Buying cattle

[Lon]

well i am just about ready to start buying cows. i have been looking at a few and should have low interest rate loan approved in next couple months. if not bank said they would give a loan without much trouble. i have a few questions for everyone though and expecially from the people who are used to droughty cows. i was thinkning about waiting till closer to next spring to buy but all i seem to hear is that bred cows are going to be sky high. one question is i have looked at regualar cattle around here and it looks like 15-16 hundred per head will be the going rate for decent younger bred cows. i have also looked at drought cows for sale. they are bringing alot less i seen an ad for young bred black and red angus cows for 975-1300. young cow calf pairs between 14-17 hundred. calves weighing 3-4 hundred lbs. and i have talked to people saying there getting 3in1s for close to 12 from buyers. my concern is about thier condition. i at first worried about them being pulled down and stressed so they would slink(abort or lose) calves and also about thier breed back once they had them. i have talked to poeple sayin it has gone both ways. the ones i seen in the ad are already in nebraska at north platte neb so would only be 200 miles away from where i would be. i guess i am wondering with you folks that have more expirience with the buying cattle than i do is where would you put your money. are the drought cows worth it. i mean if they are bred for early next spring is there enough time to put them in good enough shape for that calf. or would you guys put pay more money for the cows that are in shape and from this part of the country. i am looking at buying between 50-100 head. thanks ahead of time.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I have no idea what cows are being shipped up there. I have seen some really nice cows go through the sale barn this year down here in the drought areas.

There are complete herds that were dispersed here. No just culls. Everything. Sale barns so full they were on the news telling people they could take no more at times.

They all went some where. Every breed you can imagine.

 

[dun]

Friend of mine has bought 3 loads of drought cows. They're weren;t as poor as he expected and have put on condition in thh or so he's had them. They've started calving and them and the calves are doing fine. I would think that it has more to due with the individual cows condition then anything else

 

[plumber_greg]

Lon, I'd be worried about the southern cows acclimating to your conditions. What will happen to them with winter coming on, and not use to your feed and area. Saw a lot of disasters happen that way. Not sure of the differences in grasses between you and Texas, but GIVE me a bunch of cows off the ranches there and I'd still lose money on them. Our fescue would eat them up. Be careful what you start with, why not try to start with the top quality, get established, then gamble on something like that. gs

 

[3waycross]

Lon a friend of mine just sold 30hd of cows ranging in age from 2 to 8 they are all blk of blk baldies(all but 3) and he sold them for $1315 across the board all bred to a very good angus bull. He was happy to get them at that price. This year's calf crop off those girls avg'd over 630 and that was on some real avg grass.
Keep in mind that this was a small herd dispersal and everyone knew exactly what they were getting!

 

[Lon]

Lon, I'd be worried about the southern cows acclimating to your conditions. What will happen to them with winter coming on, and not use to your feed and area. Saw a lot of disasters happen that way. Not sure of the differences in grasses between you and Texas, but GIVE me a bunch of cows off the ranches there and I'd still lose money on them. Our fescue would eat them up. Be careful what you start with, why not try to start with the top quality, get established, then gamble on something like that. gs

yeah i am leaning twords buying cattle comming from country similiar to ours. i am just mainly wanting to get opinions from folks to make sure my thinking is in the right place with the difference in prices. i dont know what grasses them drought cattle come off of but our grasses are mainly brome western wheat with buffalo grass mixed in. there are others like blue stem and wire grass but not so prominante as the brome western crested and buffalo grass.

 

[Lon]

Lon a friend of mine just sold 30hd of cows ranging in age from 2 to 8 they are all blk of blk baldies(all but 3) and he sold them for $1315 across the board all bred to a very good angus bull. He was happy to get them at that price. This year's calf crop off those girls avg'd over 630 and that was on some real avg grass.
Keep in mind that this was a small herd dispersal and everyone knew exactly what they were getting!

ok see for 13 hundred a dead i would in my mind be better off with cows like that than paying the 9-12 for the drought bred cattle. specially if they averaged over 630 for weaning off of grass. this is what i was talking to my dad about. he runds cattle for another guy. but we were talking about when i was a kid and had to help my grandpa all the time that weaning calves weighing 600 wasnt uncommon from just some saler cattle eating grass calving in late march early april. now i talk to people who brag about that 600+ lb weaning but they calve in late feb and creep them calves the whole way and then when they sell the paper never shows the same lbs for thier calves as they say their getting. but yet these folks when you ask about someone with decent cattle to buy for getting started want to only sell you thier cattle for the 14-15 hundred apiece since thats what they are all worth. i know one guy that said hed sell me 100 head for 1400 cause he had some he wanted to sell anyway. i laughed and told him i spose he would cause his calving season is strung out and weaning 450 lbs. All i know for sure is when your trying to get started it sure shows you the side of alot of folks willing to take advantage and try to unload thier crap for the same prices that in my mind should buy decent cattle.

 

[kenny thomas]

Dont know how to compare drought cattle but there are loads of TX cattle arriving here every week that I can buy from $600 to $750 per head. Some super good ones from OK for $1200.

 

[B&M Farms]

Good cows here are still bringing 1200 at the sale barn. Most of the cattle here are grazing bahia or coastal. Alot of cattle in this drought here are still in good condition. I would worry more about what caliber of cow I was getting more than where she comes from. The change in grass might be an issue with cattle moved up north though.

 

[Lon]

Good cows here are still bringing 1200 at the sale barn. Most of the cattle here are grazing bahia or coastal. Alot of cattle in this drought here are still in good condition. I would worry more about what caliber of cow I was getting more than where she comes from. The change in grass might be an issue with cattle moved up north though.

its the condition that i am most worried about so that would go right along with the caliber of cow. biggest concern besides the slinking of calves if they were drawed down would be our winter. i am sure they would acclimate as long as there wasnt ear in them but if they were pulled down by any means is were i would be worried for going into winter time cause without putting them on lots of feed it is next to impossible to get a cow to gain weight here in another month.