Good price for cull cows

Help Support CattleToday:

regolith

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
2,795
Reaction score
2
Location
New Zealand
Sent some cull cows for slaughter shortly before Christmas.
I guess the mail got delayed. One of them graded prime and made $1200, the others averaged nearly $900. Just average dairy cows, around 900lb liveweight.

I've never seen prices like that in eight years of owning a dairy herd. The two that were in-calf I couldn't have got that selling them on as milking cows, quite likely.
With milk prices really low this year it changes the profitability around, even for Jersey cows, when it comes to putting grass to milk or using it to fatten up the culls.
The one that went prime was a 3 1/2 yr cow that went open as a 2 yr old and was given a chance to get in calf this season and failed, her back was like a table top so I got paid for a whole lot of fat.
Don't know what prices will do now we're into the summer dry spell, they usually drop from now till around May as everyone needs to get rid of their culls so that they can feed their in-calf cows properly.
 
That's great prices Regolith. It will be interesting to see what the sales do here as they start up this year, some areas have had rain and the first couple of sales have been down in numbers as everyone is holding on as they have grass to be eaten, I also know people that want to buy so should be good competition for what is put on the market. The buyers have had it too good for too long.
Ken
 

Latest posts

Top