some breeders and lines I like seem to be white
white "blue" heifers are discounted as the fashion is for the darker ones at the moment but as we breed our blues mainly for our own use we will do what we want
 

GenuineRisk

Member
Location
Somerset
We have both currently been judged for our annual SW Club herd competition, which is very fairly divided up into three categories according to the size of your herd. We are intermediate, @Henarar is, I think, in the smaller one. But we will never win one as our herd simply isn't uniform. We cater for different markets, we have the all white market for dairy bulls, but our pedigree heifer market wants a lot of colour. So our genetics are really broad and we have a right mix of colour and type.

We don't get it as they're all red when they're dead and a good animal can't be a bad colour. On the other hand, I also do agree with the poster above who talks about liking what he sees twice a day!!

Of course pedigree Blue cows can calve naturally and have muscle, as anyone who saw our NewPole Feisty being shown this summer will attest. She was 5kg off a ton at one point!
 

Alicecow

Member
Location
Connacht
Could this be related to the theory that the deep red ones wouldn't sunburn unlike the lighter ones how much evidence provded to support this theory though I'm not sure

It's possible, but sunburn is rarely a problem in the west of Ireland. I heard that the paler colour was more popular in the Munster region which is more dairy country than Connacht is.

I did have a black cow (aax) who got sunstroke twice, or photo sensitisation (same/different?). She went lumpy all over as if she had a layer of bubble wrap under her skin, and it wasn't even a sunny day but overcast.
 
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It's possible, but sunburn is rarely a problem in the west of Ireland. I heard that the paler colour was more popular in the Munster region which is more dairy country than Connacht is.

I did have a black cow (aax) who got sunstroke twice, or photo sensitisation (same/different?). She went lumpy all over as if she had a layer of bubble wrap under her skin, and it wasn't even a sunny day but overcast.
It doesn't have to be sunny , it's the UV in the atmosphere they're reacting to , I suspect. When they're photosensitive , they have to be moved indoors to be made more comfortable.
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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