Beef price tracker 2

StevenToast · 02-10-2022 9:27pm

Obviously feeding meal will improve fat scores....but in my opinion, I dont think you can change conformation scores on an animal......

An O bullock will stay an O bullock no matter how much feed you put into him....maybe get him to an O+....

kk.man · 02-10-2022 9:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693829#Comment_119693829

That's true to a degree but an o+ does slip into an r- with meal. That's what you need to be looking at buying cattle.

Bass Reeves · 02-10-2022 9:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693829#Comment_119693829

well that is totally incorrect. I killed two FR bullocks last week the lighter 327kgsDW was better conformation and squarer but he was only 3- FS. He graded P+. The other lad was 3+FS larger frame plainer bullock 350DW and graded O-. Cattle can go up two points on the grading scale when fed from 3- to 4=

White Clover · 02-10-2022 9:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693647#Comment_119693647

In my opinion Bass those Herefords just lay down fat and don't move on the grade. If he's fat, get him away.

DBK1 · 02-10-2022 9:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693829#Comment_119693829

Cattle only start coming to their potential when they get to 3=/3+ and above. I’d shiver if I had anything below a 3- on a kill sheet. You’ll definitely go up one if not 2 confirmation scores at that stage. And that could be very important if it gets you into the QA range.

Bass Reeves · 02-10-2022 10:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693932#Comment_119693932

There is different levels of Fat. He is only 3-/= IMO. If you feed him to 4-/= he will kill out and grade totally different.

At present he might K/O 49/50% and grade O=/+ if he is fed for 4-5 weeks he could kill 52% and grade O+/R-

The temptation to kill these butty cattle could be great this autumn. A 250kgs DW AA or HE bullock or heifer is making 1200 euro. You buy 200-250kg replacements for 4-500 euro

Carry him to next June and finish will cost 250 euro

weatherbyfoxer · 03-10-2022 10:23pm

AA Heifers booked for factory Thursday 4.70 base.. 4.60 for following week

893bet · 03-10-2022 10:30pm

Sterling has it fucked

03-10-2022 10:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119697852#Comment_119697852

Say they weigh 270. 1269 isn’t too bad if they only cost say 600 last year as yearlings . Would leave around 200.

Say 100 for meal, 30 for testing minerals vaccines etc, 120 for silage (3 bales), 50 grazing and 100 for other costs.

kk.man · 03-10-2022 10:55pm

Wow some drop..they are doing their best to drop the price... Supermarkets dictating to.

Siamsa Sessions · 04-10-2022 9:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119697976#Comment_119697976

Supermarkets dictate everything. They are gatekeepers between food and consumers

kk.man · 04-10-2022 10:01am

There is no-one going to feed cattle or lambs at the price offered and pay the mills for meal at the prices set at present. Me thinks there is going to be a gap in the supply chain if the standoff continues. Todays Indo reports 30 to 40 e to finish a lamb.

wrangler · 04-10-2022 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119698793#Comment_119698793

Like with sheep, a certain amount of targetted feeding has to be done, grass growth won't be long about ceasing now and stock on the farm won't be thriving so you'd be better off without them now even if you have to feed them

Bass Reeves · 04-10-2022 1:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119697907#Comment_119697907

You be at nothing if you are feeding 100 euro worth of ration. My variable costs are 450+/head this year

Projected feed costs 120 day winter 160 euro ( last year 120). Meal ( 2YO bullocks) 70/ head. Dosing and vet 20, mortality 15, grazing costs 100 euro, other costs 50 euro.

Costs next year will exceed 500+/ head. Dropping numbers by 8-10 next year. Carrying 4 bullocks over from.this year as they are too light to feed for to weigh decent before Christmas.

If they were 20 month old heifers that can be replaced for 450/ head there is a small margin as costs would be away lower than mine but if they are 28-30 month old heifers you are losing money.

Cattle weighting brutal off dry land this year. 20-40 kg DW lighter depending on the animal and have eaten more ration.

If the store price drops much more the lads doing calf to store will not be buying many calves next year. You be better off going below 130 kgsN/HA and drawing the extensive grazing and getting the right flowers in you fields to draw as much Acres payment as possible.

A Kepack procurement manager at a beef finishing seminar a months ago was preaching about finishing ( feedlots) having to stay close to the market and reducing to 60 days finishing period. That means that someone else must feed the store to within 75 kgs of finish maybe even 60-65. You would be as well off slaughtering yourself at that stage.

Have been offloading as they came 3/4 fit. Cost of ration too high to consider feeding to get to a decent finish. Have a few to go next Monday. 12 are housed on silage and 5-6 kgs maize. Not sure if I should have pulled the ration and left them until next year

kk.man · 04-10-2022 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119699646#Comment_119699646

Plus 1 was doing the sums myself.

