Buying cull cows for the rail? Or feeders to feed out

[chickenfarmer/cattlefarm0]

Young farmer here with 200 head cow/calf operation. I have a truck and pot trailer. Have bought cows and sent to Texas on the rail before. Broke even. Have a chunk of money and wanted to try again and go to different plant or should I buy feeder calves at 400 and feed in my feed lot until 600-650 and send to Joplin?? Just looking for advice

 

[coachg]

Cousin usually buys feeder calves and grazes them all winter . He lives in LA , lower Alabama , and can grow rye grass all winter. He told me about a month ago he was probably not buying in calves this fall . Just saying.

 

[bird dog]

They are both a crap shoot so why mess with them. If you have a 200 cow operation, increase it to 250.
Where are you located?

 

[Warren Allison]

Young farmer here with 200 head cow/calf operation. I have a truck and pot trailer. Have bought cows and sent to Texas on the rail before. Broke even. Have a chunk of money and wanted to try again and go to different plant or should I buy feeder calves at 400 and feed in my feed lot until 600-650 and send to Joplin?? Just looking for advice

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[chickenfarmer/cattlefarm0]

South Arkansas. I'll do that sir

 

[Dave]

Buying cull cows is a tough deal. What the plant will pay is probably the same amount they tell their buyers to pay. So you have to be pretty sharp at estimating dressing percentage to beat those guys who do it everyday.
The light calf deal certainly can work. However with calf prices right now I would be nervous. Cheap feed and keeping them healthy and growing is the secret. If I were doing it now I would certainly look into LRP on them.

 

[Travlr]

South Arkansas. I'll do that sir

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[chickenfarmer/cattlefarm0]

I have

Buying cull cows is a tough deal. What the plant will pay is probably the same amount they tell their buyers to pay. So you have to be pretty sharp at estimating dressing percentage to beat those guys who do it everyday.
The light calf deal certainly can work. However with calf prices right now I would be nervous. Cheap feed and keeping them healthy and growing is the secret. If I were doing it now I would certainly look into LRP on them.

read quite of a bit of your stuff on the cull cows!! There is only a couple buyers in the barn I buy out of. Can get cull cows right now for 1.35-1.45

 

[Dave]

I have

read quite of a bit of your stuff on the cull cows!! There is only a couple buyers in the barn I buy out of. Can get cull cows right now for 1.35-1.45

The question become what is the plant paying on the rail? It takes a pretty good cow to hang up 50%. So it takes $2.90 on the rail to cover the purchase cost.

 

[sgreear]

I was at the slaughter house the other day and there was a cull cow ready for slaughter. It sold at auction for 1.40 and weighed around 1400 lb. It was really well fed fat and looked like a well marveled steer. It made me question why I would take the time and effort to raise and spend on a steer when I can pay that price and get that quality of beef

 

[BC]

Find out if any of the buyers where you go to buy sends cows to the plant you are sending cows. If yes, you are going to get a lesson, if no - you are still going to get an education, but the tuition may not be as high. That said, a program like Dave runs could work if you have the land. Since you are in southern Arkansas, you can grow ryegrass easily. Buy the thin cows that have a frame when fall culling is going on. Sell before April 15 (school lunch program will be ending soon)

 

[chickenfarmer/cattlefarm0]

The question become what is the plant paying on the rail? It takes a pretty good cow to hang up 50%. So it takes $2.90 on the rail to cover the purchase cost.

The plant I'm going to is paying 2.95 on rail right now

 

[chickenfarmer/cattlefarm0]

Find out if any of the buyers where you go to buy sends cows to the plant you are sending cows. If yes, you are going to get a lesson, if no - you are still going to get an education, but the tuition may not be as high. That said, a program like Dave runs could work if you have the land. Since you are in southern Arkansas, you can grow ryegrass easily. Buy the thin cows that have a frame when fall culling is going on. Sell before April 15 (school lunch program will be ending soon)

The buyers in this barn aren't going to the spot I'm going. I know where there's is going. The railbuyer told me he didn't have anyone in barn where I'm buying

 

[Travlr]

The plant I'm going to is paying 2.95 on rail right now

Will a $0.05 profit cover your trouble/transportation/shrinkage?

Just because someone says they don't have a buyer at a barn doesn't mean someone else doesn't.

 

[Dave]

So that is $30 on a 1,200lb cow who hangs 50% (600lb). Put 40 of those cows in a pot which is $1,200. how far are you hauling? What is that expense? You need to get a full load. Can you do that every week. Half a load cost just as much to haul as a full load. Feeding until next week eats on your profit. Do they get enough good thick meaty cows every week to fill a load? Looks like a lot of gamble for not all that much profit.