townfarmer
Well-known member
Great snow photos Ken. You had a real winter wonderland there for a short while. How come you're selling this years bulls at Kingaroy? Is there no "sunstate angus bull sale" this year?
Andrew
Andrew
Australian Talk.
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wbvs58
Well-known member
Yeh Andrew I was the only one that had any bulls to sell at Sunstate this year. We had to make an early call on it as I wanted to know where I stood so that I could market them elsewhere if need be and it was decided not to hold it this year. Hopefully it will get going next year but that is dependant on interest from vendors and a few of larger vendors have indicated they will not be back.
You have done a good job on the Ekka photos again Andrew, thanks.
Ken
You have done a good job on the Ekka photos again Andrew, thanks.
Ken
townfarmer
Well-known member
Ken
I found the catalogue online for the Kingaroy sale and had a look through. I really like the look of spitfire. He looks impressive and I'm sure he'll attract plenty of attention. I also liked in your vendor description the comment that your bulls "are equally at home in the snow or in the heat". :lol: Hope it goes well for you.
Andrew
I found the catalogue online for the Kingaroy sale and had a look through. I really like the look of spitfire. He looks impressive and I'm sure he'll attract plenty of attention. I also liked in your vendor description the comment that your bulls "are equally at home in the snow or in the heat". :lol: Hope it goes well for you.
Andrew
townfarmer
Well-known member
All the best with your sale today Ken. Let us know how you went.
Andrew
Andrew
wbvs58
Well-known member
Thank you Andrew. It was a bit tough however I sold them all but only for the min upset price of $3000. One, lot 16 got an extra bid and went for $3500.
My bulls were much admired but the general consensus was that they were overdone for up there as most buyers wanted to turn them out with brahman type cattle and they thought that they would melt. Overall I was happy I sold them all as I was the only Angus vendor that sold all under the hammer.
One buyer bought 4 of the 5 and I spoke to her today, she was very nice and said they had been to a couple of other sales buying angus bull and only decided to drop in and have a look at the last minute and really liked the bulls so they thought they would start the bidding off and see what happened and couldn't believe their luck when they got them. She felt a bit guilty about the price she got them for but still I am happy as I will keep in contact and hopefully get good feedback. They will basically be used over Santa and Santa cross cows so should be some nice calves.
I'll post some photos on another thread Andrew and see what the opinions are.
Ken
My bulls were much admired but the general consensus was that they were overdone for up there as most buyers wanted to turn them out with brahman type cattle and they thought that they would melt. Overall I was happy I sold them all as I was the only Angus vendor that sold all under the hammer.
One buyer bought 4 of the 5 and I spoke to her today, she was very nice and said they had been to a couple of other sales buying angus bull and only decided to drop in and have a look at the last minute and really liked the bulls so they thought they would start the bidding off and see what happened and couldn't believe their luck when they got them. She felt a bit guilty about the price she got them for but still I am happy as I will keep in contact and hopefully get good feedback. They will basically be used over Santa and Santa cross cows so should be some nice calves.
I'll post some photos on another thread Andrew and see what the opinions are.
Ken
townfarmer
Well-known member
Hey Ken
Congratulations on selling all your bulls. It must be a nice feeling to come home with an empty truck. It sounds like preparing bulls for sale is more of an art than a science. It seems to be a very fine line between underdone and overdone. But if you can prepare them with less feed and then get more money for them; that has to be a good thing.
Did most other bulls have less condition on them in the sale?
Andrew
Congratulations on selling all your bulls. It must be a nice feeling to come home with an empty truck. It sounds like preparing bulls for sale is more of an art than a science. It seems to be a very fine line between underdone and overdone. But if you can prepare them with less feed and then get more money for them; that has to be a good thing.
Did most other bulls have less condition on them in the sale?
Andrew
We've done another weaning on our northern place and trucked another 200 head down to our agistment. The second beast broke its leg coming off the transport and hubby had to shoot him. By far the biggest and best steer calf in the mob of course. A freak accident. Seems to be a fair few cattle getting agisted in NSW from Qld now, around Walgett, and some going onto crops. The market certainly has done the right thing and given us all some heart.
I've been moving around, have caretakers on the home place... only livestock there now is the cat! So I've visited hubby at the camp a couple of times, have been doing distance education with grandson, helped with the cattlework and am now in Brisbane with my mother for her birthday.
