Spring lamb prices

razor8

Quoting €5 base for tomorrow in ICM plants 😬😬

Sami23

razor8 wrote: »

Quoting €5 base for tomorrow in ICM plants ����

probably be under €5 next week so at this rate

Green farmer

Last out, turnoff the lights at this rate

Buford T. Justice XIX

Green farmer wrote: »

Last out, turnoff the lights at this rate

No need, the power will be long cut off by that stage:(

Lambman

Don't know if you need a physic or a psychiatrist till still be at this game... 5 euro isn't viable know wonder men getting out left right and center... We've no other options though... A local butcher would take a few lambs off me now and again but nothing substantial a lot off my ewe lambs are outta the charrlois so wouldn't do for keeping on as hoggets (not that I would even consider it)... Theres no good news.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Lambman wrote: »

Don't know if you need a physic or a psychiatrist till still be at this game... 5 euro isn't viable know wonder men getting out left right and center... We've no other options though... A local butcher would take a few lambs off me now and again but nothing substantial a lot off my ewe lambs are outta the charrlois so wouldn't do for keeping on as hoggets (not that I would even consider it)... Theres no good news.

I enjoy working with sheep, I find it relaxing even during lambing. But even as committed as I am to sheep, what the factories are doing with prices is making my mind up for me. I'll be culling hard this year and atm am thinking of just buying a terminal ram and let natural wastage run the flock down. I'd be better off just keeping cattle but I'll be a few years before I can build again to winter extra cattle.

All we get from our politicians are promises to investigate the market which is rigged against farmers but they'll do nothing until jobs are threatened in the factories. Tbh, I spend too much time in Spring subsidising the factories all Summer.

I can't see the point in keeping sheep anymore:o

Green farmer

the Average industrial wage cross the country at least €40k a year. Compare that to the average sheep farmer who makes between €12k to €17k per annum, only to be treated like dirt for their efforts. Going to scale back numbers and hours significantly here and see where it goes from there.

Siamsa Sessions

Saw on Twitter that factories are resisting moves to make them show much they get for a lamb. And someone stated then they’re getting 200 euro

Does that seem a bit high? I’d have thought they were getting less?

Obviously they’re price takers to some extent just not to the same extent as farmers! And they have someone to squeeze (is) whereas we don’t

wrangler

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Saw on Twitter that factories are resisting moves to make them show much they get for a lamb. And someone stated then they’re getting 200 euro

Does that seem a bit high? I’d have thought they were getting less?

Obviously they’re price takers to some extent just not to the same extent as farmers! And they have someone to squeeze (is) whereas we don’t

They're authors of their own demise really, they have for years resisted giving a proper bonus at out of season lambs now they're complaining that they haven't a level supply all year round, go figure

orm0nd

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I enjoy working with sheep, I find it relaxing even during lambing. But even as committed as I am to sheep, what the factories are doing with prices is making my mind up for me. I'll be culling hard this year and atm am thinking of just buying a terminal ram and let natural wastage run the flock down. I'd be better off just keeping cattle but I'll be a few years before I can build again to winter extra cattle.

All we get from our politicians are promises to investigate the market which is rigged against farmers but they'll do nothing until jobs are threatened in the factories. Tbh, I spend too much time in Spring subsidising the factories all Summer.

I can't see the point in keeping sheep anymore:o

Planning something similar here, we normally never keep dry hoggetts but have pulled back a good number of light ewe lambs this year.

Have a fair few ewes picked for culling and will add a fair few more.

Plan to max out the welfare scheme will the culls and then factory them next January or February when the ewe lambs will be eligible to make up the numbers.

razor8

wrangler wrote: »

They're authors of their own demise really, they have for years resisted giving a proper bonus at out of season lambs now they're complaining that they haven't a level supply all year round, go figure

Were refusing lambs this week. Will they be complaining when same lambs are out of spec next week?

Box09

Green farmer wrote:

the Average industrial wage cross the country at least €40k a year. Compare that to the average sheep farmer who makes between €12k to €17k per annum, only to be treated like dirt for their efforts. Going to scale back numbers and hours significantly here and see where it goes from there.

