cypressfarms
Well-known member
Previous thread locked. I thought it important enough to get info out to cattlemen who may want to know.
My first reaction to the post by "Somn" was to start slinging mud. Cooler heads prevail, and you never know when something can be learned. I did take Somn up on the offer to call Ft. Pierre Livestock and Presho Livestock in South Dakota, along with other auctions in Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
I did do more research on the topic (before calling any auctions) and found out that (at weaning) banded calves normally weigh 20 lbs heavier than those cut. The main reason is that when cut, a calf does not gain weight for 7 to 10 days. With banding there is no weight gain "loss". This article was found in beefmagazine.com Once weaned, and heavy feeding starts, this difference appears to be made up by the "cut" calves.
On to the auctions - I talked to Mr. Dennis Hanson at Ft. Pierre Livestock in South Dakota this morning. Real nice guy. He told me that his customers prefer cut calves - from the standpoint that they do not have to worry about "stags". This preference does not translate to a price difference, however. There is no premium for cut calves, and no discount for banded.
I also talked to Mr. Cody Volmer at Presho Livestock in South Dakota. He echoed Mr. Hanson's thoughts but added "banded calves do not come into the ring discounted $2". Mr. Volmer's customers also seem to prefer cut vs. banded from the same standpoint of not having to worry about stags. Mr. Volmer also stated there was no price difference between cut and banded calves. He also added that a seller's reputation is important and if a seller did a poor job of banding (with stags resulting), then the next year his customers would be less likely to buy from the seller - or discount his/her calves.
These are extremely large operations where thousands of head of cattle pass through on a regular basis.
The same sentiment was heard from other auction yards as well. Big or small, they all seemed to say that buyers prefer cut from a comfort point of view (Not having to worry about stags). I did not find one auction yard that said that banded calves were discounted. NONE. I did find some research that shows banded calves could outweigh cut calves; which surprised me.
So there we have it - cut or banded - it doesn't seem to translate into a price difference. It all seems to boil down to a comfort factor for feedyards, but not so much comfort to affect price.
As to Somn's personal remarks - thanks for giving me Ft. Pierre and Presho's names. They seem to be real good people, and it was nice to talk to them - Cody asked me questions about calving in Louisiana and Dennis joked with me about LSU winning the National Championship. When you look for the good, it sure does make the day nicer.
My first reaction to the post by "Somn" was to start slinging mud. Cooler heads prevail, and you never know when something can be learned. I did take Somn up on the offer to call Ft. Pierre Livestock and Presho Livestock in South Dakota, along with other auctions in Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
I did do more research on the topic (before calling any auctions) and found out that (at weaning) banded calves normally weigh 20 lbs heavier than those cut. The main reason is that when cut, a calf does not gain weight for 7 to 10 days. With banding there is no weight gain "loss". This article was found in beefmagazine.com Once weaned, and heavy feeding starts, this difference appears to be made up by the "cut" calves.
On to the auctions - I talked to Mr. Dennis Hanson at Ft. Pierre Livestock in South Dakota this morning. Real nice guy. He told me that his customers prefer cut calves - from the standpoint that they do not have to worry about "stags". This preference does not translate to a price difference, however. There is no premium for cut calves, and no discount for banded.
I also talked to Mr. Cody Volmer at Presho Livestock in South Dakota. He echoed Mr. Hanson's thoughts but added "banded calves do not come into the ring discounted $2". Mr. Volmer's customers also seem to prefer cut vs. banded from the same standpoint of not having to worry about stags. Mr. Volmer also stated there was no price difference between cut and banded calves. He also added that a seller's reputation is important and if a seller did a poor job of banding (with stags resulting), then the next year his customers would be less likely to buy from the seller - or discount his/her calves.
These are extremely large operations where thousands of head of cattle pass through on a regular basis.
The same sentiment was heard from other auction yards as well. Big or small, they all seemed to say that buyers prefer cut from a comfort point of view (Not having to worry about stags). I did not find one auction yard that said that banded calves were discounted. NONE. I did find some research that shows banded calves could outweigh cut calves; which surprised me.
So there we have it - cut or banded - it doesn't seem to translate into a price difference. It all seems to boil down to a comfort factor for feedyards, but not so much comfort to affect price.
As to Somn's personal remarks - thanks for giving me Ft. Pierre and Presho's names. They seem to be real good people, and it was nice to talk to them - Cody asked me questions about calving in Louisiana and Dennis joked with me about LSU winning the National Championship. When you look for the good, it sure does make the day nicer.
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