beef price tracker

Willfarman

The ploughing match will have all the major retailers there,and all pulling the local produce card for national advertising campaigns.

Supporting happy farmers and balls and boots for the Gaa.
And all the farmers and their kids will get a free plastic bags, biros and que like starving Somalians for enough cheese to set a mousetrap!

Irish farmers are gob****es!

patsy_mccabe

Ah c'mon lads, enough negativity out there without adding to it.:(
Nobody holding a gun to anyone's head.

TL17

Willfarman wrote:

all the farmers and their kids will get a free plastic bags, biros and que like starving Somalians for enough cheese to set a mousetrap!

Brilliant post. So accurate

gerryirl

you know Im gonna be shot for saying this and I include myself in this statement. We are all wondering about the cattle prices every week but the vast majority of us will still send them if they are under the 30 months regardless of the price. We are our own worst enemies. Whats the option though. I hear now that some of the factories that were never too pushed on what weight they were now are gonna start cutting for too heavy now . Your caught every way

Hard Knocks

Dickie10 wrote: »

Well that actually might work with sheep for a while anyway. i think there could be a lot to be said for going back to a traditional beef sytems in ireland. maybe a big reduction in beef farmers in counties louth,meath,dublin,wexford,kildare,laois,offaly and westmeath calving suckler cows and going back to just buying weanlings from the west and north west or stores and bringing to finish. this could reduce the number of beef cows and beef cattle in the country then perhaps the factories would begin to pay a better bonus and overall beef base for beef cattle over dairy cross. if your farm type allows i dont really see calving suckler cows as an efficent beef system in the above mentioned counties. the labour hours involved in suckler to beef must be at least twice that of weanling to beef or store to beef. so if you are counting your time per hour and put a price on it then you are making very little wages in suckler to beef. unless of course calving cows is your hobby then were on a different set up altogether

The 30 month, max carcass weight & number of move rules are factors
Up north west / north Mid sucklers are ideal due to the amount of rain we get

Bass Reeves

I think farmers are too hard on themselves. We are price takers. There are certain things that could be done but as Martin Coughlan says there is no rules in the game and the three farm organisations have not the wit to fight it. Chaining trollys togeather in supermarkets that take 5% of our produce is immaterial and a useless tactic.

Maybe Will has hinted at something maybe the farm organisations should organize a protest outside the processors tents in the ploughing. But then Anna May would be upset and the minister could not get a photo shot with the the processors. But we all know they will not do anything like that because it would upset the status quo.

wrangler

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I think farmers are too hard on themselves. We are price takers. There are certain things that could be done but as Martin Coughlan says there is no rules in the game and the three farm organisations have not the wit to fight it. Chaining trollys togeather in supermarkets that take 5% of our produce is immaterial and a useless tactic.

Maybe Will has hinted at something maybe the farm organisations should organize a protest outside the processors tents in the ploughing. But then Anna May would be upset and the minister could not get a photo shot with the the processors. But we all know they will not do anything like that because it would upset the status quo.

If meat processing was a lucrative business, there'd be more start ups, everything finds it's own level. whingeing on isn't going to achieve anything, the public won't tolerate an increase in beef/lamb price while pork and chicken price is at the level it is. Pig producers just seem to be expanding all the time even at present prices so maybe beef/lamb producers should be looking at their own efficiencies
The highlighted sentence is typical of the atitude out there, no matter what anyone tries there's the same reaction so why try anything.
Through life I always picked up the gauntlet on any issues that affected me (and a lot that didn't), I certainly didn't blame others for my own poor judgement.

kk.man

Heard bullocks will definitely be 3.80 next week.

