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Dairy Calves 2024

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    #1292
    davidk1394
    Registered Users Posts: 4,130 ✭✭✭davidk1394


    Sold two calves in Kilkenny this morning, both AA, born mid April.

    The heifer weighed 46kg €130

    The bull weighed 60kg €220



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    #1293
    K.G.
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,205 Mod ✭✭✭✭K.G.


    AS we approach the end of selling calves and I noticed it was no bother selling calves this year.it wasn't that we made our fortune with them but there always seemed to be people looking for them and the gas thing is except for the fr bulls most stayed in the parish.every year we start the season thinking is this the year it goes wallop but the same lads keep coming back.we ll see next year



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    #1294
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users Posts: 18,651 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    They are going to show us how to do it again. Nearly a million spend. 277 acre farm between Maurice O Regan and Coolmore probably some of the best land in the country. Stocked at 170-200kgsN/HA. This is probably behind a paywall it will be in tomorrow's independent.

    https://m.independent.ie/farming/beef/close-to-a-million-spent-new-demo-farm-in-tipperary-is-going-to-considerable-expense-to-answer-the-question-is-dairy-beef-profitable-in-the-real-world/a209585318.html

    Slava Ukrainii



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    #1295
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,815 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356434#Comment_122356434

    Hard to take it seriously when they set themselves up with every type of infrastructure imaginable, endless labour, the best land, and access to the best genetics.

    It’d have more credibility if they set up a part-time operation and ran it alongside 15 sucklers and 60 ewes.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #1296
    alps
    Registered Users Posts: 5,033 ✭✭✭alps


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356748#Comment_122356748

    They probably want it to mirror your average 277 acre fragmented holding.



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    #1297
    green daries
    Registered Users Posts: 2,252 ✭✭✭green daries


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356748#Comment_122356748

    Tut tut wash out your mouth young man...…



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    #1298
    Finty Lemon
    Registered Users Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭Finty Lemon


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122356748#Comment_122356748

    Nothing wring with running beef demos at scale. Sure if they did what you said then some lad with 14 sucklers and 50 ewes would be saying its not representative.

    Went along for a look today, its an impressive farm. Stock were healthy and thriving but plain enough and will not be to everyone's taste. But reality bites, its about margin not notions. Good to see some economics in beef talked about too. 40k profit with all labour (70k) paid. Give me that over fancy 4 year old roan heifers at 5k a pop.



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    #1299
    Anto_Meath
    Registered Users Posts: 1,334 ✭✭✭Anto_Meath


    Well the fancy 4 year old in calf heifer lark is a pyramid scheme. Have seen a few heifers bought by lads at it including one of my own. You would see them in Elphin or similar a year later making €4,000, but they don't say they gave €2,500 for them and then take all the risk including TB testing. If that went against you at that game you are in big trouble..

    Post edited by Anto_Meath on


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    #1300
    visatorro
    Registered Users Posts: 3,264 ✭✭✭visatorro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122369911#Comment_122369911

    Lads burying alot of cash at that job too.



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    #1301
    jaymla627
    Registered Users Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122365222#Comment_122365222

    The project is been subsidized to the tune of circa 170k a year with free land and nearly a millon spent on the unit that hasnt to be paid back, if the above was costed in the farm would of lost 110k this year



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    #1302
    Jack98
    Registered Users Posts: 581 ✭✭✭Jack98


    Has there been figures from the day published anywhere? Was the 110k excluding payments, all I saw was that figure and 320 animals to be finished so that would be €343 margin per head?



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    #1303
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,223 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370884#Comment_122370884

    talking to lad that was at it …..it was like they were trying to put words in lads mouth so they’d buy in to it ….figures presented were fantasy ….really trying to drive calf cbv value ….stock that were there were plain out …they were thriving but doubted many beef finishers would of been impressed



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    #1304
    jaymla627
    Registered Users Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370950#Comment_122370950
    Screenshot_20240712_104003_Chrome.jpg

    From agriland, teagasc covering land rental but get to retain any biss payments, farm is in deroagtion too, just on the 220 at current stocking rates



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    #1305
    Jack98
    Registered Users Posts: 581 ✭✭✭Jack98


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370972#Comment_122370972

    So going forward on their figures if a farmer had around 120 owned acres, given that it would be decent land finishing 100 cattle a year and with payments maximized they could clear the past part of 60k be nothing wrong with that but a lot of variables still. Do you know if they’re buying the calves weaned from milk?



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    #1306
    jaymla627
    Registered Users Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370969#Comment_122370969

    Killed 5 culls yesterday 4 holstein cows came into 1300, at 4.10 a kilo, butterbox jrx cow made 750 at 3.60 a kilo, they all needed more feeding, but i'd love to be sat down and be educated as to why the obvious bias of hammering non irish genetics breed hols animals is plausable and why are they doctoring the figures, and lying whats the point…

    In their reckoning a high cbv bull used on a high ebi irish cow maybe weighing 500kgs will produce a much superior beef calf to a calf of the above holstein cows



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    #1307
    Siamsa Sessions
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,815 Mod ✭✭✭✭Siamsa Sessions


    There’s lots of work in calf to beef that seems to have been brushed over in this new demo farm.

