elkwc":1f4l77zd said:
TCRanch":1f4l77zd said:
Very few breeders will buy a 9 - 10 year old cow. And at least in KS non-virgin bulls or bulls greater than 18 months of age
must be tested for trichomoniasis and certified negative within 60 days prior to change of possession or ownership or
sold for slaughter. Oldest bull we ever kept was 8.
. I would prefer to buy a 3-5 y/o bull that you can see his progeny but most want 2 y/o price and then will haul them to a sale and take dlaughter price.
Jay, I know you have a good idea what a good bull costs from the research you do so this response is not directed at you. The one thing when you sell bulls both yearling and sometimes your mature herd sire when you are done with him is you get a wide variety of inquiries because some guys think they can buy a good bull at slaughter price when most guys who know the cattle business well know what a good bull is worth. A perfect example, our last herd bull we sold as a coming 5 year old and had several daughters in herd and sold several sons we sold as bulls that he sired along with having every birth weight, weaning weight, and any yearling and carcass data we had on animals we retained ownership on long enough to get that data we had. Some guys wanting to buy a proven bull at sale barn price inquired and he eventually sold to a breeder who valued the bull to know what he was getting was worth more than buying some unknown commodity at the sale barn. We flat out told a guy that called us that we'd rather send him to the sale barn where he could take his chances bidding on him there than sell him for the price he was offering. If you want to breed good cattle you don't buy your bulls from the sale barn you buy them from a reputable breeder that you are confident in the genetics you are buying and know the type of program they have. As a seedstock breeder we'd rather send a bull to the sale barn then sell him off the farm at sale barn price as that would imply that we should have just took the knife to the bull and fed him out as a steer. The one thing that will drive you nuts too is when a nearby breeder sells a bull for much less than he is worth just to get rid of him because then it affects all the nearby breeders when word gets out someone is selling bulls at a discount.
The bull market in general is a place where just when you think you have a price nailed down as a seller something happens that will change your perspective and make you re-think your prices. We follow bull sales and listen to feedback as much as we can. Guys who know what they are doing have probably already visited other herds before they have looked at your bulls so they know what your competition has and what they are asking. We usually do not discuss price upfront but as soon as a number is discussed you will know on first reaction if you in the ballpark on price or not.