How about this niche in the market?

[Brandonm2]

When the market was down a lot of good pairs could be had for $600. Now that the market is up the October Alabama Stock yard report is reporting that for the week ending Sept 23 "Small1-2 700-900 lb cows w/calves" are bringing between "$800 and $1000." I don't know about anybody else but I am not paying $800 for a 700 pound frame score 2 stockyard cow that probably is not going to wean a 350 pound calf and $1000 is definitely too rich. He might make more money buying cows at his stockyard and trucking them to another stockyard with better prices.

 

[Dana Kopp]

Admittedly when prices are up its hard to justify some of the purchases - but when we bought ours cow prices were in the toilet and just beginning to barely climb out. We actually bought the cows private treaty not at the yards, but we have bought pairs at the yards since with pretty similar results. It is the job of the yards to get the most money for you - but they aren't going to screw their buyers and the buyers aren't going to let themselves get screwed. The yards take either a flat fee from each purchase or a percentage of your total check so they get their cut too. Splitting pairs gives different bidders with different needs the opportunity to fill their truck, buy a calf, replace a cow, yada yada yada. We have noticed that when our yards splits pairs most of the time the price difference is only slightly more than if they had sold them together. The last sale with a fair amount of pairs that were split the price difference was between $10 - $50 more on the cow + calf versus the last bid pair price. So much depends on the age & health of the cow, age & health of the calf, & the number of buyers at your yards. As pretty much everyone has said, you'd have to be pretty selective on your purchases and the prices you pay for them or you wouldn't make any money on either end!

 

[BC]

The old cow deal can work. I have done it. BUT that was the only cattle i had on the place. Bought them with the intentions of getting them fleshier and selling big calves too. Since I knew about sale barn cattle, I was prepared to treat if i had sickness and was not concerned with exposing other cattle.