Cattle prices

[stocky]

With all the uncertainty about cattle prices I wanted to ask what people are hearing about future calf prices. I have some 650 lb calves ready to come off the cow that I plan to sell in about 10 days. I also have a set of 450-500 lb calves I had planned on leaving on the cow until April. I know the 600 lb calves are down quite a lot because of the grain. However, I plan on selling them anyway. My big question is, would I be smarter to sell the smaller ones now because they are bringing about the same total dollars as the big ones, or would I be smarter to keep them to sell as 650 wts in April? My Auction guy says sell now, the 6 wts wont be better prices until next years record corn crop comes in. What does everyone think or what have you heard from your buyer friends?

 

[dewey]

stocky i dont know alot but what i think is.....

it would depend on my pasture and how the cows was holding up? prices being shakey and all too. depends on how much you are feeding right now and it would help the cows make the winter better. then i would look at the weather conditions around the US. i hear the death loss is way up there in the northern feedlots due to the weather. dont know but may make the prices jump up some later on? i would make my decision based on the cows conditions and how much i was feeding.

down this way our pasture conditions are in bad shape and hay hard to find. it would make my decission easier. with them smaller calves bringing what they are right now i would sale them. let someone else feed them and grow them. that about the best i can tell you. here the bigger ones would of been gone two months ago.

 

[mnmtranching]

I've got some about the same size, but weaned. I plan to hold onto them, keep them sort of green. And sell at about the time they can go to pasture. I don't know, the price isn't good right now and won't get better until corn goes down, maybe never.

 

[Susie David]

Today the order buyers were scrapping over green steers...some went for $110.00 for 5wt...the bigger lots went fast enough for me not to bid. Pretty high for this time of the year. Cows were at the seasonal low and shouldn't pick up till March. Dmc

 

[movin' on]

I think calves of any size might end up being a pretty hot commodity this spring. Many, many pastures that have been in a drought the past few years have standing water/ice/snow in them right now. When winter finally releases its grip on some of these areas I think peoples attitudes are going to get pretty good and there'll be a lot of guys wanting grass cattle.


P.S. Send them to me and I'll put weight on for less than what it'll gain you! Then we'll sell them in the spring when the market goes up!

 

[bigbull338]

i got a paper the other day.that forcasted the 20007 grain sheep goat dairy an cattle market prices.it forcast 650lb steers at $1.10 a lb.the prices will go up in 30 or 45 days.an there is a shortage of feeder calves.an will be a shortage for next 10years.

 

[somn]

Today the order buyers were scrapping over green steers...some went for $110.00 for 5wt...the bigger lots went fast enough for me not to bid. Pretty high for this time of the year. Cows were at the seasonal low and shouldn't pick up till March. Dmc

These 5 weight green steer calves you speak of were they poor quality calves? $110.00 seems cheap almost like they maybe had health problems or something.

 

[Dave]

somn,
Way up here in the northwest a long ways from the major feeding areas $1.10 for 5 weight steers is pretty good.

 

[Nowland Farms]

These 5 weight green steer calves you speak of were they poor quality calves? $110.00 seems cheap almost like they maybe had health problems or something.[/quote]

Somm,

That means $1.10 per pound or as it is more often referred to as $110.00 per hundred pounds.

5 weight = 500 lbs at $1.10 per pound = $550.00 per calf.

 

[somn]

Nowland Farms

Thanks for clearing that up for me. After buying 2800 head of feeder cattle every year I really should have figured that out before now. This board is full of knowledge.

 

[somn]

somn,
Way up here in the northwest a long ways from the major feeding areas $1.10 for 5 weight steers is pretty good.

Just the same Eastern Washington back to my feedlot would only cost $9.00 per cwt. If these are really good green calves they are still low priced. That being the reason why I asked about the quality and health.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

RH_LS772
Warrenton, VA Tue Jan 30, 2007 VA Dept of Ag-USDA Market News

Radiant, VA Feeder Cattle Sale

State Graded Weighted Average for Jan 30, 2007

Feeder Cattle 608 (Steers 256; Heifers 205; Bulls 147)

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
3 300-400 388 110.00-123.00 118.76
16 400-500 469 112.00-118.25 117.77
31 500-600 558 110.00 108.53
3 hd 95.00
41 600-700 650 89.00-95.00 94.22
27 700-800 738 84.00-87.25 87.03
23 800-900 832 83.00-91.00 89.21
4 1000-1100 1025 75.00 75.00

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
10 300-400 357 112.00-116.00 114.90
23 400-500 461 114.00-117.50 115.49
22 500-600 554 97.00-104.00 103.70
24 600-700 634 89.00-96.00 93.94
6 700-800 729 84.75 84.75
13 800-900 875 85.00 85.00

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 3
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
1 200-300 290 103.00 103.00
1 300-400 395 97.00 97.00
2 500-600 527 95.00 95.00
1 600-700 675 82.00 82.00

Feeder Steers Small 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
2 400-500 427 104.00 104.00
4 500-600 532 90.00 90.00
1 600-700 615 80.00 80.00
1 700-800 760 82.50 82.50

Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
4 300-400 355 90.00 90.00
28 400-500 454 88.00-93.50 89.95
24 500-600 537 84.00-88.50 87.60
17 600-700 632 76.50-80.00 79.19
9 700-800 739 70.00-79.50 77.86
2 800-900 845 72.00 72.00

Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
2 200-300 260 90.00 90.00
15 300-400 367 86.00-96.75 95.34
44 400-500 446 88.00-93.50 91.88
28 500-600 550 83.00-88.50 87.94
8 600-700 640 79.50 79.50
5 700-800 753 76.50 76.50

Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 3
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
2 400-500 462 85.00 85.00
1 500-600 505 83.00 83.00
1 600-700 650 74.50 74.50

Feeder Heifers Small 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
2 200-300 260 72.00-80.00 75.62
5 300-400 346 83.00-87.50 76.10
2 hd 60.00-63.00
6 400-500 442 61.00-87.00 78.18
2 500-600 507 83.50 83.50

Feeder Bulls Medium and Large 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
8 300-400 379 113.00 113.00
31 400-500 457 106.00-115.00 111.58
4 hd 95.00-100.00
18 500-600 549 86.00-90.00 88.64
10 600-700 617 79.00-85.00 84.40
1 700-800 700 74.00 74.00

Feeder Bulls Medium and Large 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
13 300-400 370 113.00 113.00
30 400-500 446 94.00-112.50 109.52
1 hd 74.00
8 500-600 536 90.00 90.00
2 600-700 617 85.00 85.00

Feeder Bulls Medium and Large 3
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
1 300-400 395 103.00 103.00
3 500-600 523 83.00 83.00
1 700-800 700 66.00 66.00

Feeder Bulls Small 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
4 200-300 286 102.50 102.50
5 300-400 343 101.00-104.50 103.84
12 400-500 450 65.00-84.00 74.32

Source: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
USDA-VA Market News, Warrenton, VA 540.347.6380
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/marketnews
[email protected]

1440e law rsu

 

[john250]

I saw good quality black calves struggle to make $.75 today. (not mine, thank you lord) 6 weights. Serious times are here in the feeder market.
It is real likely we'll have fewer posters next year.

 

[somn]

I saw good quality black calves struggle to make $.75 today. (not mine, thank you lord) 6 weights. Serious times are here in the feeder market.
It is real likely we'll have fewer posters next year.

Thats really to bad for those people. Paying someone $7.00 per hundered weight would have gotten those cattle trucked to Ft Pierre. Where they would have sold for at the very least a $100.00.

 

[Beefy]

USDA-GDA
Cattle and Calf Receipts at Ashburn totaled 700 compared to 1075 last week.

* Feeder $2.00-$5.00 higher
* Heifers $5.00-$5.00 higher
* Steer Calves $3.00-$5.00 higher
* Heifer Calves $3.00-$5.00 higher
* Killing Cows $3.00-$7.00 higher






CATTLE and CALVES
Slaughter Classes
Cows:

Hi-boning utility: 59.00-61.50
Boning utility: 51.00-59.00
Breaking utility: 52.00-55.00
Cutter: 47.00-54.00
Canner: n/a
Bulls:

Yield Grade 1-2 1500/2000 lbs: 62.00-74.00

1000/1500 lbs: 61.00-63.50
Feeder Classes:
Steers & Bulls:

* Med. & Lg. Frame #1-2




200/300 lbs: 148.00-165.00
300/400 lbs: 119.00-132.00
400/500 lbs: 106.00-124.00
500/600 lbs: 94.00-105.00
600/800 lbs: 80.00-88.00

* Med. Frame #2-3
200/300 lbs: 120.00-150.00
300/400 lbs: 105.00-125.00
400/500 lbs: 90.00-114.00
500/600 lbs:80.00-95.00
600/800 lbs: 70.00-82.00

Heifers:

* Med. & Lg. Frame #1-2



200/300 lbs: 114.00-150.00
300/400 lbs: 98.00-105.00
400/500 lbs: 91.00-101.00
500/600 lbs: 80.00-83.00
600/700 lbs: 77.00-89.00

* Med. Frame #2-3

200/300 lbs: 101.00-120.00
300/400 lbs: 90.00-100.00
400/500 lbs: 83.00-94.00
500/600 lbs: 74.00-81.00
600/700 lbs: 70.00-77.00

Feeder & Replacement Cows:

* Medium Frame #1

n/a

* Small Frame #1

n/a

* Med. & Lg. Frame #2

49.00-60.00

* Small Frame #2


n/a

* Springers


51.00-76.00

* Pairs


675.00-925.00

 

[cfpinz]

Katherine, you ever take any to Radiant? Haven't sent any since it changed hands.

cfpinz

 

[JonB]

It's kind of scary right now. Corn is going up right now and it looks like it is likely to keep it up. I had a professor here tell me the other day that he had heard that if corn goes to $5.00, which it looks like it might just do that, we will be seeing 5 weight steers go down to $0.62. If it was me and I could get as much out of my light calves as I would the bigger calves I think I would load them up and take them too, but that's just me. I read it on another thread that the cattle business is alot like going to the casino. I would have to agree it's a constint gamble.

 

[Agboy]

I am surpised feeder cattle are holding up as well as they are considering the high price off corn.You guys should be grateful for what your getting. Just pity the poor guy buying these things. With things so adverse now theres no way to pencil in a profit. I dont really think we have seen the bottom off the cattle market either. Lots off the feeder cattle inthe lots around here are looking poorly an not gaining at all. Looks like to me ther will be a lot off fat cattle hitting the markets all at once come late spring in to summer then the fat cattle market will crash maybe in to the seventies. With this high price corn looks like a disaster brewing at best. I would take what I get now an be happy with it. Looks corn will stay high for many years an not come down like it used to. Sorry for beng so negative but whats positive in this market right now. I cant see one thing. Just waht Im seeing now. Looks like everybody has rose colored glasses on in the salebarn. But Ive seen that before an pretty soon there out off business. Looks like these feeder cattle are way overpriced yetfor any kind off return. But if the losses continue for a long period off time feeders will get a lot cheaper.