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Dairy Calves 2024

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 627 ✭✭✭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?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,400 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 627 ✭✭✭Jack98


    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?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    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



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,952 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



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,867 ✭✭✭ginger22


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,970 ✭✭✭farawaygrass


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,400 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭jaymla627


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

    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

    Than for 2024 theirs already 150kgs/n spread

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



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,069 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,077 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,069 ✭✭✭kevthegaff




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,877 ✭✭✭mf240


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,077 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,069 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,120 ✭✭✭Sheep breeder


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,937 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    WAs in the mart selling something, had a look at the calves. About 10 shocking looking fr bull calves. Looked the sale up on mart eye one really bad one made 5 euro and 50 each for the rest. Good lim calf 260 euro



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭visatorro


    How old were the calves? The last few calves here took a turn on me. I had them in an old garden and the only thing I can think of is they eat something poisonous. All still alive and eating but if they make it ill be looking at them for a long time. Wouldn't dream of bringing them out to a sale.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,937 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Id Say 2 weeks to 4 weeks . Sold 7 out of yard here today. 150 whiteheads and 100 angus. Repeat customer. Probably could have asked more but he'll be back next week



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,420 ✭✭✭tractorporn


    Mine have done the opposite, I had them on a bit of rough ground round an old house and the are shining coming out of it. Could yours have licked some paint or something off an old gate?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭visatorro


    Possibly, it's a strange one the way they went



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