Spring lamb prices

sheepfarmer92

The whole things a disaster, any man thats feeding lambs all winter at that money is wasting their time, have to laugh at athenry and all these advisors about increasing sheep numbers and stocking rates, not much point if were going to end up taking a euro per kilo less for lambs is there!

kk.man

Willfarman wrote: »

They were lowland tight wooled Charolais lambs. It's no money for the like of them. Ridiculous .

Ah Charolais...wouldn't keep them for ewe hoggets

Green farmer

[quote="sheepfarmer92;102577669"

have to laugh at athenry and all these advisors about increasing sheep numbers and stocking rates, not much point if were going to end up taking a euro per kilo less for lambs is there![/quote]

Remember the factories coming out last summer and wanting us to dramatically increase production over the next few years ? Driving people out of the industry is what their doing.

Username John

razor8 wrote: »

Probably opening up a can of worms but yes. If for killing fine but for breeding they should be coming close to mature weight

It depends on breed etc so I'm assuming there lowland stock

I dunno - our ewes would have had a mature weight of ~80 kgs, maybe 90kg when fattened, but no way would they have weighed close to that at this time of year when ewe lambs...

I always found that they grew frame over the winter, but it was really the spring time when they kinda bulked out...

This is also the first year, we have shown our ewe lambs. When you're used to looking at ewe lambs with wool, the shorn ones look very slight... Every now and then I look at em with panic, thinking 'why are they still so small?'

Green farmer

Willfarman wrote: »

Labelling is one thing but anti competitive practices is another. what are theses lambs costing per kg after purchase transport and mortality is factored in? Is it just a means of guaranteeing supply to keep our lambs on the floor?

whats a 52 kilo lamb costing in a uk market last week?

Agriland have reported that the ifa have met the factories about current prices. The factories rolled out 4 reasons why prices are back. Mostly our fault along with weak markets . Factories stayed stumb on them importing in English lambs though. Ifa did raise it alright, but sounds like factories are ignoring it, from the way the article is written . Will done ifa, Hope they keep up some pressure. Maybe someone can copy link ?

Willfarman

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/4-factors-impacting-the-sheepmeat-trade-at-the-moment/

Inchilad

Username John wrote:

This is also the first year, we have shown our ewe lambs. When you're used to looking at ewe lambs with wool, the shorn ones look very slight... Every now and then I look at em with panic, thinking 'why are they still so small?'

I'm in similiar situation.paid big money for pedigree ram lamb.running here with a lamb I bred myself.shore em in October.look miserable enough.were mighty looking rams with their wool attached!

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/4-factors-impacting-the-sheepmeat-trade-at-the-moment/

OH was talking to Cormac Healy to day, he said he wasn't aware of English lamb coming in.
He also said lambs were too heavy and too many poor quality lambs coming out.
Factory's really deserve it, I had a lovely load of lambs in the factory in October and a farmer came in same day with absolute rubbish on a flat price, mostly R and O 2s, the fatscore 2 was generous, and he claimed to be getting the same price as mine made. why would anyone bother. God help whoever had to eat them,

Green farmer

On the ball there. They want the meal finished, E grade product, but are only paying O grade money. It just cannt be produced for €4.70 a kg at this time of year.

rangler1

Just to say that I don't eat lamb unless it's my own, never buy lamb because it's too variable.
Makes you think when you hear consumption of lamb is declining .
Always thought it was just me, but was talking to our new meat factory manager turned hotel owner,
He was telling me he's feeding 100 wether and ewe lambs for his hotel because lamb is so variable.
There's nothing like the taste of nice lamb but bad lamb'd poison you. There's nothing really we on our own can do about the national taste of lamb but factories should differentiate with price for rubbish

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

On the ball there. They want the meal finished, E grade product, but are only paying O grade money. It just cannt be produced for €4.70 a kg at this time of year.