Cavanjack

Got €3.85 base for bullocks this day last year. I'm fairly sure they are pulling them as this is when most of the under 30 month cattle are coming fit. It's no surprise, same story this time of the year every year.

gerryirl

Cavanjack wrote: »

Got €3.85 base for bullocks this day last year. I'm fairly sure they are pulling them as this is when most of the under 30 month cattle are coming fit. It's no surprise, same story this time of the year every year.

yes same pattern the last few years. I killed cattle earlier on in the year got 4.10 base. I was feeding them over the winter. They came into big money but they had it well eatin. Grass cattle is the job but then the low prices in the backend like now make it usless. Its a no win situation really. I have a few stores to sell next week and Ill see how I get on before I decide what to do for the winter. This farming is worse than any drug

Cavanjack

gerryirl wrote: »

yes same pattern the last few years. I killed cattle earlier on in the year got 4.10 base. I was feeding them over the winter. They came into big money but they had it well eatin. Grass cattle is the job but then the low prices in the backend like now make it usless. Its a no win situation really. I have a few stores to sell next week and Ill see how I get on before I decide what to do for the winter. This farming is worse than any drug

I suppose if the beef price was high now You couldn't buy stores.

gerryirl

sell them when there cheap and buy when there dear ..lol

Bass Reeves

wrangler wrote: »

If meat processing was a lucrative business, there'd be more start ups, everything finds it's own level. whingeing on isn't going to achieve anything, the public won't tolerate an increase in beef/lamb price while pork and chicken price is at the level it is. Pig producers just seem to be expanding all the time even at present prices so maybe beef/lamb producers should be looking at their own efficiencies
The highlighted sentence is typical of the atitude out there, no matter what anyone tries there's the same reaction so why try anything.
Through life I always picked up the gauntlet on any issues that affected me (and a lot that didn't), I certainly didn't blame others for my own poor judgement.

Pig numbers are cyclic, at present we are at or near the end of an expansion period. According to today's rag slaughtering of sows have began at a serious rate. Chicken is produced on a margin basis with farmer only supplying labour, housing and electricity. It is interesting that a project farm ran by Dawn Meat's group that was going to show us all how to run a proper traditional style suckler farm cannot make a profit even before it allows for land rental and labour costs::rolleyes: Are we surprised it will be interesting to see how the other model suckler farm ran by the ''Rag'' manages. So much for a suckler cow grant.

As a finisher I work on a margin if I receive less for my beef I pay less for stores. if my costs(feed, contractor etc) go up and beef prices fall I pay less for stores. This is why this year farmers with stores are getting slaughtered by mart prices. it has nothing to do with my judgment. However I see lads with stores and weanling's taking an awful hit and as well there costs this year are horrendous. Looking at beef prices in the short to medium term (from here to next February) my advice to any finisher is to look at the longterm. Doing the sums on some 350-450kg store there looks to be a decent margin in it even if prices next year are at a base of 3.8/kg or less. The only other viable option is to sell silage.

It is interesting as well that the producer groups set up by the Breed society's AA and HE are being ran into the ground by the processors. This is because they cannot negotiate a national base price for there producer's. Most mid sized finishers have bought into processor propaganda that producer groups will mean they will get less for there beef and the smaller lad will benefit. By this propaganda they keep this change in practice at bay. In a way trade unions are ahead of the game. They fight for a lift in the minimum wage on the basis that a rising tide lifts all boats. The theory behind this is the higher the minimum wage the more it forces up other wages. It can backfire at times but in general it seems to work.

Bass Reeves

gerryirl wrote: »

sell them when there cheap and buy when there dear ..lol

In any finishing system you buy as you sell. So buy cheap, sell cheap or visa versa. Where real profit is made is if you read the market right is not to replace when replacement stock is expensive and the outlook is poor.

wrangler

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Pig numbers are cyclic, at present we are at or near the end of an expansion period. According to today's rag slaughtering of sows have began at a serious rate. Chicken is produced on a margin basis with farmer only supplying labour, housing and electricity. It is interesting that a project farm ran by Dawn Meat's group that was going to show us all how to run a proper traditional style suckler farm cannot make a profit even before it allows for land rental and labour costs::rolleyes: Are we surprised it will be interesting to see how the other model suckler farm ran by the ''Rag'' manages. So much for a suckler cow grant.

