$1300! whoa thats a lot of money

[triple'S']

I see so many commercial hiefers selling for in the $1300 range. 4-6 months bred and really nice stuff that I would love to have in my pasture. However, how do you make a $1300 hiefer pay for herself in a acceptable amount of time.

Not counting feed, labor, illness, routine medication, pasture upkeep, fence, death, poor conception %, and culls ( i understand you will get some back for culls but not 1300 at any salebarn I know of)

figure $600 a calf (thats really good most years and not quite as good as some years) it will be 3 calves until you make any money at all.

I realize my cattle are not as good as some, but the replacements I buy are weaned sometimes preconditioned girls that I get from only cattlemen that I know and have seen their herd. I pay 600-700 for them, put them on grass. when they get breeding age (or as soon as noticable) I cull hard. The ones that get culled pay for themselves or almost and the ones that don't cost me the original 600-700 plus whatever it took me in labor, grass, fence, and routine vaccination, because I don't feed them grain and they usually get the stockpiled pasture. so rough figure $700-800. I've made $400-500 , (not including the above mentioned things just like the 1300 ones) after 2 calves.

I'm only curious how you make it pay, I'm not saying I'm right and your not.

 

[stocky]

Triple S, I have no idea how you can make 1300 dollar heifers pay. In Feb and Mar the good green tag heifers here were bringing 1500 at the local auction. Now those heifers have calves and those same heifers with month old calves brought 1100-1200 at that same auction last Sat. This is one year that a person would have been way ahead to let the heifer freshen before he buys them. If I was buying something to keep, I would much rather buy a 3 or 4 suckled down cow that I can see what kind of calf she will raise that is bred in the 2nd period for 700-900 dollars in this market. It seems like what you are doing is working well for you, but I cant justify buying 1300-1500 dollar heifers, although I enjoy it when they pay that for mine at the auction.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Triple S, I have no idea how you can make 1300 dollar heifers pay. In Feb and Mar the good green tag heifers here were bringing 1500 at the local auction. Now those heifers have calves and those same heifers with month old calves brought 1100-1200 at that same auction last Sat. This is one year that a person would have been way ahead to let the heifer freshen before he buys them. If I was buying something to keep, I would much rather buy a 3 or 4 suckled down cow that I can see what kind of calf she will raise that is bred in the 2nd period for 700-900 dollars in this market. It seems like what you are doing is working well for you, but I cant justify buying 1300-1500 dollar heifers, although I enjoy it when they pay that for mine at the auction.

Wonder how many he needs Stocky as I can have a trailer load headed north for 1400 extra 100 bucks a head to compensate for diesel.

 

[stocky]

Good thinking, Caustic. Better not price your delivery too far in advance though, no telling what the diesel will be tomorrow.

 

[alacattleman]

Your looking at about 3 calves out of her before she would clear what you payed for her considering that first calf will be the cheapest i wouldnt pay that much for commercial heifer maybe a 3in1 package now that would put you up and running quicker

 

[Caustic Burno]

Well Stocky the way I see it can sale the whole bunch at them prices. CD's are bringing 5 % thats 75 dollars profit a year per cow sold, a little under the national average. Sit back and wait for the market to go bust and buy back in. With fuel prices continueing to rise the average American home engineer is going to start cutting corners somewhere. Americans are going to continue to drive and play thats a fact. So if they continue to have less spendable dollars wonder whats going to to get cut from the menu. This is where the Cubicle Cowboys that jumped in the business to get rich are fixing to get a lesson in economics.

 

[kaneranch]

Well I think about it like this. In show cattle or good registered cattle every heifer is saved. If you grow every one out and then breed it to a good bull you can sell that calf for just a little less than you bought the mom. At the sale where I bought last years show heifer the heifers were averageing 2100 a peice, but these cattle will make those people money. But my commercial cows are not that near expensive, 900 bucks is about what I spend. Thanks Kaneranch

 

[triple'S']

CB I'm not sure you understood my point of view. I would have absoluty no part of paying that much for anything but a Bull. If you find any takers on yours for $1500, let me know so I can go to the auction when they have to sell out.

I don't think even the best heifers will pay for themselves at $1500.

 

[triple'S']

I have to apoligize, after re-reading the forum, I think I'm the one that didn't understand. I believe CB was talking to stocky about shipping to the guy paying that much at the auction.

kaneranch,
"every heifer is saved" or did you mean every good heifer is saved. Anyways , I think you are right, a registered operation could make it work.

 

[KMacGinley]

Cull price $700

1300-$700= $600

10 years = $60 per year cow cost.

550 # calves at $1.10/ lb. =$605/year.

Annual cow cost maintenance $350+$60 cow cost. =$410/ year

$605-$410= $195 profit each year until calf prices go back down to 60 cents.

We have registered cows and we don't keep half our heifers, they are sold for freezer beef, but maybe I will now.

 

[Rod]

I havn't figured out how it pays out, but I've sold heavy bred heifers for 1350 and paired out ones for 1400. They go away as quick as I can get them in the paper.

