contract calves

[Dana Kopp]

Do many of you contract your calves or do you just take them to the local stockyards? What prices/weights are you seeing in your areas?

How much backgrounding do you do or is required?

 

[stocky]

I am not set up to contract my calves, so I just take them to a stockyard where I can trust them to get me the best price and sell them at a good time

 

[preston39]

Dana...,
Here is a site to check prices in different areas.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/csauction.htm

 

[ND]

to stocky--

Just wondering why you aren't set up to contract calves?

I think I recall reading a post that you have 500 cows. isn't that enough to do some contracting??

I was very interested in your post and your operation that said you have minimal equipment( a long tractor and a 1990 pickup with a bale bed on it.
and you said you buy all your hay.

I was thinking of you when I was bouncing all over a hayfield, cutting. then I put a pencil to it and it even sounded like a better operation. do you have alot of trucking expenses to haul all your hay to your place? Do you have a certain hay supplier that guarantees you 1500 bales a year or do you buy some from several different suppliers?

2 questions for you stocky or anyone-

what is coastal hay(we just put up alfalfa and brome)?
what is a "long" tractor?

Thanks alot

 

[stocky]

ND, I keep about 200 permanent mama cows and then buy another 300 or so in the fall to sell in the spring. I freshen out my cows year round, so I dont have big bunches ready to sell at the same time. Mine are spread out year round and havent set my situation up to be able to bunch them and work them and have them ready to go at the same time. I am not saying it is a bad idea, just that I havent done it. I have 3 hay suppliers and they are all close by, and they deliver the hay for the sale price. I buy in June, when it is a fair price for them and for me and when my machinery wore out, instead of buying new machinery, it was cheaper to buy hay and not grow my own. A Long tractor is the brand name. It is a cheaper version of the Ford tractor. The Ford is the body design used for the Long. It costs about half as much as the main brand name tractors. I dont know for sure, but I think when people talk about coastal hay it is coastal bermuda, others can tell you more about that.
I sent you a pm to explain more----good luck

 

[ND]

thanks stocky

i will probably have more ?'s for you in the future