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Beef & Lamb
14 July 2021
UK beef production totalled 82,200 tonnes in March, up 8% year-on-year, according to data from Defra.
13 July 2021
During the week ending 15 April, the GB liveweight OSL SQQ gained 3p, to 216.28p/kg. Prices are once again above previous year levels, although significantly lower than pre-lockdown levels.
14 July 2021
In the week ending 11 April the GB overall deadweight average fell by 8p to £3.28/kg
16 April 2020
Investigating new systems which will make beef cattle more efficient to produce, less damaging to the environment and yet still more cost-effective for farmers
30 January 2024
In contrast to last year, grass growth has had rather a slow start to the season.
13 July 2021
Liveweight prices have increased this week, although the increase was weighted towards earlier in the week. The GB liveweight OSL SQQ increased by 10.9p, to 213.0p/kg.
30 January 2024
The US beef market has been heavily affected by the slowdown in foodservice.
14 July 2021
In recent weeks retail demand for mince has risen sharply. There is some product available from foodservice that could be diverted into retail, however this is unlikely to be enough to cover the increase in demand for mince at retail level.
9 April 2020
With the nation’s restaurants closed for the foreseeable future, farmers and chefs are teaming up to help people enjoy the perfect steak dinner at home.
21 December 2021
To benefit from higher grass yields in the long term, spring reseeds need a light grazing and careful management in their first 6 months. Start by doing a ‘pull test’ to establish whether seedlings have rooted properly and then use young calves to nip off leaves from 6 weeks after establishment. “The last thing you want to do is to graze and lift out seedlings,” says LIC consultant Sean Chubb. “You only want to take off the top 4 cm to encourage regrowth and tillering, so use calves because they won’t graze as low or as hard as older stock. There is no point in doing all that hard work if you then have to oversow next spring. “In their first year, new leys need preferential treatment: leave a residual growth of 5 cm, potentially graze less and then perhaps correct for this in autumn. Accepting less tonnage this year means you will be rewarded with better growth in future.” Using heavier livestock not only risks overgrazing and slowing regrowth, but also compaction where reseeding has involved a full seedbed preparation leaving a light, fluffy soil. When direct drilling into an established sward, however, cows can be used to do a light first grazing. After its first grazing, a new ley should be left to grow to 2.5–3 leaves and not be overgrazed. Leaving slightly higher covers avoids taking energy out of the plant: roots need to grow down and out, says Sean. “This is particularly important going into summer. New leys are more susceptible to drought and dying from overgrazing,” he points out, adding that a typical 10% of the platform reseeded each year is not a large enough area to affect measuring and software calculations.
9 April 2020
Oversowing can provide a cost-effective way of improving pasture without the need for seedbed preparation. It is useful in situations in which you do not want to – or can’t – plough, if there are gaps in the sward (for example, after poaching), or if you need more rye-grass or clover.
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14 July 2021
Average deadweight prime cattle prices held in the week ending 4 April, while cull cow prices dropped again.