most profitable?

[MOFarmer2013]

What is most profitable? We have 22 April/July calves. Say half heifers half steers ranging from 350# to 600#.

From everyone's experiences... would you sell the calves or would you finish them and sell at 1200#?

I know it depends on prices and feed costs. We have shelled corn from our farming operation we plan on using. I was looking for any "rules of thumb" or any opinions what "normally" is more profitable. Thanks.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I would keep them until the biggest ones are around 850lbs and sell all of them.

 

[cow pollinater]

Check your local market and see what the price is doing on both sizes of cattle at the time when you would be selling their respective group.
Here, I can't make keeping them past weaning look like a good decision. My best price is always when I have them on a truck going to grass out of state. If I hold them then the price decline winds up being about what they were worth at weaning time.

 

[thendrix]

Around here (and I guess most everywhere else) price goes down as pounds go up. A 500 lbs calf will bring about the same as a 300 lbs calf. The question is how much did you spend getting that extra 200 lbs?

 

[ibetyamissedme]

Currently 330# calves would be costing me $775, 430# calves would be costing me $960, 525# calves would be costing me $1075. 638# calves at $1180. Even in the higher weights you are still making a $1 per pound of gain. The only question is what as stated earlier what will that pound cost to add.

 

[snake67]

Put the risk and YOUR feed costs into the equation before you take advice from anyone.

Risk is what you are comfortable with.

Costs are different from coast to coast and border to border as you already know - but there are additional costs - potential veterinarian costs as well..

One dead animal just one week before shipping the bunch cuts back on the profit margin a bit.

Almost anyone can raise a calf - not many can market them - do your homework and when you get to be an expert, you will still make mistakes.

Good luck to you no matter which way you go.

Remember this saying - a hundred bucks in your pocket is better than the 500 bucks "that died"

Best to all

Bez

 

[AllForage]

Whatever you decide, try selling them privately as a group before risking the barn.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Whatever you decide, try selling them privately as a group before risking the barn.

What exactly are all of the "riscks" of the barn?

 

[machslammer]

Thinking about buying some 300-400# calves when they drop some around here and then keep them 3-5 months and then turn them around.. With that being said.. How do you go about marketing them to private parties, ect. without having to take them to a barn somewhere??

 

[snake67]

Whatever you decide, try selling them privately as a group before risking the barn.

An awful lot of good cows go through the sale barn

If you are selling quality you will get a good price

If you are not selling quality you will not get a good price.

In all actuality the price you get at the sale barn is a darned good indicator of what you are selling - even if you do not like the result - if your price is lower than the others then you need to step up your game - if it is higher than the others you need to keep working that game

Literally millions of animals go through the sale barn - it is not the evil that many here make it out to be. What it is, is a good judge of cattle and quality.

Best to all

Bez

 

[Brute 23]

I would keep them as long as they had grass to eat. The minute I start having to feed them its time for them to go.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Whatever you decide, try selling them privately as a group before risking the barn.

An awful lot of good cows go through the sale barn

If you are selling quality you will get a good price

If you are not selling quality you will not get a good price.

In all actuality the price you get at the sale barn is a darned good indicator of what you are selling - even if you do not like the result - if your price is lower than the others then you need to step up your game - if it is higher than the others you need to keep working that game

Literally millions of animals go through the sale barn - it is not the evil that many here make it out to be. What it is, is a good judge of cattle and quality.

Best to all

Bez

If I had the patients to write something this long out, it would have sounded exactly the same. If you take something to the sale barn, what it brings that day is it's value rather you think it's worth 10x that or not. As for sickness and the Salebarn, now come on really? Does anyone really believe that 99% of cattle that are run through a sale end up sick. I was talking to a Amish guy at the sale last week that had brought a bred heifer and was expecting 1500$ for her, I told him the particular animal wouldn't bring over 1150$ and that he would be better off taking her back home and letting her calve, he agreed but then explained to me for 20 minutes how if he took her home he would be bringing every disease and bacteria known to cattle back to his farm, and it would never be the same. Like bez said it seems alot of folks make salebarns out to be some scary place and I really don't see how one gets the conclusion.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I would keep them as long as they had grass to eat. The minute I start having to feed them its time for them to go.

Even if there good cattle and feeding them a while would make you alot better profit?

 

[Brute 23]

I would keep them as long as they had grass to eat. The minute I start having to feed them its time for them to go.

Even if there good cattle and feeding them a while would make you alot better profit?

If you have a specific example with some numbers it might help because "a lot" is different in every ones mind.

On just 22 calves, from the weights given, I don't see that much of a margin to be made by the time you account for labor, feed, a place to keep them, risk, ect.

If they were all tiger stripe heifers and you were going to keep them thru winter and sell in the spring as ready to go to work... totally different story.

If you were keeping 300 head thru the winter and selling them direct... again... totally different story.

