Market Reports/Cow prices

[kenny thomas]

Like many I follow the market reports for many of the markets within a couple hours of here. At one of the sales yeaterday it showed some bred cows bringing $3350 and cow/calf pairs bringing $3550. This is not reputation cattle just 4-8 year old market cows. What am I missing? Even with current expenses I dont see the cows paying for themselves before they are too old to be very good. I usually buy cows year round but have hardly bought any in months. What are your thoughts?

 

[skyhightree1]

Like many I follow the market reports for many of the markets within a couple hours of here. At one of the sales yeaterday it showed some bred cows bringing $3350 and cow/calf pairs bringing $3550. This is not reputation cattle just 4-8 year old market cows. What am I missing? Even with current expenses I dont see the cows paying for themselves before they are too old to be very good. I usually buy cows year round but have hardly bought any in months. What are your thoughts?

Kenny I talked to toad and hicky and they told me the calf prices at springlake where I was going next weekend and lets just say I wont be making the trip. I already retain my herd heifers but now im wondering if I should be retaining the trader heifers and keep and then sell as bred instead of getting them to 500# and letting them go. Did you see the prices at Lynchburg last Monday? I am going to Lynchburg next Monday to see if I can get any calves there. In Winchester they sold 5-8 month bred cows and heifers for 1075-975 all day I posted a link so others could watch. What do you think about that?

 

[kenny thomas]

Like many I follow the market reports for many of the markets within a couple hours of here. At one of the sales yeaterday it showed some bred cows bringing $3350 and cow/calf pairs bringing $3550. This is not reputation cattle just 4-8 year old market cows. What am I missing? Even with current expenses I dont see the cows paying for themselves before they are too old to be very good. I usually buy cows year round but have hardly bought any in months. What are your thoughts?

Kenny I talked to toad and hicky and they told me the calf prices at springlake where I was going next weekend and lets just say I wont be making the trip. I already retain my herd heifers but now im wondering if I should be retaining the trader heifers and keep and then sell as bred instead of getting them to 500# and letting them go. Did you see the prices at Lynchburg last Monday? I am going to Lynchburg next Monday to see if I can get any calves there. In Winchester they sold 5-8 month bred cows and heifers for 1075-975 all day I posted a link so others could watch. What do you think about that?

That makes no sense either. Slaughter cow prices are higher than that down here. I aint keeping anything to breed but I rarely do anyway. When the cows get back to being worth $500 I will load back up. Here in 2007 during the drought I could buy good cows for $350. Thats just 8 years ago. I still have a few cows that I bought then.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Here you can buy good heavy bred calf raising cows for the low and mid 2000s. But there are cows bringing 3000$ and up at some sales here. I'm sure not buying any. But here's one way to look at it, when 500lb steers were 1.00$ cows were about 1000$, now 5wts are 3.00$ and cows are 3000$. Doesn't make me want any 3000$ cows, but that's one side of it I guess.

 

[kenny thomas]

I see that denver but here 5wts aint that high. Too much investment and take the chance of one getting sick and dying. Maybe I am just too careful.

 

[skyhightree1]

Like many I follow the market reports for many of the markets within a couple hours of here. At one of the sales yeaterday it showed some bred cows bringing $3350 and cow/calf pairs bringing $3550. This is not reputation cattle just 4-8 year old market cows. What am I missing? Even with current expenses I dont see the cows paying for themselves before they are too old to be very good. I usually buy cows year round but have hardly bought any in months. What are your thoughts?

Kenny I talked to toad and hicky and they told me the calf prices at springlake where I was going next weekend and lets just say I wont be making the trip. I already retain my herd heifers but now im wondering if I should be retaining the trader heifers and keep and then sell as bred instead of getting them to 500# and letting them go. Did you see the prices at Lynchburg last Monday? I am going to Lynchburg next Monday to see if I can get any calves there. In Winchester they sold 5-8 month bred cows and heifers for 1075-975 all day I posted a link so others could watch. What do you think about that?

