Beef Cattle

Business and Policy October 2026 – Beef

Prime Cattle Prices Rise Finished beef prices have increased week on week throughout September, a notable change from earlier in the year. GB prime cattle prices rose by another 4p/kg…

Understanding Hay Quality

This summer has provided favourable conditions for producing hay. Many of you have taken advantage these conditions and made a lot of lovely, well-preserved hay. However, just like silage, hay…

Thrill of The Hill – Beef, Business and Beyond

The beef industry in Scotland is resilient and adaptable, whether it’s changing markets and cost of production pressures, policy developments or the new entrant bottleneck. To help us navigate these…

Business and Policy April 2026 – Beef

Finished Prices Continue to Ease Currently, ‘sticky’ best describes where we are at with finished prices. By the week ending the 21st of March 2026, Scottish prices were sat at 642p/kg deadweight for R4L grade steers, back 1.4 p/kg on the week and 3.4% behind the same…

Feeding and Ensiling Potatoes for Cattle

Stockfeed potatoes are a viable energy feed for cattle and a useful additive to ensiled forage when managed correctly. They offer an economical alternative to cereals but require: Gradual introduction into diets …

Business and Policy November 2025 – Beef

Festive Demand We are now in the last quarter of the year, with only 3-4 weeks left of Christmas supermarket orders as processors plan their Christmas kill schedules. Prime cattle…

Easter Howgate Study – Autumn Born Finishing Bulls

When Easter Howgate set out to ease housing pressure caused by an expanding spring calving herd, they found a unique solution. By establishing a “B Herd” of underperforming cows and…

BVD Eradication – Important Changes & Phase 6

Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme has been in place since 2010. Phase 6 of the eradication scheme is starting on 1 July. Changes from July 2025 From 1 July 2025 Persistently…

Milk Fever in Suckler cows on Machair Land

Hypocalcaemia, also known as milk fever, is typically not an issue in suckler cows, although experience shows that the conditions on the Uists are just right to be an exception…

Mineral Requirements in Out-Wintered and Grazed Cattle

In a housed system, dietary intake of minerals can be regulated as the diet is formulated to provide the same quantity of minerals each day, depending on the stage of…

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