Missed a bargain on some semen today...

[tom4018]

Went to a dispersal sale today and they sold some semen cheap. Been debating getting the training to do some AI instead of hiring it done, if i would have had a tank i would have bought some of it. It not have felt so bad if they did not take, they sold 30 straws of this bull,12603050 for $15. Lots of others went for s cheap price.

 

[angus9259]

Maybe you should get the training and do it. Not sure that semen was a good deal or not.

 

[tom4018]

Maybe you should get the training and do it. Not sure that semen was a good deal or not.

I thought for that price it would have been decent to use on at least commercial cows.

 

[kjonesel]

I don't know about the bull you mentioned, and he could be a standout, but I'm always cautious. By the time I left the dairy after 20 years of AI my tank had lots of straws of semen from bulls that after they had suffecient progeny on the ground were truly not worth using. I have witnessed the local AI represenatives marketing semen from the good sires, strictly out of courtesy, for people quitting the business. So if it is being offered and you aren't familiar with the sire you may be ahead to let someone else have it.

 

[bigbull338]

well next time youll have a semen jugg with you.i go to 2 sales a year.an i can fill a jugg with top bulls for less than $50 a straw.an get a bunch of semen for $15.

 

[TexasBred]

well next time youll have a semen jugg with you.i go to 2 sales a year.an i can fill a jugg with top bulls for less than $50 a straw.an get a bunch of semen for $15.

No need to wait on an auction. You can buy it everyday for less than $50.

 

[bigbull338]

not this semen you cant TB,the normal price for the semen im talking about is $100 to $200 a straw.but you can get it cheaper if you catch it at auction.an some semen wont ever sell at auction,an that semen is $1000 to $1200 a straw.

 

[TexasBred]

not this semen you cant TB,the normal price for the semen im talking about is $100 to $200 a straw.but you can get it cheaper if you catch it at auction.an some semen wont ever sell at auction,an that semen is $1000 to $1200 a straw.

I'm fully aware there is some expensive semen out there but I have no need for it and neither do most other folks. Some of the best milking dairy cattle we ever had were out of $6.00 semen.

 

[Till-Hill]

not this semen you cant TB,the normal price for the semen im talking about is $100 to $200 a straw.but you can get it cheaper if you catch it at auction.an some semen wont ever sell at auction,an that semen is $1000 to $1200 a straw.

I'm fully aware there is some expensive semen out there but I have no need for it and neither do most other folks. Some of the best milking dairy cattle we ever had were out of $6.00 semen.

We run a 28,500 lb rolling herd average, most I spend on semen is $25 on sexed bulls. 90% of what I use is young sires @ $6 or less, pluss I get paid to record calving ease info and when daughters calve in to get production info.

On cheap beef semen tho I always find a use for it as long as it is potent! Commercial cows, hard breeding dairy cows, cows you are going to sell anyway. Costs me $2.50 a straw to collect a bull so if I can buy it cheaper than that I usually do.

 

[bigbull338]

the dairy semen i know about thats still in a friend of mines tank is high $ semen.i think he has 2 tanks or more full of semen.the bulls in there are some of the greatest bulls in the holstein breed.

 

[hillsdown]

I have Holstein semen in my tank that was 20 bucks a straw when I bought it, but now is pretty much priceless. Last I heard ,was that Comestar Stormatic was selling for 750 a straw, if you can find it . ;-)

 

[TexasBred]

the dairy semen i know about thats still in a friend of mines tank is high $ semen.i think he has 2 tanks or more full of semen.the bulls in there are some of the greatest bulls in the holstein breed.

Why ain't he using it? Go broke buying semen, raising unproductive cattle and unable to balance a check book?? ?? As I said....the $6 semen worked great for us without the big names. And the cattle sold well at the dispersal sale because of production records...not because of sire.

 

[TexasBred]

I have Holstein semen in my tank that was 20 bucks a straw when I bought it, but now is pretty much priceless. Last I heard ,was that Comestar Stormatic was selling for 750 a straw, if you can find it . ;-)

I would sell it. :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

First: Buy AI tank and fill it. Next: Shop semen, with everyone else's advice. :)

 

[bigbull338]

I have Holstein semen in my tank that was 20 bucks a straw when I bought it, but now is pretty much priceless. Last I heard ,was that Comestar Stormatic was selling for 750 a straw, if you can find it . ;-)

I would sell it. :lol2: :lol2:

he retired from milking a few years back an kept all his semen.he keeps 1 or 2 cows that he milks twice a day for hisself.an when he breeds them he might pull out some bootmaker or round oak ragg apple elevation to use.here awhile back he had a bootmaker dua that come up 3 teated.if she was 4 teated he couldve sold her for over $3000.

 

[TexasBred]

Million dollar semen to produce a family milk cow. Idiocy to the highest degree. I think we still have a few straws of ol' "Mars Tony" in the tank. :lol2: Not unusual to get $3,000 for a high producing dairy cow with records behind her. Sold a herd of them back in the 90's. Beef wise.. love a well built fertile calf raising cow and have paid $50 for a few bulls but not the rule. All the calves sold well.

 

[regolith]

What I'm wondering... I always get more semen than I can use because I see a good-looking bull and just want to try him, none of it is expensive.

But I do aim to clear the bank each year because there's a charge for storage when it goes back to the AI company and well, it seems a bit pointless keeping old bulls. I'm thinking for next year I want to put some Red Ribbon and Zeus back in the bank - they're probably both available at $8 or $10 and both have given me real nice heifers, but they'll be there for using, not for keeping for years. Hopefully in another five or ten years neither bull will have the ability to improve my herd :-)
Why would you keep a bull for years, unless it was accidental?
Tho having said that, I know some breeders are very glad they still have a few straws of Northern Exposure they can try to recreate him with.

 

[bigbull338]

TB he dont need the money,he has a $60,000 D8 dozer sitting in just about the same place it was unloaded the day he bought it.

 

[TexasBred]

TB he dont need the money,he has a $60,000 D8 dozer sitting in just about the same place it was unloaded the day he bought it.

The guy is a nut (when it comes to $$) :nod:

 

[hillsdown]

I have Holstein semen in my tank that was 20 bucks a straw when I bought it, but now is pretty much priceless. Last I heard ,was that Comestar Stormatic was selling for 750 a straw, if you can find it . ;-)

I would sell it. :lol2: :lol2:

I am, right now trying to make a deal on the semen in trade for flushing and transplanting. I have a few of him left and a couple others that are worth a few bucks. Hubby tells me that I have an eye for picking young sires cheap that end up topping the grid and die early . :lol: