We have some we plan too sell. Some hadfall calves. Weaned last week. They are 10 & 11 years old mainly. They received hay all winter. The winter grass is growing. If we can get some rain will sell as soon as they put on a few lbs. Plan too sell 2 4-5 y/o bulls. Both are sound and could last. Have younger bulls we will use. Feel in this market it is a good time too cull hard. We will keep around 20 replacements this year. Hopefully we will have another good group of replacements this year. We plan too cut back from 112 cows too 85 by next winter if prices stay high.
Cow prices
- Thread starter Dave
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Good fat cows were 1.30 to 1.55 yesterday at Greeneville. Scrubs were 1.10 ish.
They just keep coming. This fall calves will be thru the roof on account of being less of them, yeah?
They just keep coming. This fall calves will be thru the roof on account of being less of them, yeah?
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I think you have a good point. Most of the head cows at our sale yesterday went to slaughter. Each one slaughtered will be one less calf.
Another factor is there are lots of 300-400 lb calves being sold now. Those would normally be sold in the early fall.
I had noticed all were lighter weights. Very few 500+.
Taking some 8 wts today that will sell tomorrow. The barn owner said we are running out of cattle. Personally we have mainonunbers but most haven't he said. He said unless something unforeseen happens he doesn't see a major drop. The issue I hear is will there be enough numbers too keep the sales open.
Logan52
Well-known member
At the sale in Richmond on Friday, most any cow 4 to 6 months bred or under and over 1100 lbs. sold by the pound.
Slaughter bulls and cows sold well into the teens, twenties and thirties.
This is really becoming worrisome (though nice for the billfold of those selling). It is not good for the industry to destroy the factory.
Are we watching the demise of the beef industry in the United States?
If beef retains its place on the American table, will that beef be coming from overseas?
Slaughter bulls and cows sold well into the teens, twenties and thirties.
This is really becoming worrisome (though nice for the billfold of those selling). It is not good for the industry to destroy the factory.
Are we watching the demise of the beef industry in the United States?
If beef retains its place on the American table, will that beef be coming from overseas?
kenny thomas
Well-known member
And it isnt even grilling season yet. Normally the week before Memorial Day is higher.
Travlr
Well-known member
At this point I'm wondering where all the meat is going? With all the buy down of herds, who is eating all this expensive meat? Is it being exported? Canned for the military? Where is it all going?
4hfarms
Well-known member
There is a new population that has a full debit card and the rest is for stockpiles, maybe for what is to come in the future.... Just a thought.
Conventional wisdom a few weeks ago, was that there would be a drop in prices until about now, as the Texas panhandle cattle flooded the market, followed by a drastic increase in prices as this glut was absorbed. So far, I haven't noticed much of a drop at all, in any part of the country. I would guess that by now, any of those producers that would have had to liquidate their herds, may have done so by now? Or maybe enough people elsewhere have responded with hay etc, that not as many herds are having to be liquidated as thought at first? It is a nerve-racking time for sure. It is like the times when gold goes through the roof, or stocks. Do you sell out now, or hold to see if prices go even higher? Do you keep buying gold or stocks at the higher prices, in anticipation of prices rising even higher? Taking the chances that prices may fall again, and you are holding stocks or gold that isn't worth what you paid for it? Can you afford to sit on it til it rises again, or do you cut your losses, sell out, running those prices even lower? A good strategy in a volatile stock market, is dollar cost averaging, but is that feasible with cattle? One thing about gold or stocks you may hold....they just sit their and you don't have to feed them. And you don't need more land to buy them up and hold them. A lot of cattle come from farms, sometimes huge farms with lots of cattle, that are owned by people with other businesses and other incomes, that the farms and ranches are mostly used as tax advantages. But for the people who farm and ranch full time...that this is their only source of income.... my hat goes off and my heart goes out, to you. Cattle ranching now, maybe more now than ever, is not for sissies.
crossbreed
Well-known member
Secondhand report for me so no guarantee for accuracy, at the Gainesville Tx sale Friday a 2050 LB bull sold for $1.51 lb. that's over $3K for a sale barn bull.
