SHARING OPTIONS:
In order to compensate farmers for the reduced performance of steers over bulls, a beef price in excess of €4.45/kg would be required.
Both national and international research looking at bulls versus steers would all concur that when managed similarly in terms of diet and slaughtered at the same age, bulls will have a:
Higher daily liveweight gain (8% to 10%).
Heavier carcase weight (10% to 15%).
Better feed conversion efficiency (10% to 15%).
Higher lean meat yield (20%).
Higher conformation score and lower carcase fat scores.
From 2010 through to 2015, there was extensive research carried out in Teagasc Grange on suckler-bred bull-beef systems.
One such study compared bulls and steers. These animals were purchased as weanlings in autumn and half were castrated prior to the start of the study.
SHARING OPTIONS:
The study concluded that carcase fat score is a poor indicator of the eating quality of bulls.
A recent study, which took place at Teagasc’s beef research centre in Grange, was undertaken with purchased-in, late-maturing, spring-born weanlings.
They spent the first winter period on ad-lib grass silage and 2kg meal/day.
In spring, they then went on to one of four treatments as follows:
1. Grazed grass for 100 days followed by a 100-day indoor ad-lib concentrate diet.
2. Grazed grass plus half of the diet offered as meal for 200 days.
3. Grazed grass for 100 days followed by grazed grass plus half the diet offered as meal.
This July 2019-born SIX heifer weighing 575kg sold for €2,000 (€3.47/kg).
Last Thursday s weekly sale in Castlerea Mart, Co Roscommon, saw almost 500 cattle go through the ring, with plenty of demand for factory fit and forward store entries.
Weanling bulls and bullocks were a flying trade, with continental bulls in the 350-450kg bracket regularly topping €3/kg.
Lighter weanling bulls were generally a good trade, however age was against a lot of bull calves.
Bullocks weren’t quite met with the same demand as bulls, but some lighter weanling bullocks averaged €3/kg also. Heavier bullocks above 450kg averaged slightly less at €2.65.