Autumn means decision time for winter finishers and next week our editor Justin McCarthy will sit down with some of the Irish Farmers Journal livestock team and debate the future of winter beef finishing in Ireland.

Winter finishers will require a beef price north of €4.50/kg to cover all costs based on Irish Farmers Journal analysis.

The analysis looks at a bullock finishing system finishing bullocks out of the shed next March and an under-16-month bull system doing similar.

With beef prices currently hovering around €3.60/kg, they have a long way to go to get to the required beef price to break even.

With store cattle trading at higher prices compared to 2019, it heaps the pressure on winter finishers to secure contracts from factories, something factories have been reluctant to do in the past.

A hard Brexit adds to the uncertainity and could have severe consequences with animals coming to finish in the eye of a Brexit storm next spring. There is more detailed coverage in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal. Farmers will be able to send in questions live during the discussion

The agenda

On the night Justin McCarthy will moderate a discussion that will cover the following topics:

  • Declan Marren will look at feeding regimes, including ration makeup, silage quality and health programmes to make sure you hit high animal performance during the winter finishing period.
  • Adam Woods takes a look at the numbers being finished, different budgets and the finances of each system and what can be tweaked along the way to make things work.
  • Phelim O’Neill will at the implications of Brexit on winter beef finishers and why this autumn’s purchases may be hardest hit of all. He will also take a look at where beef prices are at around the world.
  • The details

    Date: Wednesday 23rd September 2020

    Time: 8pm

    To register for the event , click below.

    Contact:

    Farmers/viewers can submit questions before the event or during the event using:

  • Whatsapp/Text: 086 8366465.
  • Email: awoods@farmersjournal.ie
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