Not long until we will be feeding our northern cows hay again to keep them alive and have stockpiled some ready. Its actually dearer and harder to source this year.
The weather outlook is still Sad..now they're saying the el Nino may go right through summer... fair go! We've had enough!
How is that new horse going Suzie?
Congrats on selling your bulls Ken. Liked your pics of the ekka Andrew as always.
I've been moving around, have caretakers on the home place... only livestock there now is the cat! So I've visited hubby at the camp a couple of times, have been doing distance education with grandson, helped with the cattlework and am now in Brisbane with my mother for her birthday.
Not long until we will be feeding our northern cows hay again to keep them alive and have stockpiled some ready. Its actually dearer and harder to source this year.
The weather outlook is still Sad..now they're saying the el Nino may go right through summer... fair go! We've had enough!
How is that new horse going Suzie?
Congrats on selling your bulls Ken. Liked your pics of the ekka Andrew as always.
townfarmer
Well-known member
Thanks for the update Jilleroo. At what age are you having to wean? It sounds like you guys are really clocking up some km's on your vehicles with all the properties being so spread out.
Enjoy the time with your Mum. Hopefully you get a chance to relax.
Andrew
Enjoy the time with your Mum. Hopefully you get a chance to relax.
Andrew
Yes its ridiculous the amount of kms we're doing between us. We have lots of frequent flyer points from racking up feed bills on the credit card so I can fly longreach to Brisbane to Roma for just the tax component when I can get a seat. Plenty of flights in and put of Roma because of the gas but its harder to get a cheap seat for longreach. Mainly though I just drive my old kluger wagon. Its worth nothing anyway so the miles don't really matter.
We're weaning down to four or five months Andrew. The cows still look ok. We would rather leave the calves on and feed the cows. Another 200 to come off in about a month.
We're weaning down to four or five months Andrew. The cows still look ok. We would rather leave the calves on and feed the cows. Another 200 to come off in about a month.
Willstanton
Member
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- Nov 15, 2014
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I am new to this forum and apologies if this post is in the wrong place.
We are mixed farmers on Kangaroo island SA and have been thinking about increasing our cattle numbers for a while now.
We have been buying light young animals to fatten and trade on. This has been working well but are now thinking about buying some breeding stock.
Questions -
With prices as they are is this a bad time to be buying cows?
Do you guys think prices will stay steady for a few years? (Crystal ball!)
Thinking about buying PTIC 20month old Angus heifers for $1100. Good buy?
Thanks for any info!
Will
We are mixed farmers on Kangaroo island SA and have been thinking about increasing our cattle numbers for a while now.
We have been buying light young animals to fatten and trade on. This has been working well but are now thinking about buying some breeding stock.
Questions -
With prices as they are is this a bad time to be buying cows?
Do you guys think prices will stay steady for a few years? (Crystal ball!)
Thinking about buying PTIC 20month old Angus heifers for $1100. Good buy?
Thanks for any info!
Will
wbvs58
Well-known member
Welcome Will. Yes the fundamentals with export demand seem pretty good and the big sell off of females suggest prices will be up there for a while but in Australia, who knows, there is always something to kick you in the guts. I would be very nervous having to fork out the dollars for light trade cattle whether the prices hold. I think $1100 for those heifers sounds OK if the quality is there and it gives you a foot in the door of getting a female herd and if prices do drop you still have some females there working for you producing progeny at market value.
I think it would be a good move as when the drought in the north finally breaks females will be worth a bit.
Ken
I think it would be a good move as when the drought in the north finally breaks females will be worth a bit.
Ken
Willstanton
Member
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Great, thanks for the comments Ken. Just wishing we bought them 12 months ago!
ike
Member
Horn Prep,
I would like to here if our Australian ,New Zealand friends use this mixture on there grass,or is just an old wives tale.Thanks Ike
I would like to here if our Australian ,New Zealand friends use this mixture on there grass,or is just an old wives tale.Thanks Ike
melking
Well-known member
ike":lidalnfz said:
WShere you at Ike, I am in SW florida too
diana55
Well-known member
Happy New Year fellow Aussies and overseas cattle friends. Fantastic Sydney fireworks just over.
Quite spectacular as usual.