As a finisher I work on a margin if I receive less for my beef I pay less for stores. if my costs(feed, contractor etc) go up and beef prices fall I pay less for stores. This is why this year farmers with stores are getting slaughtered by mart prices. it has nothing to do with my judgment. However I see lads with stores and weanling's taking an awful hit and as well there costs this year are horrendous. Looking at beef prices in the short to medium term (from here to next February) my advice to any finisher is to look at the longterm. Doing the sums on some 350-450kg store there looks to be a decent margin in it even if prices next year are at a base of 3.8/kg or less. The only other viable option is to sell silage.

It is interesting as well that the producer groups set up by the Breed society's AA and HE are being ran into the ground by the processors. This is because they cannot negotiate a national base price for there producer's. Most mid sized finishers have bought into processor propaganda that producer groups will mean they will get less for there beef and the smaller lad will benefit. By this propaganda they keep this change in practice at bay. In a way trade unions are ahead of the game. They fight for a lift in the minimum wage on the basis that a rising tide lifts all boats. The theory behind this is the higher the minimum wage the more it forces up other wages. It can backfire at times but in general it seems to work.

Trade unions can withdraw services. Until farmers can do that it's pointless (and unfair) to hold unions up as an example of the holy grail.
All any organisatiion can do for farmers is lobby/hignlight the issues....it works well with the government/EU, waste of time with businesses

Bass Reeves

wrangler wrote: »

Trade unions can withdraw services. Until farmers can do that it's pointless (and unfair) to hold unions up as an example of the holy grail.
All any organisatiion can do for farmers is lobby/hignlight the issues....it works well with the government/EU, waste of time with businesses

You cannot understand the points I made you are again gone off on a complete tangent. My point was and I do not have much time for unions any longer but there insistence on looking for a rise in the minimum wage(90% of the workers who are not unionized) forces all wages above it up in an economy and put a floor under wages in a recession.

When an organisation lobbies only for certain sections in it organisation and will not look at leading its membership it will fails to lift all boats.

patsy_mccabe

Perception and reality are 2 different things. Graph showing Irish R3 Steer prices versus European average for R3 bulls, over the last 2 years.
Source - Bord Bia.

Muckit

€3.90 heifers kepak Athleague

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Perception and reality are 2 different things. Graph showing Irish R3 Steer prices versus European average for R3 bulls, over the last 2 years.
Source - Bord Bia.

Are they comparing apples and oranges there? Why aren't they comparing irish bulls v european bulls u16mths on the grid?

patsy_mccabe

Muckit wrote: »

Are they comparing apples and oranges there? Why aren't they comparing irish bulls v european bulls u16mths on the grid?

Not them, me. I made the graph as it pops up as a suggestion.
Here we go again. All bulls, this time.

wrangler

Bass Reeves wrote: »

You cannot understand the points I made you are again gone off on a complete tangent. My point was and I do not have much time for unions any longer but there insistence on looking for a rise in the minimum wage(90% of the workers who are not unionized) forces all wages above it up in an economy and put a floor under wages in a recession.

When an organisation lobbies only for certain sections in it organisation and will not look at leading its membership it will fails to lift all boats.

There's committees with Reps from every county for every sector, the effectiveness of every commitee is decided by the calibre of its members.
Every commitee decides its own policy and lobbies on it, I can't see how you can do it any different.
Can't blame the organisation if some Reps work harder than others, I can't stress this strong enough,, leaving someone else to do the work is not an option.
I don't know if you're implying that a minimum price for produce should be negotiated,
From the experience of negotiating a price in the beef protests of 2000, price was only agreed a few weeks when farmers folded under pressure from the factories....another waste of time, do you think a processor would honour a minimum price agreement.
Farmers as a unit will have to show some backbone to pull off what you're hoping for.

White Clover

Muckit wrote: »

€3.90 heifers kepak Athleague

40c of a drop since June, at least €140/ head on your type of stock muckit. It's very disheartening and the price is unlikely to rise anytime soon.

wrangler

White Clover wrote: »

40c of a drop since June, at least €140/ head on your type of stock muckit. It's very disheartening and the price is unlikely to rise anytime soon.