So true and most good average jobs are paying significantly more than 40k, I can't see any future in selling lambs at 100-120 euro. Prices haven't changed much in last 10 years.

orm0nd

razor8 wrote: »

Were refusing lambs this week. Will they be complaining when same lambs are out of spec next week?

We went to Kildare this week, neighbour went to camolin, no bother getting away in either.

Lambman

Are many off u in a position till hold back lambs as a protest? I could but would I be bothered with the extra labour and maybe loss off income over the head off it probably not. Farming is the one game were the producer is held till random by the wholesaler and the retailer!

_blaaz

Sold 41kg (well 40.8) lambs earlier this week....made e99



If i can achieve this price for rest it will be ok?

Sami23

Down to 4.90 now ��

farming93

I'm going to cut down to twenty ewes next year and let them lamb in April on grass. As a young farmer who had built up to 83 ewes after starting off with just 11 ewe lambs, I'm sick of these price cuts. I remember having great aspirations when i was in college to build to 120 ewes. With all the talk of doubling the national flock back then " the market will be there "spoof that was spread by the factories or some other shower .. It's not worth taking holidays from work and missing out on events to lamb ewes every year . It'll be a low stocking rate from me from now on, I'll continue keeping the cattle as I do make a few euro on them atleast.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Sheep farmers cut ewe numbers and flock sizes

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/sheep-farmers-cut-ewe-numbers-and-flock-sizes-475044

On 31 December 2018, Ireland had 3,732,955 sheep in 35,186 flocks.

This was down 4% or 142,000 head on the December 2017 figure of 3.87 million.

It looks like lots of people are making the same decisions as us on here:(

_blaaz

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

Sheep farmers cut ewe numbers and flock sizes

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/sheep-farmers-cut-ewe-numbers-and-flock-sizes-475044


It looks like lots of people are making the same decisions as us on here:(

The national flock wont struggle along with crap returns like suckler farmers do




But i have noticed theres much more flock dispersals advertised on donedeal,than used be previously....youd get another every few days on it

Siamsa Sessions

farming93 wrote: »

I'm going to cut down to twenty ewes next year and let them lamb in April on grass. As a young farmer who had built up to 83 ewes after starting off with just 11 ewe lambs, I'm sick of these price cuts. I remember having great aspirations when i was in college to build to 120 ewes. With all the talk of doubling the national flock back then " the market will be there "spoof that was spread by the factories or some other shower .. It's not worth taking holidays from work and missing out on events to lamb ewes every year . It'll be a low stocking rate from me from now on, I'll continue keeping the cattle as I do make a few euro on them atleast.

I’m thinking the same here. I like sheep but there’s only so much stress anyone can take. I changed off-farm jobs recently and holidays are not as plentiful. I’ll be damned if I use them up to lamb sheep instead of trying to get a few days away with herself and the youngsters instead.

Question is what else to do alongside running a few ewes? Bought a few calves this year but going thru the numbers and they won’t leave much either.

Answers on a postcard?

Buford T. Justice XIX

_blaaz wrote: »

The national flock wont struggle along with crap returns like suckler farmers do




But i have noticed theres much more flock dispersals advertised on donedeal,than used be previously....youd get another every few days on it

I honestly don't know, the latest cuts seems to have drained the last shred of confidence from any sheep men I've been talking to.

If the factories want to have lambs, they'll have to suck it up and pay an honest price for it.

_blaaz

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I honestly don't know, the latest cuts seems to have drained the last shred of confidence from any sheep men I've been talking to.

If the factories want to have lambs, they'll have to suck it up and pay an honest price for it.

Its hard to justify paying 5 or 600 for a ram lamb on todays prices




Theyll have to up.the rates esp.for proper fit lambs....i remember as a youngster working weekends on what at time was a big enough sheep farm (800 lowland ewes)....and a factory agent was out showing the types of finish they wanted on lambs etc(was a collection of smaller farmers there same day too)


But as i said previously,i worked with lad buying sheep etc for a small.enough factory,some lads are taking piss sending in heavy lambs alright but woeful killouts.....seen lambs at 50 kg kill.as low as 18/19

Theres been too.much concentration on output vs quality*** ....to correct this factories are going to have to pay more for better killout grades

.....why would a lad feed/finish lambs properly to a good grade....if not getting paid for it



*** i dont want to come across as trolling/insulting etc and not wanting to run anyone on heres animals down etc....but compare any hill/lowland sheep sold on donedeal vs hill sheep that appear in trials on bbc there on a monday night

Sami23

Box09 wrote: »

If the factories want to have lambs, they'll have to suck it up and pay an honest price for it.

