Bad or good idea buying few light Breds or heavies

[Bfields30]

Is it bad idea to get few light or heavy breds at this time prices I'm looking are some 6-8 yr olds 700-1k or maybe even a few pairs possibly. Few 4 yrs old around 800-850 3-5 months bred.
Not really worried about hay or feeding i have both and I still have good amount of gras still left that I haven't had to put out hay just yet

 

[callmefence]

Good idea as long as you don't pay to much. And right now that's to much.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Probably somebody that ain't wanting to lose money taking them to the stockyard... And trying to unload them by advertising first.. Been seeing a bunch like that lately...

 

[Bfields30]

Good idea as long as you don't pay to much. And right now that's to much.

What's good prices to buy at ?

 

[kentuckyguy]

Looks like here they are only bringing $3-700 depending on age and how long they have been bred.

Culling cows is a rough endeavor right now. Older cows selling for .30- .40

https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/sv_ls161.txt

 

[bird dog]

Send a PM to Texas PaPaw. He can fix you up. He had a nice group last week that he offered me but I just don't have the room. His will be a little better than the average sale barn animal and probably will have been worked recently.

 

[farmerjan]

We are seeing breds here from $400 to $700 for just average cows. Bought 2 a couple weeks ago, short mouths, for $950 total for both. Bred 4+ months, will calve in the spring. They are bigger cows, 12-1300 lbs with not alot of fat on them. They will probably be one and done, but should gain some weight so will be in the 13-15 wts for cull cows. Maybe by next fall there won't be as many culls around and prices will get better. Culls here are in the .25 to .40 range. And feeder prices fell off this past week from .10 to .40. 3 weeks ago we sold some lt weight heifers off some old cull cows that brought in the 1.10 to 1.25. This past week they were in the mid .80's for some nice heifer calves. Am thinking about buying some heifers, especially herefords or char x as they were in the .70's when the blacks were in the 1.20's so are probably in the basement now. We might be holding most of the feeders until after the first of the year...will see how things go.
Might try to pick up a few more breds if the prices keep falling. Have culled about 25 this past year that were OLD and could do with a few more to fill in the gaps.

 

[Bfields30]

We are seeing breds here from $400 to $700 for just average cows. Bought 2 a couple weeks ago, short mouths, for $950 total for both. Bred 4+ months, will calve in the spring. They are bigger cows, 12-1300 lbs with not alot of fat on them. They will probably be one and done, but should gain some weight so will be in the 13-15 wts for cull cows. Maybe by next fall there won't be as many culls around and prices will get better. Culls here are in the .25 to .40 range. And feeder prices fell off this past week from .10 to .40. 3 weeks ago we sold some lt weight heifers off some old cull cows that brought in the 1.10 to 1.25. This past week they were in the mid .80's for some nice heifer calves. Am thinking about buying some heifers, especially herefords or char x as they were in the .70's when the blacks were in the 1.20's so are probably in the basement now. We might be holding most of the feeders until after the first of the year...will see how things go.
Might try to pick up a few more breds if the prices keep falling. Have culled about 25 this past year that were OLD and could do with a few more to fill in the gaps.

yeah I'm looking at a Brahman/Brangus cross around 15-1600 lbs due in feb for a calve and she's 8 yrs old for 950 weans big calves think probably get about 2-3 more calves out of her or I can get a red angus about 8 yrs old for 750 4 months bred 1300 lbs really big cow and lite bred.

Or should I go the light weight heifer route and buy some of those and sell them late spring.

 

[5S Cattle]

:2cents: I'd recommend getting a couple more years of owning/being in the general vacinity of cattle before you start messing with trader cattle.

 

[Stocker Steve]

What do you have to sell?

If you are not trading -- than this is a better time than most to dollar cost average your way into a hungry herd. :cowboy:

 

[BRYANT]

If I remember right we had a thread a whole lot like this a few days back. I think it would be helpful as for giving you advise to know how much cattle experience you have and is it in raising them or in trading as in buying today selling with in a week, or have you bought and sold after a few months. If you don't have a lot of sale barn experience it can be a costly adventure or could I say you can loose your britches real fast !! I set in sale barns weekly with my ''trader Grand pa'' for years growing up and I see them pull things today that's hard to believe, you better know what your doing or have a lot of money you don't really need.
I am not trying to be a smarty toward you or a know it all but it is what it is and there can be money made in what you are asking but its not for everyone, even some people that knows cattle wont mess with sale barn cattle.

 

[Bfields30]

:2cents: I'd recommend getting a couple more years of owning/being in the general vacinity of cattle before you start messing with trader cattle.

All the cows I'm looking at are from people that I know and live close to me I never bought from sale barn

 

[Bfields30]

What do you have to sell?

