how much is to much

[bigbull338]

how much is to much to pay for reg cows.that has been the heated sub around here for 2wks.as yall know ive been looking to buy more reg beefmasters.an every1 i talk to wants $1600 to $2500.an thats me picking what i want from what they have for sale.personally i think $1500 is a fair price for well bred cattle.but my boss says thats price over kill.an that the cows arnt worth that.saying i can buy cows cheaper than $1500.whats yalls thoughts on this sub.

 

[GRTiger85]

I think that depends alot on what your doing with their calves.

 

[Herefords.US]

I often find that people's perspective changes depending on which side of the transaction they are on, the seller or the buyer.

When I find cattle that I want to buy, I've found the best way to figure what I should pay for them is to "pretend" that I already own them and figure out what it would cost someone else to get me to part with them. Then, if they sell at auction or are for sale for less than that, I buy them.

Of course, there's also a top limit I can pay in my budget.

George

 

[bigbull338]

the cattle are seedstock.an the heifers are raised for replacements or for sale.the bull calves will go to the sale.unless 1 is to dang good to run through the sale barn.i have no prob giving $1500 to $2000 for cows.because of what i use the cows for.but my mom thinks your supposed to buy cheap cows.

 

[alacattleman]

how much is to much to pay for reg cows.that has been the heated sub around here for 2wks.as yall know ive been looking to buy more reg beefmasters.an every1 i talk to wants $1600 to $2500.an thats me picking what i want from what they have for sale.personally i think $1500 is a fair price for well bred cattle.but my boss says thats price over kill.an that the cows arnt worth that.saying i can buy cows cheaper than $1500.whats yalls thoughts on this sub.

my best commercial cows are worth aleast 1500 """to me""" just for my use.

 

[BC]

Top pair at Van Zandt Livestock at Wills Point this past Saturday was $1375. If you are in the seed stock business you will have to pay more than a commercial cow-calf pair.

 

[ga.prime]

I wouldn't pay more than double what I could sell one of their calves for at weaning. I'd say a cow is worth $2500 if you can sell one of her calves for $1200 at weaning.

 

[dun]

I've paid 1100 for commercial heifers and have been really glad I did. Paid 750 for some and wish I hadn;t. Bought a good old registered cow with a heifer calf at side for 1200, sold the heifer calf the next year for 1500, kept the cow who raised 3 good steers then sold her for 1750 with a bull calf at side.
So, I don;t don;t have set value of what I will pay for a cow/heifer until I actaully lay eyes on her, look at her genetics, and evaluate what I expect her to produce. There is a pair in the Red Angus sale at SPringfiled this weekend that I've already looked at and decided she's worth 950-1050 max to me, but the 1050 is dependant on just how high stuff is selling at that particular sale. When we looked at her a couple of weeks ago I said she was worth 900 to me and the wife said 1100 so I came up a bit and she went down a bit. The problem is usually the cows I decide I want asre generally the highest sellers and most in demand from a bunch of other people. May come home with an empty trailer, time will tell

 

[bigbull338]

see yall are confirming everything ive known for a good while.that top end comm cows are worth $1200 to $1500.wich means reg cows are worth $1500 to $2500.i can sell the heifer calves for $1000 to $1200 if i want to sell emm.an i can make the cows pay for themselves in 2yrs.dun im with you.i end up picking the high selling bred cows or pairs in a sale.im going to a beefmaster sale next month.an im betting i come home empty.i set the price at $1500 for most cows depending on their breeding.as well as what the calf is sired by or the cow is bred to.

 

[Northern Rancher]

A poor purebred cow isn't worth as much as a good commercial!!!

 

[bigbull338]

well i wont buy a poor pureblood cow.they are no use to me.

 

[KNERSIE]

as well as what the calf is sired by or the cow is bred to.

The biggest dud I ever bought was when I bought an average cow from a top breeder who was bred to a bull I was very high on at the time. The beautiful bullcalf weaned the heaviest of al my calves that year, but had a faulty scrotum and was culled. Her next calf, also a bull, was culled because of a heavy bw and weaned at just about average for my herd. Her next two heifer calves was culled because they just didn't meet my standards for weaning weight. I didn't lose money on her because I got 4 calves out of her and she is bred back, but she never justified her purchase for the reasons I wanted her for. She is 9 now and looks like she is 19, if I can get her fat enough if it rains again she'll be hamburger.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I think you have the picture. Cows are worth whatever your farm can sell the offspring for and make her pay for herself.
We purchase a bred heifer for $4500 and sold her first two calves (heifers) for an average of $4300 - so she paid for herself in 1 year.
We purchased a bred cow for $4200 - gave us all steers until this year, yahoo heifer calf - cut the cows head off last week to test for listeria. bummer! did NOT pay for herself. Although I have a beautiful red heifer calf that may get her paid for, sometime down the road.
All depends on YOUR market.

 

[bigbull338]

see thats the thing i pick cows based on 2 things.1 is her bloodlines.an the way she an her bagg looks.2 what shes bred to.an if calf at her side what the calf looks like.i buy all the cows to keep.but if some1 offers me a good price anything is for sale.

 

[tlmcr]

Very hit or miss if you are planning to sell calves for a premium. Knersie if that is your biggest "dud" I want to hang with you.

 

[Third Row]

Try buying the quality replacements at any barn in Texas right now and you'll realize that $1,500 really isn't much of a premium.

Last year? Yeah, that was a lot of money for commercial replacements. All you have to do is look outside to realize this year is different.

 

[Herefords.US]

Knersie if that is your biggest "dud" I want to hang with you.

I agree! I've bought some that didn't make it to three in my herd - much less nine!

George

 

[KNERSIE]

Knersie if that is your biggest "dud" I want to hang with you.

I agree! I've bought some that didn't make it to three in my herd - much less nine!

George

I've also bought those kinds, but I didn't pay as much for them! She should have been culled after her 2nd calf, but you know how it goes, I had to try and justify her purchase. Luckily she had left no progeny in my herd.

In her case I bought what I thought was a cow from a top breeder in her prime, bred to a bull I was desperate to use, but there wasn't any semen for sale because the breeder tried to keep him exclusive and wanted to sell his sons.

The crux of the matter is to never pay more than what a cow can realistically produce commercially before she is 8 years old. Most cows will atleast last till 8.