Auction 10/23/04

[sidney411]

I was very happy and very supprized this weekend when I hauled a 1/2 blood jersey steer to the auction. He was off of a 1st time gelveih x heifer so I pulled him off early. He weighed 385 and definately leaned towards his jersey sires looks, that is why he was sent to the auction. I got 1.30 for him and brought home $500.50. I was very happy with that!

I was thinking I should have hauled all of the calves to the auction instead of preconditioning. I guess I will find out in a month if I made a good choice of preconditioning rather the selling at the auction.

[Campground Cattle]

I was very happy and very supprized this weekend when I hauled a 1/2 blood jersey steer to the auction. He was off of a 1st time gelveih x heifer so I pulled him off early. He weighed 385 and definately leaned towards his jersey sires looks, that is why he was sent to the auction. I got 1.30 for him and brought home $500.50. I was very happy with that!

I was thinking I should have hauled all of the calves to the auction instead of preconditioning. I guess I will find out in a month if I made a good choice of preconditioning rather the selling at the auction.

Good money Sid I know you are one of them TSU grads(I paid for One also) Put a pencil to it on the conditoning. It was always more cost effective for us to pen once and haul to the salebarn.

[sidney411]

lb at auction price gross deductions net
385 $1.30 $500.50 $23.82 $476.68

lb after p/c price gross deductions net difference
445 $1.27 $565.15 $11.30 $553.85 $77.10

Cost of preconditioning per calf
receiving ration
(7lb per day for 7 days = 49 lbs) 50 lb sack $4.95
growing ration
(14lb per day for 21 days = 294 lbs) 6, 50 lb sacks $29.70
vaccines, booster, and wormer $3.72
weight tickets $0.70
hay $1.80
Total $40.87

difference per head $36.23
x 50 head $1811.50

If I sell 50 calves a year I make an average of $1811.50 more then if I would have sold at the auction barn. I've got the calves in the pens when I seperate them from momma, so it is little effort for me to give their shots. By the time they need their boosters all I have to do is call them into the pen with the feed and give them, it takes less then an hour for the whole process. I think the extra effort is worth the extra money, which in itself is enough to cover the taxes on the land and barn for the year.

Please let me know if I am missing something, or figuring something wrong.

[certherfbeef]

Sid, I aplaud you for sitting down and doing the math.
Are these prices that you get for the calves fixed to an individual or are these the current sale barn prices? Where I am, you can't count on the prices to be that steady from one month to the next. I tryed the preconditioning thing. Price dropped on me and it didn't work out. So, now it is wean and load all the same day. Hope it works out for ya.

[sidney411]

I called my buyer and he gave me that price for a steer in that weight range, heifer's are a few cents lower. It is good for 7 days so the price could go up or go down but it is his current price as of Friday. If his price goes down then the price at the sale barn will have gone down also. It is a bit of a gamble but it has been worth it every time I have put my pencil to it (unless I am doing my figures wrong).

I had a batch of calves in the weaning pasture when the bse thing hit and I lost money on those but still not as much as if I would have sold them at the auction at that time. I would have made more if I would have hauled that bunch directly to the auction before the bse. Oh well, all averaged together I think I have made more preconditioning.

I am going to look into the ranch to rail program and see if I can get a few calves into that next time. I would love to see the information that is provided to the producers from that program.

[txag]

so you're only preconditioning for 7 days?

most of the preconditioning programs want them on feed for 30-45 days which can greatly increase your feed costs.

[dun]

so you're only preconditioning for 7 days?

most of the preconditioning programs want them on feed for 30-45 days which can greatly increase your feed costs.

The calculations are for 28 days not just 7

dun

[eric]

deleted by poster

[txag]

so you're only preconditioning for 7 days?

most of the preconditioning programs want them on feed for 30-45 days which can greatly increase your feed costs.

The calculations are for 28 days not just 7

dun

i see, i see.......

i didn't study them that close & then w/the reference for the price good for 7 days............

[sidney411]

I'm sorry if I was confusing.

I am figuring feeding receiving ration for the 1st 7 days and growing ration for the next 21 days. They will be weaned approximately 1 month when they are sold give or take a few days. He does not require them to be fed a certain amount of time, as long as they are bunk and trough broke and not crazy wild. My buyer only guarantees his prices for 7 days, that is why I said they could go up or down. For the figures I made I am using his price that was quoted to me on friday and the price I got at the auction on saturday for a steer.