Cull hard

[bird dog]

To each his own I guess. I bought five uglies on Thursday. Bred 3 to 7 months. Three black angus looking cows, one hereford and one longhorn cross. Average for the five was $1058 or right at current packer price. (The LH brought the average down.) All are older, all are 900 to 1100 lbs, all have a decent udder and look like they know how to raise a calf.

I have enough grass to feed them through November and good hay is $50 a roll. Vacs, worming and mult min cost $20 a head. They are far enough out in the country that no one will have to look at them but I bet they will look pretty good come April with a big calf by their side.

 

[Brute 23]

@PPRM I highlighted two main points from your post.
You've done what is needed to setup your business for success, too many people are not looking to the future and are only thinking about today. Quality always brings the best price at the sale and you've raised the bar on future calf crops. The cost of production is the same for calves from both good and bad cows, maybe even higher for the bad cows.
Besides, life is too short to have to look at ugly cows.

I had a simular situation years back. I was chasing volume with fert and herb while getting avg prices for calves. It was too much work for the returns and the first good drought killed it. No matter how much your fert you have to have water. I was fed up enough to sell probably 1/3 of the cows. It was the best thing because they all needed to go for one reason or another.

It pushed me to really try to make more with less. We bought good bulls, culled hard, and kept them in good grass. It's much more enjoyable and we are making more money, now.

I kick myself when I look back but you don't know what you don't know.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I had a simular situation years back. I was chasing volume with fert and herb while getting avg prices for calves. It was too much work for the returns and the first good drought killed it. No matter how much your fert you have to have water. I was fed up enough to sell probably 1/3 of the cows. It was the best thing because they all needed to go for one reason or another.

It pushed me to really try to make more with less. We bought good bulls, culled hard, and kept them in good grass. It's much more enjoyable and we are making more money, now.

I kick myself when I look back but you don't know what you don't know.

I'm telling ya. Seems to be the only way forward for me too. Trying to get to 60 days hay feeding. Might be possible this winter of winter is late again. My fescue stockpile has is already begun and shin high.

And no ugly cows to look at. Haha tis raining again thankfully too. Twice in as many days.

 

[crossbreed]

I'm telling ya. Seems to be the only way forward for me too. Trying to get to 60 days hay feeding. Might be possible this winter of winter is late again. My fescue stockpile has is already begun and shin high.

And no ugly cows to look at. Haha tis raining again thankfully too. Twice in as many days.

We are trying to do the same as you. Culled hard 2 years ago with drought and $80 hay. Kept calves over to spring and this year rain early. Planted some cover crop mixes and separated the farm in 5 pastures. Planted grazing mix and legumes over most of the farm! No fertilizer this year and looking like we will be grazing stockpile past first of year. We are looking for low cost low maintenance. Will continue to use a stocking rate that will allow this. Less stress and less cost feels much better and we will see where profits end up. Planting a rye/vetch in 2 pasture to see if we can get to haying only when rains hit to protect the soil from pugging.

 

[Little Joe]

I had a simular situation years back. I was chasing volume with fert and herb while getting avg prices for calves. It was too much work for the returns and the first good drought killed it. No matter how much your fert you have to have water. I was fed up enough to sell probably 1/3 of the cows. It was the best thing because they all needed to go for one reason or another.

It pushed me to really try to make more with less. We bought good bulls, culled hard, and kept them in good grass. It's much more enjoyable and we are making more money, now.

I kick myself when I look back but you don't know what you don't know.

I am understocked, when people who are overstocked come by and see my grass they always say "you need more cows", first sign of draught and they're feeding hay, I can go weeks without rain and my grass is still greener than most around me and I'm not having to feed hay.

 

[crossbreed]

I am understocked, when people who are overstocked come by and see my grass they always say "you need more cows", first sign of draught and they're feeding hay, I can go weeks without rain and my grass is still greener than most around me and I'm not having to feed hay.

Exactly what I’m thinking. It’s august and the Bermuda in a couple of our spots is a foot tall and greener than my front yard that stays mowed. I call it insurance now. Plus I’ll be selling the hay to my neighbors

 

[Brute 23]

I am understocked, when people who are overstocked come by and see my grass they always say "you need more cows", first sign of draught and they're feeding hay, I can go weeks without rain and my grass is still greener than most around me and I'm not having to feed hay.

Absolutely. We are maximizing our dollar holding calves and making money selling hay to those people.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'm telling ya. Seems to be the only way forward for me too. Trying to get to 60 days hay feeding. Might be possible this winter of winter is late again. My fescue stockpile has is already begun and shin high.

