Headed to the sale barn

[chevytaHOE5674]

Currently here a weaned 500lb will bring around $1800, bring in that trailer weaned 500lb and watch it bring less than $1500. 800lb will bring close to $2300.

 

[Travlr]

Here they are going to give you 1600 for a 4 wt or a 7.
A good 4 will bring four bucks a pound the 7's 2.50.
I have never understood why that's the way is here.

I can tell you that the age and weight spread wasn't nearly the same 50 years ago. It was more about the quality of the calf than about age or weight... or color.

And I'm not convinced that the way prices are decided today is a better or more valid system.

 

[Dave]

Here you will get $3.25-$3.50 for a 4 wt calf. And $2.65 for a 7 wt steer. That is $455 to add 300 pounds. It works out to $1.51 per pound of gain. Two sales a week for the last 5 months I saw one single 4 wt calf bring $3.80. I have seen bunches of 7 wt steers bring $2.85-2.90.

 

[Travlr]

Here you will get $3.25-$3.50 for a 4 wt calf. And $2.65 for a 7 wt steer. That is $455 to add 300 pounds. It works out to $1.51 per pound of gain. Two sales a week for the last 5 months I saw one single 4 wt calf bring $3.80. I have seen bunches of 7 wt steers bring $2.85-2.90.

Yeah... but does it make sense?

I mean, no one is going to be butchering the lower weights as finished beef, which means the higher weight steers are closer to finish. Doesn't that... logically... mean the higher weight/closer to finish animal has less risk involved and also less inputs until slaughter? To me that means the lower weight animal certainly has no higher "actual" value per pound than the heavier animals.

I know the way it is... and it is what it is. But does it make sense? This is why I would never supplement for heavier weights... but I would definitely use the cow and available grass to make heavier weaning weights. This is why I would never, ever wean early and I would never hold animals unless I had a very cheap source of feed to add pounds. It's simply a case of diminishing returns at some point as the animal gains weight.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have fenced grass with water available that wouldnt otherwise be used so i can add ~300lbs for very little investment.

If a guy was stocked with cows to capitalized on our abundant May thru August grass he would then be scrambling for pasture by October.

 

[cowman82]

to get those prices the calves have to be very nice. I noticed on the last sale very few were getting those high prices.. but thats what they'll post for the sale results. neighbor took some 480lb cross calves .. all black in and only got 900-1000 each.

 

[cowman82]

550 - 650 lb calves I took in last week.

avg. hfrs - 1550
avg. steers - 1750

2 dinks . 1 went for 1100 and 1 that was blind in both eyes went for 850'ish.

 

[farmerjan]

This past Friday there were some 387 lb weaned steers.... and they hit $4.02 if I read it right... they went over the $4 mark and it was said that all the cattle were higher.
WOW.

 

[crossbreed]

First time I've seen a noticeable drop. Decatur down in volume and price

 

[Warren Allison]

First time I've seen a noticeable drop. Decatur down in volume and price

I am seeing this today on online auctions. Missouri sales, which week by week, always bring the highest prices, aren't much better, if any, than the KY sales...which week by week usually bring the lowest prices.

 

[kenny thomas]

Futures prices dropped $5 today.

 

[Dave]

Futures prices dropped $5 today.

All the commodities were off today. They are blaming it on that bridge getting knocked down in Balitmore.

 

[Dave]

This past Friday there were some 387 lb weaned steers.... and they hit $4.02 if I read it right... they went over the $4 mark and it was said that all the cattle were higher.
WOW.

That is $1,555. A 1400 pound kill steer is $1.84 which is $2,576. Market has to hold and you have to put weight on for $1 a pound. I am not that brave.

 

[kenny thomas]

All the commodities were off today. They are blaming it on that bridge getting knocked down in Balitmore.

Im not familiar with the bridge. Tell us more if it hurt the market

 

[Dave]

Im not familiar with the bridge. Tell us more if it hurt the market

The ship running into the bridge and knocking it down shut down one of the top ten ports in the nation. A lot of import and export goes through there. Anything that disrupt commerce Has a negative effect on the market. This is most likely temporary.

 

[kenny thomas]

The ship running into the bridge and knocking it down shut down one of the top ten ports in the nation. A lot of import and export goes through there. Anything that disrupt commerce Has a negative effect on the market. This is most likely temporary.

I had to look up the accident.

 

[farmerjan]

The huge ship lost power, radioed it in, currents and river caused it to hit the supports and it toppled the whole thing in Baltimore... HORRIBLE.... and they just turned the search and rescue for the 6 guys into a recovery search tomorrow due to cold temps, amount of time they would have been in the frigid water, no signs of them anywhere, water currents and rising tides making it treacherous to have divers in the water with all the metal from the spans that came down... and I understand that they cannot take those kinds of chances with the search and rescue people maybe getting into real bad situations and it being dark and all that...

It is going to affect alot of the shipping and all... plus all the people that traveled that bridge daily for work....

The thing with the avian flu in the dairy cattle in Texas is concerning... and I understand they have also discovered some of the H1N1 swine flu also.... things will need to sort out a bit for a week or two, I think.

 

[farmerjan]

That is $1,555. A 1400 pound kill steer is $1.84 which is $2,576. Market has to hold and you have to put weight on for $1 a pound. I am not that brave.

Yeah, too crazy for me...

 

[Brute 23]

I don't like to sell the week before or after a holiday. With Easter it gives things a couple weeks to settle back in.

 

[wbvs58]

I had to look up the accident.

Even I had heard of that one Kenny.

Ken