That makes no sense either. Slaughter cow prices are higher than that down here. I aint keeping anything to breed but I rarely do anyway. When the cows get back to being worth $500 I will load back up. Here in 2007 during the drought I could buy good cows for $350. Thats just 8 years ago. I still have a few cows that I bought then.

Its crazy. I wish I was at that sale last Monday. Kenny I don't know whats going on but look at the feeder bull prices at Lynchburg compared to the steers. I will watch the sale tomorrow in Winchester and see what prices come about. Kenny I thought about keeping that angus hols heifer I had bought but im on the fence with these prices.

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
5 300-400 384 313.00-314.00 313.20
36 400-500 458 270.00-295.00 291.40
mostly 295.00
55 500-600 542 225.00-255.75 254.58
mostly 255.75
23 600-700 648 208.00-218.50 218.03
6 700-800 741 188.00 188.00



Feeder Bulls Medium and Large 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
25 300-400 350 323.00-331.75 330.71
68 400-500 447 260.00-315.50 301.50
mostly 292.00-315.50
24 500-600 559 231.00-231.50 231.44
5 600-700 628 214.00 214.00

Edit: Kenny do you think cows will get back to 500 again ?

 

[cow pollinater]

Here you can buy good heavy bred calf raising cows for the low and mid 2000s. But there are cows bringing 3000$ and up at some sales here. I'm sure not buying any. But here's one way to look at it, when 500lb steers were 1.00$ cows were about 1000$, now 5wts are 3.00$ and cows are 3000$. Doesn't make me want any 3000$ cows, but that's one side of it I guess.

That's how I look at it. To rich for my blood but if we assume that calf prices stay where they're at it's the same investment percentage wise as it was a couple of years ago. I tell myself that but I stop bidding after I place the floor bid because I know for a fact that if I pay that much she WILL die a horrible death of some sort shortly after the check clears.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Seems like around here there is a lot of "mad money" wanting to buy cows of all shapes and sizes. Every week there is a fresh crop of these "mad money" buyers. If bred they only have to have 1 good eye, 2 good teats, and 3 good legs for someone to go nuts over them. The old bred cows that used to be bought for one bid over kill price are now bringing 40-50+ cents over kill price. For nice young cows seems the sky is the limit. Lots of folks out there bidding most of the profit out of most all stock cows. Always heard that the money will run out before the cows do but am sure wondering how long this "mad money" will last.

 

[Bigfoot]

It makes you think seriously about selling out, and letting your grass grow. Maybe put some rolled hay in the barn, and wait. When 100 cows could bring a 1/3 of a million dollars, you can buy plenty of heifers with that when the good times end.

 

[kenny thomas]

Seems like around here there is a lot of "mad money" wanting to buy cows of all shapes and sizes. Every week there is a fresh crop of these "mad money" buyers. If bred they only have to have 1 good eye, 2 good teats, and 3 good legs for someone to go nuts over them. The old bred cows that used to be bought for one bid over kill price are now bringing 40-50+ cents over kill price. For nice young cows seems the sky is the limit. Lots of folks out there bidding most of the profit out of most all stock cows. Always heard that the money will run out before the cows do but am sure wondering how long this "mad money" will last.

One of the differences with me is I don't have to have cows. I can be understocked if that happens and I will still have food on the table. I love raising cattle and work at the local stock yard every week but if I have a barn full of hay next winter and just a few cows to eat it I am ok with that. If I can't make a decent profit for my time I might as well go fishing. If these $3000 cows were good ones it would be different but some I see I think should be in the slaughter pen and people grab them like it is gold.

 

[kenny thomas]

It makes you think seriously about selling out, and letting your grass grow. Maybe put some rolled hay in the barn, and wait. When 100 cows could bring a 1/3 of a million dollars, you can buy plenty of heifers with that when the good times end.

I totally agree. I have said before and it has been pretty true in the past, that a heifer kept during the highest part of the cycle is never as proofitable as one kept during the low part of the cycle. If kept during the low prices she should be the most productive during the high prices and getting ready to replace when the cycle gets low again.

