Bumper calf prices forecast for spring

Spring-born calves are likely to be in high demand and prices expected to break records this season.

The technical editor of a lifestyle block website, Dr Clive Dalton, said that based on the high prices already seen for autumn-born calves, prices for four-day-old spring-born calves would break records this month and next.

With the present high prices for store cattle, Dr Dalton said it was not hard to predict that the October/November dairy weaners would be in big demand from sheep farmers moving more into beef, and farmers restocking in drought areas.

Many small block owners were planning to rear calves, knowing that they would meet a ready market.

With internet selling, there was the possibility of having a buyer and a price for calves before they had been reared.

As most buyers now calculated economic returns in terms of dollars per kilogram liveweight, Dr Dalton said it was important that small farmers, perhaps with limited experience, reared top calves if they expected top returns for four-month-old weaners.

This coming season, a bag of milk powder to rear a calf would cost up to $90.

But trying to cut rearing costs by reducing feed energy was false economy.

In the drive to push calves to eat more fibre for rumen development, it was too easy to drop the energy intake of the calf.

"This is so obvious at the dairy weaner sales when some awful calves are presented. Poorly grown dairy weaners are poor value for money, as they have had their growth potential checked.

"And if they ever do catch up, they will take longer to do so and hence need more feed."

Ashburton stock agent Victor Schikker said it was early days yet but predictions were for the price of rearing calves "to take a considerable jump."

Mr Schikker said milk powder and grain needed for rearing calves would be well up in price.

He said the realistic value of calves would be around $100 to $120.

"That's the feeling of real value but who knows what could happen."

Mr Schikker said the viability of rearing a calf depended on the actual calf cost and the price of beef down the track.

"Calf-rearing has got to be a good option this season as farmers need to build up numbers after the drought," he said. The next two to three weeks will tell the story," Mr Schikker said.

He said just the numbers of calves available could pose a problem and would have a bearing on the price.

"We struggled for numbers last year and there has been a whisper that the North Island will be down here for calves this season."

- NZPA