Late autumn is the time of weanling sales and a number of the programme farms are preparing their spring-born and last autumn-born weanlings for sale.
In a weanling system, weight for age is crucial. The calf has to generate enough income to cover its rearing costs and the cost of keeping the suckler cow.
The best and easiest way to achieve a higher sale price is to have heavy weanlings.
While lighter weanlings will have a higher price per kilogramme, it is irrelevant if the sale value is not high enough to cover costs.
Cover costs
For instance, a 300kg weanling could sell for €800, which is a sale price of €2.66/kg, yet the €800 may barely cover the production costs, leaving little profit on the calf.
In contrast, a 400kg weanling could sell for €1,000, which is a sale price of €2.50/kg. The sale price of a heavier weanling will most likely cover all production costs and leave a greater margin on the calf.
The sale weight and sale value is more important than the price per kilogramme.
Likewise, the programme farms will average out the sales over all weanlings sold, as the best calves will command the highest prices, while the plainer or lighter calves will be worth less.
To maximise sale weight, date of calving is important for weanlings, as April- and May-born calves will be too light for sale in autumn.
Where there are late spring-born calves on the programme farms, the farmers are holding these calves over winter on silage and 2kg/day of ration and planning to graze them next spring before selling.
This way, the calves are sold at a heavier weight and the early grazing helps to get additional kilogrammes of cheap weight gain.
Calves that are being sold in autumn have been weaned well in advance of sale and calves are settled on meals.
Worming programme
In all cases, calves have been following a proper worming programme this summer and some farmers have vaccinated calves against respiratory diseases, such as IBR and pneumonia.
This practice has helped to increase the sale value of weanlings compared with calves coming into the marts having been taken straight off of the cow. For instance, a number of weanling producers have repeat customers who now come directly to the yard to purchase calves as they know the animals have a good health status and proper weaning means calves thrive once they reach their new home.
Programme farmers who produce weanlings are now selling calves in specialised sales and directly from the yard.The farms have set a target minimum weight for sale to ensure that they are selling weanlings that can generate a sale value high enough to cover costs and leave a margin.Lighter weanlings below this target weight will be wintered on silage and 2kg/day of meal and sold next spring off grass.Calves have been weaned well in advance of the weanling sales to maximise their sale value.Regular worming of weanlings and calves that are properly weaned has led to a number of repeat buyers sourcing animals directly off farm.
Late autumn is the time of weanling sales and a number of the programme farms are preparing their spring-born and last autumn-born weanlings for sale.
In a weanling system, weight for age is crucial. The calf has to generate enough income to cover its rearing costs and the cost of keeping the suckler cow.
The best and easiest way to achieve a higher sale price is to have heavy weanlings.
While lighter weanlings will have a higher price per kilogramme, it is irrelevant if the sale value is not high enough to cover costs.
Cover costs
For instance, a 300kg weanling could sell for €800, which is a sale price of €2.66/kg, yet the €800 may barely cover the production costs, leaving little profit on the calf.
In contrast, a 400kg weanling could sell for €1,000, which is a sale price of €2.50/kg. The sale price of a heavier weanling will most likely cover all production costs and leave a greater margin on the calf.
The sale weight and sale value is more important than the price per kilogramme.
Likewise, the programme farms will average out the sales over all weanlings sold, as the best calves will command the highest prices, while the plainer or lighter calves will be worth less.
To maximise sale weight, date of calving is important for weanlings, as April- and May-born calves will be too light for sale in autumn.
Where there are late spring-born calves on the programme farms, the farmers are holding these calves over winter on silage and 2kg/day of ration and planning to graze them next spring before selling.
This way, the calves are sold at a heavier weight and the early grazing helps to get additional kilogrammes of cheap weight gain.
Calves that are being sold in autumn have been weaned well in advance of sale and calves are settled on meals.
Worming programme
In all cases, calves have been following a proper worming programme this summer and some farmers have vaccinated calves against respiratory diseases, such as IBR and pneumonia.
This practice has helped to increase the sale value of weanlings compared with calves coming into the marts having been taken straight off of the cow. For instance, a number of weanling producers have repeat customers who now come directly to the yard to purchase calves as they know the animals have a good health status and proper weaning means calves thrive once they reach their new home.
Programme farmers who produce weanlings are now selling calves in specialised sales and directly from the yard.The farms have set a target minimum weight for sale to ensure that they are selling weanlings that can generate a sale value high enough to cover costs and leave a margin.Lighter weanlings below this target weight will be wintered on silage and 2kg/day of meal and sold next spring off grass.Calves have been weaned well in advance of the weanling sales to maximise their sale value.Regular worming of weanlings and calves that are properly weaned has led to a number of repeat buyers sourcing animals directly off farm. 
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