TB Restrictions, options for beef calves

[pappuller]

opinions appreciated please, we lost 7 reactors on friday all clear of lesions and no culture required after yesterdays pm.
we have only 10 cows to calve before end of feb and then approx 18-25 a month going forward all ic to blue and good calves.
not really set up for rearing calves as all sold at 3-4 weeks of age but i feel aggrieved at moving them to a local afu for £100 a piece.
orange markets can be very hit and miss but is an option.
if we were to chuck a 100x40 up in the next 2 months would it be worth while keeping everything and moving them on once clear, potentially may but more likely july.
or just take the hit and keep moving them at a fortnight old ?

 

[Scholsey]

Take the hit but if your a gambler the beef job could be about to rocket especially with barren price like it is.

 

[Headless chicken]

I think you’ll be stuck between awkward ages that no one will pay you sensibly for.

 

[frederick]

opinions appreciated please, we lost 7 reactors on friday all clear of lesions and no culture required after yesterdays pm.
we have only 10 cows to calve before end of feb and then approx 18-25 a month going forward all ic to blue and good calves.
not really set up for rearing calves as all sold at 3-4 weeks of age but i feel aggrieved at moving them to a local afu for £100 a piece.
orange markets can be very hit and miss but is an option.
if we were to chuck a 100x40 up in the next 2 months would it be worth while keeping everything and moving them on once clear, potentially may but more likely july.
or just take the hit and keep moving them at a fortnight old ?

Not wanting to be a pessimist more a realist.

If I was you I would be expecting to loose nearly the same again at the next test which should clear it out. Then you will be lucky to go clear at the next two. So the realistic earliest is 210 days time to go clear so September.

And as someone who is about 5 months further down your line taking the first loss which I did would definitely be my preferred option. Admittedly all my calves appeared in 9 weeks. Trouble with your ayr calving is thing will just get 20 calves worse each month. Fine for two months but in 8 months that's 160 plus calves of mixed ages on the farm.

 

[Headless chicken]

Not wanting to be a pessimist more a realist.

If I was you I would be expecting to loose nearly the same again at the next test which should clear it out. Then you will be lucky to go clear at the next two. So the realistic earliest is 210 days time to go clear so September.

And as someone who is about 5 months further down your line taking the first loss which I did would definitely be my preferred option. Admittedly all my calves appeared in 9 weeks. Trouble with your ayr calving is thing will just get 20 calves worse each month. Fine for two months but in 8 months that's 160 plus calves of mixed ages on the farm.

2 years on from our breakdown and we’re still feeling the effects. I kept them. Wish I had sold them.

 

[som farmer]

orange mkts rely totally on a limited number of buyers, and what they are prepared to pay. And at the moment, the younger the animal, the lower the price.

it is the buyer, that takes the risk, and to be fair, it is a greater risk than buying out of a mkt. Some farms will be overstocked, calves tight in sheds, management not so good etc, all understandable.

but its supply v demand, and supply is greater than demand, and buyers are just taking advantage of the situation, just as we would.

the question, is it worth building a shed, and holding them, that is a simple answer, yes. With the proviso that you can do the job properly, half measures, forget it.

the why, again is simple, go back 2/3 years, calves were worth feck all, and euthanasia was rife. Those calves would have been coming out, fat now. They are not there, so beef is short, prime and cull prices are very strong, because numbers are short.

the decline in the suckler herd, and cow numbers in dairy are reducing, where's the beef coming from, cheap imports are not so easy to source as we are led to believe.

but it is only those calves that will grow into a useful carcass, that are worth doing, badly bred things are not. Being a cynical old sod, the 'ban' on euthanasia, by some processors, is more to do with cheap meat, because they understand fewer cattle = higher price, rather than public perspective.

interesting question though, a friend is actually looking at starting a unit up, auctioneers are very very keen he does, no problem filling it, with good calves apparently.

 

[In the pit]

Get gone early and take the hit
You can’t say when you’ll be clear of tb ,could be this year could be 5 years

 

[Spudley]

We were in your situation last summer, luckily we did come clear after 8 months but we were lucky to do so. We sold all the BBs to an AFU.

 

[pappuller]

We were in your situation last summer, luckily we did come clear after 8 months but we were lucky to do so. We sold all the BBs to an AFU.

I think this is the way we will go,the big unknown is how long to go clear.
Previous breakdowns have been next 2 si tests and we go clear which is manageable but we've never a tickle with as many before so who knows.