04-10-2022 2:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119699646#Comment_119699646

100 euro buys 200 kg of meal should be enough for Angus heifers

Cavanjack · 04-10-2022 3:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119699646#Comment_119699646

Are you feeding maize in its own to them?

smallbeef · 04-10-2022 5:22pm

Livestock farming is at a strange crossroads. On one hand the beef man had an ok year but outlook looks bleak and rising input costs have most cutting back the heads substantially. On the other hand, the dairy lads have had a bumper year and the outlook looks very bright, so they are driving it on for next year. What it means is the beef man won't be buying nearly as many calves next year, while there will be just as many if not more dairy beef calves for sale in the Spring. The calf export changes won't come into affect for a few years but I'd say the calf market this Spring will be a wash of unwanted calves. Was heading that way anyway but the input costs rises are accelerating it. Lads will have to be paid well to take calves from dairy farms or there will be a lot more mass calf slaughtering scandal's in the news over the next few years. If dairy lads don't see how that is bad for business either the money is gone to their heads or they're just thick.

04-10-2022 9:34pm

Good year for a fellow with cull cows. The current price for them makes a mockery of your prime 25 month old bullock or 23 month old heifer

05-10-2022 12:14am

I wouldn’t be to critical of the dairy lads. The non female replacement calves are byproducts for them.

Your Angus or Hereford out of dairy cow can be finished sub 24 months. Angus bull calves are pricey at the mart. Probably too dear to make a profit on them if the price keeps dropping at the factory.

Hard to finish freisian bullocks at that age. If they find it hard to shift the scrub calves then they will have to change their bulls to more saleable calves.

Bass Reeves · 05-10-2022 9:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119700372#Comment_119700372

Yes they are 28-32 month old bullocks . They just need to put flesh on. Silage is dry ( 40%DM) leafy ( second cut third week in July) so protein should be enough in it to balance the diet. I will add minerals.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119700871#Comment_119700871

Problem.os cost of milk replacer. Was it 60/ bag this year. ?? what will next year's price be. Add in other costs increasing and the store man probably not getting much better prices for stores that are on the lighter side 4-500 kgs and lads are not making any money. Weanling much the same

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702036#Comment_119702036

Ya processors are punishing prime beef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119702641#Comment_119702641

Problem with the sub 24 month is that these systems will cause a bigger glut in the Autumn and a glut in the high cost winter market. It will exacerbate the April to July shortage and push it into August( earlier calves wil be easier to finish U24 months.)

Friesian bullocks are grand going to grass problem is the slower growing AA and HE bullocks that will only put on 500 grams/ day no matter how hard you push them

05-10-2022 10:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703125#Comment_119703125

Wouldn’t the Angus / Hereford off dairy be born around February or March meaning they would be two years old around that time of the year.

I suppose a goodish beef cow was making 1500 over the summer with a good bullock making 1900 to 2k. Maybe the heifer wasn’t looking great at around 1500 but sure heifers are very reasonable to winter and finish.

I don’t see how it would pay to keep a bullock a third winter. I’d put them through the mart.

Bass Reeves · 05-10-2022 11:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703368#Comment_119703368

Taking late January as the start point of calving the first six weeks is targeted for dairy replacement's. Yes there will be some AA/HE calves but the vast majority are born from early March on. Most of these will be from stock bulls. Most Dairy farmers throw in the cheapest easy calving bull they can find.

Add in smaller and smaller cows 550 kgs and you will have a lot of poorer quality calves.

The earlier February calf is ore likely to be off AI as farmers use AI during late April and May to breed replacements and use AI on cows to breed replacements and may AI any cow not targeted to breed a replacement with an AI beef bull.

However some larger farmers run two herds and can let a bull run with one or some farmers who do not do AI themselves will put cows that is bulling in a separate paddock with the beef bull.

Even on the suckler side you will see some very poor quality AA bred stock.

05-10-2022 11:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703577#Comment_119703577

That’s true. Huge variety in Angus bulls. Some have very good scores for carcass weight but they are rare enough.

Id take an Angus bullock out of a dairy cow any day over a freisian bullock. I think they eat less and finish quicker.

Robson99 · 05-10-2022 12:49pm

Anyone know what price things are going to settle at..... seem to be dropping every week now

Bass Reeves · 05-10-2022 2:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704059#Comment_119704059

If lads are similar to me they will be killing the last of the grass cattle at present. After next week nothing off grass as it's running out fast. Rest in the shed and they can stay there a while.

Price has been 4.7/ kg for a while locally, it has dropped to 4.65 for the last load. While it may drop more it will only mop up grass cattle. Lads feeding cattle in a shed will carry them until a significant price rise or Christmas at least

memorystick · 06-10-2022 2:42pm

I'm just wondering if many lads finish cattle on straw and meal only. I know a lad who feeds a lot of straw and meal and very little silage. He maintains that silage is too expensive for fattening and that all they need is roughage. If cattle are on 5 kgs of meal, they'd need very little else. That's his mantra.