Most profitable/marketable breed(s)

[Caustic Burno]

I only have Brangus and that's about all the angus I intend to ever have in my cows, but I'll be the first to admit you see a world of them down here, they do quit well even in the heat and the calves bring top dollar. Whether you like Angus or not facts are facts. I love herefords as well but around here it doesn't matter how good the calves are you're going to pay the price when you sell them. The most profitable breed is what works in your locale and what the buyers want in your area.

:nod: that sums it up right there. I wish Herefords sold good too, I love em, just can't afford to raise em in our market.

To me the perfect cow herd in our area is a Brangus cow, with a polled Hereford bull.
They clean up the extra skin, the heifers sell well for replacements and the steers bring top dollar through the sale ring. Calves grow well here no matter what time of year they get here.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Marketing and business skill determine profitability of cattle more than the "breed" of the cattle ever will.

 

[tripleBfarms]

I thought I answered this question by buying (profitable) herefords and selling (marketable) baldies ;-)

Spot on. :clap:

 

[TexasBred]

Marketing and business skill determine profitability of cattle more than the "breed" of the cattle ever will.

Please elaborate. If I can learn to sell someone something they don't want I'll hit ahomerun.

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

Marketing and business skill determine profitability of cattle more than the "breed" of the cattle ever will.

Please elaborate. If I can learn to sell someone something they don't want I'll hit ahomerun.

I see both arguments to an extent but TB, your statement does assume there is only one market. Items are sold to people who don't need or want those items all the time. Add value, you'll be surprised at what you can sell. Heck, I even know some people (myself included) that bought and sold a few Brangus once upon a time :banana:

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Marketing and business skill determine profitability of cattle more than the "breed" of the cattle ever will.

Please elaborate. If I can learn to sell someone something they don't want I'll hit ahomerun.

I see both arguments to an extent but TB, your statement does assume there is only one market. Items are sold to people who don't need or want those items all the time. Add value, you'll be surprised at what you can sell. Heck, I even know some people (myself included) that bought and sold a few Brangus once upon a time :banana:

you had brangus and went to gerts :shock: i guess your right you'd be suprized at what folks will buy
:lol:

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

yeah, I fell for the consistency, bigger butts, and heavier weaning weights. Added value.

edit: actually I had the gerts first and added Brangus as a side herd. They just didn't compare with my practices so I dropped them. Then added Beefmasters. Had more success with them but didn't keep them either. Sold my last Beefmaster cow a few years ago. Added Durham Reds a couple Red Angus and just VERY recently a couple of Herefords which I cross up in my commercial Gert influenced herd.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

yeah, I fell for the consistency, bigger butts, and heavier weaning weights. Added value.

no im talking about gerts dont change the subject :cowboy:

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

got that comment in while I was editing I guess.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Marketing and business skill determine profitability of cattle more than the "breed" of the cattle ever will.

Please elaborate. If I can learn to sell someone something they don't want I'll hit ahomerun.

It works better turning it into something they do want. Marketability and profitability are two different things. All cattle can be sold, on the hoof or on the rail, or in a package. Once the hide if off it is a bit harder to tell the breed, once it is in the package even harder, especially ground.

The opportunity for margin has as much, or more, to do with business /management skill. "Marketable" cattle are sold with little, to none, to negative margin, simply because of the expense side of the ledger. Market topping cattle claim no automatic profit. Is it preferable to market cattle at the top? Certainly. Keep in mind that "market top" can also be fickle.

As regards what Santas and Duhram Reds eluded to if one is willing to take the step up to price setter as opposed to price taker then the opportunity to add value and set your margin allows "breed" choice to be of even less overall importance. That by no means implies the opportunity to ignore quality in fact the opposite, but by a different set of standards. The ultimate grader holds the fork and knife, to sit down hungry and get up tired is not a recipe for repeat sales.

Their is no denying sale barn preferences, what is interesting though is that farther up the value chain the folks that wholesale and retail and serve beef make their margin regardless of the color of the hide or the name of the breed.

 

[backhoeboogie]

The opportunity for margin has as much, or more, to do with business /management skill.

No one has mentioned (unless I missed it) the input costs. Many people earning top dollar in the market are in the red or just marginally away from there. Profit and Market are two different things. So is the way things are managed as you have pointed out

 

[Dylan Biggs]

The opportunity for margin has as much, or more, to do with business /management skill.

No one has mentioned (unless I missed it) the input costs. Many people earning top dollar in the market are in the red or just marginally away from there. Profit and Market are two different things. So is the way things are managed as you have pointed out

Thank you for helping make the point. :tiphat:

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

A lot of it does go back to your practices/program. An animal/breed that makes the grade on someone elses place may not make the grade on my place with my practices/program. Often times this how an animal/breed gets a bad rep. with some people. Also some people may believe they are profitable when really they aren't.

 

[Isomade]

A lot of it does go back to your practices/program. An animal/breed that makes the grade on someone elses place may not make the grade on my place with my practices/program. Often times this how an animal/breed gets a bad rep. with some people. Also some people may believe they are profitable when really they aren't.

:shock: that's it I'm firing my sorry CPA! She tried to tell me I was doing good. Now I find out I'm losing money. I always do my very best to buy high and sell low. Are you telling me this isn't working. :x :lol: :lol:

 

[dun]

A lot of it does go back to your practices/program. An animal/breed that makes the grade on someone elses place may not make the grade on my place with my practices/program. Often times this how an animal/breed gets a bad rep. with some people. Also some people may believe they are profitable when really they aren't.

:shock: that's it I'm firing my sorry CPA! She tried to tell me I was doing good. Now I find out I'm losing money. I always do my very best to buy high and sell low. Are you telling me this isn't working. :x :lol: :lol:

You're supposed to buy high and sell low. But you're supposed to make it up on volume.

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

Jest if you must but you know some people believe they are making profit when they really aren't.

 

[dun]

Jest if you must but you know some people believe they are making profit when they really aren't.

Figures don;t lie but liars figure!

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

not only that but a lot of people don't know what their costs truly are. Let alone opportunity cost.

edit: heck, if you figured opportunity cost, everyone would be in the whole

 

[cow pollinater]

:shock: that's it I'm firing my sorry CPA! She tried to tell me I was doing good. Now I find out I'm losing money. I always do my very best to buy high and sell low. Are you telling me this isn't working. :x :lol: :lol:

Doing good is relative to how the rest of us are doing. Example: You're losing money, you're just not losing your butt quite as fast as your neighbors are... Hence, "you're doing good".
Sometimes you have to put it in context...

 

[TexasBred]

yeah, I fell for the consistency, bigger butts, and heavier weaning weights. Added value.

no im talking about gerts dont change the subject :cowboy:

I'll keep my Brangus. Never seen a gert around here yet with an ass on it. Just pot bellies, big navels, long sheaths and ears long enough to tie in a bow on top of their head. And they're papered. Must be more demand for that in Missouri.