This statement made me chuckle - what is a two year old worth? The answer is as follows: Unless he has the right breeding, conformation and temperament - he is only worth meat price at best.
Bez: I made a profit on him at the works. Got about $250 more than I paid for him.
Price wasn't one of the criteria I gave the stock agent - I wanted an Angus and he had to be a two year old (he's been trying to encourage me to go for yearlings because they're cheaper) because I've got some tall cows.
This year I ran Jersey bulls with the herd. But having watched them happily serving cows on the run and several weeks pregnant, I think I'd rather go back to the Angus. *Real* Angus. They're good at servicing, but not quite that good.
Standard price for a 2 yr dairy service bull here is works price, unless there's a shortage. There's a number of wellknown names providing bulls bred specifically for dairy - Waigroup is one. I don't know how their prices range - it's probably time to investigate. Previous years managing other people's farms I've seen calving problems from impure (probably Friesian) Angus sweeper bulls.