Not too bad

Help Support CattleToday:

D

Dave

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Messages
13,670
Reaction score
11,098
Location
Baker County, Oregon
I was just watching one of the "Fall Roundup Sales" at Toppenish. 5 weight steers were $1.50 -1.60. One lot of 75 665 pound steers brought $1.50.75. A group of 20 429 pound steers sold for $1.77. Those light 4 weight steers sold in the $1.77-1.65 range. I thought heifers were a little weak selling 20 cents back from the steers. They had 3,300 + started selling at 6:00 and a little before 9:00 he announced that there was less than 1,000 to go. All selling in groups. The only couple singles I saw sell were ones that got cut out of a group.
 
Some panic calf selling here in September. Sucking calf prices are now back to almost break even for the average Minnesota cowboy.

My calves are on good hardened grass, and starting to look a little fleshy. This is the best grazing we have had this year. Plan to overwinter most of the heifers.

Corn silage chopping started last week, and then stalled with more rain. Historically farmers try to have corn harvest done before the start of deer hunting. Never happen. Some aerial photos of central ND fields. Can tracked combines cross standing water?

Bred cows prices are low here. Speculation is they will come up later this fall? Pessimists are waiting for hay prices to spike, again.
 
I watched the sale on line for over 3 hours. Over 2,300 head. One of the things I was looking for was to see what colored cattle sold for. There were a few groups with char crosses mixed in. Even one or two that were mainly char cross with a few black calves mixed in. An occasional group with a couple reds or a Hereford thrown in. But no groups made up entirely of red calves. The calves were probably well over 95% black hided.
 
Dave said:
I watched the sale on line for over 3 hours. Over 2,300 head. One of the things I was looking for was to see what colored cattle sold for. There were a few groups with char crosses mixed in. Even one or two that were mainly char cross with a few black calves mixed in. An occasional group with a couple reds or a Hereford thrown in. But no groups made up entirely of red calves. The calves were probably well over 95% black hided.

Was there a lot of price difference between the black and the mixed groups? How did the mostly Charolais groups sell in comparison to the others?
Click to expand...
 
Dave The calves were probably well over 95% black hided. [/quote said:
Sad.

Char X calves get discounted here, but I am told they sell for a premium in the Dakotas.

Char X are consistent stocker money makers. Buy for a discount, and usually outgain everything else.
Click to expand...
 
Whelp. I brought home 7 angus influenced opportunity gals today. Guess them to be around 7 year old. 2 palpated 8 months, 1 - 6 months, 2 - 5 months, a 4 month and a 3 month. Average weight 1175 lbs. price ranged from $625 to $430 for an average of $496. I started buying to soon. After I caught the $625 cow prices heated up a bit. Figured I wouldn't catch any more but the "high dollar" bidders got what they wanted and left. Picked another @ $550 then two more @ $500. Thought I was done till the one for $440 and two at $430. They finally bottomed out at about $400.

I've been positioning myself the past several months waiting to strike.
 
I didn't notice any difference in the char cross and the straight blacks. There is always some difference from one group to another. But there was nothing noticeable. I do remember one group made up entirely of char cross steers. They probably weighed 515 or so and sold for about $1.60. They stuck in my memory because there was a bull in the group who got missed in the sorting. He sold for $1.30. I was thinking that I would sure buy him.
In the time I watched there was only 3 or 4 bulls. They all got sorted off and sold cheap. Weaned, double round of shots sold about a dime higher. That was really obvious in the heifers.
 
Stocker Steve said:
So what was the deal at that sale?
Click to expand...

I thought that there were some pretty good heifers in the 450-500 range that were the best buy at $1.35. Steers in that size range were $1.77-1.65. Those steers at 800 were $1.25. The same size heifers were $1.20. A 30-40 cent drop on the steers as opposed to a 15 cent drop on the heifers.
 
Stocker Steve said:
Yaaa.
Heifers were undervalued last month too.
Are you ready to fill up the new pole corral?
Click to expand...

Filled the water trough last night. Picked up drugs in town yesterday. Will hook up the trailer around 10:00 this morning. Headed to the sale in La Grande a little after that. Buying light cut out heifers. Maybe a stray light bull or three but they are pretty rare here.

Still need to do some work on the corral but I have enough panels to fill in where needed and make things function.

On Tuesday I helped neighbor B haul calves to the set up where he weans at. He had told me that he had bought a potload of light calves. They were there so I got a look. I think I will buy a touch bigger and better.
 
I got 12 heifers averaged 450 and $1.33. First time buying at that sale. They are slower than slow. I could have stayed longer. They had a lot of cattle yet to go. But I wanted to get home and unloaded before dark. As it was I left plenty early. Oh well, back next week for another load.
 
Dave said:
Here is my new feeder heifers shortly after being worked.


Click to expand...
Dave will you have winter grass or feed these heifers hay through the winter?
 
No such thing as winter grass in Eastern Oregon. It will be mid April at the earliest before we have grass again. I will feed them through the winter. Go to grass in the spring and ship at about 850 pounds. These are tail end heifers and small cut outs. If I were buying planning on breeding I would be buying the top end which are weighing around 600 right now.
 
I was just talking to the guy who I will be pasturing these with in the spring. Because they will be running along with steers he is going to spayed his heifers. That avoids a heifer coming in heat and having 30 steers after her. Also allows you to guarantee them open when selling. I said set it up and I will spayed my at the same time.
 

Similar threads

tex452
Bad eye
Replies
4
Views
190
tex452
tex452
K
Bad advice?
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
gcreekrch
G
G
Not a bad morning
Replies
0
Views
309
gcreekrch
G
G
Not marked safe again.
Replies
1
Views
238
gcreekrch
G
Warren Allison
I think I am pricing cattle too cheap!
Replies
17
Views
649
farmerjan
F

Latest posts

Top