Ideal animal for ground

[ClinchValley86]

What's the ideal animal to use to make mostly ground? I'd definitely keep the filets or whatnot that'd be good eating.

I'm getting lots of requests for ground. No way it'll be cheap no matter how we go about it. But what's the best bang for buck?

Just look for stuff that sells cheap in decent shape? Custom slaughter. I mostly sell bulk but wondered how I could provide ground without being left with roads and steaks to sell by the pound.

I've asked this before but wanted to ask again.

thanks in advance

Also what're yall getting for ground and still making a little something? To my quick math... it'll have to be like $9 or $10 a pound to work out. Most will buck up to that number but that's OK. Some will buy it.

 

[SBMF 2015]

What's the ideal animal to use to make mostly ground? I'd definitely keep the filets or whatnot that'd be good eating.

I'm getting lots of requests for ground. No way it'll be cheap no matter how we go about it. But what's the best bang for buck?

Just look for stuff that sells cheap in decent shape? Custom slaughter. I mostly sell bulk but wondered how I could provide ground without being left with roads and steaks to sell by the pound.

I've asked this before but wanted to ask again.

thanks in advance

Also what're yall getting for ground and still making a little something? To my quick math... it'll have to be like $9 or $10 a pound to work out. Most will buck up to that number but that's OK. Some will buy it.

Obviously, nothing is cheap right now. Are you looking for something to feed up and then butcher or going to a sale and buying something that gets hauled right to the butcher?

If it's a buy and haul I'd be looking at dairy fat strs or young bull.

If you're looking for something to feed. I'd be looking for an off color young pair. Wean the calf early and pour the feed to the hfr/cow. A hfr will gain like a fat and you can sell the calf to recoup some of the feed costs.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Obviously, nothing is cheap right now. Are you looking for something to feed up and then butcher or going to a sale and buying something that gets hauled right to the butcher?

If it's a buy and haul I'd be looking at dairy fat strs or young bull.

If you're looking for something to feed. I'd be looking for an off color young pair. Wean the calf early and pour the feed to the hfr/cow. A hfr will gain like a fat and you can sell the calf to recoup some of the feed costs.

Bull would be the best bang for buck sounds like. Hadn't thought about that.

I'd like to take em straight to kill but would need to buy off farm for that. I don't think i could trust buying from a sale and taking straight to, as far as the possible recent shot history.

Those of you that sell a fair amount of ground. Do people prefer 80/20, 85/15, or 90/10. It'd have to be priced accordingly there too. Get more overall pounds to sell doing 80/20 but personally I don't like much fat in it. I'm sire preferences differ across that board.

Price per pound being best (for the buyer) on a 1200 to 1500 lb bull, I reckon that'd be the best route.

Thanks @SBMF 2015

 

[farmerjan]

I eat mostly jersey beef ... 85/15 is about normal for it. I do not like "fatty hamburger".

Most youngish bulls going through the stockyard will not have had shots for much of anything... if they were going to bring them in for shots, they would cut them to gain the increase in steer prices compared to bull prices.

 

[coachg]

If I was doing mostly ground I would be culling some cows . Cheapest selling thing on the market . No way I would be grinding up younger animals .

 

[kenny thomas]

Open Cows were the deal today here. 1.30 was the high cow.

 

[Little Joe]

Bull would be the best bang for buck sounds like. Hadn't thought about that.

I'd like to take em straight to kill but would need to buy off farm for that. I don't think i could trust buying from a sale and taking straight to, as far as the possible recent shot history.

Those of you that sell a fair amount of ground. Do people prefer 80/20, 85/15, or 90/10. It'd have to be priced accordingly there too. Get more overall pounds to sell doing 80/20 but personally I don't like much fat in it. I'm sire preferences differ across that board.

Price per pound being best (for the buyer) on a 1200 to 1500 lb bull, I reckon that'd be the best route.

Thanks @SBMF 2015

How much burger do you think you'd get from a 1200 lb cow? I've ground fat cows in the past and if I remember correctly I ended up with about 1/3 of their live weight in burger. I've got one I'll probably grind this fall, she got pneumonia a few years ago and she wheezes every time it gets real cold. Like you, I have a lot of requests for just ground but it's hard to buy something and make it pencil out when you figure in the risk. I know around here if someone brings in dexters or some type of niche breed like that it usually sells dirt cheap, I'm looking at getting a few of the local sale barns to start buying those for me. Depending on the situation, I'd probably keep them for a while and make sure they're healthy and hopefully gain more weight before I butcher. If I could get some of those type calves, I'd feed them out and sell quarters and halves as well. With the prices like they are, I'm having to start thinking outside the box to keep prices affordable for my customers and profitable for me while providing a quality product still.

