Continental cattle from suckler herd

No meal over the winter. They had a short winter for this part of the country. Housed in the beginning of December and were out just after paddy’s day. They were on good silage and minerals and weighed on average 60-70kg heavier getting out than their purchase weight (mart weight).

Last October and November was dry and those cattle done well before they were housed.

Id be expecting a good r+ 450kg store to kill out close to 400kg dead at most next September. I do try to buy them a bit heavier than that though.

I’d have it the other way around, regularly get limo heifers to kill out at 58-60% dead weight at 26-28 months old. It’s only a very rare Charlaois that’ll do it.

I don’t have cows, all bought in as weanlings so maybe lads are keeping the good Charlaois for themselves and the limo men are more generous with the quality they’re selling but give me the limo any day.

I had a pen of u grade bullocks last winter. 3 Charolais and 3 limousine. All were heading for 3 year old. They were on 10ish kg’s of meal for 70ish days. The limos done not much more than a kg a day. The Charolais closer to 2.

I would have said at the start that the limos were the better bullocks. I like the Charolais with the big thick legs, sure sign that they’ll carry weight. I find you rarely get that with limos.

Kept one heifer this year out of a decent but average AA cow and a master LM bull.

She brought the angus head and belly with a Limo back end and colour.

I have'nt many AA cows so don't really know if the above would be standard, grand heifer and she'll make a grand cow, she is'nt outstanding to look at her though, not in comparison to the LM bred stock anyway.

Lot of people don’t give the aul lads credit. They buy the ch cos they do the best. Yellow ch unbeaten. Not as hard as white ch and bit of shape from limousine cow

What do you think is a fair price for the farmer who produces a 530 kg U grade Charolais bullock?