And no ugly cows to look at. Haha tis raining again thankfully too. Twice in as many days.

Sure hope i don't have to feed that many days. Im hoping for 0 to 30 days.
If it dries up im spreading Urea on the stockpile fescue next week.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Sure hope i don't have to feed that many days. Im hoping for 0 to 30 days.
If it dries up im spreading Urea on the stockpile fescue next week.

I'm stocked pretty heavy since bringing my others home this week. Gonna be 60 ish head on 58 acres. Only 20 of them are gonna be fall calves.

30 days would be awesome. And possibly attainable. All depends how this full season stockpile turns out. Right now it's looking pretty shotty. Wishing I had hayed it. Still am considering clipping it this week. Doesn't seem to be much fescue back there anymore though. Mostly clover and nettle. I'm open to advice.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Here's the stockpiled half of the farm. The real fertile areas have gotten covered with horsenettle. Underneath of which is a brown mat of clover.

I'm itching hard-core to clip it off. But there's going to be so much material chopped and dropped that I honestly think it'd waste a bunch of what they will eat if I leave it standing.

Lots of bluegrass and other green stuff coming up thru the brown mat in places.

I'll probably just let it go. Fair chance I'll clip the horsenettle areas only though too.

Anyone paid attention to how horsenettle does in Fall? I can't recall to save my life. I'm hoping it'll wither up and die and act as a nurse crop of sorts. But that's likely just wishful thinking and won't be the case. It sure is a healthy green crop of it though... one that I'm awful proud of!!!

 

[kenny thomas]

Hard to clip the horsenettle without getting lots of grass too. I know you dont like spraying but it might be time. I still think you lost lots of your grass in last falls grass and now the broad leaf plants are replacing it, good and bad plants.

 

[1982vett]

Yeah, that horsnettle spot is going to get bigger and bigger every year unless you nip it in the bud. Not to hard to “kill” it this year, but it’s famous for sending up new shoots next year.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Both of you make good points. We shall see how it goes.

They're eating it currently where they're grazing. Dang near all of it. But I suspect that's not going to be the case when it sees frost.

Next year I'll be haying this ground unless it's a homerun this winter. Which seems far fetched.

 

[Dave]

I went to the sale yesterday. Cows appeared to by off 15 cents from about 3 weeks ago. Cow who were $1.40 were bringing $1.25. Never saw any hit $1.30. But with all the fires lots of cows coming out of the hills early. So the fall glut of kills seems to be starting early.

 

[Travlr]

I went to the sale yesterday. Cows appeared to by off 15 cents from about 3 weeks ago. Cow who were $1.40 were bringing $1.25. Never saw any hit $1.30. But with all the fires lots of cows coming out of the hills early. So the fall glut of kills seems to be starting early.

Do you anticipate one-and-dones being hard to find with an early sell-off?

 

[WAnabee]

About 30 min away from me is a packing plant that last week was paying $2.52 hanging for cull cows, +$0.10 for grass fed affidavit, +$0.10 for bulls. I sent a couple ~12 yr old cows that didn't otherwise have anything wrong with them except Im trying to destock a little before winter and that price sounded good to me. Do other people have similar operations "near" them?

 

[Brute 23]

About 30 min away from me is a packing plant that last week was paying $2.52 hanging for cull cows, +$0.10 for grass fed affidavit, +$0.10 for bulls. I sent a couple ~12 yr old cows that didn't otherwise have anything wrong with them except Im trying to destock a little before winter and that price sounded good to me. Do other people have similar operations "near" them?

Can you put your location in your profile?

With those prices some of us need to know where to send the truck.

 

[WAnabee]

Can you put your location in your profile?

With those prices some of us need to know where to send the truck.

Northwest Washington. Ok good you are giving me some validation that I'm not crazy for taking the money and foregoing a calf next year, Im still not 100% sure ha.

 

[Dave]

About 30 min away from me is a packing plant that last week was paying $2.52 hanging for cull cows, +$0.10 for grass fed affidavit, +$0.10 for bulls. I sent a couple ~12 yr old cows that didn't otherwise have anything wrong with them except Im trying to destock a little before winter and that price sounded good to me. Do other people have similar operations "near" them?

Shank Pack? That would be their neighborhood. We had a deal with CS in Kuna Idaho for $2.65 on the rails about 3 weeks ago. But the timing didn't work out. $2.52 on the rail is $1.26 for a cow who hangs up 50%. That is about they were paying yesterday. Including a buyer who buys for Shank.

 

[WAnabee]

Shank Pack?

yep