buying calves and taking straight to sale barn

[tncattle]

I talked to a man that does this. Finds good groups of calves, offers 5 cents below market and buys straight off farm, helps cut out owner hauling and barn commission. Does it fairly regular, seems risky to me but I guess it takes all kinds. Anyone on here do this?

 

[slick4591]

We have several that jockey cattle around here. Sometimes they even do it between sale barns. They buy and wait a week or so and take them to a different barn. Best I can tell you about that is you better know what you're doing if you expect to come out.

 

[Jlane]

There's a local guy here the buys livestock lower than market price and sells them at the market saving them the hour and a half drive... seems to do pretty good I guess.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Probably 8 months out of the year I buy calves at a sale every Wednesday and re sell them on Thursday. I buy 10 to 20 head, and after my fuel and expenses I can make 500$ a week owning them less than 24 hours. It doesn't work all the time and your taking a risk, but I enjoy it and haven't got burned yet.

 

[slick4591]

Denver, if I did that the bottom would fall out in those 24 hours and no one would show up at the barn. I'd have lots of splainin' to do to my wife. :lol:

 

[Stocker Steve]

If you know what and where the premiums are, and you are at the buying barn anyway, and you are there with a trailer hitched up, and you can negotiate down the sales barn selling commission - - then you might be a profitable cattle jockey.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I have a good sale to take them to with a good market and low commision. And I buy them at sales 60 to over 100 miles away. I just pick up the bargains that don't fit what anyone else needs, so I pretty much end up with a mixed load what I call " money makers".

 

[Bigfoot]

Must be a big difference from place to place, and state to state. Here I would be required to announce that a calf had gone through a yard in the last 30 days. I can sell my own as farm fresh, and I can buy one and keep it 30 days, and sell it as farm fresh. I can't buy one here, and take it there without letting the buyer know.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Must be a big difference from place to place, and state to state. Here I would be required to announce that a calf had gone through a yard in the last 30 days. I can sell my own as farm fresh, and I can buy one and keep it 30 days, and sell it as farm fresh. I can't buy one here, and take it there without letting the buyer know.

Wow, that's crazy, and something I have not heard of around here.

 

[jasonleonard]

Some sales around here have what are called co-mingled ,graded calf sales. These sales , usually once a month, sell off large lots... usually 50000 lb at a time.
The calves are weighed right off the goosenecks, and the farmers then get paid for how much weight they have in each of the big groups that is sold.
Cattle traders will buy calves ahead of these sale at little auctions, and then unload them at these bigger sales.

 

[tom4018]

Must be a big difference from place to place, and state to state. Here I would be required to announce that a calf had gone through a yard in the last 30 days. I can sell my own as farm fresh, and I can buy one and keep it 30 days, and sell it as farm fresh. I can't buy one here, and take it there without letting the buyer know.

There are several that buy cattle at some of the smaller sales here and sell the same or next week at a sale me and you frequent. Never heard of them telling Mark anything. If that is the sale you are talking about. Lots of jockeys around here.

 

[kenny thomas]

If the guy is paying 5 cents less than market he is loosing money. How do they weigh them? Guess the weight? Maybe they weigh more. Something is wrong here. 5 cents under market won't make money.
I buy $100,000 + per year of cattle off the farm. Many of them fit my needs or the needs of someone I buy for. With a 500lb calf if the commission is $20 thats 4 cents a lb off the top just for commission. If there is 20-25 lb weight loss thats another 4-5 cents. Fuel and such will be another 1-2. It just wont work on 5 cents.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I agree Kenny, no way on 5 cents, all I can figure is maybe he meant a profit of 5 cents, but that ain't what he wrote.

 

[heath]

Its pretty common here. A guy i go to church with, goes to a sale everyday but Friday and Sunday. He might buy eared cattle cheap at tulsa then haul to mcalister(which is south of 40) where there is no dock. Or there are several small sales with less buyers where he might buy on Thursday night then haul to another sale on Saturday. There's no announcing if they were recently bought at a sale.
If you don't tell them, how do they know when you got them?

 

[salebarn junkie]

Probably 8 months out of the year I buy calves at a sale every Wednesday and re sell them on Thursday. I buy 10 to 20 head, and after my fuel and expenses I can make 500$ a week owning them less than 24 hours. It doesn't work all the time and your taking a risk, but I enjoy it and haven't got burned yet.

How much of a shrink do you have. I've tried this buying on a Tuesday and selling on a saterday and the shrink ate me alive it was probably the way I feed them

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Probably 8 months out of the year I buy calves at a sale every Wednesday and re sell them on Thursday. I buy 10 to 20 head, and after my fuel and expenses I can make 500$ a week owning them less than 24 hours. It doesn't work all the time and your taking a risk, but I enjoy it and haven't got burned yet.

How much of a shrink do you have. I've tried this buying on a Tuesday and selling on a saterday and the shrink ate me alive it was probably the way I feed them

Seems like I never have over a 2% shrink, probably the because of the cattle I buy. I either buy them pretty thin to start with, or at enough of a discount if they lose more I can still come out.

I wouldn't say that anyone should take alot of money and try it, I just took about 3000$ a couple years ago and bought all of what I though were good deals one day and re sold them the next day, I made money so I have kinda kept it going. Of course theres some I've lost money on, but overall it has worked.

 

[Tim/South]

When we unload we are asked if the cattle are farm or trader cattle. If they are farm cattle then it shows up on the screen when it goes through the ring.

 

[kenny thomas]

When we unload we are asked if the cattle are farm or trader cattle. If they are farm cattle then it shows up on the screen when it goes through the ring.

This is kinda funny. I am not doubting what you say but wonder how many trader cattle are actually called farm cattle. I know one trader that sometimes has several different guys hauling into the market for him to hide that they are his.

 

[salebarn junkie]

I've had good luck cleaning calves up cutting, dehorning, worming them and holding them 45 to 60 days but trading the same week my shrink is 5 to 10% do you give them salt or feed them anything special?

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I've had good luck cleaning calves up cutting, dehorning, worming them and holding them 45 to 60 days but trading the same week my shrink is 5 to 10% do you give them salt or feed them anything special?

I genrally buy one day and sell the next. When I hold them longer depending on what they are I will pen them with hay, salt mix and maybe feed a little.

What your doing in 45 to 60 days is alot safer way to go, sounds like you have it figured out. I've made money doing it that way to.