Stocker Steve
Well-known member
I updated my cost estimate today. Does 1,100 to 1,200 U$S seem reasonable?
Bred Heifer Cost?
- Thread starter Stocker Steve
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
- Status
Aaron
Well-known member
Sounds reasonable. Should have no problem breaking-even on those heifers.
Angus Cowman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2008
- Messages
- 7,157
- Reaction score
- 5
to raise them or to buy them ???Stocker Steve":1fn5su5u said:
Lon
Well-known member
Angus Cowman":1ol8rz5l said:
yup cheaper than what you could get them bought here for. heck they were 1200 last nov. here and ya still had to feed them all winter.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Stocker Steve":3nx2gulg said:
Little higher here, heck bred cows are bringing that or better through the salebarn.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
I have been buying small and/or June calving bred heifers this winter. I paid between $875 and a 1000 for grade angus, and $1050 for some limi flex. I cann't raise them for that but of course mine are bettter 8) so I retained some heifers also.
I weighed the purchased ones up two weeks ago. They have been on corn stubble, alot of upland hay, and recently some beet shreds. I have 2 that seem a little stunted at 900#, the rest are between 1000 and 1150#. Most look good but I bought the wife her own set of OB chains and a halter just in case. :cboy: Things could get interesting.
I weighed the purchased ones up two weeks ago. They have been on corn stubble, alot of upland hay, and recently some beet shreds. I have 2 that seem a little stunted at 900#, the rest are between 1000 and 1150#. Most look good but I bought the wife her own set of OB chains and a halter just in case. :cboy: Things could get interesting.
houstoncutter
Well-known member
Whew... you fellas have fun buying those high priced heifers......I think I will wait for the train wreck, that is coming before I buy back in, or I just may plant pecan trees, and forget all this fun......
TexasBred
Well-known member
Those should give you a quick return on your investment and they die about as often as cattle.houstoncutter":i7g9xvgg said:
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
TexasBred":1k68hbdj said:
Drought affects them both just about the same. There's a hybrid pecan orchard next door to me. The trees are 29 years old now. In another 20 or so years, those that survived this long should make a lot of nickels.
houstoncutter":m1fqmaze said:
yup, i will wait when the price drop and until this fall around end of oct or beginning nov when they are around 650-700, when there are not enough green grass and a lot of snow. patience is virtue. these prices are too high for me, as a newbie. i am not riding this "train wreck", according to "houstoncutter."
buy them low and sell them high, according to this board many advises., uscangus, go lakers...............
Lon
Well-known member
uscangus":3600ccow said:
do you think bred heifer prices will be that low this fall?
TexasBred
Well-known member
3waycross":2j7svxe6 said:
Watch the long term weather guesses....If it stays dry I figure that will have as much affect on the price of cattle as anything.
SRBeef
Well-known member
I think the world market and high cost to retain and breed a heifer compared to selling her with the steers will keep bred heifer prices high for a long time to come. I think there may be some minor seasonal ups and downs but basically the trend is likely to be steady to gradually up. I know you couldn't pry my better heifers bred out of my hands for 650-700. Heck at a 1.10 kill price a 900 lb heifer would sell for almost $1000 for hamburger! She would certainly have to bring more than that for a breeder.
Jim
Jim
houstoncutter
Well-known member
I think heifers will get higher, but I dont think the price can be sustained for a long period of time. I would love to see these prices stay this high, and really I think those prices should double.................but alas I can remember buying papered maine and angus heifers that were 6 months bred for $350 at the NorTex dispersal and they were happy to get it, because cattle were selling a whole lot cheaper at the sale barn....Trust me when I say the packers are gonna figure out a way to get the upper hand. I think as cattleman or cattlewoman we are gonna have to get smarter...and that is dont pay a lot for your animals and be willing to sell the herd at the drop of a hat... I know this goes against the grain for most people on this board, because they want to produce the best product that they can. Alas we are not paid for all that effort, not even now with these higher prices...I think I read somewhere the other day, that even using prices that calves are bring that a cow has to be at least 10 years old to break even and you wont see a profit on her until u sell her at that advanced age...How many of you have cattle in your herd that are 12 years old? I am not talking about a couple but at least 25 percent of your herd...I would dare say very few of us....Seedstock producers are licking their chops waiting for the next newby to drop $15oo for a heifer and $3500 for a good bull............A lot of smart commercial cattlemen have sold out......i think I hear that ol orange Blossom Special coming down the track....
SRBeef
Well-known member
HC, a real optimist this morning eh?
There is an inconsistency in your approach however. You are saying that todays current prices are still barely enough, that we cattlemen should stop allowing packers to push prices down... Yet you are holding out for cheap bred heifers. Hmmm.
Jim
There is an inconsistency in your approach however. You are saying that todays current prices are still barely enough, that we cattlemen should stop allowing packers to push prices down... Yet you are holding out for cheap bred heifers. Hmmm.
Jim
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
houstoncutter":2a86tkiq said:
I have never been able to figure out how to make money on dumping ten and eleven year old cows and retaining heifers as I see many do. I have made money on buying those ten year old cows. I still only have four cows under ten and I sold off the really old ones last spring due to a failing back and great prices. I would rather keep and produce from a known commodity. It has been one of those puzzling moments for me when I listen to cattlemen talk about dumping a cow in her prime to me cause her teeth are wore out. They will spend money on cows that will never make them a dime but won't spend a dime on the grass.
Good grass = good teeth, healthy bovine, and long productive lives.
The cheapest dollar I can spend is on pasture and keeping what is working not looking for something to work.
hillbillycwo
Well-known member
I can't see them going down all that much. There are two different producers buying them. The Feed lot buyers and the farmer. Feed lots have to be feeding them out for slaughter just like they do the steers to keep up with beef demand due to the reduction in herd sizes nationwide. Farmers need them to replenish there herds. The herd age average has dropped over the last several years and it will creep back up. I hope the demand for beef stays steady over the next 3 years while the herd agge creeps back up, if it does I would think the heifer price will continue a steady rise at least that is what is predicted by the statisticians. My vote is still out on this one. I wish I could retain a few heifers this year though to sell bred down the road. But I have to put some pencil to paper to see if it will pencil out.
- Status
