Options to Sale Barn?

[skyline]

For selling at the salebarn if there are any of ther value added type of sales, i.e. source/age/process verified, weaned and vaccinated, etc. even smaller lots and usaully even singles will bring more then then the run of the mill weekly sales. The catch is they have to be quality calves, if they;ve been sick or for some reaosn just don;t look as good as the others they may drag down the price paid for the others in the group. Also selling at a different time of year will make a difference.

Thanks Dun. I'm kinda kicking myself for selling this weekend. My situation was this.... Calves were born May to July (late, I know - I'm trying to move them up in the year, but I'm finding that hard to do.). I put out ryegrass in October that I planned to wean the calves on and hold them to March or early April, when hopefully the prices would be up. Unfortunately we got almost no rain in October and November and the ryegrass has been late coming on and I don't have another pasture to put them in with hay. So, I got jumpy and sold them.

Moral of the story is, I'm motivated to build some more fence to increase my options for next year. You live and learn, and boy do I have a lot to learn.

 

[Frankie]

Thanks for all of the great ideas. As you can tell by my questions, I'm trying to figure this stuff out. Lots to learn. A couple of follow-ups...

Have you considered the Ranch to Rail program? It's a retained ownership program run by Texas A&M.

Frankie - can you point me toward some information on the Ranch to Rail program? I've heard of it, but not sure how it works. If you produce 10 to 15 steers per year, is that a feasible option?

Also for the folks that have mentioned selling freezer beef, could someone discuss more about how they are successfully marketing and selling freezer beef? I'm assuming you must pass ownership of the calf to the purchaser before it goes to the processor to avoid USDA issues? If so, how would you sell half of a calf or less? I'm assuming that it's harder to sell a whole calf for freezer beef than half a calf or less. Also, how do you establish price for that option? What is the going rate in your area currently? What weight/age do you take the calf to before you sell under this scenario and how do you finish out the calf?

My scenario is that I've spent a lot of money on a good registered beefmaster bull and I'm running very good commercial beefmaster momma cows. I'm thinking my heifers have much more value as private treaty replacements (than 7 month old calves sold at the sale barn), but I need to do some more fencing to be able to keep them the extra 6 months or so. After dumping them at the sale barn this weekend, I'm much more motivated to get this done.

I'm studying all of your responses for selling my steers and appreciate your input.

We have the OK Steer Feedout program here in OK, but I assume the Texas Ranch to Rail is the same thing. You deliver them to a central location and they're shipped to a feedlot, then sold on a grid basis. Here in OK, there's a "nomination fee" and that's all the money out of pocket. The other costs, feed, meds, transportation, are held out of the check from the packer after they're slaughtered. TheBullLady has sent calves through the Texas Ranch to Rail program. You might PM her for info. It's run by Texas A&M, so I would expect your local extension office would have details.

 

[BC]

We are in the same boat. We have a very small herd we are trying to grow. As much as I would like to, we cannot keep every calf born. (I have already tried to convince my husband, no luck). We went to our local sale barn on Saturday to get an idea on prices. (we have been before, but I did not have cows to sell) I was not happy with what I saw. They were hot shotting and whacking those poor cows at every turn. My poor calves are not used to that type of treatment. We hand feed and can pet and rub on everyone of them. (Don't laugh, my husband gives me grief all the time. I can't help it.) I have decided I will sell by private treaty only.

I too am a small cow-calf operator that has to use the sale barn. I am also an order buyer that works for a small oder buying firm so I feel I can speak from both sides. Prices are depressed now because of the corn market. Corn locked up the limit Friday and again yesterday on the futures trade. The customers we buy calves for are all wanting them CHEAPER to make up for higher feeding costs. Most of cattle coming out of feedlots now are losing money.

I can appreciate the fact that you do not want your pets hot shotted or hit. From my side I do not want them stirred up either, but I also want to get them in the ring and across the scale as quick as possible. A snappy sale also usually brings more as the buyers' attention spans are more focused. My wife likes to go out to eat on Saturday nights. Once the sale is over with, I still have to get my bills together and haul the calves to the receiving pens.

You can retain ownership and grow them out to heavier weights. Freezer beef is an option. Going to the NETBIO sale in Sulphur Springs is another. They have a health program that must be followed, but generally get a premium for the calves.

The good thing about the sale barn is that you get competitive bidding on the animals and the check is good.

 

[cypressfarms]

My scenario is that I've spent a lot of money on a good registered beefmaster bull and I'm running very good commercial beefmaster momma cows. I'm thinking my heifers have much more value as private treaty replacements (than 7 month old calves sold at the sale barn), but I need to do some more fencing to be able to keep them the extra 6 months or so. After dumping them at the sale barn this weekend, I'm much more motivated to get this done.

Skyline,

If you have quality beefmaster heifers, you could consider consigning on with a "replacement" sale. Every cattle magazine I get has ads for replacement sales. If you plan ahead, you can tack your heifers on to one of these sales. As replacements, they will bring much more than at a normal auction. In the Gulf Coast region there are sales just about every week (this time of year) for replacements. My dad almost exclusively caters to replacements and has established such a good reputation - people come to his house to make offers for bred heifers. Even open heifers at replacement sales do well; the key is to sell as a heifer - no one seems to want to buy someone elses problem cow.

 

[dun]

If you have a Beefmaster Associtaion, state or area, you might want to look at selling the heifers at their annual sale if they have one.