Catle prices are sure down

[Goodlife]

With everyione selling out right now (3 of my relatives are getting out this week), cattle prices are way down. I was in Patton, MO yesterday and you could get very nice 4-5 weights for $120/hundred. That is around 35%-40% less than they were in the spring. If you have pasture you can sure get some deals now. One of my cousins has 100 bales of hay left and is selling out his cattle now so he can at least sell the hay for some income. Hay is the crop to have this year. Round bales are bringing around $60-$65 per bale here and looks like it has no where to go but up this fall. Looks like feeding hay this winter is going to be EXPENSIVE!

How are you all holding out? Are most of you selling down your herd size to survive the winter? How many have sold all their cattle till we get some real rain?

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

I have had to start feeding hay already, normally it is late Oct or Nov when I start, and to top it off the hay crop was 60-70% less for 1st cutting and we most likely won't see a 2nd this year. I have already culled the ones I knew for sure had to go, older hard doin and one crazy cow with no mothering ability. Now I am in a holding pattern until I finish hay to see how many I can feed the winter, have a list made and will not hesitate to cull really deep if needed. Hay prices here are @ $45-50 4x5 rounds, but not many to be had. Those who do have it are shipping it out where they will make bigger profits. Will be interesting to say the least.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Good hay was $150 here last year - if you could find it. The folks getting out now could be making the best choice.

We were lucky prices didn't go to less than $50 a hundred weight like they have in the past.

We've been extemely lucky in this part of Texas this year. Pastures will need a few more years to recover.

 

[circlew]

We've been really blessed this year. Getting rain, a lot of it, at the right time. Sitting on 250ish rolls right now and will only need 200 to feed this winter. Still got a second cutting on a couple fields and a third coming on the others. Gonna stockpile some grass plant some winter grazing and this fall when cows will be at the bottom I'm gonna pick up some money makers to sale in March or April when all the winter grazing is coming on and everyone thinks the drought is over and will rush back in. Or at least that's the plan for now.

 

[highgrit]

Think your on the right track circlew, at least I hpoe you are. Going to sell my steers, and hold the heifers till spring my self. Sure been blessed with the rains we've had the last month. Rain sure makes the cow business easy for awhile.

 

[Isomade]

I have plenty of grass to last the rest of the year due to culling last year, I just don't know how much longer it will be green. I have more than enough hay to last the cows on hand for 2 years because I got on it early this year and bought some. My plan was to buy back some cows but I wanted to wait till I saw what August had in store, sure glad I waited now.

 

[Anonymous]

Prices are holding steady here but I expect them to drop starting the next week or so.

 

[circlew]

Calves are off .40 to .50 cents a pound depending on the stockyard. I went to our local Saturday sale this past weekend and pairs and cows were way off. Reds 300 off pairs 400 off. I just trying to wait till the fall. If I'm gonna have to feed hay I want to feed it in the winter not the summer.

 

[Caustic Burno]

With everyione selling out right now (3 of my relatives are getting out this week), cattle prices are way down. I was in Patton, MO yesterday and you could get very nice 4-5 weights for $120/hundred. That is around 35%-40% less than they were in the spring. If you have pasture you can sure get some deals now. One of my cousins has 100 bales of hay left and is selling out his cattle now so he can at least sell the hay for some income. Hay is the crop to have this year. Round bales are bringing around $60-$65 per bale here and looks like it has no where to go but up this fall. Looks like feeding hay this winter is going to be EXPENSIVE!

How are you all holding out? Are most of you selling down your herd size to survive the winter? How many have sold all their cattle till we get some real rain?

I got a 1.80 on 4 wt's on Sat. that is down about .40 here. That was on kick butt F-1 Baldies.
Lot's of cow's from up north coming our way. I dumped just for that reason, this is going to drive the market down for a few month's. Yall are seeing what we saw for the last couple of year's. Most in my neck of the wood's are not restocking.
Burn't child is scared of fire.

 

[HOSS]

They have dropped like a rock here. I took a cow / calf pair to the local sale today. The cow was a 2008 model black angus and she had a 220 lb. balancer heifer at her side. She was a decent cow and the calf was really nice. Most of ya'll know that I don't have any junk. This cow had a snapping turtle bite her on one teat and she lost that quarter for the year so she was getting culled. Heavy milker and the 2 month old heifer weighed 220 already. Anyway the pair brought 1285.00. Oh well.....what can you do right. I thought they would bring 1400 but I did not anticipate the big drop. The sale barn owner won the bid and he told me that he felt that she was worth more if and would have bid higher if the bid had continued. I will be selling steers in October......I hope the prices rebound.

 

[kenny thomas]

Corn dropped a bunch today and feeder cattle higher. Some rain has or may come to the corn belt so the paper traders are scared.

 

[inbredredneck]

Corn dropped a bunch today and feeder cattle higher. Some rain has or may come to the corn belt so the paper traders are scared.

Paper traders are not the only ones who are scared about what is happening.

 

[kenny thomas]

Paper traders are not the only ones who are scared about what is happening.

Im sure you are correct. Makes it even more important to study some of your advice. We dont always agree and I dont explain things nearly as good as you but I have learned some things watching your comments. I also learned some things trying to prove you wrong. hahaha

 

[BC]

I learned something this summer that I had not figured on - it really doesn't matter how many cattle are left in the country if they lose money coming ouit of the feedyards. As many cattle as were sold off in Texas, Western Louisiana, Oklahoma and southern Arkansas last year and many of my neighbors saying "calfrope" that is it - not going back in, I thought the cow calf man was in the driver seat. We saw stocker operators bid up a limited supply of calves to graze. Feed yards also bid up a limited supply of feeders thinking they would never see another poor day. Trouble was those calves have a breakeven coming out of the feedyards around $125 to $126 and are selling for $113. Those fat cattle are losing over $160 per head. The folks feeding cattle are going to have to make some money to stay in and the only way to do that is buy feeder cattle cheaper.

 

[riverridgefarms]

Not looking to good today. My opionion is they will continue to decline .I think the traders are trying to keep it propped up but won't work as you can see it loses more ground than it gains. Until they stop changing corn numbers every other day i think futures will keep declining but when they start harvesting the corn and see some actual yeild numbers i think they will go up and may see some higher prices in the spring than we have before . Just my two cents worth or a pennies worth of it anyhow .

 

[fitz]

Here this week med. & large 1's 5-6 wt. brought 123. @ one yard and 134.29 @ another .

fitz

 

[kenny thomas]

Corn dropped a bunch today and feeder cattle higher. Some rain has or may come to the corn belt so the paper traders are scared.

So much for my thoughts. Todays reason for cattle going down was the heat. Everyone read my signiture before taking any advice I give.

 

[rnh1]

sold 5 wt bull Tuesday for 60 cents

 

[Anonymous]

3cwt black was 1.85 this week. About .15 off from last week and .65 off the high I saw a few months back

 

[cow pollinater]

Cattle prices are still freakin' fantastic. They just aren't as fantastic as they have been. I wish I knew of an ag industry where prices only went up and inputs were always the same.