Light Weight Calf Pricing ?

[Stocker Steve]

Have been picking up some 3 wts to baby. Pricing seems a bit odd here. Bulls go for $200 a head more than heifers. Do you see this in your area?

 

[SmokinM]

Looks like the difference here locally is $60-100. I would think if replacements are to become the commodity everybody thinks they will those 3 wt. heifers at a handy discount would be a good buy. You can always eat the ones that don’t make the grade.

 

[Travlr]

Have been picking up some 3 wts to baby. Pricing seems a bit odd here. Bulls go for $200 a head more than heifers. Do you see this in your area?

If there is that kind of difference I'd be buying heifers...

 

[Stocker Steve]

Looks like the difference here locally is $60-100. I would think if replacements are to become the commodity everybody thinks they will those 3 wt. heifers at a handy discount would be a good buy. You can always eat the ones that don’t make the grade.

We take maternally challenged heifers to grass and freezer beef them at about 28 months. They don't hang a huge carcass, but some years they are more profitable than the good mothers...

 

[Dave]

I bought some light calves today. 9 head. 3 bulls the rest are steers. 6 blacks, 2 Char cross, and 1 brockle face red calf. Averaged weighing 366. Averaged paying $1.86 or $682 a calf. heifers which I am not buying were about 10 cents back. Saw some 400 pound steer calves sell for $2.14.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Heifers are slightly higher priced here.

Male are much higher priced here and less consistent. Some sales they go for $205 to $220, some sales they go for $225 to $245.

Seems like you need to go to the August/Sept sales and buy calves that weigh less than $330# to get great buys. Do you see this?

 

[Stocker Steve]

heifers which I am not buying were about 10 cents back.

Why not go back into the breds business?

 

[Dave]

At this point I am just buying some to go along with the light weight calves from the BM cows which will be held over. With August feeder cattle futures at $1.95 I might go with steers a touch bigger and shoot for that 800 pound steer in August. Hedge them, insure them, whatever to lock in that price. $1.95 on a 800 pound steer is $1,560. I am pretty sure I can make a profit at that.

 

[gcreekrch]

I am buying 550 bulls, stags, short ears, etc. We have made a fair bit of money on other’s mistakes over the years. In price is averaging $2.20ish. Looking to forward contract them for late Feb delivery for $2.40+ at 750 to 800 lbs. Until the weather changes they are on good grass with a bale available and are learning to eat some barley.

 

[Stocker Steve]

At this point I am just buying some to go along with the light weight calves from the BM cows which will be held over. With August feeder cattle futures at $1.95 I might go with steers a touch bigger and shoot for that 800 pound steer in August.

You are planning to dry lot next summer or taking them to native grass or?

 

[Dave]

You are planning to dry lot next summer or taking them to native grass or?

It will be another B and me deal. He has a pretty big leased pasture over on the flats in the Baker Valley. Yearlings go there every year. The place we put the BM cows is no place for yearlings