Confused newbie

[cypressfarms]

Good afternoon all!

Last weekend worked all of my cows. Took three small bull calves to the stockyard because their momas needed some relief from the constant milking. Picked up the check the next evening and I spent 30 minutes in the car looking at the check. How on earth could three calves possibly be worth from $2.37 to $2.70?????!!!! They were lightweights - all 3 between 300 to 400 pounds. Not ten years ago I can remember jumping for joy when a calf brought over $1.00...... My, times have changed. I don't keep up with the local stockyard, and between work and three kids barely have enough daylight.

Boy I picked a bad year to decide that I would keep all my heifer calves as replacements. I'm contemplating selling everything (calves) now, so this week I looked at our states "market bulletin", and I don't see much difference in price for "good" bred or breeding aged heifers compared to several years back. Cows and bred cows still bring less than bred heifers, but I understand they aren't as "sexy" :lol2: . So how did feeder calves sky rocket so much??? Our market bulletin this past week had several cattlemen selling replacement heifers in the $850 - $1500 range (The $850 were open 12 month old charolais', $1500 bred commercial brangus) But I'm still eyeing the check detail from my three with one bringing over $900.

What is going on!?

By the way, good to see all the 'ol guys/gals still on CT!

 

[Caustic Burno]

Well Cresent Wrench you are welcome to sell all your heifers.
I happen to know where you can get some more.

http://www.easttexaslivestock.com/market-report/

 

[cypressfarms]

Well Cresent Wrench you are welcome to sell all your heifers.
I happen to know where you can get some more.

http://www.easttexaslivestock.com/market-report/

Looks like east Texas and south central Louisiana are in the same boat price wise, we're just not as pretty if you're getting rains!

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Cypress....I'm still amazed by the prices as well. (BTW....nice to see you're still out and about )

I brought a small load to the sale a couple of weeks ago. The steer calves brought over 2.00, heifers right around that.

I remember a time when I would have been thrilled to get .75 cents!

I will enjoy this ride for as long as it lasts.....because it won't last forever.

Katherine

 

[Caustic Burno]

Well Cresent Wrench you are welcome to sell all your heifers.
I happen to know where you can get some more.

http://www.easttexaslivestock.com/market-report/

Looks like east Texas and south central Louisiana are in the same boat price wise, we're just not as pretty if you're getting rains!

Not on these they are not, heifers of the right breeding fetch a premium

 

[cypressfarms]

Well Cresent Wrench you are welcome to sell all your heifers.
I happen to know where you can get some more.

http://www.easttexaslivestock.com/market-report/

Looks like east Texas and south central Louisiana are in the same boat price wise, we're just not as pretty if you're getting rains!

Not on these they are not, heifers of the right breeding fetch a premium

Nice group there CB!

My accountant, who doubles as my uncle, tells me that smart cattlemen constantly sell their calves and BUY replacements to take advantage of our tax system. Obviously he's way smarter, and richer, than me. It's a difficult thing when you work so hard to get the "traits" you want - good temperament, good udders, low birthweight, high fertility......I have some grand daughters now in the same pasture as their grandmothers.

I'm contemplating "swapping" with some local cattlemen who value the same traits that I do. I'd be really mad at myself if I sold all and bought "fancy" replacements only to have one abandon, one with a blown out teat the first year, one dead during calving......

 

[Caustic Burno]

I buy my replacements.
I have one heifer I retained she was special to me.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Good to see ya back Cypress been too long

 

[John SD]

I remember a time when I would have been thrilled to get .75 cents!

I will enjoy this ride for as long as it lasts.....because it won't last forever.

Katherine

:nod:

 

[stocky]

Caustic, I only see 6 calves on that cow. What happened, did the coyotes get the rest? Just kidding, great looking calves.
Around here, top young cows are considerably higher than top first calf heifers. People still discount heifers due to possible calving problems, possible lesser first calf, possible breeding back problems, etc. A 4 year old cow is the highest priced age, all things being equal, due to she has proved herself some, already and is still yet to reach her prime.

 

[Nesikep]

I'm weary of accountants... Just remember that it was a lot of people like them that caused the sub-prime fiasco, and pretty much every company downfall, GM, Nortel, etc etc.

I like keeping my own replacements, There are times when I may have been ahead to buy some, but now I am getting more consistent replacements, and I know their histories pretty darned well.. I have MANY grandmothers with their granddaughters in the herd, and up until last year I had great-grand mothers (she nearly made it to great-great-grandmother). Next year one of my now 4 year olds will be a grandmother, and if her daughter performs even close to what she did, she'll be a great grandma before she's 10 for sure.

