Spring 2011

As you can see from the photo above, our bigger steers (Herefords) are looking remarkably fat for the end of Winter (look at the fat briskets!) Behind them and to the left, you can see one of one new crop of young steers. This time we have some small Angus, rather a fine looking group.

Part of the reason the bigger ones have come out of Winter so well was that, after selling most of our fattened herd, we did not have many to carry through winter. Normally we restock with younger cattle when we sell our big fellows but this year the young cattle have been just too expensive so we have been holding off buying more.

Part of the reason is the promise of a good season this year with farmers holding onto their stock and partly because there is apparently quite a trade in young cattle for export to places such as Russia as they try to build up their herds. 

Fattened cattle are fetching a reasonable but certainly not unusually high prices so, if you spend too much on your replacement herd, you wind up going backwards.       

Let's hope for Spring that is mild and reasonably dry.  

(3/9/2011)