$1.86 cow

[flaboy]

Last month I culled 4 cows. One had a bad hip, two were getting old, and the last was a Hereford cow that was an idiot. I got any where from $.20-$.47 a pound for the first three. The crazy Hereford brought $.02 or $2 per hundred. Now this cow was not all that bad but I just got tired of her acting like a fool at working time. She was blind in the left eye from an old wound that I suspect she stuck a tree limb or stick in at some time.

So, yesterday I call the market to see if they had made a mistake. The lady asked me for the code in the comments. It was a big long number with BEY at the end. She said the BEY meant bad eye and the regular big beef buyers can't buy injured cows. I asked why they paid $.20 a pound for the cow with the bad hip then and she said she had no clue. The hipped cow walked with a very pronounced limp.

They have put up signs now that states the cow basically has to be mobile or they won't take them.

I guess I times have changed and I learned something. Next time I will hamburger any cow I don't think they will take.

 

[Alberta farmer]

I wonder how much they charged you to sell her? At one time they used to charge 2% of sale price for commission but now it is a flat $18/cow plus all the other BS like producer insurance, checkoff, brand inspection, Hartford insurance etc. Then figure in your hauling expenses!
In Canada if you have a lame cow or a bad eye the cheapest way to market them is shoot them and let the coyotes eat them. Saves you time and money!
The sad part is those scoundrels buy an old cow for peanuts and then turn her into about $2500 worth of meat. A lot of people don't know that very little of that cow goes into hamburger. All the cuts are taken out and go into things like deli sandwich meat, jerky, cheap steak sandwich, stirfry, hot roast beef sandwich. And the really funny thing is when they act indignant if they have to pay 21 cents instead of 20 cents!
But consider this: If a quarter pounder sells for $3.50 how much is the patty worth? The bun is about 25 cents the condiments about 10 cents...so the patty is worth about $3.15? Now multiply by 4 and it is $12.60/lb.!

 

[flaboy]

I guess things have changed and I need to get used to it but I learned from this one. You are probably right someone made a killing on that cow. After I paid for her preg check and commission I got the $1.86.

 

[greatgerts]

I can't remember exactly how much I got out of a heifer, but it was somewhere around $25 for her. That was before the sale barn made their money. They made more on her than I did.
I know how you are feeling.

 

[Bez+]

I sent a 2200 pound Angus bull to the sale barn about 3-4 years ago. At the height of BSE in Canada.

He went to the sale barn in Grande Prairie

He was about 5 maybe 6 years old and a darned good bull - I think we got around 4 cents a pound for him. Maybe less.

I know what we got did not cover the trucking bill.

No injuries and no real flaws - we were done with him - would have burgered him for myself if I had even suspected.

Sold far too many cows at under 300 bucks just so we could survive.

Alberta Farmer is right - even those old dairy cows have any good cuts scraped from their boney worn out bodies before they get stripped to nothing.

I no longer think about it - I just never send anything to the sale barns in Canada anymore.

You get the price you get because the buyers simply can do what they want.

And if there is a buyer from a major there - with packer owned cattle in the over flow field you can be you will not get much for yours.

Bez+

 

[Alberta farmer]

Bez: A fellow I know had a 3 year old bull that hurt his stifle joint in the breeding pasture(2003). He hauled him 30 miles to the auction barn and sold him. He weighed just over 2000 lb. and he cleared $19 and change. He figured thats about what it cost him in fuel. He had paid $3000 for him as a yearling! He told me he was going to use the $19 to buy some 30-30 ammo as he just couldn't afford to sell any old or lame stuff anymore!

 

[Alberta farmer]

Bez: A fellow I know had a 3 year old bull that hurt his stifle joint in the breeding pasture(2003). He hauled him 30 miles to the auction barn and sold him. He weighed just over 2000 lb. and he cleared $19 and change. He figured thats about what it cost him in fuel. He had paid $3000 for him as a yearling! He told me he was going to use the $19 to buy some 30-30 ammo as he just couldn't afford to sell any old or lame stuff anymore!

 

[grannysoo]

You got less for the entire cow than a big-mac sells for.

Something's just plain wrong with that picture.

 

[bigbull338]

dang that cow shouldve just been shot insted of hauling to the sale barn.as for the signs of the barn not accepting moble cows.our barn has had them for 2 or 3yrs.they wont sale a cow that cant walk on the cattle pot.

 

[BC]

I guess things have changed and I need to get used to it but I learned from this one. You are probably right someone made a killing on that cow. After I paid for her preg check and commission I got the $1.86.

Why would anyone spend the money to preg check a one-eyed cow? If the eye was gone, most buyers will assume that it was removed because of cancer eye. That said, some one was gambling that the cancer was not in the lymph nodes and the carcass would pass inspection. If the inspector condemns the cow, the entire carcass is tanked and can not be used.

 

[BamaCowboy]

You should have put the cow down. Around here you would have been lucky if you didn't own the sale barn money. You could have made hamburger out of her. I would just about bet she was dead before she got to packer

 

[flaboy]

Why would anyone spend the money to preg check a one-eyed cow? If the eye was gone, most buyers will assume that it was removed because of cancer eye. That said, some one was gambling that the cancer was not in the lymph nodes and the carcass would pass inspection. If the inspector condemns the cow, the entire carcass is tanked and can not be used.

They eye was there she just couldn't see out of it.

 

[melanie]

Why don't take your cows right to the slaughterhouse,so at least if the meat is good you get a fair price and if the meat don't pass your lost is only 1.86$.

 

[jka300]

I guess things have changed and I need to get used to it but I learned from this one. You are probably right someone made a killing on that cow. After I paid for her preg check and commission I got the $1.86.