Like the lamb processors, they have to encourage lads that put the effort into having stock ready early in the year, no one would feed for june if the price was the same in september

Bass Reeves

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Perception and reality are 2 different things. Graph showing Irish R3 Steer prices versus European average for R3 bulls, over the last 2 years.
Source - Bord Bia.

Muckit wrote: »

Are they comparing apples and oranges there? Why aren't they comparing irish bulls v european bulls u16mths on the grid?

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Not them, me. I made the graph as it pops up as a suggestion.
Here we go again. All bulls, this time.

Majority of cattle that are slaughtered in Ireland are slaughtered as steers. Processors look for steers as opposed to bulls. Earlier this summer processors attempted to take(and managed in some cases ) to take U16 bulls off the grid and flat priced them. Because of the Irish grading system which most finishers have little confidence in( as there is no checking the integrity of it)so as Muckit says it is comparing apples and oranges.

16-24 month bulls are bought off the grid with no QA even though QA is a requirement. A U=3- bull last week would have made 4/kg( and about 20c/kg if farm not QA) if he was paid on the grid he have made 4.15/kg. So it is apples and orangers. Processosr really only want U16 month bulls from April to late June and even then they are only a fraction of the kill. When you look at the weekly kill all bulls u24 months are counted as young bulls. Last week young bulls made up 7% of the kill I imagine that only a fraction of them were U16 months.

Nobody know for sure but only a fraction of the cattle fall into the QA scheme with cows, bulls over 16 months, cattle 2= FS and below on the grid as well as 4+ and above and lower grading cattle. As well there are hidden cuts such as the gap between R- grade and O+ grade. An O= bullock at the moment will only make 3.6/kg and if he is fed into 4= or fell into 2+FS, he will make 3.55/kg. Before grading machines most AA cattle graded R and a lot of HE cattle as well. Friesian above 350kgs were always O grade cattle. Now most of the FR are ''P''s. The AA and HE are starting to fall into O-.

Mooooo

What ever about anything else qa is simply farmers paying for processors marketing

Muckit

White Clover wrote: »

40c of a drop since June, at least €140/ head on your type of stock muckit. It's very disheartening and the price is unlikely to rise anytime soon.

I always have a batch of heifers ready for June. But the reality of a grass based system is that this time of the year is when most cattle will be killed.

I had heifers killed this morning. If l can "brag" a little, they were a sight. I was proud out dropping them off the ramp and running them down the factory lairage alleyway and they woddling like ducks. Well fleshed but not over.

I know l do them well and that's what l take my satisfaction from anymore. On the killsheet I rarely disagree wirh the grade column, the money column is a different matter entirely!!

Bass Reeves

Muckit wrote: »

I always have a batch of heifers ready for June. But the reality of a grass based system is that this time of the year is when most cattle will be killed.

I had heifers killed this morning. If l can "brag" a little, they were a sight. I was proud out dropping them off the ramp and running them down the factory lairage alleyway and they woddling like ducks. Well fleshed but not over.

I know l do them well and that's what l take my satisfaction from anymore. On the killsheet I rarely disagree wirh the grade column, the money column is a different matter entirely!!

with suckler grade cattle there is little to be made or lost in the grade column. There is only two payments in the R grade and there is no cuts for 4= or 2+ FS. In the O grade there is a cut for the 2+ accross all the grade and for 4+ at two section of the grade. And you fall off the QA at O-. An O-4= bullock will be 30c/KG below the base yet he is only 3 section of a grade below the base.

gerryirl

anyone get any price this week

whelan2

gerryirl wrote: »

anyone get any price this week

3.90 dropping to 3.85 next week. Spent the morning in a lorry with a factory agent. He also told me a lad arrived with 16 cows to the factory last week that weren't booked in and he was sent home....

Muckit

whelan2 wrote: »

3.90 dropping to 3.85 next week. Spent the morning in a lorry with a factory agent. He also told me a lad arrived with 16 cows to the factory last week that weren't booked in and he was sent home....

