Is now a good time to buy calves?

[yakker]

Yes there are a lot of things that effect supply and demand.

That last sentence you quoted is interesting, not sure if I agree with him though or maybe he's thinking a little too deep for me!

 

[SJB]

All commodities are down. Gold, oil, cattle. The dollar is up.

If a person has the expertise in a given subject, the money to invest and the time to wait, fortunes can be made right now. Time and price.

 

[Toad]

SJB is so right, this is an opportunity. Unfortunately I have all my extra cash tied up in buying my wifes home place. Maybe I can remodel quickly, sell my current place and still have time to buy in? Doubt it

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

SJB is so right, this is an opportunity. Unfortunately I have all my extra cash tied up in buying my wifes home place. Maybe I can remodel quickly, sell my current place and still have time to buy in? Doubt it

What would you buy Toad?

 

[msplmtneer]

I was always told to buy when others were selling and sell when others are buying. :tiphat:

 

[M-5]

SJB is so right, this is an opportunity. Unfortunately I have all my extra cash tied up in buying my wifes home place. Maybe I can remodel quickly, sell my current place and still have time to buy in? Doubt it

What would you buy Toad?

I would assume calves looking at the thread title.

 

[yakker]

All commodities are down. Gold, oil, cattle. The dollar is up.

If a person has the expertise in a given subject, the money to invest and the time to wait, fortunes can be made right now. Time and price.

Yes comodities are down as well as cattle but let's look at the cash market, that's what effects me. The actually expenses that a rancher had compared to his income, the net was higher in the last couple years. Darn right there was dollars made in the last couple years...there was "value" in them calves!

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Live cattle and feeder cattle took record jumps on the Futures boards today... January feeders up 6.75.... I heard some Ag broadcasters say it was the biggest spike in futures prices in 10 years...
A fluke- or a positive sign for the future?

http://futures.tradingcharts.com/marketquotes/GF.html

We're past the Sept-Dec slump, and overstock of feeder calves. Should slowly work it's way up, the closer we get to spring grass.
It's a good time to be buying, if you got feed.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

SJB is so right, this is an opportunity. Unfortunately I have all my extra cash tied up in buying my wifes home place. Maybe I can remodel quickly, sell my current place and still have time to buy in? Doubt it

What would you buy Toad?

I would assume calves looking at the thread title.

Well we all know what happens when one assumes don't we?

 

[skyhightree1]

SJB is so right, this is an opportunity. Unfortunately I have all my extra cash tied up in buying my wifes home place. Maybe I can remodel quickly, sell my current place and still have time to buy in? Doubt it

What would you buy Toad?

Knowing Toad and how he handles himself at the barn... I assume he would be buying mostly older bred cows because that's his thing hes been preaching to me for a long time :lol2:

 

[Stocker Steve]

What would you buy Toad?

Knowing Toad and how he handles himself at the barn... I assume he would be buying mostly older bred cows because that's his thing hes been preaching to me for a long time :lol2:[/quote]

Cow market broke here over the past two weeks. They are now about half of last falls prices:
Top commercial cows for $1200 to 1300
Thin running age cows for $900 to 1100
Broken mouth cows for $600 to 800

So if you buy a cow for $800, and later sell her calf for $800, how much profit have you made?

 

[Toad]

Well first let me say my advice is worth about as much as used hay, if you get my drift. What I've been experimenting with is buying old cows bred 6-9 months. Calve them out, keep them 6-8 months, sell the calves, sell the cows as open butcher cows, repeat. So far I've been about able to double my money on every animal.
For example, I bought a 1130lb black full mouth cow on 11/21 for $825. She had a black heifer calf yesterday. I will probably sell both around the end of August and unless the market collapses I should make decent money.
Now thats what I'm doing but it probably isn't for everyone. But I do think the market right now does present a number of different buying opportunities.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Sounds like an interesting strategy Toad. No mention of buying calves that I see.

 

[Toad]

Sounds like an interesting strategy Toad. No mention of buying calves that I see.

I'm just saying thats what I've been experimenting with because it was brought up. There are a number of other reasons it seems to be working for me at the moment.
As far as calves if I had my finances in order I would probably buy some calves now as well. One thing I have noticed locally is the cost of calves is really all over the map depending on the sale and who is there. Being at the right place at the right time would be important. The normal trend is for prices to go up on stockers when the grass gets green so if you have the feed I think there is a chance to make money. But of course there is risk.

 

[kenny thomas]

The deal is in cows now here. Toad, I'm gonna say your profit will be what the cow. Brings At slaughter.

 

[Toad]

The deal is in cows now here. Toad, I'm gonna say your profit will be what the cow. Brings At slaughter.

You are correct. I've expermented with it a bit, so far I've made money every year. I'm having a hard time finding large farms to rent while smaller fields seem more available. This method allows me to have cattle spread around here and there. I don't need a bull and really don't have to do much after making sure they calve okay.

 

[Son of Butch]

Sounds like an interesting strategy Toad. No mention of buying calves that I see.

In effect he's buying his calves "in cow" and "hiring" her for room and board to raise them for him.
(No employment taxes or matching IRA offered, in fact his "retirement" program is pretty cut throat.)

 

[Dave]

Sounds like an interesting strategy Toad. No mention of buying calves that I see.

I did that for years. It always worked for me. I am close enough to get older cows out of the high desert country. They don't have the teeth or legs to work in that country. But they didn't get to be that old by not raising a good calf. I put them out on grass like they had never seen before. The calves grow big. The cows put on weight. And I empty the pasture in the late summer/early fall.

 

[Bigfoot]

Toad,

I hit that lick for years. It wasn't a bad way to go. I would suggest that you have a bull on hand (even if it ain't fancy). Never know when a cow might impress you enough to keep. It also leaves the window open for a private treaty sale on some bred cows. I also learned while doing it, that aging a cow must be very subjective. Same cow, a year later would be called something totally different. I'd still be doing it, but I got more interested in trying to improve/get my herd younger. My place wasn't at its true holding capacity back then either. In other words, I had room for a few more cows.

 

[Toad]

Toad,

I hit that lick for years. It wasn't a bad way to go. I would suggest that you have a bull on hand (even if it ain't fancy). Never know when a cow might impress you enough to keep. It also leaves the window open for a private treaty sale on some bred cows. I also learned while doing it, that aging a cow must be very subjective. Same cow, a year later would be called something totally different. I'd still be doing it, but I got more interested in trying to improve/get my herd younger. My place wasn't at its true holding capacity back then either. In other words, I had room for a few more cows.

Thank you for the advice. I have had a hard time finding large farms to rent. All of my cows are on pastures less than 100 acres including some woods on every place. Some of the places are only a few miles apart so its not a big deal to check cows. The two problems I've had is feeding hay in the winter and exposing cows to bulls. So far I've just been expermenting on a small scale but the plan is to sell off cows in the fall and then slowly buy back and feed on the home place. When the grass starts growing I will take cows out to the surrounding farms.