Why would anyone spend the money to preg check a one-eyed cow? If the eye was gone, most buyers will assume that it was removed because of cancer eye. That said, some one was gambling that the cancer was not in the lymph nodes and the carcass would pass inspection. If the inspector condemns the cow, the entire carcass is tanked and can not be used.

When we sell our open or rejects, the auction mart always preg checks and brand checks the cow. We asked about it, and they told us that we have no choice in the matter, that it is mandatory. This really ticked us off because they supposely preg checked all of calf heifers. Try explaining to them that there is no way that a 6-7 month old calf could get bred. Never did get all the money back from them. Anyway we switched auction markets and haven't had any problems like that again except prices. We sold 2 of our bulls last fall and got about $500 a piece. (different auction mart)They were about 2 years old and really nice shape :cry2: I talked about it to my neighbour and he said he got the same thing for his bulls. Then he told me a interesting bit of news about the buyers. One of his friends works at a auction mart, I guess about 1/2 to 2-3 of the cattle that get taken to auction is already bought before they even enter the ring. The big feed lot owners walk through the cattle, pick out what they want and what price they will pay and the auction mart grants it for them. I thought that was really niffty way to screw us cattle producers but what can you do. Can't accuse them and plus always got to remember the source. ( is it true or is parially made up? :? ) It does make sense to me how all the nice cattle get the same price as the not so nice ones do.

 

[Alberta farmer]

I think someone is feeding you a story. Most of the buyers are order buyers. They buy for whoever will pay them a couple of bucks/head. The packer buyers are all trying to fill their orders at a price the packers can live with! If they pay too much they won't be around very long! No auction mart is going to play the game your friend is suggesting? The auction business is a pretty tough business right now and they sure wouldn't alienate their customers by trying a crooked deal like that!
As far as the preg check thing: I've never heard of that in my life! If you don't want them checked just write on the manifest "Do not preg check"!

 

[Bullbuyer]

Fla -
Sorry about your luck on the old cow. I suspect that a lot of people were afraid of her because the risk that the eye wasn't an old injury but actually indicative of an active disease. Of course, you knew that it was an old injury but the 20 seconds she was in the ring isn't time enough for most to get a really good look at that eye. I'm not defending anyone here, just trying to sort out a reason why the low price.
If you have another, the burger route is probably best unless you have a local buyer/packer that you could sale to direct.
On a lighter note, you could always send your culls to that feller in Tennessee - they'd be premium in his herd!

 

[jka300]

The auction mart that we take our cows to always preg check, it doesn't matter if you want them to or not. The reason is for when they go to slaughter, they don't get preg cows. But this auction don't preg check calves!

 

[sigpros]

my husband and I have learned our lesson on taking cows to the sale barn also. We really couldn't afford to keep our cows one year so we took to the sale barn after looking at the past market reports thinking that we might do ok. No, i don't even think we got back what we paid for them. They were good healthy cows too. Just doesn't make sense sometimes. When we picked up check we decided from that day on we will never take anything back to the sale barn. Much better to try to sell outright or sell sides of beef. I really feel livestock auctions are just good for the buyers or sellers with black steers. that's my opinion though

 

[Alberta farmer]

sigpros: I think the auction I sell at is pretty fair. Innisfail Auction...the Daines family. Not sure about selling cattle private. I've done that with people I know and trust. If you think you can make more money selling sides then by all means go for it. It's your time to spend how you like.
I guess why I like selling at auction is this: Several buyers...not just one? You get what they are worth...on that particular day. If there are eight buyers there no one is going to let them go cheaper than they are worth. The idea of collusion among eight independent order buyers...Sorry...I don't think so.
Roy Rutledge writes a pretty good column about the auction business in Alberta Beef magazine? He says if you are raising what the market wants you will do as well as possible...if not you won't! If you are getting less than the next guy you might want to ask yourself why? And yes I sell black steers and I get a good price...how come you aren't? Do you like to get less?

 

[Angus Cowman]

sigpros: I think the auction I sell at is pretty fair. Innisfail Auction...the Daines family. Not sure about selling cattle private. I've done that with people I know and trust. If you think you can make more money selling sides then by all means go for it. It's your time to spend how you like.
I guess why I like selling at auction is this: Several buyers...not just one? You get what they are worth...on that particular day. If there are eight buyers there no one is going to let them go cheaper than they are worth. The idea of collusion among eight independent order buyers...Sorry...I don't think so.
Roy Rutledge writes a pretty good column about the auction business in Alberta Beef magazine? He says if you are raising what the market wants you will do as well as possible...if not you won't! If you are getting less than the next guy you might want to ask yourself why? And yes I sell black steers and I get a good price...how come you aren't? Do you like to get less?

Also I might add that EVERYONE thinks their cattle should bring top $ and I am sorry if everyones did they wouldn't be any incentive to improve your herd
I have never seen a sale barn outright cheat anyone and just because you looked at the sale reports or heard them on the radio doesn't mean a thing

That report might have come from say JRS and you took your cows to Po dunk brothers down the road two entirely different circumsatnces and sales also the first might have their sale on Tuesday and Po Dunk sells on saturday and that makes alot of difference also

there is usually a reason some cows don't sell like the owners think they should but most owners are too blind to notice or to hard headed to admit it

I gathered a few calves last yr that I had bought from a guy about 35-40 and I took them to the sale a couple of them were culled pretty hard and I was wondering why when I got my check well those 2 had spots on there eyes and were almost blind it wasn't the barns fault it was mine for not catching it when we sorted and loaded them
I didn't look at the calves that close because I was more interested in buying his cows

as Alberta said if you don't want to sell at sale barns don't , try selling out the door but let me say this selling out the door may bring you a little more money but it is also alot more work and aggrivation