I would've thought it'd be a given that cattle would need to be booked in?

whelan2

Muckit wrote: »

I would've thought it'd be a given that cattle would need to be booked in?

Aye but some people think they are above booking them in

Willfarman

3.80 is as good as I can get. Booked in since last week.

gerryirl

Willfarman wrote: »

3.80 is as good as I can get. Booked in since last week.

ya thats what Im hearing too. Christ its sh1te in fairness

CloughCasey1

gerryirl wrote: »

Willfarman wrote: »

3.80 is as good as I can get. Booked in since last week.

ya thats what Im hearing too. Christ its sh1te in fairness

3.75 next week im hearing.

Willfarman

Buying cattle from farmers to sell to Larry isn’t working for me anyway!!

Bass Reeves

Willfarman wrote: »

Buying cattle from farmers to sell to Larry isn’t working for me anyway!!

Forward stores over 450-500kgs are too expensive when you look at present finishing costs

Reggie.

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Forward stores over 450-500kgs are too expensive when you look at present finishing costs

At what weight would a bullock be considered finished

Willfarman

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Forward stores over 450-500kgs are too expensive when you look at present finishing costs

Between last winter and summer here bullocks have eaten half a tone of meal. And silage in every month bar this one and June. A bad beef price and extortionate stores is no help either.. I need an extortionate beef price and cheap stores..

Bass Reeves

Reggie. wrote: »

At what weight would a bullock be considered finished

Most lads would bee feeding them to the 650kg LW at least. Most finishers generally feed for 70 days minimum to avail of QA bonus and not get penalized for non QA cattle. However it is FS and not weight that counts. You want cattle to be minimum 3- FS. I have killed Friesian as low as 260/270 kgs at that FS.

dryan

Moved a few to kilbeggan this morning at 3.80.
If i waited till tomorrow, back to 3.75.

patsy_mccabe

Is there any device out there that measures fat score, something like an ultrasound or similar? By this I mean measure before the animal is slaughtered. Would take a lot of guesswork out of it.

Dickie10

i suppose they will keep on cutting the price as long as they keep getting the cattle.

Reggie.

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Most lads would bee feeding them to the 650kg LW at least. Most finishers generally feed for 70 days minimum to avail of QA bonus and not get penalized for non QA cattle. However it is FS and not weight that counts. You want cattle to be minimum 3- FS. I have killed Friesian as low as 260/270 kgs at that FS.

Few bullocks here in the 500kg to 550kg weight range. Never killed to factory and just wondering which would be the best option. All Feb 17 cattle. Will hold for another 3 or 4 weeks yet I think. Advice? Mart or factory?

Burning Tires

Reggie. wrote: »

Few bullocks here in the 500kg to 550kg weight range. Never killed to factory and just wondering which would be the best option. All Feb 17 cattle. Will hold for another 3 or 4 weeks yet I think. Advice? Mart or factory?

At that weight. Mart all day long.

Reggie.

Burning Tires wrote: »

At that weight. Mart all day long.

Cheers. Usually do that but with this year I was conflicted

Muckit

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Is there any device out there that measures fat score, something like an ultrasound or similar? By this I mean measure before the animal is slaughtered. Would take a lot of guesswork out of it.

Your eye! No guesswork after a while.

Hill Bill

€3.85 for heifers, going end of the week.

Attie

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Is there any device out there that measures fat score, something like an ultrasound or similar? By this I mean measure before the animal is slaughtered. Would take a lot of guesswork out of it.

This might help Patsy.

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2016/ASA-Charleville-2016-Beef-Carcass-Classification-MMcG.pdf

gerryirl

Willfarman wrote: »

Buying cattle from farmers to sell to Larry isn’t working for me anyway!!

your not alone. With the costs involved, finishing cattle is becoming pointless. Have stores in mart tomorrow and that will point me in the direction to go depending on what happens

gerryirl

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Forward stores over 450-500kgs are too expensive when you look at present finishing costs

agreed. the figures dont add up