If you are not trading -- than this is a better time than most to dollar cost average your way into a hungry herd. :cowboy:

I have two heifers that Im feeding now 500 plus

 

[Bfields30]

If I remember right we had a thread a whole lot like this a few days back. I think it would be helpful as for giving you advise to know how much cattle experience you have and is it in raising them or in trading as in buying today selling with in a week, or have you bought and sold after a few months. If you don't have a lot of sale barn experience it can be a costly adventure or could I say you can loose your britches real fast !! I set in sale barns weekly with my ''trader Grand pa'' for years growing up and I see them pull things today that's hard to believe, you better know what your doing or have a lot of money you don't really need.
I am not trying to be a smarty toward you or a know it all but it is what it is and there can be money made in what you are asking but its not for everyone, even some people that knows cattle wont mess with sale barn cattle.

I have messed with the sale barn yet I'm loooking at cows from some of my buddies that have larger herds.

 

[farmerjan]

If you can buy them direct you might be better off from a health standpoint. I am not in an area that brahma, or any kind of "ear" cattle would bring any money. Really, here, they wouldn't bring $500 bred. So I can't help you with prices on them. But if you are real good at feeding and getting growth, the smaller ones would be good. However, if you are not willing to put the feed into them, then older breds are better. I would go to the sale barn and see what some are bringing in your area, or get a few of the market reports for your closest sales and then determine if what the neighbors are asking is halfway close to fair. Do you want to be putting feed into a growing young animal, or do you want to do the "calving thing"? It just depends on what you really want to do. We are better at breds and calving in general.

 

[Bfields30]

If you can buy them direct you might be better off from a health standpoint. I am not in an area that brahma, or any kind of "ear" cattle would bring any money. Really, here, they wouldn't bring $500 bred. So I can't help you with prices on them. But if you are real good at feeding and getting growth, the smaller ones would be good. However, if you are not willing to put the feed into them, then older breds are better. I would go to the sale barn and see what some are bringing in your area, or get a few of the market reports for your closest sales and then determine if what the neighbors are asking is halfway close to fair. Do you want to be putting feed into a growing young animal, or do you want to do the "calving thing"? It just depends on what you really want to do. We are better at breds and calving in general.

If you had to advise me what do you tnink is better to do ?

 

[Coosh71]

If you can buy them direct you might be better off from a health standpoint. I am not in an area that brahma, or any kind of "ear" cattle would bring any money. Really, here, they wouldn't bring $500 bred. So I can't help you with prices on them. But if you are real good at feeding and getting growth, the smaller ones would be good. However, if you are not willing to put the feed into them, then older breds are better. I would go to the sale barn and see what some are bringing in your area, or get a few of the market reports for your closest sales and then determine if what the neighbors are asking is halfway close to fair. Do you want to be putting feed into a growing young animal, or do you want to do the "calving thing"? It just depends on what you really want to do. We are better at breds and calving in general.

If you had to advise me what do you tnink is better to do ?

We have bought older cows in the past for 4-5 years. Some we're one and done, some surprisingly enough stayed with us thru 3-5 calves. We didn't over feed, but we did vaccinate and worm them twice within 30-45 days of receiving them. It's amazing what a little grass and wormer will do to an older or poorer conditioned cow. We stayed away from smooth mouth cows, and steered towards short solids. I'm in Texas also and we could pick up 4-5 month (SS) bred cows all day here for $600-$700. If you are buying them now you will have some additional feed costs, but with short solid cows you should get at least 2 calves if not several. Just vaccinate/worm, watch them close, get to know them and let them do the rest. Good luck to you. Let us know what you decide and share pics.

 

[ddd75]

these prices are so low i do'nt think you could go wrong buying anything

 

[farmerjan]

I don't think you can go wrong on either, but you have to do what you feel better at. I personally am picking up some breds here, but we are not really set up for alot of "feeder" type cattle. That might change as we have sold a bunch of old cows this year and could switch "their field " to a feeder type field. Some will depend on the grain sorghum we chop the next few days. It is past prime, but have been unable to get the ones that "promised to do it" to get it done, so we bought a small used chopper and are going to do it ourself in the next couple of days. This way we will not be at anyone's mercy or whim to get it done anymore. We don't mind paying for it to be done custom... but when they have a breakdown and decide to not fix it til this winter sometime, and the other custom guy is done for the year and won't take his equipment out again... well, we will depend on our own self. This chopper has been used by a friend, not a ton of hard use and we will certainly not be over doing it on 10-30 acres. We might see how it goes and get a grass head and start to chop the forage sorghum too next year. Again, 10-30 acres... not like we are going to be doing 50-100 acres of corn or anything.

 

[Stocker Steve]

these prices are so low i don't think you could go wrong buying anything

Prices can always go lower. I have an gambler Uncle who went all in on oil stocks when oil dropped below $60/barrel. "Half Price" :banana: He lost his ass. :cry2:

My guess is cows will drop some more and feeders will rebound. But this is just a guess.
I think a good sell/buy trade is to sell steers and buy back heifers. Anyone ran the numbers on this?