There has been a €117/head difference in the price paid at marts between the top and bottom third of continental-cross calves from the dairy herd when ranked by commercial beef value (CBV).
Analysis of the prices paid on 109,581 calves with a CBV sold so far this year by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) showed that the top third of continental-cross bulls sold for €561/head compared to €444/head for those in the bottom third. For heifers of those breeds the difference is €100/head.
The gap isn’t as wide when it comes to traditional beef breed-sired calves. For bull calves, those in the top third sold for €60/head higher than the bottom third while for heifers the difference was €47/head. For dairy males, the price difference stood at €60/head.
Approximately half of all calves sold in marts this spring had a genomic evaluation available, with this rising to 56% over the peak selling weeks.
This highlights that more farmers are using genomic information when it comes to buying and selling calves, as it enables them to have more confidence in the future growth and finishing performance of the calf they are purchasing for their herd.
Designed to allow buyers to make more informed purchasing decisions, the CBV differentiates between calves that may look similar visually but can perform very differently over their lifetime. It is linked to key traits such as carcase weight, age at finish and feed efficiency.
Commenting on the figures Seán Coughlan, chief executive officer of the ICBF, said: “This spring has shown how the CBV is becoming a key element of calf purchasing decisions, giving farmers clear, objective information on beef potential while fitting seamlessly into normal mart trading.”
The ICBF also noted that participation in the National Genotyping Programme (NGP) has not delayed calves being presented for sale. Calves from participating herds were sold at a similar age to those from non-NGP herds, with any small differences early in the season narrowing as the weeks progressed.
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