Beef price tracker 2

Are you being deliberately contrary? That demo farm was set up, as all experiments are, to determine the facts and profitability (or otherwise) of sucklers. Hypothesise, test, then check results; these prove or disprove the theory. That's how science works.

Your observations on the convergence stuff are hard to fathom. What did you want? I see in the IFJ this week a 40 Ha farmer with €473/Ha entitlements will have their payments cut by a MINIMUM of €6.580 in 2026 and potentially €8,440 per annum. So you think this is a good idea. I do not and I applaud the IFJ in the first instance for highlighting it and secondly for opposing it wholeheartedly.

That was the 4+ Suckler farm, Teagasc had the Derrypatrick herd, there was the Dawn Suckler farm( traditional suckler), there was Suckler herd set up at the Salesians in Pallaskenry as well as at other Ag colleges. They had all them figures all of which failed to make a case for suckler's ( actually Dawn more or less refused to publish the figures). So WTF did we need another. It was to show the great unwashed how to do it. I not contrary but when I see BS I call it as it is. I followed all the figures, I went to a couple of open days at Pallaskenry as it is not to far ( about 30 miles) from me, I saw there FR bull figures as well. Along with that we have the figures from the BETTER farms for the last 10 years us.

The stance on convergence is that drystock farmers in general have the lowest payments/ HA and per farm. Dairy farmers have higher payments and higher rates. While the FJ made a point about a single farm convergence and Criss will put more money on most drystock farmers pickets. By the way I will lose as I am above average, but from now on around the ring everyone will have the same rate

There was no farm set up for rearing dairy cross calves to any great extent. Any research in general ( mostly by Teagasc) is on a 20-22 month finishing system. They pushed the U16 month Friesians bull system until the processor wiped out the margin. They kept trying FR bullocks at 20-22 months until due to its failure they finally put them out to grass and killed them at 26-27 months(May/Early June). God help is they could not even carry a few to 30 months to see if they graded better. Any research is about again high stocking levels, grazing ideal dairy grass heights, baling paddocks if they miss a rotation, feeding cattle to achieve a certain growth rate.

And as you said they made a miniscule profit, that more than any of them have made from f@@king sucklers where the FJ farm lost money before la our and land rental costs and Dawn refused to publish there farm figures. Teagasc finally have set up better farms for calf to beef. Any of these systems are tried on better type land.

So after all this there is no research on calf to store on poorer type ground. There is no research on store to beef going to 30 months.

I see we have a comedian. If you look back over the majority of my posts you’ll see that since the update it’s normally about this time of night when I’m on WiFi that I post.

No champagne, I don’t think we’ll ever afford that out of beef farming but I’m just glad I have the cop on and experience not to be one of the clowns selling factory fit stock in the mart for €150 a head less than their factory value.

It’s a pity more lads wouldn’t put in the effort to learn how to weigh and value their stock and not be dragging down the prices. It’s probably not an issue for lads that are at it as a hobby and don’t need the money but for those of us that need to make a living it’d be nice not to see lads giving them away.

That 368 kg at 28.5 months was excellent. I would be lucky to do 320 kg at 29.5 months (75% FR) and average maybe €1,275 or less.

That’s it in a nutshell really. I’ve made that point on here numerous times before. There’s only room for a profit for one man out of every animal. Maybe when prices are up where they are this year there’s a small profit for 2 men on an animal but that’s about it.

It’s the reason I can’t understand lads complaining about not being allowed more than 4 movements on an animal to get QA. If they’re being moved that many times nobody’s making money.

There’s 10 more of that batch left now that weren't fit to go. 3 of them are big framey bullocks that will kill out above 400kgs but are nowhere near fat yet. There’s 3 or 4 more like you describe with probably about 75% friesian and the remainder are whitehead that plain and simple just weren’t as good as the rest.

They got their first bag of meal yesterday so they’re on 2.5kgs a day now and they’ll be left at that for a few weeks. Then, depending on how they’ll have done since, they’ll be upped to 5kg and they should be hanging by October. Shed space is a problem so they’re going off grass one way or another.

What breed where they?

I only fed my own barley with soya so couldn't go to high rates, when you say underage are you saying under 30mths.

I'm quoting 20 and 22 mth cattle..... like eight mths in the difference

I agree completely with that and it’s why I’m so confused about why lads are willing to sell so cheap in the marts. Them bullocks are not the stock I would normally have. They came through an older bachelor relation of mine and they were what he would have always reared.

It’s heifers I’d always keep and I’ve gone through figures here a few times before on them. I’d keep anything I think can turn a profit. I’d have U+ to O- cattle all eating out of the same barrier in the winter. Bucket reared white heads I’d have killed by Christmas or January when they’re 20-22 months old and I’d be expecting them to be 280-300kgs dw.

Continentals I’d be killing at 22-24 months old and be expecting 360 - 380kg dw.

The way prices are this year them bullocks left a twist but if the base price was 40 or 50 cent less there wouldn’t be a lot out of them.

I think what Wrangler means is that they’ll be 40kgs heavier but achieve that 8 months earlier. The second suckler bred animal will already be a third of the way there by the time the dairy bred is ready.

€700 wrangler no matter what way you cut it up here. And that is here in Wexford on a 120ish day winter. Has to be far more in the west.

The guys on your sort of land able to calve in february and have a long grazing season would have great wealings at the end of the season

Spring weanlings generally made €1000ish here. Generally now have Autumn born weanlings. They are ready to use grass come the spring. Even at that there is still next to nothing in it when the cost of the cow is taken out.

A few pound in it wrangler at that but the cow costs €700. Add in a couple of empties and a mortality rate and it soon eats more into that too. I had 80ish of them at the height and never managed to sell more than 74.

6 bales @ €25 is €150

350kg ration for calf to weanling is circa €100 (July born calves. Eat 2 kg per day in the shed for 120 days. 56 days creep at weanling and before sale at 2.5 kgs per day) First calvers may also get a shake from the bag which also helps bring the average to this.

Tax and insurance on jeep (70% farm usage) is €10 per head

Veterinary is €50 per cow (Testing, dosing, the callouts, vaccination for lepto, salmonella, pneumonia, blackleg. All of which I have had problems with in the past.)

Contracting for slurry and dung €10

Fertiliser outside of silage €40

Electricity €15

Farm insurance including machinery, public liability and my parents house which is part of the yard €15

Diesel €25 (almost use that in green alone not to mind white in the jeep)

AI averages out at €10 per head. I also have a stock bull but do selective AI

Professional fees €17

Straw €20

Land rental €70

Scanning, hoof paring, tags, bvd testing, knackery charges (let's face it, we all lose an odd one), minerals, cost of bull divided over cows €30

Repairs, servicing and replacement of machinery (Try to upgrade one machine per year, possibly every 2 years. For example new spinner this year €5500, cow box last year €3000 on top of trade in, 12x5'6" dropside trailer the year before €1300. Average €3300 ÷ 80 cows = €40.) Add in servicing and repairs at €10 per head and that is low makes €50.

All of the above in my system is €612. I have not included any phone, building repairs, depreciation or repayments off of the top of my head. I have also divided by 80 although 80 sucklers never sell 80 calves. 75 would be more realistic. That alone adds about 6% to the costs.

I realise Veterinary is high but it is what it is. I am not massaging the figures. €4.50 for testing, €5 for dosing cows and calves, 4 vaccinations is another €15. That is €24.50 per cow alone.

Advisory

Feel free to knock them but there are the costs. Put a figure on all of the headings above in your system.. and you might get a surprise.