 

[pappuller]

orange mkts rely totally on a limited number of buyers, and what they are prepared to pay. And at the moment, the younger the animal, the lower the price.

it is the buyer, that takes the risk, and to be fair, it is a greater risk than buying out of a mkt. Some farms will be overstocked, calves tight in sheds, management not so good etc, all understandable.

but its supply v demand, and supply is greater than demand, and buyers are just taking advantage of the situation, just as we would.

the question, is it worth building a shed, and holding them, that is a simple answer, yes. With the proviso that you can do the job properly, half measures, forget it.

the why, again is simple, go back 2/3 years, calves were worth feck all, and euthanasia was rife. Those calves would have been coming out, fat now. They are not there, so beef is short, prime and cull prices are very strong, because numbers are short.

the decline in the suckler herd, and cow numbers in dairy are reducing, where's the beef coming from, cheap imports are not so easy to source as we are led to believe.

but it is only those calves that will grow into a useful carcass, that are worth doing, badly bred things are not. Being a cynical old sod, the 'ban' on euthanasia, by some processors, is more to do with cheap meat, because they understand fewer cattle = higher price, rather than public perspective.

interesting question though, a friend is actually looking at starting a unit up, auctioneers are very very keen he does, no problem filling it, with good calves apparently.

If we ever ditch the cows I would seriously consider looking at the afu option as a future plan

 

[Spudley]

We were previously under restrictions for 9 years so have learned our lesson!

 

[Wesley]

I’d say it depends how much spare time you have, it doesn’t take much but can add up with various tasks. How much spare grub you have & most importantly how much spare cash you have &/or want to tie up doing it. It starts to add up after a while. Certainly wouldn’t base it all on becoming clear quickly. It could go on for a long time.

 

[J B]

Orange Market at Market Drayton Market tomorrow, Thurs 25th Jan at 1pm - come and say hello! And see what the prices are like.

Orange Sales – Market Drayton Livestock Market

Livestock Sales, Standing Straw and Agricultural Machinery Auctions

www.marketdraytonmarket.co.uk

 

[Bramble]

opinions appreciated please, we lost 7 reactors on friday all clear of lesions and no culture required after yesterdays pm.
we have only 10 cows to calve before end of feb and then approx 18-25 a month going forward all ic to blue and good calves.
not really set up for rearing calves as all sold at 3-4 weeks of age but i feel aggrieved at moving them to a local afu for £100 a piece.
orange markets can be very hit and miss but is an option.
if we were to chuck a 100x40 up in the next 2 months would it be worth while keeping everything and moving them on once clear, potentially may but more likely july.
or just take the hit and keep moving them at a fortnight old ?

Lost over 40 with no lesions/no cultures over 14 months, finally open last autumn so don’t rely on that. On the plus side ended up only needing 1 clear test rather than the usual 2

 

[som farmer]

We were previously under restrictions for 9 years so have learned our lesson!

friends were down for 23 yrs, based their whole system on milking beef like cows, and fattening everything. When they went into a cull zone, they started getting clear tests, don't know why

but as they said, they had made it work for them, the only difference, big stores, not fat.

a large number of y/s, reared properly, take a lot of cash up to feed.

 

[pappuller]

Orange Market at Market Drayton Market tomorrow, Thurs 25th Jan at 1pm - come and say hello! And see what the prices are like.

Orange Sales – Market Drayton Livestock Market

Livestock Sales, Standing Straw and Agricultural Machinery Auctions

www.marketdraytonmarket.co.uk

dont worry i'll be keeping in touch via JC

 

[crashbox]

If we ever ditch the cows I would seriously consider looking at the afu option as a future plan

BUT no new grazing AFUs are being permitted, as best I know. (I.e. have to be housed).

However an "isolation unit" could be a better option (test calves, two clear tests, can be sold on open market).

I'm no expert, just pub talk there.

 

[som farmer]

BUT no new grazing AFUs are being permitted, as best I know. (I.e. have to be housed).

However an "isolation unit" could be a better option (test calves, two clear tests, can be sold on open market).

I'm no expert, just pub talk there.

the options are quite simple, establish your indoor unit/s, buy your calves, test at 60 days old, and again 60 days later, animals are TB free. 4 to 6 months old, apparently not to many young calves fail the test, so as housed, chances of going down, is reduced.

then move out of housing to graze, or sell.

if you go down, your fecked for another 120 days, that's the risk. Ideally, you want more than 1 CPH. some have multiple holdings.

 

[J B]

dont worry i'll be keeping in touch via JC

But, he doesn't work there on Thursdays!

 

[In the pit]

the options are quite simple, establish your indoor unit/s, buy your calves, test at 60 days old, and again 60 days later, animals are TB free. 4 to 6 months old, apparently not to many young calves fail the test, so as housed, chances of going down, is reduced.

then move out of housing to graze, or sell.

if you go down, your fecked for another 120 days, that's the risk. Ideally, you want more than 1 CPH. some have multiple holdings.

But can only be done on a farm without cattle on and nothing can be moved on until all animals have been moved off once clear