For dairy-beef farmers rearing March-born calves, weaning is now under way in many cases.

The rearing phase is probably the most difficult to get right out of the entire production system and it is definitely the most labour intensive.

Both of these factors turn many farmers off the idea of rearing calves and would prefer to purchase a calf that is already off milk.

Each year, I get queries on the cost of reared calves from prospective buyers and there are two different answers to the question.

The first answer is the current price in the market, while the second price is the actual cost of bringing the animal to the weaned stage.

Price difference

Often, there is quite a difference between the two figures, with the market price not reflecting the cost of bringing the calf through to weaning.

As an example, I have selected a mid-March-born traditional-bred bull calf purchased in early April at three weeks of age.

Looking at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation calf price database, this calf would have cost €205/head.

Table 1 covers the main input costs incurred over the rearing period for the calf rearer or, where the calf remains on the dairy farm for rearing, there still should be an opportunity cost included, as the calf could have been sold at that point.

As can be seen, input costs alone without any calf purchase price come to €167/head. This may not seem a huge figure, but over a large number of calves, it can soon add up. This cost is up around 30% on last year’s costings.

Labour charge

No labour charge has been included in this figure, which is one of the most significant costs in getting a calf to this stage.

This rearing system costed would be at the higher end and includes pneumonia vaccination, clostridial vaccination and treatment for coccidiosis.

There may be costs that could be eliminated from the process, but at the risk of poorer thrive and greater mortality risks.

It is for this reason that it is difficult for large-scale rearers to operate and leave a positive margin.

Seasonal supply

The other big factor working against calf rearers in southern Ireland is the seasonal supply of calves.

At best, rearers would get three crops of calves through the system.

Compare this to the UK, where they have a more flat calving pattern throughout the year, which means there is a constant supply of calves for rearers to bring in at any time of the year.