R or U3 is a good tasty lamb and they know it, but won't reward you for it

Green farmer

rangler1 wrote: »

R or U3 is a good tasty lamb and they know it, but won't reward you for it

This messing at the moment is only damaging themselves in the long term. Lot of lads will think twice next year about finishing winter lambs.

ganmo

Green farmer wrote: »

This messing at the moment is only damaging themselves in the long term. Lot of lads will think twice next year about finishing winter lambs.

I've been saying that about early lamb for the last few years.

The store lamb market has been inflated for the last few years by expensive store cattle

Willfarman

ganmo wrote: »

I've been saying that about early lamb for the last few years.

The store lamb market has been inflated for the last few years by expensive store cattle

104 euro for lamb in February is not sustainable. It can't be done and it won't be done. Unlike cattle, sheep are hardship that won't be endured unless there a twist on them.

You think the problem is an inflated store price? Would you be able to produce a store for €60 and have anything but a smell of sheep ****e off ya? That's where they'd have to be.

Willfarman

rangler1 wrote: »

OH was talking to Cormac Healy to day, he said he wasn't aware of English lamb coming in.
He also said lambs were too heavy and too many poor quality lambs coming out.
Factory's really deserve it, I had a lovely load of lambs in the factory in October and a farmer came in same day with absolute rubbish on a flat price, mostly R and O 2s, the fatscore 2 was generous, and he claimed to be getting the same price as mine made. why would anyone bother. God help whoever had to eat them,

"The customer is entitled to set the spec, that's the real world.
If you don't like the conditions you know what you can do."
Wise words from a wise man...

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

"The customer is entitled to set the spec, that's the real world.
If you don't like the conditions you know what you can do."
Wise words from a wise man...

Expecting to do any better with my lambs than I did this year would be a bit unrealistic, however our friend with the O2s is doing no one any favours

Willfarman

rangler1 wrote: »

Expecting to do any better with my lambs than I did this year would be a bit unrealistic, however our friend with the O2s is doing no one any favours

Lambs like that are firmly in the minority. In Icm flat pricing comes from the chuckle brothers d and d having a fair idea what the producer is going to unload. The demise of the 1500 small butchers was a disaster. Next time your in Icm stop in camolin and have a look in Christy Byrnes at the beef and lamb.. No comparison to any supermarket for consistent qaulity and value.

ganmo

Willfarman wrote: »

104 euro for lamb in February is not sustainable. It can't be done and it won't be done. Unlike cattle, sheep are hardship that won't be endured unless there a twist on them.

You think the problem is an inflated store price? Would you be able to produce a store for €60 and have anything but a smell of sheep ****e off ya? That's where they'd have to be.

did i say that the store price was a problem? just stating facts as i saw them

and no I wouldn't sell stores if €60 was the market price

Willfarman

ganmo wrote: »

I've been saying that about early lamb for the last few years.

The store lamb market has been inflated for the last few years by expensive store cattle

Can you elaborate then on what yo do mean because im at a loss to understand your point so.

charolais0153

Willfarman wrote: »

Can you elaborate then on what yo do mean because im at a loss to understand your point so.

He's saying that stores are overpriced aswll as factory prices being poor. He blames the good store trade on the high price of cattle in summer. Fairly obvious I would of thought. Also 60 is extreme low for store a price of 70-75 compared to 80+ being paid

Willfarman

charolais0153 wrote: »

He's saying that stores are overpriced aswll as factory prices being poor. He blames the good store trade on the high price of cattle in summer. Fairly obvious I would of thought. Also 60 is extreme low for store a price of 70-75 compared to 80+ being paid

well that is what he said and yes it is simple but then he black denied he said it! i bought a good few lambs and after lambing a good few ewes and knowing the cost of producing a store lamb I didn't see any store bringing over the odds. To be honest the ones I bought were cheaper than the ones I reared.

ganmo

ah lad!
you put words in my mouth by saying that it was a problem!
i was just stating it

Willfarman

ganmo wrote: »

ah lad!
you put words in my mouth by saying that it was a problem!
i was just stating it

