Cow prices

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Order buyers behind me were talking and I was listening. Heard him talking about how much the price he could pay had increased while he was sitting there. Said he was going to turn his phone off.

Then he was talking about how awful they were going to be in 3 weeks. He was hung up about something on a 3 week time line. He was fully expecting them to go way up. I don't think he backed off of much he bid on. Took it as far as needed to buy.
I hope you are correct and I'm hearing the same thing. My stockpile will last until mid February so several slaughter cows will go to the sale then. A 1200 lb cow that can bring .10 lb more is $120. I can keep them 3 weeks for less.
 
It's all great for the sellers it seems. But if your looking to re-stock this spring, it's gonna be EXPENSIVE.

That hay that was so high going in to winter don't seem so high now. I'm glad I was able to retain what I have and at the same time sold a few I didn't really like.
 
I hope you are correct and I'm hearing the same thing. My stockpile will last until mid February so several slaughter cows will go to the sale then. A 1200 lb cow that can bring .10 lb more is $120. I can keep them 3 weeks for less.
I'm hoping you'll see 40+ cents. Fat cattle were getting lots of action. Fat heifers over 1000 were the hottest thing it seemed as far as bidding competition. The traders there were talking about selling breds later in the year.
 
I'm hoping you'll see 40+ cents. Fat cattle were getting lots of action. Fat heifers over 1000 were the hottest thing it seemed as far as bidding competition. The traders there were talking about selling breds later in the year.
I'd be getting ready to sell everything I could breed, or with a calf at side sometime around the middle of April. Once grass comes on I'd bet the panic sellers and hold-outs-until-they-ran-out-of-hay from the drought will be competing to restock and prices might get frantic. Especially if you truck decent cows down into the middle of where the drought was the worst. Then hay over the summer to stockpile and maybe restock as prices decline a little.
 
I'd be getting ready to sell everything I could breed, or with a calf at side sometime around the middle of April. Once grass comes on I'd bet the panic sellers and hold-outs-until-they-ran-out-of-hay from the drought will be competing to restock and prices might get frantic. Especially if you truck decent cows down into the middle of where the drought was the worst. Then hay over the summer to stockpile and maybe restock as prices decline a little.
That's dang good advice right there. I'm gonna wean in March this year in preparation of trying to do just that. I'd like to get my cows fat again though. They've dropped a score or two from their normal rounded selves.

I've got mostly heifer calves. Was not the happiest when they hit the ground but thinking it was maybe for the best.
 
The "market" doesn't affect my prices of breeding stock very much (steers selling to the feedlot, of course), but when it gets really high, I adjust accordingly. So, I like to see it rising!!! And, obviously, it affects my culls.
 
I bought 10 today. All broken mouth 7-8 months bred. The man who brought them in said they had been running with red or black Angus bulls. He said 10 red and 4 black. Mostly red or yellow cows. Paid $1,186 a head and they averaged weighing 1,308. Works out to 90 cents. I saw kill cows bring 90-94 cents. One of the kill buyer was actually cheering us on. If we are close to what he can pay he lets us have them. They want breds to go back to the country. I heard a kill buyer and another guy talking. There was a sale (I didn't catch which one) where the top cow brought $1.10, Teh top 100 averaged 99 cents.
 
This week the top kill cow was 93 cents. Most kill cows were 65-78 cents. BM breds were mostly low 80s. Must not be enough folks grilling here at -20F.

I think producers are starting to realize there are not many beef cows available here, after the sell down in 2021. Some cows were trucked up from Neb and Kansas last fall.
 
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One thing I did right during the last beef price rodeo was buying colored BM cows. On average, I got two high priced calves out of them.

Is there a situation where one and dones, could become two and dones?
If you don't expect them to work like a younger cow. Like small calves in the fall, old cows need a little extra care.
 

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