Teagasc has released a series of beef budgets for winter finishing steers, weanling to beef (steers and heifers), store to beef (autumn to autumn) and bull beef systems involving continental weanlings.
The state agency has examined the cost of production and break-even price per kg required for a Friesian, a Hereford-cross, and a continental-cross finished over the winter as steers.
| Breed | Friesian | Hereford-X | Continental-X |
| Purchase weight October (kg) | 500 | 500 | 530 |
| Silage required (tonnes) | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| Meal(kg/head/day) | 4 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Average daily gain (kg) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Liveweight at sale (kg) | 626 | 626 | 670 |
| Carcass weight | 326 | 332 | 375 |
| Purchase weight | 500 | 500 | 530 |
| Assumed purchase price (€100kg liveweight) | 176 | 205 | 233 |
| Purchase price (€/head) | 880 | 1025 | 1235 |
| Plus costs: (€/head)
– Variable costs (€) – Fixed costs (€) |
349
88 |
349
90 |
351
93 |
| Total costs (€) | 437 | 439 | 444 |
| Breakeven selling price required (€/head) | 1,317 | 1,464 | 1,679 |
| Breakeven selling price required (€/kg carcass) | 4.04 | 4.41 | 4.48 |
Autumn store prices
The state agency has outlined the effect of the autumn 2020 store prices on break-even prices required next spring.
| Breed | Friesian | Hereford-X | Continental-X |
| Lower store prices Autumn 2020
– € per 100kg – Breakeven price required €/kg carcass |
166 3.89 |
195 4.26 |
223 4.33 |
| Assumed store price autumn 2020
– € per 100kg – Breakeven price required €/kg carcass |
176 4.04 |
205 4.41 |
233 4.48 |
| Higher store prices autumn 2020
– € per 100kg – Breakeven price required €/kg carcass |
186 4.20 |
215 4.57 |
243 4.62 |
Assumptions:
- Very good levels of efficiency with a high average daily gain;
- Meal cost at €240 per tonne;
- Silage quality critical to performance: Well preserved, 20% DM, 72% DMD, Cost of €30 per tonne;
- Good animal health – dosing and other health costs at €8 per head;
- Transport and marketing at €42 per head;
- Half the interest cost on feed and animals borrowed at 7%.;
- No mortality assumed;
- Selling price required only covers variable and fixed costs and does not include a margin.
Notes:
- Using ad-lib meals over the last 80 days could be an option with cheaper meals;
- High-risk system – sensitive to buying & selling price & performance achieved.
