Storm Éowyn and the early January snow aside, the 2025 weather has been relatively kind to farmers. You could nearly say that going back to August last year, we’ve had a good run. It was badly needed, as the previous two years were challenging to say the least, especially the Springs. March and April 2024 were particularly difficult and some of the fallout from those are being seen now with calving moved slightly later across both the dairy and beef herds. This has been a result of a combination of accident and design. Some farmers may have chosen to hold the start of breeding for a week or ten days in the hope that they could calve closer to grazing time. Unfortunately, in some cases, the changeable weather at breeding time resulted in lower conception rates at first service resulting in the national calf births running behind where they usually should be. Significantly behind too when you factor in that there are 46,000 less calvings in the country to the end of May. This is a drop broken down into 29,000 less cows calving in the dairy herd so far and 17,000 less in the beef herd. That’s only for five months but it includes the busiest period and accounts for almost 1.9 million cows. Overall cow numbers are predicted to be back by 100,000 for the year.
The decline of the bovine herd is occurring across Europe and resulting in record beef prices as supply struggles to keep up with demand. The rising prices are starting to impact a little on consumers too, as supermarkets have recently started to pass beef price rises onto consumers. I have a feeling we’ll be peaking soon, as there is only so much someone will pay before they have to consider a different option.
That has played out in the cattle trade all spring. Farmers who sold cattle in October and November with the intention to restock in spring had a rude awakening, as prices rose at astonishing rates from January onwards. The 2022- and 2023-born stock they sold at the end of 2024 were barely covering the prices of the year-old cattle they were trying to buy a few months later. Mart managers all mentioned how they saw people drop down a level or two from what they previously bought in order to stock their farms. Some are choosing to step away now with the hope of getting something later on. They are selling silage now but still need a certain stocking level in order to access their main EU farm payment.
Other farmers ended up looking at calves as an option when they never did before. They require a different skillset than older stock so, for some, it may be a harsh lesson for one spring only. Prices in the calf rings sky-rocketed too. Prices didn’t just double for some of them, it tripled and quadrupled in some cases; taking off right through late April and May when they would usually go down. An expensive calf used to be classed as anything over €300. I’ve seen opening bids of €600 on month-old calves in recent weeks. A month to six-week-old Angus or Hereford calf weighing around 70kg, basically a close to but not quite weaned calf, has been selling for between €500 and €700 and even more over the last month. The home market is one driver but the shortage of cattle in Europe is another.
The cattle herd decline is not just confined to this corner of the world either, as the American herd is at its lowest population since the 1950s. While policy, with a focus on reducing production, is a factor in the decline in Europe, I think the challenge of generational renewal is a worldwide issue for food production.
I’m biased, in that it’s a job that I enjoy, but it has no shortage of challenges, many of which are uncontrollable. All can be going smoothly and then a disease outbreak or changeable weather can come along and ruin the best-laid plans. There’s a big time demand too and that doesn’t always suit people.
Think back to Covid times. Garden centres were restricted early on but the seed stands in supermarkets were emptied as people gave growing their own food a try. Those same seed packets aren’t cleared out to the same extent anymore. The reality of time commitments and how hard it can be to grow food probably hit home for many.
Regardless of the type of production system, I think we need to do more to get people involved in food production. The global systems we’ve come to rely on in recent decades are subject to more disruptions for the foreseeable future so making more people aware of what is involved is incredibly important.
On the home farm
For the first time I can remember on this farm there was a gap between the last cow calving and the beginning of the breeding season. It’s been a target for a long time but reality often gets in the way and, while I’ve got close on a few occasions, this May it was finally achieved.
Last year, the group that accompanied the bull to Ballinascarthy contained calves that were much younger than the ones that were there already. To avoid too much bullying of the young calves they were kept separate and bred once he was finished with the main group. As a result, those half dozen cows were the last few to calf at the end of April and into the middle of May. While it was only a week or 10 days, I was glad of the mini-break and I hope to widen that a bit more for 2026.
Breeding got underway around May 20, so I expect late February and early March to be busy. Preparations for winter are well advanced with a good proportion of silage in and a share of the yards washed. The plan, once the first few weeks of breeding is passed, is to try and take it easy for a few weeks and enjoy the West Cork summer.
