Buying short bred cattle... starting out.

[Cross-7]

My 2 cents.
I'd not cut corners for a couple hundred bucks a head when you're looking long term.
Say you save 2k. In the big picture 2k isn't squat.
Idk about the older cows but you seem to have a well thought out plan.
As Fence said make a lower offer and negotiate from there.

 

[1982vett]

All in all, pretty picture of green trees, green grass and healthy looking cows....but it's december now. What do they look like now. The price sounds fairly reasonable for 4 or 5 months ago but not for the last sale of the year prices.

Short bred 3 year olds in good shape....toss up, would have to have two people fighting hard over them to bring 900 around here. The 7 year olds are ripe for eye problems and bags going bad. I'd put them 200 back. Being short bred it will be a year before you wean a calf and ods are you won't end up with 20 calves.

Also, verify how many are actually 3 year olds. Might find only one fits the bill. :2cents:

 

[Dave]

The age spread, being short bred to calf in the summer, 1 of 4 possible bulls doesn't give you a uniform group of calves. All of that combined with the price which is plenty high in this market. There would have to be some serious reduction in price to interest me. My :2cents: for what it is worth.

 

[MillennialRancher]

thanks for all the feedback guys, I'm guessing hes cutting feed costs going into winter. We'll find out the full story Sunday

 

[kenny thomas]

Price is a little high. Make him an offer more in line with todays pricing.

I like your idea except that they will be calving in the heat of summer and wean in middle of winter. That maybe why he is selling these? Maybe they did not breed back on time with his others.

I thought the same thing at first but guy says they were all bred back 100% in a tight 45 day window, this years calves have already been weaned and sold. IDK i guess thats what works for him.

One more question. If the calves are weaned and sold why are the cows only bred 3 months. They should be farther along than that.

 

[Caustic Burno]

This deal has sounded as screwed up as a football bat. Too many good cheap cows to be had right now. If someone is wanting to jump in prices are right IMO.

 

[hurleyjd]

Most craigslist cattle are over priced and looking for a neophyte looking to get in the cattle business. These cattle might be sale barn cattle that you are trying to avoid. A lot of good cattle go through the sale ring.

 

[Sd1030]

What part of nc are you in? Im also in nc, located north of Greensboro. I also am in the same line of work as you.

 

[MillennialRancher]

What part of nc are you in? Im also in nc, located north of Greensboro. I also am in the same line of work as you.

Nice! NE of Raleigh, Franklin county. I work in wake county. I have a buddy at the department that stays out that way in Pleasant Garden.

 

[Sd1030]

Gotcha im over in Rockingham County and i work for Reidsville fd. Nice meeting a fellow north carolinain on here. Good luck with you cattle

 

[MillennialRancher]

Gotcha im over in Rockingham County and i work for Reidsville fd. Nice meeting a fellow north carolinain on here. Good luck with you cattle

Thanks man! Know of any nice Hereford cows out that way I could haul back east?

 

[Sd1030]

There is a guy that raises registered herefords in brown summit i think its called triple m herefords. Not alot a herefords round here, mostly black cattle. Ive actually got a one and a hereford gert cross in my herd. If i run across any ill let you know

 

[MtnCows93]

i think your fixing to waste alot of money unless you can get those cows for 650 i wouldnt do it, plenty of good cheap cows at the sale. pairs at the sale will pay for themselves in 4 months when you sell the calf off them you almost get a free cow

 

[True Grit Farms]

i think your fixing to waste alot of money unless you can get those cows for 650 i wouldnt do it, plenty of good cheap cows at the sale. pairs at the sale will pay for themselves in 4 months when you sell the calf off them you almost get a free cow

Very true, but I can't see someone just starting out jumping in with sale barn cows. My guess is that 50%+ of what you buy at a sale barn has some kind of a problem. A farm liquidation selling through the sale barn is where you'll find the best cow for the cheapest money.

 

[MillennialRancher]

Went and saw the cattle and the guys operation yesterday, as I figured the cows aren't in the best body condition due to the current weather, a lot of soggy feet and saw some traces of pink eye. One old cow he had separated from the rest and she had the worst cancer eye I've seen. These particular cows were bought off of an old guy as part of a land lease agreement he made earlier this year.

This guy apparently breeds gert to Hereford and sells the crosses (he calls star 5's)as recip cows to bigger operations in the southeast. They're paying good money for these too. Not bad for commercial cows.

Anyway, guy said if I bought 5 or more he'd sell for $700 a head and guarantee in writing he'd buy back the calves at market price + $100.

Side note: http://www.wfherefords.com
Lot 20. He said he'd sell me the bull also. Bought him from Woofolk in April for $7000, top selling bull in the sale. Epds look nice. His price is $3000. Thoughts?

 

[farmerjan]

Sounds like a deal we would be interested in doing. The guarantee on the calves is as good as the paper it is written on, but you might be in a position to stick with him if they do decent and get through the next few years doing good on the calves. We need to replace about 30 head. We are going to cull very heavy this year and possibly buy some replacements because we have kept around some cattle that should have been gone. Had 2 lose baby calves to the cold and wet and they should have gone after the last calf. They will go as soon as we can get them out of the pasture... it's too wet to get in near the catch pen. $700 is a decent price if they are confirmed bred.
I like the gain on the bull, he seems to look pretty good in the pic. Do you like him in person?

 

[Sd1030]

Gert/hereford crosses make good mamas atleast from my limited experience with them. Put a black bul on them and youll have good feeder calves to sell.

 

[MillennialRancher]

Had 2 lose baby calves to the cold and wet and they should have gone after the last calf. They will go as soon as we can get them out of the pasture... it's too wet to get in near the catch pen. $700 is a decent price if they are confirmed bred.
I like the gain on the bull, he seems to look pretty good in the pic. Do you like him in person?

I'm sorry to hear that farmerjan, always tough loosing calves. I figure at $700 a head plus the buyback option I can pretty much get some decent commercial cows for free minus my input costs with at least another couple years of production.

The bull is nice, his hind end sticks up a little higher than I like. I'm partial to a nice flat back and he's got a bit of a u shape. Also has scurs which I'm not a fan off. But he does have some record growth. Wouldn't breed him to any heifers or small framed cows. I think I'll pass on him.

 

[MillennialRancher]

Gert/hereford crosses make good mamas atleast from my limited experience with them. Put a black bul on them and youll have good feeder calves to sell.

I was pleasantly surprised with the way those 8mo heifers looked. 6-7wt. Seems to be a good cross.

 

[MtnCows93]

i think your fixing to waste alot of money unless you can get those cows for 650 i wouldnt do it, plenty of good cheap cows at the sale. pairs at the sale will pay for themselves in 4 months when you sell the calf off them you almost get a free cow

Very true, but I can't see someone just starting out jumping in with sale barn cows. My guess is that 50%+ of what you buy at a sale barn has some kind of a problem. A farm liquidation selling through the sale barn is where you'll find the best cow for the cheapest money.

by far, buddy of mine bought 30 in 1 day like that only resold 2. farm liquidation at the sale is a golden ticket