price vs date

[Txwalt]

Since a lot of folks spring calve and some fall calve is there a price difference at the sale barn. I Havn't seen a graph showing this. It just seemed odd to me that with all the graphs on this website their wasn't one on prices according to time of year. If folks spring calve and fall calve it seems that most sale barns would see a spike in business once or twice a year. So It made me wonder if prices might differ according to the time of year. I know that weather conditions have a lot to do with it (like a drought). Does anyone have any hard data on this. Especially for TX.

Walt

 

[msscamp]

I can't speak for Texas, but around here prices are better in the spring. Most people around here sell their calves in the fall, resulting in a glut on the market and lower prices overall.

 

[jw]

Just from my personal experiance - Highest prices are in April and next highest are in early October.

 

[backhoeboogie]

The best time to sell for me historically has been August, for this area. That August sale includes both the calves born in the previous fall and the spring calves born that year. Whether or not to hold calves for 10 months is dependant upon forage.

Best steer prices ever fetched were from a fall calved steer sold in August when he was 10 months old. Best cow price ever was for a heavy bred baldy cow sold some time in the early spring.

As far as the surge in sales at the sale barn, there is really no sure markers for fall calvers or spring calvers since cattlemen sell at different times. e.g. you may sell your steers at 6 months old and I may sell mine at 7 months.

When a drought hits, steers sale seem to surge for everyone.

 

[BC]

Calf prices are generally highest in spring (late february and March) and lowest in October. Price low in October for two reasons - first, most cows calve in fall and secondly, the warm days and cool nights increase sickness and death loss in the calves sold in the fall. Buyers figure that in their offers.

Cull cows are typically lowest in the fall when many producers are culling and high in late Febraury and March when supply is limited.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Spring calves always fetch the most nickels, there is a cost of carrying wet cows through the winter. In Texas in the southern, coastal plains and east this is minimal due to mild winters compared to other regions. You usually have better weight gain with fall calfs in this region due to milk production doesn't go down due to the heat stress.