Hope some of the monsoonal rain reached your area Jilleroo, fingers crossed for you.
Best wishes to all for less natural disasters ( and man made ones too) in 2016.
Quite spectacular as usual.
Hope some of the monsoonal rain reached your area Jilleroo, fingers crossed for you.
Best wishes to all for less natural disasters ( and man made ones too) in 2016.
mwj
Well-known member
Thank you very much for the well wishes! I have been very concerned about the lack of posts on this thread, but was afraid to ask. I hope in this new year that the weather patterns will moderate and bring us all some relief! May we all be blessed with good family and friends to help us get by our daily struggles.
wbvs58
Well-known member
Hi all, thanks for all the wishes and the best of years to you all too. I feel a bit guilty here I just tallied up my rainfall for the year and it came to 864mm. I am not sure what our long term average is as I haven't been here long enough and it fluctuates a lot through the district with the undulating rugged country, Stanthorpes long term average is 760mm but I feel that mine is about 850mm even though I am only about 8 km east of town, the ridge along my back boundary is where most of the easterly stuff stops, quite noticeable. The good thing about the rain has been the evenness of it, we have not really suffered any deficits, October had a bit of a dry hot period and we lost a lot of clover but it has been replaced by a new lot. The rest of the year has been very cool for summer and even though we have had moisture the summer grasses have not been growing well but the temperates and clover have been hanging on and the cows have done well and consequently so have the calves. I have a mid July GAR Prophet bull calf that was 285kg at the beginning of December, I have to get them in later this week for their 2nd 7in1 so am looking forward to seeing the weights.
I have ventured into conserving fodder. I have started a program of redoing my paddocks and involves one at a time of plowing it up and tidying it up of rocks and filling in holes then putting it to millet then oats then millet again before back to a rye/fescue/clover pasture. This gives me the opportunity to bale the millet over summer and get some hay in the shed. The weather has sabotaged it a bit this year but I got about 250 reasonable small bales in the shed and another couple hundred rain damaged under a tarp down the back. I have found the process interesting and the equiptment didn't cost a lot, like the baler was only $600 and works a treat. An old round baler is next on the list especially with fuel the price it is now makes it feasable to drive a way in the truck to pick it up at the right price.
I haven't been following the rainfall areas closely but fear that Jilleroo might just be on the edge of a lot of the good rain, can only hope that it falls on the right side of her.
Ken
I have ventured into conserving fodder. I have started a program of redoing my paddocks and involves one at a time of plowing it up and tidying it up of rocks and filling in holes then putting it to millet then oats then millet again before back to a rye/fescue/clover pasture. This gives me the opportunity to bale the millet over summer and get some hay in the shed. The weather has sabotaged it a bit this year but I got about 250 reasonable small bales in the shed and another couple hundred rain damaged under a tarp down the back. I have found the process interesting and the equiptment didn't cost a lot, like the baler was only $600 and works a treat. An old round baler is next on the list especially with fuel the price it is now makes it feasable to drive a way in the truck to pick it up at the right price.
I haven't been following the rainfall areas closely but fear that Jilleroo might just be on the edge of a lot of the good rain, can only hope that it falls on the right side of her.
Ken
We have sold our last 20 bullocks topped out at 600kg so knocking the head count back helped immensely. Currently spelling the property.
Now do we restock at these prices?
Ken do you have any advice here?
Sit it out for a few more months??
Thanks
Now do we restock at these prices?
Ken do you have any advice here?
Sit it out for a few more months??
Thanks
wbvs58
Well-known member
I bet your happy with that pay check Havinago, that's good weights. The summer must have been OK for you. We have had a good summer so far, the clover is sticking around and the calves weights have been brilliant.
I think it is going to be very expensive to buy another batch of steers but then things are looking optimistic for prices holding for a while. I know that you are not close to the paddock but some older PTIC cows might be worth considering. Some that you can put a bit of weight on the cows and sell the calves as weaners or even older. There is risk with cows calving but mature cows it is minimal.
Ken
I think it is going to be very expensive to buy another batch of steers but then things are looking optimistic for prices holding for a while. I know that you are not close to the paddock but some older PTIC cows might be worth considering. Some that you can put a bit of weight on the cows and sell the calves as weaners or even older. There is risk with cows calving but mature cows it is minimal.
Ken
