Sourcing beef replacement heifers

[Skylark]

I'm currently based in the Midlands and spent a large part of 2017 "enjoying" our first experience of a Tb breakdown. We lost 25 breeding females in total but more significantly were shut down between our first failed test and first short interval test when we should have been buying replacements in. So; after a huge drop in numbers (nearly 1/3 down on where I planned to be) I'm now looking for up to 50 replacement heifers to bull in May with the aim of calving at 24 months. This may sound a bit naive but we've been buying through a dealer for many years and he's packed up so we're looking to source our own replacements for the first time. How do I find decent sized groups of cattle to save chasing lots of small numbers about and matching my wish list below?

Currently running what remains of a Hereford x Friesian based herd of cows and really like them. Certainly want to stay with a X bred milky cow with good temperament anyway although it doesn't have to originate from the dairy herd.

Home bred isn't an option; the heifers are good beef animals and crap mothers. I also sold them in the autumn so they're not here now anyway.

I want to reduce my exposure to bought in Tb so presumably looking north of the Midlands rather than south? (not got a lot of faith in the pre-movement test at present but appreciate animals move easily on a lorry and also that not all of the South has Tb)

Ideally want to improve my health status, or at least not risk it. Despite having dairy x we're in a fairly good place disease wise at the moment.

Don't want to fall foul of the tabular valuation by buying really expensive Stabilisers only to see them carted off in a lorry a few months later at a huge loss but at the same time I'm not looking for the cheapest tat around just to fill my fields.

Neighbouring herds which may have offered options for replacements are going down with Tb at present as we seem to be in a bit of a hotspot.

So if you know of a British Friesian dairy farmer rearing their autumn/winter born Hereford x beef calves to 12 months old, they happen to be in a health scheme and would really value a single repeat customer I'd love to know who they are. Alternatively (and probably more realistically) I'd be grateful for suggestions of how to source decent sized groups of replacements which might get me out of this understocked hole. Fully expecting this to turn in to a which breed is best thread at some point too..

 

[Old Tip]

I have Hereford x Beef Shorthorn heifers of the right age and size and am in a health scheme but unfortunately don’t have fifty to sell. If your interested pm me.

We are up north in Tb4 are and have never had a retest even in the last fifty years.

 

[czechmate]

Bloody hell. If only...I have over 100 pure limousine heifers will be old enough for the bull come may. I would love to shift loads as the fat trade is worse than slow at the moment. Too much fat Charolais

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Bloody hell. If only...I have over 100 pure limousine heifers

Bit of length to them?

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

I'm currently based in the Midlands and spent a large part of 2017 "enjoying" our first experience of a Tb breakdown. We lost 25 breeding females in total but more significantly were shut down between our first failed test and first short interval test when we should have been buying replacements in. So; after a huge drop in numbers (nearly 1/3 down on where I planned to be) I'm now looking for up to 50 replacement heifers to bull in May with the aim of calving at 24 months. This may sound a bit naive but we've been buying through a dealer for many years and he's packed up so we're looking to source our own replacements for the first time. How do I find decent sized groups of cattle to save chasing lots of small numbers about and matching my wish list below?

Currently running what remains of a Hereford x Friesian based herd of cows and really like them. Certainly want to stay with a X bred milky cow with good temperament anyway although it doesn't have to originate from the dairy herd.

Home bred isn't an option; the heifers are good beef animals and crap mothers. I also sold them in the autumn so they're not here now anyway.

I want to reduce my exposure to bought in Tb so presumably looking north of the Midlands rather than south? (not got a lot of faith in the pre-movement test at present but appreciate animals move easily on a lorry and also that not all of the South has Tb)

Ideally want to improve my health status, or at least not risk it. Despite having dairy x we're in a fairly good place disease wise at the moment.

Don't want to fall foul of the tabular valuation by buying really expensive Stabilisers only to see them carted off in a lorry a few months later at a huge loss but at the same time I'm not looking for the cheapest tat around just to fill my fields.

Neighbouring herds which may have offered options for replacements are going down with Tb at present as we seem to be in a bit of a hotspot.

So if you know of a British Friesian dairy farmer rearing their autumn/winter born Hereford x beef calves to 12 months old, they happen to be in a health scheme and would really value a single repeat customer I'd love to know who they are. Alternatively (and probably more realistically) I'd be grateful for suggestions of how to source decent sized groups of replacements which might get me out of this understocked hole. Fully expecting this to turn in to a which breed is best thread at some point too..

If your down with tb and in a hot spot I wouldn't buy from a naive area, they will most probably all go down.
Be better to try and source locally- difficult I know but they might have some natural immunity.

Also I know defra may say you can't buy anything in but I believe that tonne restraint of trade, and it ever stops me buying !

 

[Wooly]

Not sure I would want to sell any to an area that would probably mean the cattle would get TB .


Have you thought about sheep !?!

 

[milkloss]

I agree, if tb is rife in your area then why sentence good stock? I’d just run some regular animals if I had to till the flurry is over then have a sell up and locate something special.

I’ve never been affected by tb though.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I agree, if tb is rife in your area then why sentence good stock? I’d just run some regular animals if I had to till the flurry is over then have a sell up and locate something special.

I’ve never been affected by tb though.

This seems like good advice to me.

You could probably source decent weaned milk calves from Blade/Meadow. They’d probably get hold of BW Herefords. If you put the best heifers to an Angus bull, they’d be saleable as scanned ‘in calf’ or you could calve them yourself. Trouble is whether the market would want in-calf heifers from a higher risk area.

Otherwise, just buy milk calf steers at 4 months old (120kg).

 

[Werzle]

26 incalve aax, bbx and chx hfrs in carmarthen mart 2nd feb, all due april to cogent bulls and out of friesian type cows. Quicker return on your money . Most places have had tb at some point so i wouldnt worry about what areas you source stock from , personally i would rather purchase from areas that regularly test.

 

[Skylark]

26 incalve aax, bbx and chx hfrs in carmarthen mart 2nd feb, all due april to cogent bulls and out of friesian type cows. Quicker return on your money . Most places have had tb at some point so i wouldnt worry about what areas you source stock from , personally i would rather purchase from areas that regularly test.

Thanks for that, I'll look in to it. I agree regarding testing to some extent; regular testing certainly provides more reassurance in that sense than areas that are on 2 or 4 year intervals. I'm hoping that we've had our brush with Tb now and that we've cleared it out, hopefully we're not in a position where stock coming on to the farm are considered sentenced as a result. That's very much a hope rather than an expectation though so who knows; in theory we're in a low risk part of the edge area but I can't see it disappearing locally any time soon.