bred heifers

[ClinchValley86]

What're yall expecting commercial bred heifers doing this fall and winter and next spring?

Many of yall making the gamble and holding back? I've got a dozen or so picked out to keep and breed, whether they stay here or get sold is har to tell at this time.

 

[coachg]

Same boat . We kept 11 , Will put the bull in June 1 . Don't know if we keep them or sell as breds. I expect them to stay high with cattle numbers low and still a lot going to slaughter. We sold 19 heifers the first of the month. There were 8-10 keepers in the bunch but no place to keep them . Plus the prices were so good we let them go . Had to buy fertilizer and need a new catch lot upgrade. Decisions, decisions?

 

[gcreekrch]

We kept some and bought a bunch. 350 to go with bulls in July. Looking like a lot of guys are selling good heifers out of the feedlots for replacements up here. Maybe too many.
We are prepared to calve a bunch of them if need be.

 

[Lucky]

We plan on keeping 10-12 for ourselves this year. If the market looks right we'll keep them all and sell as bred heifers in October '26 instead of yearlings in May '26. The problem for us in room, you never know how much grass you'll have.

 

[farmerjan]

We have 15 to get bred in June. Have another 10 we kept out of over 40 we sold... but 15 of them went to a guy that is going to put them with a bull in June... rest went through the stockyard so who knows... prices were real good. Lost a pasture we would have put 30 out at, so they got sold and we kept the 10. Will be weaning calves off in early June, steers and heifers... and don't have any idea if we will wean and hold or just sell...
Prices here are still way up there... 4 wt heifers were bringing 3.50 lb on Saturday; that is steer price..... there were several cow calf pairs... most were over 3,000...

 

[Heronfish]

Folks that study it cannot predict the weather more than three days out.
Trying to predict the cattle market in a few months time is a fool's errand. Cannot be done

 

[ClinchValley86]

Folks that study it cannot predict the weather more than three days out.
Trying to predict the cattle market in a few months time is a fool's errand. Cannot be done

Just now saw your post.

While I do see your point. I think itd crazy to not expect them to be high for a while the way things are panning out. Especially the super good specimens.

Based on the price cowman's good heifers brought, it might be ideal to try to sell them as opens this fall/ winter. Not thru a barn but privately. These local Facebook groups seems to be getting a tremendous amount of traffic.

I sold a 3 year old bull for asking price in about 2 weeks time. So I expect good heifers could do real well the same way.

 

[cowman82]

I think prices will remain high. Nothing else is going down. The only thing thats priced right is grain. And that just helps us out. If grain markets jump sky high it might drop cattle prices a little. But the money is still there.

 

[cowman82]

this was in florida I guess?

 

[Dave]

this was in florida I guess?

No matter where that is the buyer and second bidder weren't concerned about making money. That is a loser no matter how you figure it. Well except for the seller. It is a winner for them. The other thing might be a mistake by the clerk. The $830 supposed to be by the head not by the pound.

 

[ClinchValley86]

How do yall price yearling heifers that you planned on keeping to breed? Talking #1 girls. Tanks from grass alone. Black. I'd have a hard time buying them at a sale barn i think.

Everything is for sale in the end. Just curious how yall do it.

 

[gcreekrch]

Depending on weight they would have been $3500 to $4000 in May.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

The guy I buy my Black Angus from all depends on pedigree from 3000 to 6,000.

 

[Warren Allison]

How do yall price yearling heifers that you planned on keeping to breed? Talking #1 girls. Tanks from grass alone. Black. I'd have a hard time buying them at a sale barn i think.

Everything is for sale in the end. Just curious how yall do it.

If you plan on keeping and breeding them, then who would you be pricing them to?

 

[Lucky]

How do yall price yearling heifers that you planned on keeping to breed? Talking #1 girls. Tanks from grass alone. Black. I'd have a hard time buying them at a sale barn i think.

Everything is for sale in the end. Just curious how yall do it.

When I'm thinking of keeping heifers back and trying to figure a value on them I always look at J&Js website. They're in Bryan, Tx and deal in nice breeding age open heifers. Seems like top of the market plus $100-150. I look there because that's what I'd have to buy them for.

 

[Dave]

Top end weaned 600 pound heifers here are running right around $2,000 a head at the sale. I have thought about buying a bunch in the fall. Winter them, grow them up to 800 lbs and breed in the spring. If I did that I would want to contract them early for a fall delivery.

 

[Brute 23]

We are going to hold some heifers through the winter. For a blk/ bwf heifer 60-90 days weaned I would do $2500-$2750. Thats me fooling with them, making sure they come to feed, can be penned and handled easily, etc with all their shots and all that good stuff.

If they start getting breeding age it would be $3,000-3,250

Bred would be at least $3500 if not more depending on the quality.

That's off the top of my head. Any less than that an we would probably just keep them.

 

[Travlr]

Folks that study it cannot predict the weather more than three days out.
Trying to predict the cattle market in a few months time is a fool's errand. Cannot be done

That's why you hedge your bets...

 

[Dave]

Folks that study it cannot predict the weather more than three days out.
Trying to predict the cattle market in a few months time is a fool's errand. Cannot be done

That is why it is not a prediction. It is an educated guess based on a lot of different things. I know personally I am not right 100% of the time. But over the years I have been right far more times than I have been wrong.

 

[Brute 23]