The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has launched a set of online calculators to assist beef farmers in Northern Ireland with business planning and financial decision-making.

The four tools cover different production scenarios: short keep finishing, weanling to finish, intensive bull beef production, and comparing selling a store animal now versus finishing it further.

Each calculator requires farmers to input their own figures for purchase price, feed costs, animal performance, and expected carcase value. The tools then estimate potential margins per head and per day.

Allen Hall, a CAFRE Business Technologist, stated that the calculators compare potential margins based on information entered about costs, performance, and sales value. He noted that purchasing beef cattle involves significant financial commitment and risk, and the calculators can help farmers plan, budget, and model different scenarios during periods of high input prices.

The calculators are available on the CAFRE website. Farmers seeking further guidance can contact their CAFRE adviser or email the CAFRE Business Team.