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Tuesdays Livestock Update 18 November
Tuesdays Livestock Update 18 November
At Toowoomba there was a very similar size yarding to last week. The young cattle section was dominated by yearlings, while calves and vealers were in short supply. Values for yearling steers and heifers generally remained firm, while steers and bullocks lost 7¢ to 11¢/kg. Most of the cows sold close to firm.
Numbers increased at Tamworth, despite the promise of rain. Vealers sold firm, while lightweight yearling steers to restock were 2¢/kg dearer. Yearling heifers were unchanged. Better quality heavy steers sold firm while the balance were slightly cheaper. Good quality cows were up to 2¢/kg dearer, while the plain condition cows sold to a cheaper trend.
At Wagga, numbers increased and quality was mixed across all grades. Prime vealers eased 2¢ to 3¢, while lightweight vealer heifers lost up to 10¢/kg. Yearling steers and heifers to the trade were firm to slightly cheaper. Grown steers and bullocks lifted 3¢ to 5¢ with the well finished C3 and C4 making from 155¢ to 190¢/kg. Heavy cows were fully firm while the light and medium weight lines were firm to 2¢/kg cheaper.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) finished Monday 1.5¢ less than last week; at 329.25¢/kg cwt. The Japan ox lost 8¢ from last week to end at 172¢ and the US cow indicator was down 4¢ to end at 136¢/kg.
Numbers fell and quality was mixed at Bendigo. Light lambs to restockers were firm to $2 dearer to range from $42 to $67/head. Lambs to the trade were $4 to $6 dearer with lightweights making $62 to $77/head. Heavy and medium trades ranged from $60 to $92/head. Heavy lambs were $10 to $12 dearer with most averaging 360¢/kg cwt.
There was a larger yarding at Dubbo however, quality was mixed. Lightweight young lambs to restockers reached $60/head. The better trade new season lambs remained firm. Heavy lambs were firm to average 341¢ to 358¢/kg cwt. Sheep numbers lifted and quality varied. Values remained firm to $2/head cheaper as the better finished 3 scores averaged 166¢ to 169¢/kg cwt.
Across the eastern states indicators gained. Merino lamb lifted 8¢ and light lamb 5¢ from last week to finish at 259¢ and 305¢/kg cwt respectively. The trade lamb indicator lifted to 340¢, while heavy lamb gained 1¢ to finish at 349¢/kg cwt. Mutton was up 3¢ to end at 156¢/kg cwt.
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Queensland drives up beef production
With the cost of diesel skyrocketing more than 40pc this year, and fuel now accounting for 30pc of costs on Australian farms, ways to to trim fuel usage remain top of mind.
As a result, autoguidance systems like Case IH’s AccuGuide, which can reduce the amount of fuel used by eliminating overlaps, are very much in the limelight, according to Case IH brand manager, advanced farming systems, Guiseppe Cuteri.
He says the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service has worked out that if guidance systems were used on 10pc of the planted areas across the US, then fuel use would be cut by almost 61 million litres.
All this is old hat to Victorian grain grower, Brian Smith (pictured), who uses autoguidance technology on his Case IH 210 Magnum and 425 Steiger tractors, as well as an 8010 Axial-Flow combine and 4410 Patriot sprayer.
Over the past four years he estimates the autoguidance system has led to annual fuel savings of 10pc across his operation, which is significant considering he uses around $87,000 of fuel annually to sow, spray, harvest and bale crops on his 3,000ha property at Nhill.
“When we initially started using the technology, the appeal for me was increased accuracy,” he said.
“But as fuel has become more expensive, the savings have become just as important to us.”
To reduce fuel costs further, Mr Smith also changed his seeding practices three years ago, moving to a lighter bar.
He says that using a newer and lighter 50ft wide cultivator bar has translated into an additional saving of two litres of fuel/hectare during the course of his cropping season.
Case IH is also talking up its Engine Power Management system on its CVX, Maxxum and new Puma range of tractors – technology that measures the precise amount of fuel for the task, courtesy of constant engine RPM settings which hold engine speed within a desired range.
Meanwhile, an Automatic Productivity Management system will be launched for the Magnum and Steiger lines later this year, according to Case IH’s Guiseppe Cuteri.
MLA 7/11/2008
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Groundbreaking new calculator predicts carcase weights on-farm
A groundbreaking new calculator is now available that can help cattle producers predict weight and fat specifications of animals destined for store and prime markets.
The development of the computer-based BeefSpecs calculator, funded by Meat & Livestock Australia and designed by the Beef CRC, will assist cattle producers in making more accurate management decisions that could increase carcase compliance rates for fatness and weight targets specific to various beef markets.
Currently up to 25 percent of Australian cattle fail to meet targets for hot standard carcase weight (HSCW) and fat specifications, at a cost of between $15 and $30 a head, depending on the target market.
The online BeefSpecs calculator requires users to input initial live weight, P8 fat depth and frame score (an indication of frame size relative to age) to define the growth and maturity parameters of cattle while still on-farm.
The likely or possible parameters relating to HGP usage, average daily weight gain, feed type (grain or grass) and the system and duration of grazing/feeding are then input into the calculator to predict, on a group average basis, final fat depth and live and carcase weight attributes.
MLA’s Southern Beef Manager, Angus Hobson, said the simple-to-use BeefSpecs calculator will help cattle producers make informed management decisions and allow them to better meet market specifications.
“Increasing carcase compliance rates for fatness and weight targets specific to various beef markets is an important profit driver for beef businesses, especially those supplying feeder steers and finished cattle for high quality markets,” Mr Hobson said.
“If the calculator predicts the animals will exceed the required specifications, the input information can be revised and the animals can be managed accordingly so that they do meet specifications. This has obvious advantages in terms of improving production and cost efficiencies.”
A recent study of feedlot cattle showed that in a 20,000 head sample of animals being finished for short-fed markets, 28 percent missed HSCW specifications, forfeiting $31,000 ($5.50/head) and 16 percent missed P8 fat specifications, forfeiting $54,000 ($17.50/head).
The current version of BeefSpecs is limited to group-only applications with Bos taurus (British/European) steers, however work is already underway to enhance its application to heifers and steers of all breeds and composites.
The free BeefSpecs calculator is available for download from the More Beef from Pastures section of MLA’s website: www.mla.com.au/beefspecs. 7/11/2008
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