What to do with calves

[alan6430]

we milk cows and get beef calves aswell as dairy. We have been keeping them and selling as forward stores but the price we got yesterday was embarrassing for all the effort and cost put in.

We are always in and out of Tb so selling calves not practical. Anybody got any other suggestions for maximising value (I’ve felt selling stores has been on a downward trend for at least the last 18months)

 

[AGN76]

Fleckvieh.

 

[Fergieman]

Fatten them.

 

[Durry cows]

Fatten them.

Any money in that job though?

 

[gone up the hill]

we milk cows and get beef calves aswell as dairy. We have been keeping them and selling as forward stores but the price we got yesterday was embarrassing for all the effort and cost put in.

We are always in and out of Tb so selling calves not practical. Anybody got any other suggestions for maximising value (I’ve felt selling stores has been on a downward trend for at least the last 18months)

Store cattle were cheap last year due to the drought situation and lack of forage/ cost of straw etc.

This year store cattle are cheap not because of anything you have done but due to the diabolical prime ( fat ) price and the lengthy waiting lists ( upto 5 weeks now ) to get cattle into the killing lines!

Fat cattle are making anything from £140 to £200 head less than they were 12 months ago and store cattle have fallen imo the last month by the same amount of £140/200 head compared to their values of 12 months ago.

And the £150 head price reduction for prime cattle compared to 12 months ago also doesn't take in the costs that have increased the last 12 months which will be another £20/30 head at least so in real terms prime cattle are making £170/230 head less than 12 months ago so if you times that by say 100 prime cattle that is a hit of say £20'000 on 12 months ago @ £200 head average drop in value!

Fattening cattle at the moment is a complete waste of time!

Only options you have is either selling the calves or finishing them as either steers or bulls at 16 months but do your sums carefully and imo unless the beef price goes back to where it was 12 months ago you could well be worse off finishing them rather than selling as stores with all the extra work/ TB testing etc thrown into the mix!

 

[cull cows]

Any money in that job though?

No

 

[Durry cows]

we milk cows and get beef calves aswell as dairy. We have been keeping them and selling as forward stores but the price we got yesterday was embarrassing for all the effort and cost put in.

We are always in and out of Tb so selling calves not practical. Anybody got any other suggestions for maximising value (I’ve felt selling stores has been on a downward trend for at least the last 18months)

Go on tell us what they were and what you got for them

 

[alan6430]

Go on tell us what they were and what you got for them

I really wouldn’t like to go into detail here but it’s really put a downer on the job. What do you do tho. We are overstocked to the eye balls, they had to go

 

[Durry cows]

I really wouldn’t like to go into detail here but it’s really put a downer on the job. What do you do tho. We are overstocked to the eye balls, they had to go

Sure I feel sorry for you’re situation, we went down with tb a fortnight ago. In answer to op we can sell them to Afu or I can castrate the bulls and rear them as steers along with the heifers until we go clear again, herefords and blues I should say some fleckvieh and montbeliarde

 

[gone up the hill]

Sure I feel sorry for you’re situation, we went down with tb a fortnight ago. In answer to op we can sell them to Afu or I can castrate the bulls and rear them as steers along with the heifers until we go clear again, herefords and blues I should say some fleckvieh and montbeliarde

AFU's only want cattle over 15/16 months that are ideally 90/120 days away from being finished!

And a word of caution, the powers that be are trying to do away with AFU's.

 

[Durry cows]

AFU's only want cattle over 15/16 months that are ideally 90/120 days away from being finished!

And a word of caution, the powers that be are trying to do away with AFU's.

No we’ve sold calves on milk and weaned to Afu’s plus couple new ones just been approved here in Derbyshire

 

[gone up the hill]

No we’ve sold calves on milk and weaned to Afu’s plus couple new ones just been approved here in Derbyshire

Totally different down here im afraid, You can sell calves but only to units that TB test them twice and get them clear, AFU's certainly don't want calves in this part of the world.

As for the AFU's being shut down, well any in a TB cull area lose their grazing AFU's two years from the day the cull starts.

And pressure is being put on to close housed AFU's in cull areas as well!

 

[Victor]

If you can get them to market( depends on tb situation ) calves selling very well at Holsworthy

 

[AndrewM]

we milk cows and get beef calves aswell as dairy. We have been keeping them and selling as forward stores but the price we got yesterday was embarrassing for all the effort and cost put in.

What size/breed dairy cows are these calves coming out of?

 

[alan6430]

What size/breed dairy cows are these calves coming out of?

Limos out of British friesian cows. Our cows aren’t huge really so I know that’s against them

 

[som farmer]

the old story, first loss is best loss, but as decent farmers we do not want to do that!!!! unless they get tb under control the problem is just going to get worse. reading of pre-movement test Friday, getting twitchy already, if we pass that will be 60 less mouths

 

[kill]

Totally different down here im afraid, You can sell calves but only to units that TB test them twice and get them clear, AFU's certainly don't want calves in this part of the world.

As for the AFU's being shut down, well any in a TB cull area lose their grazing AFU's two years from the day the cull starts.

And pressure is being put on to close housed AFU's in cull areas as well!

Please tell me who's buying calfs in Devon as I have 20 beautiful TB restricted Hereford X calves and more in incubation for calving shortly and would love to get them away even if have to virtually give them away.

 

[cull cows]

Please tell me who's buying calfs in Devon as I have 20 beautiful TB restricted Hereford X calves and more in incubation for calving shortly if love to get away even if have to virtually give them away.

Grand calves they are.wish I could take them

 

[HarryB97]

Please tell me who's buying calfs in Devon as I have 20 beautiful TB restricted Hereford X calves and more in incubation for calving shortly and would love to get them away even if have to virtually give them away.

Get in touch with meadow quality, livestock link or buitelar, sell my livestock is also very good

 

[HarryB97]

Finishing them would be the best bet due to the tb issue. I don't no how well your beef cattle are done but it always amazes me how dairy farmers can feed dairy cattle so well but often produce the worst beef stores going!