Ed Curtin July/August Update 2024
Winter feed plans
- Fodder budget update
- Reseeded silage pressure is adding pressure to feed reserves
- Third cut silage is an option
To finish or sell live?
- Finishing costs for dairy beef cattle
- Does it pay to finish or sell live?
- Decision made to keep them on
Animal Nutrition
Ed has updated his fodder budget for the coming winter. He expects to have the following stock:
- 21 suckler cows & calves – 6 months
- 60 dairy beef calves – 6 months
- 36 finishing dairy beef yearlings – to be finished from the shed within 60 days in November/December.
He has 624 bales of silage made so far this year. Without any ration, his would need to have 829 bales for the winter. However when 1kg/head/day for the cows, suckler calves and dairy beef weanlings is accounted for over the winter, along with an average of 6kg/head/day for the dairy beef finishers over 60 days, the silage requirement is reduced to 639 bales of silage, meaning that another 15 bales of silage will be needed.
Ed has the option to take a third cut from 2 silage fields and from surplus paddocks in Boherbue that might fill this void, plus add a reserve of silage. It would also reduce the risk of buying poor quality silage. Recommended fertiliser rates for third cut silage are 60 units of nitrogen, i.e. 2500 gallons/acre of slurry and 1 bag of 38% protected urea/acre.
Figure 1: One of the standing crops of second cut silage
Normally Ed would have more than enough silage for the winter, but the 11 acre silage field that he reseeded after first cut is adding an extra challenge in an already challenging year, but he does not expect to be as tight for silage next year when that is back in.
Figure 2: The reseeded silage field
Financial
Ed’s other option is to sell some of the dairy beef stock that are for finishing. He estimates the finishing costs per animal as follows:
- Ration €180
- Silage €45
- Vaccinations & dosing €21
- Grass €44
- Sundry €16
- Fixed costs for extra 4 months on farm: €64
- Total: €370
If they came into 285kg carcass weight and made €5.15/kg in the factory they would make €1467.75/head. They now weigh an average of 360kg and are making €2.50/kg live weight so would make €900/head.
However when the finishing costs are accounted for, it means that the cattle would lose almost €200/head if sold live now. Therefore Ed has decided to make/source the extra silage and continue with his plan to finish them.
Performance
Four cows were sold in the factory on 4th July at an average of 95.5 months. They were an average of 437 kg carcass weight, graded U-3+ and made €2076/head.
The suckler weanlings were also sold recently. The 10 bulls were sold on 3rd July and averaged 391kg, making €3.91/kg on average.
The 5 heifers were sold on 10th July. They averaged 394kg and averaged €3.97/kg.
Figure 3: The suckler heifers that were sold for €3.97/kg