Latest news with #Friesians
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Lighter animals sink amid concerns over grass – but heavier stock rise
Factory buyers and short-term feeders clearly had orders to buy With numbers continuing to reduce and buyers – many of whom have reached the limit of their quota for grass or their budgets – considering the consequences of a prolonged dry spell on grass availability, the trend for bullocks under 500kg last week was downwards, and in some instances, severely downwards. On the positive side despite factory rhetoric that prices for beef would not go further, those buying more forward animals for finishing responded by doubling down and driving the market on, especially for the 600kg+ type. Overall, steers under 500kg were back just 8-10c/kg at €4.07-4.10/kg, but continentals hit the buffers in a big away as the better types at 300-500kg fell 29-32c/kg to €4.81-4.89/kg. The majority of cattle for grass have already been sold or shipped, so the quality and numbers of those 'better types' are down. Demand for 300-399kg Angus and Hereford bullocks drove them up 13c/kg overall to €4.27/kg, with the better one rising 4c/kg to €4.78/kg. However, 400-499kg Angus and Hereford fell back by 5c/kg to €4.08/kg, with the top end dropping 10c/kg to €4.46/kg. By contrast poorer dairy cross types actually moved up by 3c/kg to €3.66/kg. Lesser-quality 300-399kg Friesians gained 12c/kg to average €3.04/kg, while the better one was up 1c/kg to €3.86/kg. Also holding firm was the better Friesian from 400-499kg as he too gained 1c/kg to settle at €4.00/kg. Overall Friesians under 500kg made €3.48-3.69/kg. Above 500kg it was a different story as continentals gained 18-19c/kg overall to finish the week on €4.50-4.53/kg, with better ones up 13-27c/kg to €4.92/kg – showing that factory buyers and short-term feeders had orders to buy. Hereford and Angus rose €4.13-4.24/kg, with the more dairy type up 18-21c/kg to €3.86-3.95/kg. ADVERTISEMENT Better-quality Friesians over 500kg also cracked on, reaching €4.07-4.17/kg. Twelve months ago, Maurice Brosnan of Gortatlea was adamant that those who reared their calves would be well paid for their work. He reminded me of this at the weekend as he reported month to month-and-a-half-old Angus heifer and bull calves as selling from €765-835/hd. 'Twelve months ago those Angus were making €480-550/hd,' he said. 'At the same time reared Friesian bulls were selling from €250-300 – last week those bulls were generally making €400-500, with the good one making €550. How does he see the next 12 months panning out for those investing now? 'A lot of calves are gone out of the country and the beef trade looks promising,' he said. The latest Bord Bia data shows that live calf exports for the year to date are up 20,110 or 15pc on the same period last year to 156,060. However, 152,332 calves were shipped to the end of April in 2023, which provides some perspective. The main destinations for Irish calf exports are still the Netherlands and Spain, at 61,816 and 53,667 respectively. Poland and Italy are next accounting for 16,863 and 13,245, while Northern Ireland are fifth on a list of 22 countries that Irish shippers supply, at 6,002. In the know – around the marts Gortatlea mart The weather warm helped another series of strong sales last week. Maurice Brosnan said the drive for stock for grass has lifted small cattle €100-200/hd in three weeks. Angus bullocks and heifers made €4.20-4.60/kg, with Herefords at €4.10-4.20/kg and continentals at €4.30-4.70/kg (with the tops hitting €5.00/kg) and Friesian bullocks at €3.70-4.00/kg. Beef cows were up 5-10c/kg with light Friesian types at €3.30-3.50/kg. Demand for calves remained strong with reared Angus and Herefords selling from €765-855/hd. Tullamore mart With 450 cattle presented, bullocks and heifers operated from €4.00-4.50/kg, with the tops at €4.80-5.00/kg – demand for heifers was especially strong. The heavy end included 700kg Angus bullocks at €3,180/hd (€4.54/kg) and 645kg Angus heifers at €3,180/hd (€4.93/kg), while another Angus heifer at 660kg sold to €4.80/kg €3,170/hd. On the store side a 500kg Charolais heifer broke the €5.00/kg barrier at €2,520 while 370kg Limousins bullocks hit €5.13/kg selling at €1,900/hd. Among the Friesians 335kgs sold to €1,180/hd, with 375kgs making €1,300/hd. Ballinasloe mart At Wednesday's sale of 220 cattle, Elish Curley said numbers were 'holding'. Top-end store bullocks headed for €5.50/kg, with two 477kg Limousins making €2,550/hd (€5.34/kg) and a 430kg Charolais selling for €2,360 or €5.49/kg. Heifers also sold well as a 365kg Limousin made €5.20/kg or €1,900, with two 555kg Charolais averaging €4.97/kg, while a 680kg Limousin made €3,300 or €4.85/kg. Cull cows peaked €4.08/kg for a 755kg Charolais at €3,080. Kilrush mart There was a smaller entry here last week, with the calf trade holding very strong at up to €640/hd for continentals, with Angus types making €250-460/hd and Herefords €280-640/hd. There was a good number of lighter stock: three 231kg Hereford bullocks hit €1,290/hd (€5.56/kg) and 405kg Friesians made €1,450/hd and 282kgs to €1,100/hd. On the heifer side top calls included 510kg Charolais and 520kg Angus at €22,260/hd and €2,120/hd respectively, with 325-425kg Herefords making €1,360-1,980/hd. Raphoe mart Trade was again very strong at Thursday's sale of 303 cattle. Forward bullocks and heifers made €4.00-4.80/kg but the real gravy came among medium and lighter weights. Mid-range continentals reached €5.10/kg off a base of €4.00/kg, with lighter animals peaking at €5.40/kg off a base of €4.20/kg. Angus bullocks and heifers generally sold for €3.70- €4.40/kg, with Friesian bullocks at €2.90-3.60/kg.
Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Factories continue to talk the talk about prices needing to come back but agents are instructed to get more numbers
The processors got the message out that prices were coming back and that everything would have to go on the grid, and this was followed by a fall in quotes of around 20c/kg two weeks ago. Last week, however – despite threats that quotes would fall further – quotes for bullocks and heifers stayed put at €7.40/kg, and base prices remained at €7.50-7.70/kg. One agent said that while factories are still talking the trade down, 'a lot of what they are saying is them just trying their case because in reality they need all they can get'. In poker, half the battle is sussing out the mental strength of your opposition. You do this by introducing uncertainty. Play hard and see who folds. The factories upped the ante by pulling prices two weeks ago and threatening further pulls, in the hope that a certain proportion of fatteners would 'fold' and sell without too much fuss. Given the level of investment, it currently takes to buy stock for finishing, the factories' strategy of trying to 'frighten the bejaysus out of men', as one agent commented, prompted a surge in farmers turning up with jeeps and boxes at factory gates. Some bigger finishers also chose to move a share of stock close to the knife a week or two sooner. However, these finishers have been making money on the back of a rocketing market since last November, and that has made them pragmatic in deciding to sell – to reduce risk and protect those earlier profits. Fatteners in the south were being told last week that if they didn't take the grid price on offer (€7.50-7.70/kg) they would have to take a less this week, and even then, there was no guarantee they would be killed this week. While this strategy had some success for the factories last week, it's hard to see how it will work for much longer. By the end of the week,agents were being told to get more numbers. Over the weekend, despite all the talk of factories only paying on the grid, flat prices were on the table, especially where bigger numbers of Angus were concerned. Deals of up to €8.10/kg flat were agreed in the west and midlands for mixed loads of Hereford and Angus, with €8.00/kg flat for continentals reported, while €7.40-7.50/kg was offered for Friesians. Interestingly, the best flat price I heard concerned a change in tactics at one plant, who succeeded in acquiring a large number of heifers from under the competition's nose at €8.20/kg. There is no change in quotes for bulls from 16 to 24 months, with U grades continuing on €7.70/kg and Rs on €7.70/kg. Cull cow quotes for O grades range from €6.40-6.60/kg, with better P grades at €6.40/kg. Again, however, flesh cover and numbers matter, with €7.00/kg reported where the stock qualified on both counts. In summary, while factories continue to talk the talk about prices needing to come back and putting cattle on the grid, their quest for numbers continues to be of paramount importance. Meaning farmers are winning in their battle to sell better flat.
Agriland
25-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Young new entrant goes against the grain milking Montbeliardes
Young new entrant, Eoghan Delaney is farming in partnership with his father PJ where they are now in their third year of milking Montbeliardes and Holstein Friesian cows. Eoghan's father PJ was milking Montbeliarde cows until 2006 before giving it up and with Eoghans interest in the industry and cows, the two decided to get back milking in partnership. When you hear of new entrants into the industry, you would presume that they sourced high economic breeding index (EBI) heifers and cows to get them started and to build their foundation herd but this was not the case with the Delaneys. A few of the Montbeliarde cows grazing The new cubicle/ milking parlour shed that the Delaneys invested in PJ had been milking Montbeliarde cows prior to giving up milking and knew what they were all about and Eoghan said that he wanted a 'good square cow that could produce a quality, saleable calf all while producing milk as good as anything else'. Eoghan admitted that in order to get into milking cows, he'd have to enjoy doing it and enjoy the cows that he worked with and that's why he leaned towards the Montbeliardes. Eoghan and his father PJ invested in a new 80 cubicle shed where a new 16-unit DeLeval parlour is under the same roof. A look inside the new cubicle shed The 16-unit DeLeval parlour The Delaneys started this investment on the back of the Covid 19 pandemic when costs sky-rocketed and admitted that it hasn't all been easy but they intend to keep adding to the place bit by bit and this mindset applies to the herd and their genetics as well. Montbeliarde The Montbeliarde heifers were hard sourced for the Delaneys and so they are now milking 75 cows in which half of them are Montbeliarde and the other half, Holstein Friesians. Eoghan admitted that the Holstein Friesians are also proving their worth in the herd with some of the best performers being Holstein Friesian. However, Eoghan aims to have a full herd of Montbeliardes in the coming years as he is constantly breeding his best cows to high yielding Montbeliarde bulls with percentages to back it off Bó Sires and Coopex. Eoghan and PJ are farming on 36ha and aim to maximise their milk output with an appropriate stocking rate and they feel that this feet is only achievable with the type of cow they are breeding. The Montbeliarde cows are tail painted as Eoghan has stared breeding and wants to breed off the Montbeliardes in the herd The Delaney's herd of cows out grazing The longevity and incredible health and robustness of the Montbeliarde means that the Delaney's only need 10-15 replacement heifers each year, which lowers the farms stocking rate. Any surplus heifers or bull calves born on the farm are sold by three weeks of age in which Eoghan said he gets on average €300/calf. Eoghan mentioned that he uses Limousin, Belgian Blue, Charolais and Blonde d'Aquitaine on cows that he is not breeding his replacements off, has no issues with calving and is offered a superior price for calves. However, he is not too fussed about using sexed semen as through using conventional, he is able to get his number of replacements with ease and even if a bull is born, he is able to sell with ease at a good price. Production Breeding on the farm starts in the first week of April, in which the Delaneys will AI for eight weeks and let stock bulls out to mop up for about three weeks. The aim of the breeding season is to breed a cow with a bit of size, a good square cow , with good health and hoof health that is well able to milk and produce solids as milk recording data plays a big part in selecting cows for Montbeliarde straws. A few of the Montbeliarde bulls used this year to breed the herd's replacements are as follows: Ringostar (MO9884) , with 1,239kg of milk and 0.29% protein and 0.26% fat with a big body capacity; , with 1,239kg of milk and 0.29% protein and 0.26% fat with a big body capacity; Telido (MO1626) , a fertility improver with 973kg of milk with 0.16% protein and 0.28% fat; , a fertility improver with 973kg of milk with 0.16% protein and 0.28% fat; Trevillers (MO2530), a bull with big chest width and 1,594kg of milk, 0.14% fat, 0.14% protein. The cows are out by day since February 10 and out day and night since March 1 and the herd seem to be thriving off the lush grass diet as they are currently producing over 28L/cow/day with protein of 3.61% and a fat of 4.03%. The herd is currently in band two which is up to 6,500kg of milk kg/cow sold and Eoghan's cows are currently producing 5,800kg/cow and he aims to maximise his milk kgs without going into band three. The young herd of cows produced over 400kg of milk solids/cow last year with 4.44% fat and 3.61% protein all while achieving a great average milk price for the year of 52.6c/L which is impressive with the majority of the herd only in their second lactation. A few of the 2025 heifer calves born on the farm The maiden replacement heifers on the farm The herd's calving interval for 2024 was 356 days which demonstrates the herd's fertility, robustness and ability to bounce-back after calving and go back in calf. What impresses Eoghan the most with the Montbeliardes is their ability to bounce back after hard calvings, illness or knocks as he said 'they're a strong cow, and a hard calving doesn't tend to affect them, they just get back up, they're so resilient'. Eoghan is eager to keep on developing his herd's genetics to really drive performance and production but fears what he will lose if the nitrates derogation doesn't get extended. Eoghan said that the Montbeliarde bulls he selects are not only offering production, health and fertility traits but are also bringing great type into his herd of cows and a cow that is suitable for grazing, long walks, with a great beef value. Cow type from body capacity, feet and legs, udder and teat placement are all clearly outlined in the Bó Sires spring catalogue, providing the farmer with an opportunity to breed for production, health, longevity, functional traits and cow type. For more information contact Neil Lahart, 087 095 3744 or Martin Flanagan, 087 1661575
