cowboy43":3r7u822i said:
The reason I asked this question is because of the number of registered bulls I see for sale on cattle range and other sites, and they are asking top dollar for them and they seem to sell, to me by the pictures they would make good steers. It seems like some people ( buyers and sellers) do not know what to look for, if they are registered they think that makes them good bulls. my :2cents:
Very true. You get a lot of these poorer bulls in the smaller markets, where quality is of less concern than price. I myself am in one of these markets. I could spend mega-bucks on the best genetics possible and raise some fantastic bulls, but I would never get myself out of the hole I would dig for myself.
90% of buyers around here will not spend over 2k for a bull of any kind, and if the one beside him looks like a steer, but priced at $1500, he'll buy him. I don't blame them. Those are the kind of people who have been producing cattle for generations on cattle income alone, and have $30-40,000 to play with each year and pay the bills. Buying $4-5,000.00 bulls doesn't work for them. When bull prices get too high, a lot of commercial guys here trade bulls or buy deals from the kill pens at the markets.
I've got my 2 year old bulls priced at $2500 this year and I hope I can sell even 1/2 of them. If not, I won't be raising bulls anymore. A lot of big-time breeders have brought nice bulls into this area in the spring to sell at breeding sale auctions, only to have them all passed with no bids at $1800 and then have 10 bids behind the barn for $1600 or less. They have all now left, vowing never to return. The thinking with most producers here is buy a bull cheap enough, so that when you eventually sell him, you make money.