is extensive the way forward for beef?

Markcheese

just do it wrote: »

The best steaks I've ever had were in South America. Consistently good beef even in cheap as chips restaurants. I'm continually disappointed by steaks I get in restaurants here. What does that say?

That we don't cook steaks as well here as in South America !!
Seriously they do pretty much the opposite to what I was taught in catering college (well kind of ) , and I agree the beef tasted great over there, their butchery was a bit different too ...
( all the meat brought to room temp for an hour or more before cooking, well seasoned, well in advanced and lightly oiled, cooked over a wood fired grill , try it at home with a crappy supermarket steak , it works ...

Markcheese

just do it wrote: »

Someone stated on here lately that a JEx?? (AA or HE I think) won a best testing beef trial somewhere. Makes you think alright

BBC food program did a blind beef taste competition , winner was guernsey /Charolais cross , the breeder/finisher was meticulous about handling / limiting stress on the animals, used a local abattoir and long hanging time on the hook. (Think 28 days)... That was years ago though 10 or so ...

Panch18

just do it wrote: »

Have you operated both? How are you so sure? I did scenario analysis with my profit monitor and that showed extensive was more profitable

We have done both and done the numbers on every possible beef system

What was your scenario analysis and what was the variance in profits?

Markcheese

Well bred Angus and Hereford stock, and crosses, on decent grass and silage should finish young enough with minimal meal.in a reasonably low cost system... But lower finishing weights/kill out weights leave less income per animal which leaves less to buy weanlings , so over time the guy who'll suffer will be the suckler lads...

just do it

Panch18 wrote: »

We have done both and done the numbers on every possible beef system

What was your scenario analysis and what was the variance in profits?

Don't recall exactly now and can't be arsed looking to see if I saved the excel. All I know is the push to intensive for me would require more housing and slurry storage and I can't see sucklers paying for 1) further land improvement, 2) capital costs of housing, 3) drawings.

Extensive I should add would see a move to traditional breed produced organically that can finish off grass at low carcase weight. Saving on fert and feed and receive roughly €1/kg more at plant and get organics grant. Why go half way without going all the way?!

Panch18

just do it wrote: »

Don't recall exactly now and can't be arsed looking to see if I saved the excel. All I know is the push to intensive for me would require more housing and slurry storage and I can't see sucklers paying for 1) further land improvement, 2) capital costs of housing, 3) drawings.

Extensive I should add would see a move to traditional breed produced organically that can finish off grass at low carcase weight. Saving on fert and feed and receive roughly €1/kg more at plant and get organics grant. Why go half way without going all the way?!

Good points JDI - by the time you factor in extra housing etc then intensive just doesn't make sense for beef as far as I can see

interesting about the Organic - and you are probably right why go half way

Are you giving serious consideration to Organic?

just do it

Panch18 wrote: »

Good points JDI - by the time you factor in extra housing etc then intensive just doesn't make sense for beef as far as I can see

interesting about the Organic - and you are probably right why go half way

Are you giving serious consideration to Organic?

As i see it it's either organic or dairy if you want to draw money out of it. Not advocating that's the answer for anyone else by the way. That's just what it's boiling down to for me.

Bullocks

I dont know if extensive is the way for all beef farmers , but definitely the way to go for suckler cows . I think its mad when I see the money people have tied up in sheds , tractors , machinery all "supposedly" paid for by a weanlings !!!
Some people have great herds of sucklers around me now but I will be sticking with a black dairy cross that doesnt cost alot to buy and has plenty of milk .

_Brian

Bullocks wrote: »

I dont know if extensive is the way for all beef farmers , but definitely the way to go for suckler cows . I think its mad when I see the money people have tied up in sheds , tractors , machinery all "supposedly" paid for by a weanlings !!!
Some people have great herds of sucklers around me now but I will be sticking with a black dairy cross that doesnt cost alot to buy and has plenty of milk .

I wouldn't be confident these cows are a good model.

It's costing maybe €650 to keep the cow for the year and get the weanling to the mart. The weanlings will be of lesser desirability and relative quality and typically at 10 months will top out at €700/750.
It an awful lot of work for €50/100 a head.

Maybe if your bringing everything to kill, I've never costed this out myself.

Bullocks

_Brian wrote: »

I wouldn't be confident these cows are a good model.

It's costing maybe €650 to keep the cow for the year and get the weanling to the mart. The weanlings will be of lesser desirability and relative quality and typically at 10 months will top out at €700/750.
It an awful lot of work for €50/100 a head.

Maybe if your bringing everything to kill, I've never costed this out myself.

They would want to be finished on farm or at least brought as far as a forward store before selling . They wouldn't be great sellers as weanlins alright .
I don't have any costings either but I have a few mixed bullocks getting nuts here at the minute and there isn't much between the boys out of lim cows and lim x cows . As for their mothers , the more bred they are the quicker they go back when grass/silage is scarce and I've been disappointed more than once by the quality of calf out of what I thought was a great limo or blue cow .
I think the dairy cross has a drop of milk a bit longer for the weanlin too without taking too much out of her before she calves .