What exactly are you stating though? Do you think finishers paid too much for lambs last fall? Given that a 52 kg lamb now was over 30 kg in September and costing around 75 eur. Grazed and stored till after Christmas and then needing a month to 2 months intensive feeding. My costings come to over 30 euro. 75 euro lamb + 30 = 105 = zero profit and a bit of hit truth be known because not every lamb is getting top price and they are cutting me and getting free meat on others.

ganmo

Willfarman wrote: »

What exactly are you stating though? Do you think finishers paid too much for lambs last fall? Given that a 52 kg lamb now was over 30 kg in September and costing around 75 eur. Grazed and stored till after Christmas and then needing a month to 2 months intensive feeding. My costings come to over 30 euro. 75 euro lamb + 30 = 105 = zero profit and a bit of hit truth be known because not every lamb is getting top price and they are cutting me and getting free meat on others.

thats theres been inexperienced buyers in the market that may not have their costings done so they pay a few bob more and don't know their number when talking to factory buyers.

Willfarman

ganmo wrote: »

thats theres been inexperienced buyers in the market that may not have their costings done so they pay a few bob more and don't know their number when talking to factory buyers.

I seen no great evidence of that. Same mullackers at em round here and no new faces. And I don't recall any craziness in prices the store trade. Lamb thrive comes to an abrupt halt on grass come mid October. Takes supplementation theron to put weight on. Get to Dec and all weight on is from meal bag. 4.70 a kilo in Feb is like milk at .15 a litre.

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

I seen no great evidence of that. Same mullackers at em round here and no new faces. And I don't recall any craziness in prices the store trade. Lamb thrive comes to an abrupt halt on grass come mid October. Takes supplementation theron to put weight on. Get to Dec and all weight on is from meal bag. 4.70 a kilo in Feb is like milk at .15 a litre.

Definitely not enough profit in a lamb at €100 for two to 'get a twist '' (to quote another wise man :rolleyes:) out of

Username John

I don't know that much about the store lamb trade... and I know nothing of the store cattle trade...

But reading the last few posts - it would seem there is a feeling that lads paying too much for store lambs are somehow to blame for poor lamb prices now? That because they paid too much for stores in previous years - that this forces up the price of fat hoggets in the springtime?

I don't understand that?

In reading the cattle threads on the main forum - the impression I get is there is really only profit for one man in an animal. You're hoping for the lad before you to sell at a bad price, for you to make money...
I hope that isn't what our solution to the current poor lamb price is?

And before anyone asks, I don't know what the solution is either, but I don't think it's throwing the lad who buys store lambs to sell in the spring under the bus either...

Green farmer

Willfarman wrote: »

I seen no great evidence of that. Same mullackers at em round here and no new faces. And I don't recall any craziness in prices the store trade.

I haven't been to a mart in about two years, but last few times I was there, the store lamb trade was overpriced. the cattle boys had arrived and were driving prices up to €20 a head more then what they always had been. also witnessed them squeezing a lot of small boys out of the market.

Username John

Green farmer wrote: »

I haven't been to a mart in about two years, but last few times I was there, the store lamb trade was overpriced. the cattle boys had arrived and were driving prices up to €20 a head more then what they always had been. also witnessed them squeezing a lot of small boys out of the market.

But if a lad pays say 85 or 90 for a store instead of 75 - what impact does this have on the price the factory pays in the spring time?

Surely the factory price is related to store price - all that happens is if you pay too much you run a higher risk of not making any money?

I would have thought both the store and fat price works on supply and demand - and whilst they are dependant on each other (you need some store lambs to have fat lambs later on) The prices paid are fairly independent of each other?

Or - do the factories have their own feedlots where they buy and feed store lambs? This would create more a link between the two prices... but outside of this, I don't see the link?

Green farmer

I don't know John, only thing I know is anyone finishing a winter lamb is getting absolutely cream crackered at the moment. Including me.