 

[kaneranch]

I am talking about show heifers, any heifer that is not good enough to show is taken to the sale barn, or raised up for beef. Any heifer that is good enough to show should be a good cow. Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the majority of show heifers that hit the ground are breedable, other wise breeders that have productions sales would have nothing to sell every year. Thanks Kaneranch

 

[DoubleK]

Cull price $700

1300-$700= $600

10 years = $60 per year cow cost.

550 # calves at $1.10/ lb. =$605/year.

Annual cow cost maintenance $350+$60 cow cost. =$410/ year

$605-$410= $195 profit each year until calf prices go back down to 60 cents.

We have registered cows and we don't keep half our heifers, they are sold for freezer beef, but maybe I will now.

KMac, just curious, where did you come up with the $350 cow maintenance, seems awfully high to me. I have never done the math, but I assumed it was closer to $100 per year.

Stocky, what do you think your cows cost a year to keep?


Dub

 

[milkmaid]

KMac, just curious, where did you come up with the $350 cow maintenance, seems awfully high to me. I have never done the math, but I assumed it was closer to $100 per year.

Depends on whether you're feeding hay for 6-9 months out of the year or whether they run on pasture year round. I feed $15/hd/wk in hay during the winter, which runs from Oct/Nov to April/May. Location makes all the difference.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cull price $700

1300-$700= $600

10 years = $60 per year cow cost.

550 # calves at $1.10/ lb. =$605/year.

Annual cow cost maintenance $350+$60 cow cost. =$410/ year

$605-$410= $195 profit each year until calf prices go back down to 60 cents.

We have registered cows and we don't keep half our heifers, they are sold for freezer beef, but maybe I will now.

KMac, just curious, where did you come up with the $350 cow maintenance, seems awfully high to me. I have never done the math, but I assumed it was closer to $100 per year.

Stocky, what do you think your cows cost a year to keep?


Dub

National average closer to 400, another "cattleman" with a welfare herd. Profit on the natioal average is a 100 bucks a head. If you don't know the actual cost of your operation you have a hobby.

 

[DoubleK]

Cull price $700

1300-$700= $600

10 years = $60 per year cow cost.

550 # calves at $1.10/ lb. =$605/year.

Annual cow cost maintenance $350+$60 cow cost. =$410/ year

$605-$410= $195 profit each year until calf prices go back down to 60 cents.

We have registered cows and we don't keep half our heifers, they are sold for freezer beef, but maybe I will now.

KMac, just curious, where did you come up with the $350 cow maintenance, seems awfully high to me. I have never done the math, but I assumed it was closer to $100 per year.

Stocky, what do you think your cows cost a year to keep?


Dub

National average closer to 400, another "cattleman" with a welfare herd. Profit on the natioal average is a 100 bucks a head. If you don't know the actual cost of your operation you have a hobby.

I'd say if your paying 400 per year to keep a cow, you shouldn't be questioning my hobby!

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cull price $700

1300-$700= $600

10 years = $60 per year cow cost.

550 # calves at $1.10/ lb. =$605/year.

Annual cow cost maintenance $350+$60 cow cost. =$410/ year

$605-$410= $195 profit each year until calf prices go back down to 60 cents.

We have registered cows and we don't keep half our heifers, they are sold for freezer beef, but maybe I will now.

KMac, just curious, where did you come up with the $350 cow maintenance, seems awfully high to me. I have never done the math, but I assumed it was closer to $100 per year.

Stocky, what do you think your cows cost a year to keep?


Dub

National average closer to 400, another "cattleman" with a welfare herd. Profit on the natioal average is a 100 bucks a head. If you don't know the actual cost of your operation you have a hobby.

I'd say if your paying 400 per year to keep a cow, you shouldn't be questioning my hobby!

Again another post that show you have no idea about a cow/calf operation. Sit back search and you will learn a little cause from what I have seen that is where you are at now and thats just a little. You really need to learn what it really cost to have a profitable operation.


http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... t+per+head

 

[DoubleK]

Thanks for the link Caustic

That looks like an interesting forum for discussion.

I understand your tender rebuke of my $100 per head estimate, and I humbly acknowledge your ability to make a profit with your cow/calf operation. However, I do believe that the post said maintenence costs for a cow and not total cost per animal. 2 completely different costs. If I misunderstood the post, my bad.

I look at the cost of maintaining cattle as only feed, medication, water.

Is that not correct?

Dub (in my place)

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks for the link Caustic

That looks like an interesting forum for discussion.

I understand your tender rebuke of my $100 per head estimate, and I humbly acknowledge your ability to make a profit with your cow/calf operation. However, I do believe that the post said maintenence costs for a cow and not total cost per animal. 2 completely different costs. If I misunderstood the post, my bad.

I look at the cost of maintaining cattle as only feed, medication, water.

Is that not correct?

Dub (in my place)

Dub the animal still has cost there is fuel.feed, meds, insurance, taxes, fence, everthing has to be weigh against the cow. If you do not take a realistic whole picture of your operation you can not control cost and most likely not be profitable. Its about money in versus money out just like if you were running McDonalds.

 

[Dave]

I would like to know how you can plan on a $700 cull cow. Last bunch of cull cows I sold brought 42 cents and weighed about 1200 pounds that is way short of $700. And what happens when cull cows go back to 25 cents?
Dave