Which type of stores will turn the biggest profit?
With the grass growing season fast approaching, I have started buying in the remainder of my stock for finishing off grass.
Spurred on by strong factory demand for anything with a bit of flesh, current store prices are presenting a real challenge for anyone hoping to break even, never mind show a profit from summer grazing.
However, we have seen it all before. There will always be winners and losers in the cattle business. For the store producers to succeed, they need the type of trade we are experiencing at the moment.
On the other hand when prices drop and finishers get a chance to get a decent margin, it’s the store producer who often takes the rap.
This summer should give me plenty of guidance on what direction I take my enterprise.
First of all, the cattle I bought in the autumn were a bit lighter than I would have liked. I’m a bit concerned that this may make them slower to finish.
A few weeks ago, struggling to spot a bit of value, I bought a bunch of tall plain Friesians weighing 380kg for just under €2/kg. While they don’t appear that expensive they are a bit of a gamble and could also struggle to finish off grass in the autumn.
For the first time in many years I bought a single Hereford cross bullock weighing 380kg. He of course cost a good deal more.
I also bought two very nice British Friesian types weighing 440kg, but because of their weight and conformation I had to pay €2.20/kg for them, which I’m told was very good value on the day.
While I still have some more stock to buy, it looks like I will have a wide variety of cattle on my farm this summer.
The question is which will do the best? Will it be the cattle I bought last autumn who must carry the cost of a full winter’s feed on their back? Will it be the tall cattle who did not weigh that well when bought in February?
Or perhaps it will be the nice Friesians who were about the same size but cost €200 more?
On the other hand, it may be none of these. That Hereford cross bullock could well mark a transition from having my fields full with black and whites to being greeted by a more colourful landscape when I check my cattle each morning.
As far as grass is concerned, things have really improved in recent weeks. Some paddocks are looking so well that I am tempted to let out some cattle.
But I have decided to hold off for a while to see how the weather is in March. My unfortunate experience last spring and the fact that I am grazing old pasture means that sufficient re-growth may not be available until some time in April.
Meanwhile, when reading Tamara Fitzpatrick’s excellent ‘Valentine’s on the Farm’ article (from February 13) it suddenly struck me how harrowing and unjust parttime farming is for a large number of Irish families.
Three young farming couples told Tamara how they had sustained their relationships by achieving a good work-life balance.
One couple explained “how important it is to spend quality time with each other as a couple outside work”.
Another said: “Don’t let the farm creep into your downtime together — it can easily take over.”
The third said: “It’s important to remember who you are as a person and take time to do things you enjoy, aside from farming.”
Unfortunately, for the large number of Irish farmers who have been forced to work full-time off-farm, achieving such a work-life balance is the stuff of dreams. They return to their farms each evening, faced with doing another day’s work.
These farmers, their spouses and their children are really struggling to develop their relationships and enjoy a normal family life — thanks in part to the policies of the EU and our government.
Succession? The children from these families will surely have little love for a farming industry which has deprived them of such an important part of their youth.