They won't though as people will still sell @92 to 96 euro for 44-46kgs lambs. I seen it myself in the Mart yesterday

wrangler

_blaaz wrote: »

Its hard to justify paying 5 or 600 for a ram lamb on todays prices




Theyll have to up.the rates esp.for proper fit lambs....i remember as a youngster working weekends on what at time was a big enough sheep farm (800 lowland ewes)....and a factory agent was out showing the types of finish they wanted on lambs etc(was a collection of smaller farmers there same day too)


But as i said previously,i worked with lad buying sheep etc for a small.enough factory,some lads are taking piss sending in heavy lambs alright but woeful killouts.....seen lambs at 50 kg kill.as low as 18/19

Theres been too.much concentration on output vs quality*** ....to correct this factories are going to have to pay more for better killout grades

.....why would a lad feed/finish lambs properly to a good grade....if not getting paid for it



*** i dont want to come across as trolling/insulting etc and not wanting to run anyone on heres animals down etc....but compare any hill/lowland sheep sold on donedeal vs hill sheep that appear in trials on bbc there on a monday night

I'd be disappointed too with the look of some lambs in the lairage and wouldn't like to be the person that has to eat them, ,
We just eat our own lambs here

_blaaz

wrangler wrote: »

I'd be disappointed too with the look of some lambs in the lairage and wouldn't like to be the person that has to eat them, ,
We just eat our own lambs here

Ive long since suspected alot of reasoning behind lorry loads of lambs from NI/england coming in,

Has as much to do.with quality vs price as there deosnt seem to be that huge a price differential (admittedly from my limited enough research into the prices).....

I heard ould lads who used buy up store lambs giving out 10 years ago about quality being gone outta sheep...but this may be just my area,gone nearly totally into dairying nowadays

kk.man

farming93 wrote: »

I'm going to cut down to twenty ewes next year and let them lamb in April on grass. As a young farmer who had built up to 83 ewes after starting off with just 11 ewe lambs, I'm sick of these price cuts. I remember having great aspirations when i was in college to build to 120 ewes. With all the talk of doubling the national flock back then " the market will be there "spoof that was spread by the factories or some other shower .. It's not worth taking holidays from work and missing out on events to lamb ewes every year . It'll be a low stocking rate from me from now on, I'll continue keeping the cattle as I do make a few euro on them atleast.

+1

Green farmer

Maybe low input, low stocking rates might just be the way to go. Turnover is going to plummet, but so will all the variable costs. Try and keep your Dept payments as your profit. That’s the only way I can see if making something out of sheep. However, at that point, you’d get as much renting out land to the dairy sector and freeing up your time to do something else. Shame on the govt and unions for letting the meat sector evolve to becoming so controlled by one or two players and so uncompetitive. And they wonder why rural Ireland is in decline.

Siamsa Sessions

Green farmer wrote: »

Maybe low input, low stocking rates might just be the way to go. Turnover is going to plummet, but so will all the variable costs. Try and keep your Dept payments as your profit. That’s the only way I can see if making something out of sheep. However, at that point, you’d get as much renting out land to the dairy sector and freeing up your time to do something else. Shame on the govt and unions for letting the meat sector evolve to becoming so controlled by one or two players and so uncompetitive. And they wonder why rural Ireland is in decline.

100% agree. I know the world has changed and consumers nigh on expect free food now but we’ve allowed ourselves to become badly paid state employees far too easily

Dickie10

i buy weanling/store heifers and finsh off grass , i also buy around 200 store lambs from kerry in late july for finish

Lambman

Made till change tags in 3 fat ewes today at Mart as they hadn't 2 tags they all had the eid in left ear but lost the other tag... Luckily I had tags in Jeep