Mart Price Tracker

Good post I have to say.

There does be a lot of talk here about sucklers being unprofitable and for a lot of farmers maybe they are, but there are plenty of suckler farmers on top of their game and making good money from them. I know men that average €1,500 plus for their weanlings every year, don’t try anyone tell me they aren’t making money at them prices!

The biggest problem for a lot of lads when they see the mart prices is they don’t understand how cattle kill out so don’t know what the equivalent factory price would be.

A U= animal at €4.70 base price in the factory will come to €5.08 after qa and grade bonus. That same animal will kill out at 60% of their yard weight. Allowing for 8% weight loss on the way to the mart that’s up to 65% of mart weight. The €5.08 factory price now needs to be €3.30 per kg live weight price in the mart to match the factory price. A lot of lads are selling these at €2.70 - €2.90 per kg in the mart and think they’ve exceeded the factory price when really the man buying them is turning €200 plus per head on them in a very short time frame, sometimes in a 12 hour timeframe!

As you’ve said, the men buying these cattle in the marts are no fools, and while they aren’t making a fortune on them if they can make €100-€200 per head in a short timeframe then all they need is enough of heads to make money.

That is leaving a gross margin of 1k. March is six months away or 180days. The sums do not work for smaller producers as we cannot get ration/feeding costs at the prices these lads do. Add to that these producers are often getting 20-30c/kg above prices available to us.

However a bull like that makes no sense to me. If I finished him I be lucky to break even at substantial costs. Aside from finishing costs you have to look at other factors. The lad producing them probably needs tillage to defray nitrates. I will put 7 stores in for every three of them. I can put 16stores in a pen that will house 11-12 if them. I wound need better quality silage and to buy straw. It's cost cost cost.

Grant to say they will make 2.5k but I cannot see a margin on them in a small producer system

And there's also lads that went bust at the same game.

If I get time I’ll keep an eye on one of the marts online tomorrow and I’ll pick out a few lots where there’s that type of money to made on them for a man with a good relationship with the procurement manager, meaning he’ll get qa without the 70 day limit or that type of thing.

You just need to have the money in the bank to be able to buy them!

There’s lads that go bust at every game, not just in farming terms either.

* I meant that to be an edit to my previous reply to your post, don’t know why it came up as a new reply.

Going to the mart suits our system and my OH much better than sending finished animals to the factory at the moment, he can go to the mart the week that suits him with a number of animals that suits our system and can transport them himself.

If not happy with the price offered he can bring them home again & if sold, the money is in the bank account on the following Tuesday.

Maybe but it depends on their situation. To go further what’s required - time, feed, shed space, Bord Bia, quantity …

Sometimes it’s easier to take the hit the first day

If he is leaving that much behind him then why are more lads not queuing up to buy them in the mart.

Bulls are awkward to do anything with dont blame anyone for not wanting to be messing with them. If the like of me was to go buying them , ive lost out on a few kg from the messing in the mart, I wouldnt have QA id have to put a price on my time and getting them home . Not much left for a lad trying to flip them who isnt a procurement manager. but them things add up fast . 62% at 4.90/kg is over 3/kg straight away. and 30c on a 600kg beast is 180£ and thats below the average price and that isnt a crazy killout for a young bulls mart weight

Whilst it might not suit yourself bass or others who run a lower cost system, there are men at it who have had a good run of it the last while. And by the way the heavy young bull is selling are backing it been a similar market to that in spring of 2024. Whilst they might take up shed space versus smaller frame stock the turnaround is shorter and they are likely turning them around in half the time. Not saying its the only way to skin a cat but this is why the bigger prices are floating around and lads aren't see the rational for it.

No he’d do well to kill 55% you’d want a miller to kill 62%

i had an 11 year old cow kill 54% mart weight 419 dead weight, 770 mart weight. R= 2+ off grass. what do you think a young bull would kill off meal

You are correct....but farmers never win against the factories....only wins the farmer has is against each other....dog eat dog

How do you squeeze the boys at the top? Easy squeeze the boys below.

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