xbred dairy bull calves

[Beef farmer]

Keep the males entire. They will all make minimum weight at 14 months. The small heifers out if heifers would be my only concern.

 

[Plain steer]

You haven't a clue of what my cows look like or how good or bad my calves are.
You seem to have a massive bee in your bonnet though

I would not take any notice of him it’s just 3/4 months since he said was just feeding suckler bred bulls now because he could not make bow steers pay and then a week or two ago he said he was just feeding native steers and heifers so if all ya know he might be feeding nowt

 

[gone up the hill]

I would not take any notice of him it’s just 3/4 months since he said was just feeding suckler bred bulls now because he could not make bow steers pay and then a week or two ago he said he was just feeding native steers and heifers so if all ya know he might be feeding nowt

I feed both actually!

I do native steers/ heifers that are bought in and home bred cattle are Char x with the males kept as barley beef bulls!

 

[gone up the hill]

Keep the males entire. They will all make minimum weight at 14 months. The small heifers out if heifers would be my only concern.

Trouble is hardly any company's now want under age bulls!

 

[gone up the hill]

You haven't a clue of what my cows look like or how good or bad my calves are.
You seem to have a massive bee in your bonnet though

I don't have a bee in my bonnet.

But plenty of dairy farmers on this and other threads have said its the beef industry's problem what to do with these worthless calves and that if they don't pay then the beef industry should cut their costs so they do pay which is a complete nonsense!

Instead of blaming the beef industry for the problem perhaps dairy farmers should either breed calves that are worthwhile rearing for beef and/ or direct their anger at their milk buyer who is introducing the changes ref what happens to these calves!


But if you don't do the above then dairy farmers are just putting their head in the sand and wont help them come 2020!

 

[dinderleat]

We rear everything. Cows and heifers served to sexed hf and then cows to angus and heifers run with a angus bull to sweep. Due to Tb and constraints we found an outlet for our finished angus 10 years ago through waitrose. We regularly kill at over 330kg at 22-24 months. A chap I know is doing a grand job of rearing out of xbreeds Devon’s and Herefords which he’s killing at 22months at 300kgs no cake from 5 months old

 

[gone up the hill]

We rear everything. Cows and heifers served to sexed hf and then cows to angus and heifers run with a angus bull to sweep. Due to Tb and constraints we found an outlet for our finished angus 10 years ago through waitrose. We regularly kill at over 330kg at 22-24 months. A chap I know is doing a grand job of rearing out of xbreeds Devon’s and Herefords which he’s killing at 22months at 300kgs no cake from 5 months old

What breed are you dairy cows?

And I bet that chap is only buying the very best xbreed calves and not the bottom 20/30%.....

 

[dinderleat]

What breed are you dairy cows?

And I bet that chap is only buying the very best xbreed calves and not the bottom 20/30%.....

Medium sized Holsteins
No buys the lot just a top operator.

 

[gone up the hill]

Medium sized Holsteins
No buys the lot just a top operator.

The calves from your type of cow are worth rearing!

What we are talking about and will be a big problem for dairy farmers next year is the calves from NZ mongrels and extreme HF cows and Jerseys etc.

 

[Llmmm]

Important to note that a lot of dairy herd calves are sites by a stock bull. That fairly scuppers the sexed semen plan.

It's not the rent that's the issue
Other than the odd fencing stake every now and again there needs to be minimal other costs

Our milk buyer hasnt put any rules in place governing what we do with our calves anyway

I see glanbia in ireland has a scheme in place where the calf buyer gets set price for the animal when finished under contract seems a sensible move

 

[som farmer]

Our milk buyer hasnt put any rules in place governing what we do with our calves anyway

yet

 

[som farmer]

The calves from your type of cow are worth rearing!

What we are talking about and will be a big problem for dairy farmers next year is the calves from NZ mongrels and extreme HF cows and Jerseys etc.

I don't have a bee in my bonnet.

But plenty of dairy farmers on this and other threads have said its the beef industry's problem what to do with these worthless calves and that if they don't pay then the beef industry should cut their costs so they do pay which is a complete nonsense!

Instead of blaming the beef industry for the problem perhaps dairy farmers should either breed calves that are worthwhile rearing for beef and/ or direct their anger at their milk buyer who is introducing the changes ref what happens to these calves!


But if you don't do the above then dairy farmers are just putting their head in the sand and wont help them come 2020!

