Strength in numbers can keep farmers in the game

Steers Heifers Cull Cows Young Bulls WHEN factory prices for cattle start to fall, you will always be told: “Numbers, it’s all about the numbers”.

With recent weekly slaughterings threatening to go north of 35,000 per week and prices heading in the other direction, you can see the potential for a rocky autumn in the cattle business.

However, there is an important point.

No plant that I am aware of put cattle off for more than a few days last week and there are no reports of farmers with cattle to kill being told “Come back in two weeks”.

The point being that there is a demand for cattle. It helps explain that while some bullocks in the west last week were being priced as low as €3.75/kg, on the back of poor ground conditions, other farmers in the east were securing bases of €3.85/kg for Friesians for this week.

The issue around ground conditions raises some other interesting questions about a different game.

How many of those truly wonderful points taken by Galway on Sunday with such great skill would have landed had the day been wet and or windy. Would Waterford’s two goals have then been the difference?

The answer to that may re- main unknown. However, we do know that as this week gets under way, bullocks are on a general quote of €3.80/kg, with some securing €3.85/kg. One or two of the bigger players are still quoting €3.75/kg, while among the heifers the quotes run from €3.85-€3.90/kg, with talk of €3.95/kg possible.

The trade for cull cows sees what one agent described as a “level of stability” being achieved, with official quotes from some big cull cow killers such as Moyvalley Meats staying firm at €3.45/kg for Rs back to €3.15/kg for Ps, with Os on €3.25/kg.

Agents for other factories speculated that there was probably 5c-10/kg more in those prices if you had “a few”.

Bull prices see under-16 month stock on a base price of €3.95/kg, with various grid bonuses above this. In the 16-24-month category, the Rs and Us are reported as being generally on €3.95-4.00/kg, with another 5c/kg being given if you have numbers, or your stock tick all the right boxes on weights and fat score.

In summary, the weather at this time of year dictates the numbers, but as long as the factories keep that numbers scoreboard ticking over we’ ll all stay at the game.