Price of Steers

[Mosho]

I don't know where I should post this but I thought it was interesting.
We took 10 steers and 8 heifers to the sale in Opp, Al. two weeks ago. All the calves except one were black. They ranged in wt. from 350 to 470. The steer that looked very much like a limousine was the best looking one with more muscle than any of them. Of our steers that were in his wt. range, he brought the lowest per pound price. All the rest were black. Our calves brought top price at the sale that day!!!

 

[CUZ]

Buyers (to me) are an enigma wrapped in a mystery. I'll take what I think is a good looking calf and it won't do as well as the crappy calf that sells before it.

I mentioned this one time to the girl who helps clerk and she said she gets that a lot. She said someone will get the low end and wants to know why. In a few cases the guy who is bidding up and buying all of that type calf got up and went to the bathroom when yours came in the show ring, or he got a call or any number of things that caused that calf to not bring what others were. Of course this assumes that all other things were equal.

We took several some months ago. The red calf with the 666 ear tag brought more than any of the others, most of whom were black, and black does the best at our salebarn, but I didn't think it was the best calf in the load. Made me wonder if it was his number and they wanted to mess with the boys who would be handling it.

Cuz

 

[MikeC]

Calf prices at an auction barn depend on who (each buyer) has orders for what on a particular day.

There is seldom a rhyme or reason for the fluctuations sometimes seen in calf prices. They are always below futures prices in Alabama and most times $20 to $30 below mid west prices.

We're paying for the transportation costs...............

 

[mnmtranching]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

 

[MikeC]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

 

[mnmtranching]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

Only telling you why fleshy calves get docked. Check it out. :roll:

 

[MikeC]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

Only telling you why fleshy calves get docked. Check it out. :roll:

I could swear you told us a lot more than that.

I've been "checkin' it out" for forty years now. I want a calf with muscle in the feedlot. You know,,,,,,the kind that goes on the plate.

You want frame...have at it.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

It is true that the lower weight feeder calf usually brings the higher price, just think about it. The feed lot operator wants to buy a calf that is a tad light so he can feed it up and have it gain the most weight. He will make the most money on calves that he buys at 470 lbs. than calves that are 550 lbs. On the other side the cow/calf operator wants to sell his feeder calves as big as he can reasonably get them, but the heavies will bring a lower price and the lights will bring a higher price, in the long run they average each other out. We try to sell our calves at about 500 lbs. That's about right for my area. Sometimes we are a little light, but we are almost never over.

 

[Brandonm2]

The buyers like to buy cheap 'compensatory gains'. They will go ga ga (by the pound) over 450 lb framy, rangy calves that have been held back by drought, poor forage, and/or untreated worms. Most of those same calves would weigh 600 pounds IF raised under better conditions and management. Pounds sell and MOST of the time, a good fleshy well cared for 600 pound calf WILL bring more overall than their liteweight kin from the pine forest next door. For the times when the lean calves actually do bring MORE all you can really do is grit your teeth and hope that pneumonia or shipping fever strikes that load of thin calves before that buyer has a chance to get them resold.

 

[mnmtranching]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

Only telling you why fleshy calves get docked. Check it out. :roll:

I could swear you told us a lot more than that.

I've been "checkin' it out" for forty years now. I want a calf with muscle in the feedlot. You know,,,,,,the kind that goes on the plate.

You want frame...have at it.

I don't think Jerseys would work. But you know those hard feed Holsteins weighing around 1500 pounds have plenty of muscle for the packers. and will bring about the same money as Continentals of the same weight.

 

[MikeC]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

Only telling you why fleshy calves get docked. Check it out. :roll:

I could swear you told us a lot more than that.

I've been "checkin' it out" for forty years now. I want a calf with muscle in the feedlot. You know,,,,,,the kind that goes on the plate.

You want frame...have at it.

I don't think Jerseys would work. But you know those hard feed Holsteins weighing around 1500 pounds have plenty of muscle for the packers. and will bring about the same money as Continentals of the same weight.

Problem is that it takes way more feed to get the Holsteins finished. Been there done that.

I wouldn't say "Plenty". You ever sold on the grid?

My Chars Feed Ratio usually runs around 4:1 where a Holstein will run around 10:1. Have seen Jerseys run 16:1.

Who's making money now?????????????? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Angus Guy]

Most buyers can tell the difference between a green calf and a little butterball. The green calves will always outsell the butterballs.

 

[TheBullLady]

The rangier lightweight calves bring more per pound here as well.. the backgrounders that are putting them on grass like them because they will gain the most, so the buyer isn't paying for all the grain you've fed the calf.

Very different depending on the area your in. Up north the calves would sell from weaning to a feedlot.. here in Texas they go to grass somewhere first, then to the feedlot at 800+ lbs. Of course with the price of corn now, that may be different up north as well.

 

[shorty]

Last week a few days when I came in for lunch I caught the feeder auction on RFD channel . The higher grain prices don't seem to be affecting feeder prices , I thought the prices were pretty strong at the times I watched it for a few minutes . they sold Quite a few head with that all week auction.

 

[mnmtranching]

If I'm going to buy a 4-5 weight calf, I don't much care about the extra muscle or extra flesh. What I would look for is frame and general health. Having a filled out hind at 4-5 hundred pounds is not what we want to put in the feedlot. You have a light weight feeder carrying to much flesh and you will be docked every time.

:shock: :lol:

Well if that's what you want, go buy yourself some Holsteins or Jerseys.

Only telling you why fleshy calves get docked. Check it out. :roll:

I could swear you told us a lot more than that.

I've been "checkin' it out" for forty years now. I want a calf with muscle in the feedlot. You know,,,,,,the kind that goes on the plate.

You want frame...have at it.

I don't think Jerseys would work. But you know those hard feed Holsteins weighing around 1500 pounds have plenty of muscle for the packers. and will bring about the same money as Continentals of the same weight.

Problem is that it takes way more feed to get the Holsteins finished. Been there done that.

I wouldn't say "Plenty". You ever sold on the grid?

My Chars Feed Ratio usually runs around 4:1 where a Holstein will run around 10:1. Have seen Jerseys run 16:1.

Who's making money now?????????????? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh Yeah 8) Is that why I keep buying them Charolais bulls :cboy: