June 23rd 2001

Beef

Market

The Payment for Destruct Scheme ends next Friday week. From July 1 next Intervention support prices will fall by about 5p a lb bringing the likely buying in price for bullocks to about 75 p a lb. The PFD scheme has cushioned Irish beef prices from the falls seen on the Continent. Once it ends the price picture for over 30 month prime cattle will change dramatically. Even a reopening of Egypt may not be enough to rescue the over 30 month steers and heifers

For a few weeks, tight supplies should keep up prices but its a gamble keeping fit cattle after next week.

New storage scheme

The EU has asked for tenders from Irish factories for the new scheme from next Monday. This has the potential to raise the price of plain cows especially. The rush to kill cows should not be as urgent. But to date the cow kill in 2001 is back 30% on the rates of the last three years suggesting that there is a back up in the system.

Do your sums when buying store cattle. A 600 kg bullock at 75 p a lb will net about £515 after factory deductions. The £40 slaughter premium should be payable on top of this. The Government savings scheme is a better bet than dear stores.

Grass

Grass takes close management these weeks to keep up the quality for the season. A REPS farm with little scope to use nitrogen can be the most difficult to manage as the sward can be thin with little tillering. A mob of weaned ewes can be as good as a topper in cleaning off a stemmy paddock. Three strands of a well earthed electric fence should contain the ewes.

Breeding

Just after dawn (a very early start these mornings) and before dusk is the best time to catch cows in heat for AI. Keep a bullock or two with the cows as cheap heat detectors. Record each cow being AI'd so that you can watch for her repeating. If you have to hold cows for AI, have cows trained to come to the yard with a shake of meal every other day.

If you are not doing well on heat detection, pedigree bulls are more plentiful and cheaper that usual these days after the FMD ban on sales. The Charolais Society is offering a package at the sales where only one third of the price is paid on the day with the rest in Nov 2001 and 2002.

Bull choice

Some cow and bull breeds seem to gel better than others. Hereford x cows are better crossed with Charolais, Simmental or Limousin than with Belgian Blue. On the other hand the Belgian Blue seems to work well with Limousin cross cows.

Bull danger

Stock bulls are at their most dangerous during the breeding season. Also the threat increases when herding or handling cattle around dusk.

Slurry