store lambs the end is nigh

[Top Tip.]

keeping store lambs and making money relies on the trade lifting steadily as the season progresses, unfortunately this season that hasn't happened (yet) where as cattle for some reason isn't quite so affected and possibly works better on a flat tradeand as for selling calves at 8 months and averaging the figures that are been quotet that hasn't been the case in the markets ive attended as plenty of heifers in the £600sand it also bears a shade of arrogance saying they shouldn't be kept tlll 12-18mths because isn't that what you expect your potential buyers to do

I don't thing anybody was saying that they shouldn't be kept to 12 -18 month's it was the relative profitability that was being discussed.

 

[gone up the hill]

So in the origional post where it was £20 more than when bought, you want £30 more per lamb, is that correct?

For the last 3 months store lamb prices have been averaging £10 less than fat lambs which is madness, needs to be £20 difference in these averages.

 

[Top Tip.]

For the last 3 months store lamb prices have been averaging £10 less than fat lambs which is madness, needs to be £20 difference in these averages.

Store lambs are a strange one because there are a lot of farmers who use them as a management tool to tidy up the grass and they will factor in the benefits they get from that of course no one wants to lose money but as long as they wash their faces they are happy. This is never more evident than in a grassy back end how often then do you see a trade which has no real bearing on the finished trade.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I have absolutely no idea why any farmers can moan about store lamb prices...the only ones setting the prices are the farmers themselves

 

[jendan]

I think it's too early to write off the season yet,an old auctioneer once told me that the store lamb in trade in August depended on the price the finishers get for the last hoggs sold in April and over the years I think there was a lot of truth in it.

My last 200 fat hoggs went in May last year and averaged £95.Cant see that happening this year but theres always hoping.I didnt buy any stores as i thought they were too dear,and looking back should have sold my smaller ones in Sept/Oct.Easy to be wise afterwards.

 

[banjo]

I have absolutely no idea why any farmers can moan about store lamb prices...the only ones setting the prices are the farmers themselves

That's the most ridiculous post, setting it themselves. There have been many threads on here about markets and lamb prices and it ain't the farmers setting the market, it's the buyers. I won't go into that again cos this is about something different. ( but I do remember the person that liked your comment saying he had bought a hell of a lot of lambs and was going to make a killing on them later in the year, perhaps he will, perhaps he won't, that's the risk you take! )

I and many farmers put their lambs into the shed and fed them until the price rose, from £1.35kilo to £1.55 to £1.60 the rise payed for my extra feed used and the price per kilo went up on the lambs so it was a no brainer, most farmers in my area did this and that's why the market is crammed with lambs at the moment.
It's a bit like dairy, price squeezes for various reasons cause a reaction and thus caused sheep farmers to do things different this year. Some who were happy to sell as stores were pee'd at the low price and fattened them themselves.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

That's the most ridiculous post, setting it themselves. There have been many threads on here about markets and lamb prices and it ain't the farmers setting the market, it's the buyers. I won't go into that again cos this is about something different. ( but I do remember the person that liked your comment saying he had bought a hell of a lot of lambs and was going to make a killing on them later in the year, perhaps he will, perhaps he won't, that's the risk you take! )

I and many farmers put their lambs into the shed and fed them until the price rose, from £1.35kilo to £1.55 to £1.60 the rise payed for my extra feed used and the price per kilo went up on the lambs so it was a no brainer, most farmers in my area did this and that's why the market is crammed with lambs at the moment.
It's a bit like dairy, price squeezes for various reasons cause a reaction and thus caused sheep farmers to do things different this year. Some who were happy to sell as stores were pee'd at the low price and fattened them themselves.

I'm on about store lambs being too dear compared to fat because farmers have gone daft bidding for them at the store sales...

 

[banjo]

I'm on about store lambs being too dear compared to fat because farmers have gone daft bidding for them at the store sales...

Fair enough

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Fair enough

Sorry you had to waste 10 minutes of your life frantically typing out your reply

 

[banjo]

Sorry you had to waste 10 minutes of your life frantically typing out your reply

It's ok that's what a forum is for. the surge in farmers buying store lambs is the reaction to them making a bit at fattening lambs, I even thought of doing it myself and it all started from the ridicules prices during sept to Dec. I usualy like to sell all mine as stores so I can do a bit if work outsude farming, but this year I and many kept em until a month after Xmas.
Your prices will rise as usual when this backlog of off farm lambs are gone, be patient.

 

[Bossfarmer]

Creep for calves £30 a head. Thinking about it we probably have a similar profit per cow you just take 20 months to do what I do in 8.

so your only feeding them 150kgs a head total?????

 

[Top Tip.]

so your only feeding them 150kgs a head total?????

They are only fed for approximately 75 days,why are you surprised,they don't really go at the creep till September.

 

[onthehoof]

I'm on about store lambs being too dear compared to fat because farmers have gone daft bidding for them at the store sales...

store lamb prices bear no relevance to fat price at the time because fat price is nearly always at it's lowest in summer. What determines store prices is the fat price the previous spring, last spring fat prices were good plenty making £100 iirc so folk say well they'll be worth £100 this spring so we'll pay £70 giving us a £30 margin only trouble being they're only going to be worth £80 at best. Chances are store lambs will be £20 lower this summer cause no one made money then they'll be £100 again next spring with folk saying how profitable store lambs are and we wish we'd bought more.

 

[Chris123]

 

[Chris123]

Start to realise why the supermarkets stock so many legs of aus and New Zealand lamb after reading that

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Start to realise why the supermarkets stock so many legs of aus and New Zealand lamb after reading that

Just breed 7-legged lambs?? Simples

 

[Chris123]

Have got any spiders big enough here to substitute the tups for!!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Have got any spiders big enough here to substitute the tups for!!

I'm sure you could import a few big huntsman from Aussie for cheap. Pretty sure they'd handle it, they're big enough to keep me away, anyway..
It's funny how things go in and out of fashion, a lot of our fast food places have lamb shanks and apparently that's the best... dad used to feed that to the dogs and laughed about people buying them, for all that's on them. I'd go for the whole front quarter, roasted from mid morning onwards.. consumers eh, who'd have 'em

 

[onthehoof]

I'm sure you could import a few big huntsman from Aussie for cheap. Pretty sure they'd handle it, they're big enough to keep me away, anyway..
It's funny how things go in and out of fashion, a lot of our fast food places have lamb shanks and apparently that's the best... dad used to feed that to the dogs and laughed about people buying them, for all that's on them. I'd go for the whole front quarter, roasted from mid morning onwards.. consumers eh, who'd have 'em

Sorry to go way off topic again, but @Kiwi Pete what does a good finished bull/bullock come to over there $/kg and what proportion of your killed beef would be dairy compared to suckler bred

 

[digger64]

store lamb prices bear no relevance to fat price at the time because fat price is nearly always at it's lowest in summer. What determines store prices is the fat price the previous spring, last spring fat prices were good plenty making £100 iirc so folk say well they'll be worth £100 this spring so we'll pay £70 giving us a £30 margin only trouble being they're only going to be worth £80 at best. Chances are store lambs will be £20 lower this summer cause no one made money then they'll be £100 again next spring with folk saying how profitable store lambs are and we wish we'd bought more.

This does make sort of logical sense in the autumn but what about this time of year when you have more knowledge of the likely cost / feed / sale value situation ?