 

[skyhightree1]

It makes you think seriously about selling out, and letting your grass grow. Maybe put some rolled hay in the barn, and wait. When 100 cows could bring a 1/3 of a million dollars, you can buy plenty of heifers with that when the good times end.

BF if someone showed up with 3300-3500 for my cattle I would be cattleless and wait till as kt said cows get to 500 bucks then buy back in with a quickness.

 

[kenny thomas]

Sky I have no idea what your cattle are worth but I will use them as an example. Lets say they are worth $3300 each. What is happening is that word gets around that cows are bringing $3300 so some people think they all are. Many cows that are really worth kill price of 1500 may bring 2000 now and the people think they have done good and saved a lot of money because they did not give 3300.

 

[skyhightree1]

Sky I have no idea what your cattle are worth but I will use them as an example. Lets say they are worth $3300 each. What is happening is that word gets around that cows are bringing $3300 so some people think they all are. Many cows that are really worth kill price of 1500 may bring 2000 now and the people think they have done good and saved a lot of money because they did not give 3300.

True. Well when I go back to my usual barn if calves are super high I guess I will be out of trader business and just keep my heard and sell those calves. When the profit margins killed its just not fun anymore. BTW if I had to buy my cattle again they wouldn't be worth 3300 to me if I had to pay for them :lol2:

 

[greybeard]

The world's gone nuts...and it ain't even a full moon.

 

[jasonleonard]

Hey Kenny, you have been coming up with some good threads lately, are you house-bound!!
I also watch the Winchester replacement cow markets, and try to go down a few times a year. Those cows are just bringing a couple cents over kill price. What I see happening is that we just don't have the type of cowmen that want to spend $ on salebarn replacements.
Some of those breds are the bottom end of big herds and will raise dink calves, or act like an idiot when you work them.
BUT....Some are out of sync with a cowmen's herd who is really anal about his calving window. Since they are palpated, a lot of those cows would be a good gamble, for me anyway. I have set up a spring and fall herd, so I won't ship a cow unless she is a problem breeder....just put her in with the other herd.
And everyone knows the Virginia cowmen are floating in money, and those cows would have some genetics behind them!

 

[cowgirl8]

With the cull cows we sold last fall, i hope that whomever bought them made sure they were fed well. With this winter we've had so far, i'm sure glad they arent in my pasture. We sold quite a few bred older girls who looked really good. It was hard not to keep them, but i knew if we had a bad winter i'd be wishing i had that green in my hand instead of watching them struggle. Nothing leaves our place that would be worth adding to your herd unless you planned to plop them down in front of a feeder and feed the heck out of them. And, with prices like they are for bred anything, its really hard not to sell out.

 

[kenny thomas]

Hey Kenny, you have been coming up with some good threads lately, are you house-bound!!
I also watch the Winchester replacement cow markets, and try to go down a few times a year. Those cows are just bringing a couple cents over kill price. What I see happening is that we just don't have the type of cowmen that want to spend $ on salebarn replacements.
Some of those breds are the bottom end of big herds and will raise dink calves, or act like an idiot when you work them.
BUT....Some are out of sync with a cowmen's herd who is really anal about his calving window. Since they are palpated, a lot of those cows would be a good gamble, for me anyway. I have set up a spring and fall herd, so I won't ship a cow unless she is a problem breeder....just put her in with the other herd.
And everyone knows the Virginia cowmen are floating in money, and those cows would have some genetics behind them!

Winchester is in the same state as I am but 7 hours away so not much help there. I think in that area they had a very bad year for hay so that might be some of it. I bet many of the cows there end up selling again at another stockyard if they are that cheap.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I bet many of the cows there end up selling again at another stockyard if they are that cheap.

I don't think there's any question your right about that.

 

[Toad]

Sky, how about the two of us making a trip to Winchester one Monday? Just come over and pick me up on your way.