 

[dun]

I'm weary of accountants... Just remember that it was a lot of people like them that caused the sub-prime fiasco, and pretty much every company downfall, GM, Nortel, etc etc.

I like keeping my own replacements, There are times when I may have been ahead to buy some, but now I am getting more consistent replacements, and I know their histories pretty darned well.. I have MANY grandmothers with their granddaughters in the herd, and up until last year I had great-grand mothers (she nearly made it to great-great-grandmother). Next year one of my now 4 year olds will be a grandmother, and if her daughter performs even close to what she did, she'll be a great grandma before she's 10 for sure.

People have poo-pooed me for years on here for keeping replacements. The 2 3 year olds we just sold are the first replacmeents we've kept that we've sold at a young age. They ussually go well into the teens. Bought replacment heifers if I'm lucky will give us 2 calves berfore they get shipped. The reaons these 2 young ones left is one will be a late calver (for our calving season) and the other aborted.

 

[Jogeephus]

I raise mine too. I don't have to write a check for homegrown replacements.

Cypress if you are concerned about the amount you got rest assured the USDA will fix this shortly when they allow Brazil to bring in fresh carcasses after the 20 year ban.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic, I only see 6 calves on that cow. What happened, did the coyotes get the rest? Just kidding, great looking calves.
Around here, top young cows are considerably higher than top first calf heifers. People still discount heifers due to possible calving problems, possible lesser first calf, possible breeding back problems, etc. A 4 year old cow is the highest priced age, all things being equal, due to she has proved herself some, already and is still yet to reach her prime.

The little devils wouldn't be still, everytime I see them all bunched up I don't have a camera.
A four to seven year old here will fetch a higher premium.
Heifers of good quality are hard to come by after the drought.
I can't see any financial advantage to retaining commercial heifers actually the opposite.
I can't make it pencil out might if you were running a hundred head or better.
On a small operation like mine even when I was running max at 37 it didn't pencil out.
I have to feed that heifer for two years on a maybe and I have also maintained the dam
for two years with no returns. I have two bovine eating grass I want to convert to cash
returning nothing to the bottom line.

 

[JWBrahman]

Good afternoon all!

Last weekend worked all of my cows. Took three small bull calves to the stockyard because their momas needed some relief from the constant milking. Picked up the check the next evening and I spent 30 minutes in the car looking at the check. How on earth could three calves possibly be worth from $2.37 to $2.70?????!!!! They were lightweights - all 3 between 300 to 400 pounds. Not ten years ago I can remember jumping for joy when a calf brought over $1.00...... My, times have changed. I don't keep up with the local stockyard, and between work and three kids barely have enough daylight.

Boy I picked a bad year to decide that I would keep all my heifer calves as replacements. I'm contemplating selling everything (calves) now, so this week I looked at our states "market bulletin", and I don't see much difference in price for "good" bred or breeding aged heifers compared to several years back. Cows and bred cows still bring less than bred heifers, but I understand they aren't as "sexy" :lol2: . So how did feeder calves sky rocket so much??? Our market bulletin this past week had several cattlemen selling replacement heifers in the $850 - $1500 range (The $850 were open 12 month old charolais', $1500 bred commercial brangus) But I'm still eyeing the check detail from my three with one bringing over $900.

What is going on!?

By the way, good to see all the 'ol guys/gals still on CT!

You must have your hay baled like everybody else on our street. haha

 

[Brute 23]

What that accountant is not factoring in is your own blood lines, time and expense looking for replacement, culling, advantages of a closed herd... ect. If you but a heifer for above resale value at the auction you will lose those dollars if you cull her. If I keep a heifer longer out of the pasture and cull her there is a half butt chance you will make money on the weight gain.

Its like hay. If you just put a cost on the obvious stuff it looks real appealing.

 

[salebarn junkie]

The problem I see with people keeping heifers with small herds is they start selecting on emotions. This heifer friendly or this has a nice spot. Everyone is a little barn blind with there own cattle. I don't keep heifers but that's because I don't like calving them out and the dollars just don't work for me. I think this a coke Pepsi kind of argument.

 

[Caustic Burno]

The problem I see with people keeping heifers with small herds is they start selecting on emotions. This heifer friendly or this has a nice spot. Everyone is a little barn blind with there own cattle. I don't keep heifers but that's because I don't like calving them out and the dollars just don't work for me. I think this a coke Pepsi kind of argument.

There is also the expense of bull turnover.

 

[Brute 23]

It's not for every one and most likely not worth it in a small operation.

If you have multiple properties and can mix and match it can be very rewarding seeing your own stock come back in to production.

If more people kept their animals past sale time they would think twice about some of the bulls and cows they are using. ;-)