 

[ClinchValley86]

How much burger do you think you'd get from a 1200 lb cow? I've ground fat cows in the past and if I remember correctly I ended up with about 1/3 of their live weight in burger. I've got one I'll probably grind this fall, she got pneumonia a few years ago and she wheezes every time it gets real cold. Like you, I have a lot of requests for just ground but it's hard to buy something and make it pencil out when you figure in the risk. I know around here if someone brings in dexters or some type of niche breed like that it usually sells dirt cheap, I'm looking at getting a few of the local sale barns to start buying those for me. Depending on the situation, I'd probably keep them for a while and make sure they're healthy and hopefully gain more weight before I butcher. If I could get some of those type calves, I'd feed them out and sell quarters and halves as well. With the prices like they are, I'm having to start thinking outside the box to keep prices affordable for my customers and profitable for me while providing a quality product still.

that's a mighty good idea too. Guess the MO would be whatever a person could get cheap.

On a 1200 lb cow I'd figure about like you.

I imagine the less fat cover it has the better it'd be.

I'm about afraid a longhorn animal would cut out at 20%. lol. What ya say about those? ever dealt with them for meat?

 

[Little Joe]

that's a mighty good idea too. Guess the MO would be whatever a person could get cheap.

On a 1200 lb cow I'd figure about like you.

I imagine the less fat cover it has the better it'd be.

I'm about afraid a longhorn animal would cut out at 20%. lol. What ya say about those? ever dealt with them for meat?

I've had one lh cow I ground, she was good and fat, she did just as well as beef cows. I've finished out several Lh cross calves as well, they all did just as well as full beef calves. Typical hanging weight for my Lh cross calves was around 600.

 

[Hpacres440p]

I've had one lh cow I ground, she was good and fat, she did just as well as beef cows. I've finished out several Lh cross calves as well, they all did just as well as full beef calves. Typical hanging weight for my Lh cross calves was around 600.

What was the final cutout yield on the LH cross?

 

[bird dog]

Have a buyer look for you a youngish cripple cow. Most around here grind to to 85/15.

 

[Little Joe]

What was the final cutout yield on the LH cross?

Around 400 lbs

 

[texoman]

Many years ago, I used longhorn bulls on Angus heifers. I used to butcher the leggy half breeds that wouldn't bring much money. Nothing wrong with that burger at all. Even the little steaks if you like it on the lean side. I did not finish them out proper or keep them long enough to get size either though. If you have customers that are concerned about the fat content, it might be something to consider.

 

[4hfarms]

Our LH, grass fed/finished 1346 lb bull born and raised here, gave us about 420lbs+ of ground, half dozen choice ribeye and filets. It compares to 93 lean in the store and sells for $6lb. Or $10/2lb Ribeyes were made into real goulash. Very lean, simmer meat. She's European, not the mac and ground beef version! LoL. Filets were ok. Thin cut, cooked slow and bacon wrapped in cast iron. We eat alot of ground beef...

 

[ClinchValley86]

Our LH, grass fed/finished 1346 lb bull born and raised here, gave us about 420lbs+ of ground, half dozen choice ribeye and filets. It compares to 93 lean in the store and sells for $6lb. Or $10/2lb Ribeyes were made into real goulash. Very lean, simmer meat. She's European, not the mac and ground beef version! LoL. Filets were ok. Thin cut, cooked slow and bacon wrapped in cast iron. We eat alot of ground beef...

Good to know

 

[Little Joe]

Many years ago, I used longhorn bulls on Angus heifers. I used to butcher the leggy half breeds that wouldn't bring much money. Nothing wrong with that burger at all. Even the little steaks if you like it on the lean side. I did not finish them out proper or keep them long enough to get size either though. If you have customers that are concerned about the fat content, it might be something to consider.

If fed properly and fed until finished, it might be a hair leaner than a full beef calf but not bad at all. I would feed them until 950-1000 lbs and around 18 months old. Steaks were around the same size as any other beef animal of the same size and finish.

 

[Little Joe]

This is one of the Lh cross steers.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Thanks for sharing @Little Joe

 

[Down in Dixie]

One I took for my local feed mill that they ground everything except for the ribeye and fillets. Called him nub. Hung at 746 lbs

 

[SBMF 2015]

View attachment 55547One I took for my local feed mill that they ground everything except for the ribeye and fillets. Called him nub. Hung at 746 lbs View attachment 55548

Boy is that encouraging! I've got a first calf hfr that lost the same foot. She gets around slow but fine. I told my wife we're gonna feed her hard all summer then grind her into hamburger.