Posted by Steve Rawlings on March 16, 2004 at 21:24:46:
In Reply to: Dexters as commercial beef posted by Sylvia on February 18, 2004 at 08:28:11:
Well, I have been keeping dexters for 10 years now, having purchased my first few steers from Gill Willimas back in 93 to finish for the freezer. I was fortunate to develop a good outlet network for all my dexter finished stock and I am now finishing approx 40-45 dexters/annum utilising a few bought in stock, but the majority from our own cows. All the offspring apart from a small % are reared for beef and most have been sold to my own customers via my website and word of mouth. Recently. following a surplus in cattle finishing at the same time following problems back in 2001 with F&M when we were shut down, I have been putting a few cattle through the Rare Breed butchers using the good offices of the TBBMS with some success. Payments are at a good rate (though not as much as I can make by direct selling!!) though payments are a little slow for someone used to commercial buyers paying within the week. :-)
However, with the major changes in the payment structures for farming leading to the loss of SCP, BSPS and Slaugher premiums, I will be looking long and hard over the next few months at just where the future lies! Realistically, we are going to have to see some serious price rises for all beef if they are gong to be commercially viable. I like my dexters and enjoy having cattle on the farm, but they are going to have to be viable as I am reluctant to subsidise keeping stock from my SFP apart from a few head to maintain pasture for environmental reasons.