Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Calf prices are higher than last fall, but bred cow prices are a bit lower. :? Some folks complain about kill cow prices but I don't think that is the issue. How are cows selling around you?
Price Relationships ?
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J&D Cattle
Well-known member
Local guy bought 150 or so pairs at a cow sale last month and averaged $1765 in them. All good young black cows with 200-400lb calves. The craziest price he gave me was for some short solid 3rd period cows at $1525; he didn't buy these just quoted me the price.
At a different sale last month lots of younger late bred cows in the $1500-$1700 range and pairs up over $2,000. The good young cows are doing well in my opinion but anything thin, older, or with a blemish takes a big hit.
At a different sale last month lots of younger late bred cows in the $1500-$1700 range and pairs up over $2,000. The good young cows are doing well in my opinion but anything thin, older, or with a blemish takes a big hit.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
J&D Cattle":3i4cqt2d said:
We saw quite a few BM exposed Dakota pairs with small calves this summer, that went for about $1550. They may have loaded up the hobby guys. A young neighbor was excited to buy a bunch, and is now a bit disappointed with weaning weights. Hope they settled...
Are you seeing a bigger hit than normal for older cows?
J&D Cattle
Well-known member
Stocker Steve":3kjuigkq said:
I believe so due to low cull prices. Neighbor bought 6 black pairs with baby calves for $885 last week. These cows had an "O" on the tag for OLD. He's a trader and knows the game so the risk was worth it for him.
Stocker Steve":2jmto9b3 said:
Yes! I took 3 in yesterday, picked up the check today. All were bred and all sold as cull.
Oldest, almost 12, 1895 lbs, $59.50
10 year old, 2090 lbs (yikes!), $57.50
7 year old, 1640 lbs, $65.50
The cow I took in last week was 10 years old with a wonky foot, 1845 lbs, $58.00. The low price for butcher cows this week was $55, not sure what it was last week.
MtnCows93
Well-known member
TCRANCH, what kind of weaning weights are you getting on those big cows?
farmerjan
Well-known member
Open cull cows here usually bring more so we try to be certain that when we sell a cull cow she is open. If it is getting time for a cow to become a cull, if she is close to calving, she will go in a field where she will not get exposed to a bull to get rebred. We have 7 right now that are old and raising their last calf. When it is time to ship the calves, the cows will go directly to the cull pen at the stockyards also. If a cow gets a bad foot/leg/ other problem, she will get put in the "do not breed field" also. Sure, sometimes they get hurt or something; but we have a couple different lots close to the one barn where we can sort off anyone with a problem or special need. It gets addressed and we sell when appropriate. Have buried a few that should have gone sooner rather than too late, so we are far from doing it perfect.
We try not to sell a bred cow that is more than say 3-4 months unless it is obvious she won't make it to the calving or through the winter or whatever. Usually by the time we pull calves, the cows that get preg ckd are 5+ months bred. The first 14 we pulled steer calves off and sold, were preg checked at 4 months except 2 were 3 months. Only one open and she went on the trailer. Due to dry conditions, no rain for 35 days then just an inch this past week, we pulled these calves a bit early. The steers brought in the 1.55 to 1.63 range and weighed 440 to 525. 2 of those cows are on the LAST CALF list. When they calve, they will not go out to pasture with a bull but to a pasture that they will raise their calf then all go on the truck. There are several more that are older, and a couple of them will get this same designation if they are bred. If open, they will go on the trailer for town. We have lost 2 pastures this year due to land sales and will lose one more this fall after we pull the cows. The place was sold with the understanding that we had the lease until Thanksgiving. So we are cutting our operation size for a bit, but have had one guy approach us to take over his place and he is looking at a couple more to buy so may have more pasture in a year or two. We will ramp up and buy if that is the case at the time.
6 and 7 wt steers are bringing in the 1.40's and 1.50's. I was surprised to see the heavier wts brining that much yesterday. Heifers are about .20 to .40 less as usual. Sold some mediocre ones that brought 1.10 to 1.20's for 4 wts. Tired of feeding them and water has become a problem at a couple of places and I am hauling water at one place now. This rain didn't help much, and now we are looking at clearing and sun for another week. We have plenty of hay to feed, but will have to supplement protein. Moved 7 recently bred AI heifers to another place for the next 2-3 months. Grass isn't great but have 30-40 rolls of hay there to supplement and it will be easier to feed the hay there than to haul it all the way back. This will give a break to water hauling where they were while AI breeding.
Cull prices around here are about what you are seeing...50's and low 60's. Poorer cows are in the upper 40's but not many of them.
We try not to sell a bred cow that is more than say 3-4 months unless it is obvious she won't make it to the calving or through the winter or whatever. Usually by the time we pull calves, the cows that get preg ckd are 5+ months bred. The first 14 we pulled steer calves off and sold, were preg checked at 4 months except 2 were 3 months. Only one open and she went on the trailer. Due to dry conditions, no rain for 35 days then just an inch this past week, we pulled these calves a bit early. The steers brought in the 1.55 to 1.63 range and weighed 440 to 525. 2 of those cows are on the LAST CALF list. When they calve, they will not go out to pasture with a bull but to a pasture that they will raise their calf then all go on the truck. There are several more that are older, and a couple of them will get this same designation if they are bred. If open, they will go on the trailer for town. We have lost 2 pastures this year due to land sales and will lose one more this fall after we pull the cows. The place was sold with the understanding that we had the lease until Thanksgiving. So we are cutting our operation size for a bit, but have had one guy approach us to take over his place and he is looking at a couple more to buy so may have more pasture in a year or two. We will ramp up and buy if that is the case at the time.
6 and 7 wt steers are bringing in the 1.40's and 1.50's. I was surprised to see the heavier wts brining that much yesterday. Heifers are about .20 to .40 less as usual. Sold some mediocre ones that brought 1.10 to 1.20's for 4 wts. Tired of feeding them and water has become a problem at a couple of places and I am hauling water at one place now. This rain didn't help much, and now we are looking at clearing and sun for another week. We have plenty of hay to feed, but will have to supplement protein. Moved 7 recently bred AI heifers to another place for the next 2-3 months. Grass isn't great but have 30-40 rolls of hay there to supplement and it will be easier to feed the hay there than to haul it all the way back. This will give a break to water hauling where they were while AI breeding.
Cull prices around here are about what you are seeing...50's and low 60's. Poorer cows are in the upper 40's but not many of them.
The last calf the biggest cow in that group I sold, wean weight at the sale barn was 717 lbs, he was a fall calf and I only weaned him 3 weeks. Not very impressive considering her size. That said, all my bulls are calving ease, low BW heifer bulls so my average calf weighs 75-80 lbs at birth, first calf heifers average 70. As a general rule the bigger cows spit out & wean bigger calves but that's not always the case (aforementioned 2090 lb cow). I would estimate the average weight of my herd at 1500 lbs. I really don't have an overall accurate average wean weight because I wean the spring calves in Oct but the last 2 years have held the calves until end of Jan/first of Feb (because of the market) and let them graze the brome, whereas I generally wean them 30-45 days. Last year's average weight at the sale barn was 790 for steers & 720 for heifers at appx 9 months.MtnCows93":370p83y6 said:
I'm finally starting to cull my old fatties and the ones that are so off schedule they don't fit into spring or fall calving. I'd rather not sell a bred cow as butcher but I'm running the ranch by myself now and picking my battles.
