Selling dairy heifer calves

I would not be so sure that the latest batch are of the same caliber, and some are getting in for the wrong reasons I believe. I hope to be proved wrong.



Back 12 or 15 years ago, an inlaw who was a beef finisher reckoned that he was paying too much for bad cattle (What's new says you :2guns:). He believed that suckler farmers were making handy money selling over priced weanlings. He was on a very big land platform and decided to take on the same amount of land on a 12 year lease from a relative. Over 3 years, he built from 0 to 30, to 60 to 90 suckler cows. His experience with suckler cows would have been minimal. He had loads of teething problems - big problems with scour, hard calvings because of over fed cows, poor quality weanlings because of low milk yields - you name it, it went wrong for him. It almost drove him to the point of break-down. He had 25% mortality every year. In year 5, he had 90 cows and only ~60 scanned in calf. I used to meet him and he would ask how can one man be so unlucky?

But it wasn't bad luck. It was mainly down to a lack of experience. He thought that he could cut out the middle man and cash in on it all. He forgot that he needed to learn and paid for it dearly. He sold all of his suckler cows in year 5.
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he's starting to milk next week :1eye::1eye::1eye::1eye:
 
Back 12 or 15 years ago, an inlaw who was a beef finisher reckoned that he was paying too much for bad cattle (What's new says you :2guns:). He believed that suckler farmers were making handy money selling over priced weanlings. He was on a very big land platform and decided to take on the same amount of land on a 12 year lease from a relative. Over 3 years, he built from 0 to 30, to 60 to 90 suckler cows. His experience with suckler cows would have been minimal. He had loads of teething problems - big problems with scour, hard calvings because of over fed cows, poor quality weanlings because of low milk yields - you name it, it went wrong for him. It almost drove him to the point of break-down. He had 25% mortality every year. In year 5, he had 90 cows and only ~60 scanned in calf. I used to meet him and he would ask how can one man be so unlucky?

But it wasn't bad luck. It was mainly down to a lack of experience. He thought that he could cut out the middle man and cash in on it all. He forgot that he needed to learn and paid for it dearly. He sold all of his suckler cows in year 5.
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he's starting to milk next week :1eye::1eye::1eye::1eye:
That's the problem, if he was a successful suckler farmer, then I am sure he could think about going at the dairying, but having struggled to manage the sucklers, what hope has he trying to manage a dairy herd which surely requires more knowledge and expertise?
 
It's a way higher .arent teagasc up at 1650 euro from birth 2 calving at a 2yr old

but what's driving this demand.is expansion not starting to slow down pretty well , while there are new entrants and still a big demand in the north , is there not an awful lot of dairy Youngstock on farms now or has culling rates increased that there in such demand
Add a purchase cost to my figures and their wouldn't be much of a difference
 
That's the problem, if he was a successful suckler farmer, then I am sure he could think about going at the dairying, but having struggled to manage the sucklers, what hope has he trying to manage a dairy herd which surely requires more knowledge and expertise?

Neither interest or experience leads him. He only follows 💲💰💸
 
Your point re the second wave of new entrants is brilliantly made @Neat, and that would be typical of the 2nd wave of new entrants known to me also. One point that is often forgotten about the 1st wave of dairy entrants that have become very successful is that in general, they were excellent farmers to begin with. I would not be so sure that the latest batch are of the same caliber, and some are getting in for the wrong reasons I believe. I hope to be proved wrong.
Lots of dog and stick men getting into cows at the minute and most are going robotic. Know of one lad in his 70s always tipped away handy at cattle. The son has a good job so they stuck in a robot and are starting this year, the old lad is going to “look after things” while the son is working. It’ll be the finish of the old lad.
The first wave of new entrants were on the ball. Sold them heifers myself and they were not going in with their eyes closed. The lads going in at the minute don’t even ask the price, they just pay wherever asked. Have sold these lads heifers too. But this is just my experience I could be way off the mark.
 
We sold a bunch lately, some 2nd/3/4 and 7th, all good cows with papers and recordings, did not get the money you mention. No one wants april or may calvers unless your a winter milk person.

They sell well freshly calved in April or may but then if you would probably keep them to milk for the year if you kept them to calve .
 
They sell well freshly calved in April or may but then if you would probably keep them to milk for the year if you kept them to calve .
Ya never really had a issue before. Sold 6 last year and few the year before calving the same time. Think like you are saying calved or springing up and guys are more willing to part with a few pound. Have two to calf in may will hold on to them and pull them into the winter lot
 
They sell well freshly calved in April or may but then if you would probably keep them to milk for the year if you kept them to calve .
Don’t know would they sell well at that stage tho, it’s a very limited market bar as I said an autumn calving man or the north. We just had too many so they had to go.
 
Hi all,

I am hoping to sell around 20 heifer calves. Not born yet, So fingers crossed, i
used sexed semen and calves will be from high ebi hol/fr sires on my frx cows. Calves will be an average 200 ebi, with good solids, milk and fertility.

I sold 10 calves last year and the buyer has contacted me looking to buy all my heifer calves that im selling.

What are they worth at 3 weeks old. Im hoping to get as much as i can whilst being fair.

Thanks

at least 350 if you have a good herd
 
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