BFE
Well-known member
And it started with the disparity between black and off color calves. If a 700 pound char sells the same as 600 pound black what am I gaining other than bragging rights?
Fertilizer Value of fed hay
- Thread starter Otha
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
BFE
Well-known member
If I had a feedlot in this area I would fill it with7-800 pounders. They get hammered at the barn, sometimes less per pound than fats.
Rydero
Well-known member
BFE
Well-known member
No. Try Greenville livestock.
BFE
Well-known member
At those prices heck yes get them bigger.
Dave
Well-known member
If a local sale barn pays more $ per head for lighter cattle do the research and find places to sell that pay for pounds and pay more for cattle with growth potential. It isn't that difficult to put wheels under cattle. I know fuel isn't cheap right now but again that is just math to figure the cost/benefit. When I was up in Washington it was 25 miles to the local sale barn. We found it well worth it to ship them 200 miles to a sale where they brought more money.
BFE
Well-known member
I see that from what rydero found four and a half hours away. Greenville is 1 hour 45 minutes. I don't go there but they are the closest that posts prices online but my close barns follow suit. Maybe I need to buy light calves there a potload at a time and ship them back. Or get them to 600 and sell local for a quicker turnaround.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Pretty common.
My neighbor sold his steers early last month. Most were in the sixes, while late calves n scrubs were high fours. I calculated his VOG for bigger calves at 74 US cents and asked what he thought about selling six weights. He said since they were unweaned calves coming off pasture - - he did not care about price per pound and was happy with more $$$ per head for the six wts.. Now he is feeding his thin cows $70 a roll drought hay instead of stockpiled grass.
Not always true but pretty common. We see it too, unless there is a high priced spring kill month several feeders trying to hit. Bud Williams talked about this discount and it was a pillar of his sell buy grow yard approach. He said there are just not as many orders for 6 wts..
My neighbor sold his steers early last month. Most were in the sixes, while late calves n scrubs were high fours. I calculated his VOG for bigger calves at 74 US cents and asked what he thought about selling six weights. He said since they were unweaned calves coming off pasture - - he did not care about price per pound and was happy with more $$$ per head for the six wts.. Now he is feeding his thin cows $70 a roll drought hay instead of stockpiled grass.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
The three local yards here usually have the same buyers with the same orders for 5 wts.. A couple backgrounders pick off the unpopular weights, put together a load, and later truck them by pot into SD.
Rydero
Well-known member
How about you do it? Greenville didn't report on the site I was on. You won't even answer questions I ask. There's only so much work I'm willing to do to prove what I know already, you're the one who can financially benefit from what I'm saying. I'm not even selling a book much less a bull, maybe that'd make me more credible. Exactly.
BFE
Well-known member
I'll have to look into that bud Williams approach. Not familiar with it.
BFE
Well-known member
Market Report – Greenville Livestock Auction
greenvillelivestockauction.com
BFE
Well-known member
You know what's in your area. I'm not arguing that. I know what's in mine. Don't do me diddly squat what happens there. Once again just reporting. You had to prove me wrong with a market 4 1/2 hours away. Why stop now?
BFE
Well-known member
And I'm not just going off the one report. Some sales are more favorable to heavier calves but if you go back and compare many of them the bigger calves don't have a lot of value over the 600 # ones. Like I said some 800# are bringing less per # than fats.
BFE
Well-known member
I went to October 13 sale. Took top of weight range and average weight range price. 600x1.49= 894
800x1.28= 1024
$130/200#= 65 cents per pound advantage. Not much incentive for me to add 200 pounds.
800x1.28= 1024
$130/200#= 65 cents per pound advantage. Not much incentive for me to add 200 pounds.
Rydero
Well-known member
I didn't seek out a market report 4&1/2 hours away lmao I have no idea beyond SE Illinois where you live. From your report. Steers 500-600 - 130 to 155 //600-700 - 110 to 145 Agreed? It's a 100lb range with no average shown. But we know that they generally pay more $/lb for lighter calves so it's likely that the 5 weight steers that brought 155 were in the lighter end of the range and the ones that brought 130 were in the heavier end. The highest $/lb 6 weights (likely low 6's) brought within 10 cents of what was probably some light 5 weights. I don't see a huge gap but without an average it's not definitive.
BFE
Well-known member
I'll add this again. More per pound for 600 vs 720 all other things being equal means more clear money. For me. Not the feeder. They've figured out where to make money around here and that's buying 800 pounders. The 200 pounds between 6-8 is the cheapest gain you'll get here. Maybe not where you're at but here. I won't tell you what to do in Canada that's pretty arrogant.
BFE
Well-known member
We'll the market you got is in NW Illinois. Have to be able to read a map to start with.
BFE
Well-known member
That's why I took averages and look back at other sales too. The gap is shorter on the last sale. Not always so.
J+ Cattle
Well-known member
If the buyers want black give them black to get the higher selling price. Depending on your cow herd you can use a black Angus or a black Simmental bull to bring in the continental influence and add some lbs. Selling price is where you can make or lose money for the year, get the most $/hd for the same inputs or make sure the input costs will pay a return at selling time.