crossbreed
Well-known member
Trailer loads by the dozens of hay are traveling westbound on highway 82 heading to the panhandle. It's amazing to see how cattle people gather round to help folk in need.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
High bull that day. Several at 1.60 tho
I remember back in 1986 when we had a severe drought here in north Ga. We still had a lot of dairies around here then, too. Quit raining at the end of March, and not one more drop until 1st of November. I built my house that fall, in 91 days and never got a thing wet...never covered anything with a tarp or plastic. Had to use the auger on the tractor to drill holes to put up my batter boards. Drilled 42" and never got a piece of damp earth up. But I remember, train loads of hay coming in from all over the country. Gold Kist had a co-op store, a poultry center that was the distribution center for equipment for this region, a tire warehouse, and 2 feed mills in this county that all had rail service to it. And the Dekalb seed distribution center was right behind the Gold Kist Co-op, and had train service to it too. Places like this is where the hay would come in, and where farmers and ranchers could pick it up. Don't remember any coming in by truck, but may well have in other parts of the state. I did see 18 wheelers at Gold Kist and Dekalb, and I guess they were there to carry it to places that didn't have rail service. They advertised the places and dates in the Market Bulletin, and the county extension agents called and went to see people to tell them about it. I remember I couldn't believe that this hay was free to us. I never forgot that, and never will. That is why 2 flatbeds, one of 4 x5 rolls of peanut hay and one of bermuda hay, left out of middle ga. And one reefer load of the finest bermuda horse-quality small squares, from up here, went to a trainer out side of Amarillo to be distributed. This boy ( well I guess he is near 50 now) whose daddy and grandaddy had cattle, owns a transportation company, and he supplied the trucks, trailers, fuel and drivers. People for the most part, want to help others in need. The key is to just make them aware of the situation, and they will come up with how they can help, without you having to ask.
Most of the Texans I know were from the horse business and rodeo, and by default, most of them also in the cattle business, at least somewhat. I have never met a Texan yet with an ounce of "quit" in them.
mwj
Well-known member
Cheap corn is making a lot of heavy weight fat cattle. It takes a lot oh lean trim to blend with all of the 60/40 coming out of the slaughter plants.
TexasJerseyMilker
Well-known member
My older Jersey was born 08/2011.
That was the year of the 55 sq. mile forest fire. The same thing as Warren says - People showed up with semi loads of hay and just gave it away. Also truck loads of horse equipment that people in other states had donated. All the live stock in Bastrop county, horses and cattle, were fed by the people of the USA for 3 months.
https://www.beefmagazine.com/cattle-welfare/8-ideas-for-developing-an-old-productive-cow-herd I found this interesting article about the care of broken mouth cows. 13 year old Daphne can still produce a calf
That was the year of the 55 sq. mile forest fire. The same thing as Warren says - People showed up with semi loads of hay and just gave it away. Also truck loads of horse equipment that people in other states had donated. All the live stock in Bastrop county, horses and cattle, were fed by the people of the USA for 3 months.
https://www.beefmagazine.com/cattle-welfare/8-ideas-for-developing-an-old-productive-cow-herd I found this interesting article about the care of broken mouth cows. 13 year old Daphne can still produce a calf
Dave
Well-known member
I haven't noticed any thing different here except the prices. The runs at the sale barns are slowing down just like normal for this time of the year. Short breds and big fat cows go to kill just like normal because no one wants them. Grass is coming on as it warms up. Brandings are starting as people are getting set to turn the cows out. Another couple weeks and cows will start heading to the hills for the summer.
farmerjan
Well-known member
I have said for years that an older cow that breeds back and raises a decent calf can stay here for as long as she does her job and holds her weight. They get fed silage in the winter, and we run them often with 1st calf heifers or 2nd calvers. They get fed a little "better" than healthy mature cows in the 5-10 yr old stage... but they have given us some real nice heifer calves to carry on that longevity gene also.
Increasing or decreasing?
Travlr
Well-known member
I couldn't get the article to load. But I can tell you that I like old cows. I'd rather have a replacement heifer from a cow over the age of ten than from anything younger.
