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Know How / Livestock marketing

Quality and consistency is key in maximising the value of your prime and breeding stock at sale time. We give dairy, beef, sheep and pig producers advice for targeting the right markets, whether they be selling live, dead, hitting premiums or supplying direct retailer contracts.

Case studies

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SHEEP

How a farmer is improving growth and conformation of sheep

The Cernyw flock of performance-recorded Bluefaced Leicesters is lifting Mule sale weights for its ram buyers by placing a strong emphasis on performance recording and ramping up its ram genetic…

DIVERSIFICATION

Boxed meat beefs up farm margins and keeps it local

Chris and Victoria Eveleigh have farmed at West Ilkerton on Exmoor for 32 years, running pedigree Devon cattle and Exmoor horn sheep. Together with their daughter Sarah, they have started…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How one sheep farm benefits at sales from 'gold-plus' standard

When Andrew and Jan Walton present their latest crop of performance-recorded Charollais rams and ewes for sale this month, there will be no mistaking those with the highest genetic merit.…

LIVESTOCK MARKETING

How heifer beef helps farm shop to meet consumer demand

Rearing and finishing only heifers for meat is something the Henshaw family have been doing for almost 20 years, ever since they established Mainsgill Farm Shop near Darlington in 2001.…

LIVESTOCK

Upland lamb scheme grows sevenfold in seven years

A growing number of Swaledale breeders across northern England are reaping the rewards of a direct contract supplying high-street retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) through Dawn Meats. Since the scheme’s…

LAMBING

How late lambing system helps farmer supply Co-op contract

Last May, the Co-op switched to selling 100% fresh British lamb and bacon year round. The move made it the first national retailer to sell 100% fresh British meat. Lamb is…

Practical advice

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DAIRY

Video: 10 steps to excellent calf handling in the ring

There is a lot to think about in the show ring, and a lot at stake. Whether it’s your first or fiftieth time stepping into the ring, there is a…

LIVESTOCK MARKETING

Video: Guide to selecting lambs for slaughter

Getting the best price for your finished lambs is not just about deciding whether to sell liveweight or deadweight, but about sending lambs that are in the right condition. For…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young sheep farmers share tips on year-round lamb marketing

Britain’s next generation of sheep farmers are taking the lead in promoting home-grown lamb as a healthy and sustainable choice for shoppers. These young industry representatives – aptly named “lambassadors”…

LIVESTOCK MARKETING

6 ways livestock farmers can improve carcass eating quality

Carcass defects and poor eating quality of meat cost the livestock sector millions of pounds a year, yet simple steps could be taken on farm that would minimise losses. Research…

LIVESTOCK

9 tips on buying a bull and getting him off to a good start

Buying a bull can be a relatively straight-forward process, but making sure that bull gets cows in calf in a compact breeding season for several years is more difficult. There…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How to help underperforming heifers hit growth targets

Replacement heifers are commonly run as one group, according to age and size, but within that group there may be some animals not achieving the required daily liveweight gain (DLWG)…

Insights

LIVESTOCK MARKETING

What happens to wool once it leaves the farm

The UK’s national sheep flock supplies British Wool with 30 million kilograms of wool annually – but what happens to the fleeces once they leave the farm? Farmers Weekly visited the…

BUSINESS

Wool’s environmental credentials could open new markets

The news has been full of “plastics in the sea” stories recently and a huge contributor to this pollution are the fibres washed out of synthetic clothing by domestic washing…

BUSINESS

How the retail market for young bulls is changing

Leading retailers insist they are continuing to source young bulls for beef despite one supermarket removing them from certain products last year. Tesco’s decision to stop using young bulls in…

BEEF

Breeder outlines a new direction for a better beef industry

The beef industry requires an urgent change of direction with emphasis put on breeding and feed efficiencies to counter the effects of continuing commodity price volatility and uncertainty over farm…

DAIRY

3 key ingredients for milk contracts

Many UK dairy farmers are either fully or part way through converting to being paid for full milk solids rather than volume and yet I still see arguments by farmers that…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Target daily liveweight gains to cut beef finishing times

Setting strict targets for daily liveweight gains and getting rid of animals that are not hitting the grade is helping beef finisher Meilir Jones keep a tight rein on costs…

BEEF

Is bigger better when it comes to cow size?

Finding the right sized cow to suit the system is key to suckler productivity. Farmers Weekly analyses whether bigger or smaller cows are best. A growing number of farms are…

LIVESTOCK

August bull proof sees shift towards high fat and protein

The latest profitable lifetime index (PLI) genetic rankings for daughter-proven Holstein bulls, published today (9 August) by AHDB Dairy, continue to show a shift towards fat and protein improvers, to…

LIVESTOCK

A farmers' guide to selling unpasteurised milk

Milk that leaves the farm at £1.20/litre is very appealing in the current climate. But what does selling unpasteurised milk really involve?  Plenty of farming families are fans of milk…

LIVESTOCK

Automated carcass grading could boost income

A carcass grading system used in Ireland has been introduced to the UK mainland. Jeremy Hunt looks at how farmers will benefit. Replacing manual graders with new imaging technology can…

LIVESTOCK

Selling primestock - is auction or abattoir best?

As the livestock sector finds itself in times of radical change on so many fronts, is the vexed issue of whether the best way to sell stock is under the…