Is now a good time to buy?

[BK9954]

Well, I,bought high and lost my aurph. What about now, auction buying a good option?

 

[skyhightree1]

That's my plan..i bought a few breds so far... I just will only buy breds or pairs no calves.

 

[RanchMan90]

The timing is fair being near the bottom of the cycle, while not knowing it's duration. Did you watch Lockhart yesterday?

 

[BK9954]

No had to work all day.

 

[angus9259]

Well, I,bought high and lost my aurph. What about now, auction buying a good option?

I assume you know auction buying - if so - then it might be the right time. Especially if you're in an area like me where feed is cheap.

That said, I was talking with my vet who is a reg simmi breeder. She'll be taking some breds to the sale this fall. She picks out all the ones she doesn't want. They will be bred and probably look pretty good - but there's a reason they are at the sale barn and not selling private. next spring (I'm a fall calver), I will do they same. If you can find a dispersal you'd be much better off than the sale barn. If it were me, I'd add $300-500 to each animal and try and buy some private. Still a good time to buy and maybe your odds of not getting someone else's problem goes up.

HOWEVER - as I said before - if you know sale barns and know how to deal with buying the stuff the other person didn't want..... go for it.

 

[TCRanch]

I retained some additional heifers last year to sell as bred to a neighbor & he ran into some financial issues, backed out. These girls are pelvic measured, fully vaccinated, already have magnets, hand feeders, easy to work, bred to a registered calving ease bull . . . no way am I taking them to the Sale Barn and I'd post ads for private treaty but don't want to deal with tire-kickers. Sooooo calving out heifers this spring will be three times as fun. :banana:

 

[Cross-7]

Sale today thin weigh cows @.40
Fleshy weigh cows @ .55
SS 2nd and 3rd trimester around 800
Didn't really see any good young cows

I figure come November/December it won't be pretty.

1.00 fats don't give much hope.

Lots of people holding heifers cause they're cheap.

 

[True Grit Farms]

The owner of a sale barn I use believes it's going to get worse before it gets better, I sure hope he's wrong. He has 350 head on feed and is needing to move them, bad. He told me he literally lost the farm in 94 to this same kind of cattle deal. Good feeder steers are bringing $1.05 @ 500 lb, thin, spotted or something with horns and not a steer is bringing as low as $.60 @ 500 lb.
The crappy cattle are getting a really crappy price.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Two Mondays ago 3wt and 4wt steers were 120-130.

Last Monday, they were 125-140.

I think I'm selling a few Monday.

 

[Stocker Steve]

It's almost always a good time to buy.
The question is what?

 

[Stocker Steve]

I sold last week,
and I bought last week.

 

[kilroy60]

I'd buy if I new we had enough hay to get through winter. I have enough hay now and could possibly pick up a few more head but not sure what lies ahead.

 

[dieselbeef]

well it sure aint a good time to sell so maybe try buying

 

[skyhightree1]

well it sure aint a good time

You got that exactly right

 

[ClinchValley]

I expect things to get even cheaper in this area. Due to drought and poor hay harvests I expect people to be forced to cut numbers.

As angus9259 said, it's going to be a lot of junk. I doubt my ability to sort through the junk so I have been buying off the farm. Getting good(my opinion) youngish breds for less than $1000. Got a nice 3 n 1 Simmi for $900 and 16 rolls of hay.

I have hit the pause button myself, in hopes they get even cheaper. Hopefully i didn't pull the trigger too soon on what i have brought home…

Skyhightree1 - How did hay do in VA this year?

 

[skyhightree1]

I expect things to get even cheaper in this area. Due to drought and poor hay harvests I expect people to be forced to cut numbers.

As angus9259 said, it's going to be a lot of junk. I doubt my ability to sort through the junk so I have been buying off the farm. Getting good(my opinion) youngish breds for less than $1000. Got a nice 3 n 1 Simmi for $900 and 16 rolls of hay.

I have hit the pause button myself, in hopes they get even cheaper. Hopefully i didn't pull the trigger too soon on what i have brought home…

Skyhightree1 - How did hay do in VA this year?

Clinch it was ok good years get 3 cuttings this year got 2 cuttings but the second cutting was not anything to brag about just enough to say you got a 2nd cutting. We are still dry have been since august really. I am figuring here Nov-Jan will be our cheapest months here.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Sale today thin weigh cows @.40
Fleshy weigh cows @ .55
SS 2nd and 3rd trimester around 800

Sold an old cow for U$S 0.45/lb last week. Got a bunch of cows I will part with for $ 800 :banana:

 

[Dave]

Could have easily filled a pot load with older solid mouth cows spring calving cows and averaged less then $800 last week.

 

[BK9954]

Yep I am not buying until the smoke clears. I have some bull calves to feed and ween over the winter. I will sell them in spring and will look at heifers then.

 

[skyhightree1]

Yep I am not buying until the smoke clears. I have some bull calves to feed and ween over the winter. I will sell them in spring and will look at heifers then.

Nows a great time to buy especially folks that don't want to winter a lot of cattle cause of a hay shortage etc... I wouldn't wait