For the average cow/ calf person... what little money could, potentially, be earned... its not worth it in my opinion. Leave the feeding out to those who do that.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I don't know what all his cattle are, but he is in my part of the country and with what cattle are bringing here, if he kept the 3 months and put 100$ a head into feed witch would be about 700lbs and 8lbd a day, if they gained 225lbs in 3 months at 1.50cwt that's over a 200$ profit on 22 head, 4400$ for owning 22 calves for 3 months is pretty good money to me. Yes they could go down in 3 months but at the end of that time his biggest calf would only be around 800lbs and about any 8wt is 1.60 here right now and at 600lbs there 1.70 or more, so I see 1.50cwt pretty easy.

 

[TexasBred]

he agreed but then explained to me for 20 minutes how if he took her home he would be bringing every disease and bacteria known to cattle back to his farm, and it would never be the same. Like bez said it seems alot of folks make salebarns out to be some scary place and I really don't see how one gets the conclusion.

They are exposed but that doesn't guarantee they are going to get sick or die or contaminate the herd. There are always a few sick animals and they're easy to pick out. Some people thrive on buying those, hauling them home, and trying to work miracles with them. Some are pretty good at it too. If it weren't for sale barns a huge % of cattle would never find a market .

 

[Brute 23]

I don't know what all his cattle are, but he is in my part of the country and with what cattle are bringing here, if he kept the 3 months and put 100$ a head into feed witch would be about 700lbs and 8lbd a day, if they gained 225lbs in 3 months at 1.50cwt that's over a 200$ profit on 22 head, 4400$ for owning 22 calves for 3 months is pretty good money to me. Yes they could go down in 3 months but at the end of that time his biggest calf would only be around 800lbs and about any 8wt is 1.60 here right now and at 600lbs there 1.70 or more, so I see 1.50cwt pretty easy.

That is an overly simple way of looking at it. The calves tear down some fence, one dies, or any thing like that and you could easily loose money. You also did not factor the time, fuel, or what ever else that is needed to feed and maintain the calves that 3 months. Plus I doubt just 8 pounds of feed would take them thru the winter.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I don't know what all his cattle are, but he is in my part of the country and with what cattle are bringing here, if he kept the 3 months and put 100$ a head into feed witch would be about 700lbs and 8lbd a day, if they gained 225lbs in 3 months at 1.50cwt that's over a 200$ profit on 22 head, 4400$ for owning 22 calves for 3 months is pretty good money to me. Yes they could go down in 3 months but at the end of that time his biggest calf would only be around 800lbs and about any 8wt is 1.60 here right now and at 600lbs there 1.70 or more, so I see 1.50cwt pretty easy.

That is an overly simple way of looking at it. The calves tear down some fence, one dies, or any thing like that and you could easily loose money. You also did not factor the time, fuel, or what ever else that is needed to feed and maintain the calves that 3 months. Plus I doubt just 8 pounds of feed would take them thru the winter.

That is enough feed, because I would only keep them 3 months from now. I also figured it on average 15cwt less than what they will probably be.

I understand where your coming from on the tearing up a fence or losing one or the whole bunch, but the way I see it is, if you look at every situation like that, wouldn't it mean that you would never buy or own any cattle? I mean those same things are as or more likely earlier on than where these cattle are.

 

[Brute 23]

There are a lot of factor that play in to it. If you can keep them at your house in a trap out your back door its a lot easier then driving to feed them daily. If your retired and only have cattle vs trying to work 80hrs at another job and run out and feed these things.

To each their own... I keep calves from time to time... mainly when I have time. From my experience the margin isn't usually that good. That doesn't mean a lot.

I alway say the only way you will know is to do it once. Run a test batch. Every ones operation is different and you won't know for sure until you try it. If you break even or make a few bucks atleast you have tried it and are better for the experience.

 

[ibetyamissedme]

I don't know what all his cattle are, but he is in my part of the country and with what cattle are bringing here, if he kept the 3 months and put 100$ a head into feed witch would be about 700lbs and 8lbd a day, if they gained 225lbs in 3 months at 1.50cwt that's over a 200$ profit on 22 head, 4400$ for owning 22 calves for 3 months is pretty good money to me. Yes they could go down in 3 months but at the end of that time his biggest calf would only be around 800lbs and about any 8wt is 1.60 here right now and at 600lbs there 1.70 or more, so I see 1.50cwt pretty easy.

That is an overly simple way of looking at it. The calves tear down some fence, one dies, or any thing like that and you could easily loose money. You also did not factor the time, fuel, or what ever else that is needed to feed and maintain the calves that 3 months. Plus I doubt just 8 pounds of feed would take them thru the winter.

That is enough feed, because I would only keep them 3 months from now. I also figured it on average 15cwt less than what they will probably be.

I understand where your coming from on the tearing up a fence or losing one or the whole bunch, but the way I see it is, if you look at every situation like that, wouldn't it mean that you would never buy or own any cattle? I mean those same things are as or more likely earlier on than where these cattle are.

3 to 1 conversion? on a 8 weight?