I totally agree with the above quote.
I reckon I have stuck my head above the gate for long enough, I have put forward , and asked for, a solution for dealing with, what I believe, is a huge problem for dairy farmers. Unfortuantly a large number of dairy farmers don't agree, and that's their choice. I would love to be proved wrong, but I don't think I am, and only time will tell. There has been a lot of hot air posted, and obviously some farmers think they can do a brilliant job producing beef, I would love to see them try, and I would love them to succeed. And if I have caused some of the 1000's of viewings, to sit back and really think about what they will do with bottom end calves, I may have done some good. It does remind me of a lecture, by an old farmer, who is long gone :-
'The difference between farming and manufacturing is this, a farmer can take his stock to market, and someone will buy it, at a price you might not like, but it will be sold. A manufacturer can take his product to a market, but has to find a buyer, and if he cannot, he has to take it home, and then what ? continue making it ? if he cannot find a buyer, he has to change what he makes, go out and find a buyer (no guarantee of doing) or go bust'. simple.'
All i'm asking, is what will you do if no one wants your bottom end calves, and you cannot dispose of them, because your milk buyer say's they have to be reared, and it's part of your contract ?
that's me finished on the subject !!!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I totally agree with the above quote.
I reckon I have stuck my head above the gate for long enough, I have put forward , and asked for, a solution for dealing with, what I believe, is a huge problem for dairy farmers. Unfortuantly a large number of dairy farmers don't agree, and that's their choice. I would love to be proved wrong, but I don't think I am, and only time will tell. There has been a lot of hot air posted, and obviously some farmers think they can do a brilliant job producing beef, I would love to see them try, and I would love them to succeed. And if I have caused some of the 1000's of viewings, to sit back and really think about what they will do with bottom end calves, I may have done some good. It does remind me of a lecture, by an old farmer, who is long gone :-
'The difference between farming and manufacturing is this, a farmer can take his stock to market, and someone will buy it, at a price you might not like, but it will be sold. A manufacturer can take his product to a market, but has to find a buyer, and if he cannot, he has to take it home, and then what ? continue making it ? if he cannot find a buyer, he has to change what he makes, go out and find a buyer (no guarantee of doing) or go bust'. simple.'
All i'm asking, is what will you do if no one wants your bottom end calves, and you cannot dispose of them, because your milk buyer say's they have to be reared, and it's part of your contract ?
that's me finished on the subject !!!

I still think you are confusing two issues.

Sexed and beef largely sorts out the bull calf issue, the few bull calves we get will be reared for a couple of months on waste milk and then sold, wherever that might be. It will probably be for £5 which will cost me money but not a lot. The people who buy these small calves are not going to vanish from the market, mine all go upto Bristol Zoo, I can't see them selling their lions, they will just buy 8 week calves not 4 day.

Beef @ £3 no one will want any calves

Beef @£4 . Every beef x calf will find a home.

 

[Jamer]

I'm not sure @som farmer is confusing the issues though; if most or all of the dairy bull are going to be replaced with beef crosses thanks to sexed, there is going to be a glut of calves looking for rearers at the usual times of year. Culling/exporting calves has taken them out of the equation up to now.

Options, as ever, depend on your circumstance, but for us with near continual Tb problems means possibly taking through to stores at considerable cost and hope that quality still pays? We don't have the acres and certainly not free draining enough to ranch all winter any significant numbers. The prices of barley and finished beef will dictate what is going to be most economical system but the issue is gong to have to be faced.

 

[More to life]

Whilst I’ve seen excellent xbred beef results @Cows 'n grass being just one the calves are smaller the end weight is less this is a given. You can’t get past rearers perceptions they will alway be the last calves to find a home.

 

[More to life]

Also pure Holsteins are a waste of time currently killed 22-24 months

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Also pure Holsteins are a waste of time currently killed 22-24 months

Do you finish them or sell as forward stores?

 

[More to life]

Do you finish them or sell as forward stores?

Finish everything, but switched to sexed and beef 18 months ago so the pain is coming to an end.

 

[Ducati899]

Muller co-op suppliers had a letter last week I believe about this subject as well so a supplier told me,they’ll all follow suit

 

[Kiwi Pete]

My figures don't stack up at all. Investing £65k to potentially make a profit of £2,700. Where is the sense in that?

And like you say, I'm optimistic on the sale price.

Only thing to make it more viable is increase stocking rate through better grassland management, and increase animals per labour unit.

Yes, you could/would/should MUST run a decent stocking rate or both the pasture and animal health will get away from you and cost money to rectify.
A system that allows for s/r flexibility is very useful - like my bull leasing scheme, or the intent (and budgeting discipline) to sell some stock at break-even in the event of summer dry/crop yield reduction etc.

Farmers love batches, often the most profitable point is missed in individual animals and the "average" takes a dive.

You've read all the average's moans and groans, don't be average.
Don't let someone steal your dreams just because they lost theirs in their baggage