    Calves themselves need lots of attention and no matter the cleanliness or feed protocols, some will get sick. And some will die. In my experience, you need to divide them into 3 bunches post-weaning: the flyers, the average, and the small/weaker ones. There’s plenty work managing 3 different bunches, drawing meal to them and keeping them all on good grass.

    Not huge work after they hit 9-10 months, but you start to see then which will leave €300 and which will leave €50. Slats and/or outwintering costs too if you don’t have an existing shed.

    Finishing them is another time for managing several different groups as they start to come fit and they’ll need different levels of meal along the way. Pick out 10 (at most) at a time and finish them and hope the factory aren’t pulling prices at that stage.

    And that’s assuming nothing goes wrong along the way with TB, poor weather, price of fertiliser, etc. and decent calves are reasonably priced when you buy them first day.

    I’m not trying to poo-poo the demo farm. All I’m saying is there’s a world of work that big boards and figures/stats inevitably gloss over.

    Trading as Sullivan’s Farm on YouTube



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    #1308
    ginger22
    Registered Users Posts: 1,761 ✭✭✭ginger22


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122371489#Comment_122371489

    Ah shure its another PR exercise by the meat factories trying to get lads to supply them with cheap beef similar to what the milk processors were at a few years ago. Lads are easily led.



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    #1309
    farawaygrass
    Registered Users Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭farawaygrass


    Tipperary-Dairy-Calf-to-Beef-Demonstration-Farm-Open-Day-Booklet.pdf

    I thought they were getting the calves at great value, but I suppose they are in the heart of dairy country.
    I wasn’t at the event unfortunately but had a good read through their booklet. They obviously have a shorter winter which is a help. If their figures are achievable on every day farms, there is definitely thoughts to be taken from it.



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    #1310
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,223 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122372067#Comment_122372067

    from what I gather calves came from west cork area as it’s a joint venture with west cork coops



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    #1311
    jaymla627
    Registered Users Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122372067#Comment_122372067

    They havent even slaughtered the first batch of cattle, they've forcasted their value

    Screenshot_20240712_152111_OneDrive.jpg

    I reckon theyll be in for a nice landing, its a greenfield style project only more dillusional

    First page of booklet n rate of 100kg/ha

    Screenshot_20240712_153812_OneDrive.jpg

    Than for 2024 theirs already 150kgs/n spread

    Screenshot_20240712_153719_OneDrive.jpg

    Why cant they just present the actual factual information without the fairytales



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    #1312
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,994 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122372067#Comment_122372067

    Very good article, we're the aubracs performing a lot better than the Angus?



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    #1313
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users Posts: 18,651 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122371040#Comment_122371040

    They are not allowing for farm setup Investment. The setup cost of 900k+ is not included. Yards and roads take up 7HA. They cleared 423/HA not acre. I do not see a breakdown for the labour cost that worth another 550-600/ HA I am not sure. Evenincluding that you are looking at 400 ish per acre.

    I think the calves are purchased at28 days

    Slava Ukrainii



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    #1314
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,994 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122373015#Comment_122373015

    Depreciation is included?



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    #1315
    mf240
    Registered Users Posts: 4,868 ✭✭✭mf240


    Is the place in limerick still doing the oven ready calves or is that banned now.



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    #1316
    Bass Reeves
    Registered Users Posts: 18,651 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122373065#Comment_122373065

    It 40k of deprecation that is equivlent to about 320k in investment. For the amount of money spend depreciation should be in the 120k/year mark.

    Transposing this down to a 40-50 acre farm where the lad is working part time is hard. Stocking at 220kgs/HA is tough going. I know that part of the reason of this is to justify the labour input but once again we have a demo farm in beef that is not related to where beef farms operate. This is the third farm so setup. If your farm is wet haiw applicable is this.

    The Carcase projection is 275kgs at 4.7/kgaverage. That a fairly decent average weight for the calf type they say they are dealing with. Will this unit end up with 10-20c/kg higher than thr average farm. Because the animals they buy are genotyped they are suitable for the ABP advantage scheme. However trying to source such calves normally is very hard.

    The reality with beef is are you justified hitting those stocking rates. The investment is crazy, it literally the price of another 60-70 acre farm. Now admittedly they did not have access to TAMS. But transposing there investment down to a 40-60 acre unit is 140-200k+. Admittedly the farm would probably have infrastructure already in place and access to TAMS which should reduce the investment back to sub 100k

    The real issue is how you manage a disease outbreak. The farm will have back up from Teagasc in such a scenario which could defray costs.

    Slava Ukrainii



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    #1317
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,994 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122374367#Comment_122374367

    How would it go for a farmer retiring from Dairying or child taking over part time. The level of investment would be practically zero.



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    #1318
    Sheep breeder
    Registered Users Posts: 2,040 ✭✭✭Sheep breeder


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122369911#Comment_122369911

    Agree what your saying and when you see them heifers you wonder where is the room for the calf to come out behind instead of a zip job, these heifers have to be costing fair money coming in and all expenses to come, lots of lads got into that game now.



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