Marketing versus selling at wean

[hornedfrogbbq]

We have been running a black angus cow/calf operation for the last 5 years and are actively working on our genetics. We are using AI across the board, buying multi-trait registered bulls as our cover bulls and our bull calves are all castrated/terminal. The improvement in the "phenotype" has been amazing but we really do not have any info on our carcass info nor on the growth after we sell. We wean the calves from cows at approx. 205 days and then condition them for another 60 with bunk training and a full round of shots.

My question is we are thinking about potentially retaining ownership on a truckload and feeding them out and selling them after they are ready/mature. The risks (feed costs, health/death loss, overall meat market/cattle market pricing) seem daunting. Yet, we have spent an enormous amount of time, talent and treasure getting our genetics improved and we believe our steers will really score in the yard and score on the rail.

How do you all think about:
marketing
feed lot selection: close or far, quality vs. pricing
getting carcass information back
how much ownership to retain (100% to something less)

Thanks for any help you can provide! I think we may be leaving money on the table.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Welcome to the boards.
First thing people will want to know is where you are located??

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

We have two ranches, both in Texas. One is just south of Granbury and one is just south of Dublin. Hot conditions and the cattle have a mix of coastal and native grasses. We have culled the living heck out of the herd...our momma's have to get pregnant on time, deliver unassisted and raise a calf that weighs 1/2 her weight in 7 months/205 days. She has to get bred back on time as well. We pretty much follow the Lasater Philosophy of Raising Cattle although we give more shots.

Is that helpful and thank you for the welcome. We have ALOT to learn.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sounds like you are doing a great job. I have retained ownership, but it was through Cornell Univ. We got 28 day reports. Could compare how our cattle performed against all their contemporaries. Then they were harvested "as ready" until a cutoff date and the rest were sent for harvest. We got all the carcass data along with the rest of the group to compare against. Was a great program. I consigned steers for maybe 7 years. They no longer have the program.
You might check with your local cooperative extension to see if there is any program in your area. We paid so much up front, then the rest came out of your check at the end.
It was a great program. When people made statements like "Simmental can't work on the feedlots - or Simmental won't grade", I can pull out my data and prove what my herd has done.
Or, is there any feedlot in your area that you could sell to and they would give you the data after they harvested?
I totally understand why you would want the data for your herd.

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

There are not a ton of feedlots down around us. It is too hot to grow much grain down here. The bigger feedlots tend to be west and/or north of here. We would be shipping them a bit.

Sidebar: There is a full-on business down here with retired guys going to the sale barns, buying up steers for the right price here and there (call it $0.10 - $0.35 below current market), accumulating a full truck load and shipping up to Oklahoma to National or OK West where they are closer to the feed. Arbitrage at it's best!

 

[wbvs58]

This is one of the advantages we have with our compulsory RFID. The tag we put on the calf goes with it right through to slaughter and a lot of information can be gathered.

Ken

 

[texan@heart]

Call one of the cattle feeding companies up in the Panhandle of Texas. Call the Procurement Department. They buy their cattle or customer service. They should be able to give all the different options. If you don't find what you are looking for call a different company. They will partner with you or buy the cattle and get the info your looking for.