Getting Winter Ready: The True Cost of Buying & Finishing Cattle
As part of the ‘Getter Winter Ready’ series, Teagasc cattle specialist, David Argue, discusses the Teagasc beef budgets on the latest Beef Edge podcast this week. With cattle prices at very strong levels over the past year, the economics of buying and finishing cattle have become increasingly important for beef farmers. In this episode, we take a closer look at the latest Teagasc beef finishing budgets and ask what the figures mean on the ground for farmers making purchasing decisions this autumn. David outlines the economics of buying a 550kg bullock, how much importance should be placed on the weight of the animal being purchased, and whether paying more per head for a heavier animal could actually result in a lower cost per kilogram of beef produced. The discussion also focuses on daily liveweight gain and just how quickly the economics of a finishing system can change. What difference does achieving 1.2kg/day rather than 0.8kg/day make to the overall margin? With feed accounting for a major proportion of finishing costs, David discusses how sensitive these systems are to changes in concentrate and silage prices. A specific dairy-beef runner budget is included this year, David highlights the key figures dairy-beef farmers should consider when deciding what price they can afford to pay for runners this autumn. Finally, in addition to the purchase price of the animal and feed costs, it is important to consider machinery, buildings, labour and other fixed costs when calculating the true cost of production. The Teagasc budgets provide national guidelines, but every farm is different. View the budgets for the different beef production systems at: Teagasc Beef Budgets 2026/2027 - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com
