Profitable cattle trading
- Thread starter Arag
- Start date
living near 5 sale barns and at the height of the cattle market i would buy 800 lb heifers and breed them to m bulls.. sell them as bred heifers. turned a 1100 dollar cow into 1800 in a hurry.
other then that best bet is to go to low volume markets and buy cheaper.. try to put together some good groups of 20+ hd all same weights.. get them all lookin good with all the same tags.
other then that best bet is to go to low volume markets and buy cheaper.. try to put together some good groups of 20+ hd all same weights.. get them all lookin good with all the same tags.
farmerjan
Well-known member
On years we have grass and water, buying thinner cows with calves or heavy breds, then turning them over when the calves are ready to wean. We just are not set up for raising 5-8 wts. Much easier to turn out pairs and our fences aren't always good enough to keep in yearling size. Cows seem more content to stay where we put them.
Buying $1000 c/cf pairs, or older breds and selling them for $1200 pair or more ( as singles) has worked for us with not too much work. But that is when we have extra grass and we buy in off times like July/Aug when most are not looking to add to their herds. Have managed to get a few nice cows and some keeper heifers over the years, and sold alot of middlin ones in the process. Often we can put some weight on the cows, and the calves will bring okay prices. Not alot of monetary gain, but enough to pay for a few of the pasture rents over the years
Buying $1000 c/cf pairs, or older breds and selling them for $1200 pair or more ( as singles) has worked for us with not too much work. But that is when we have extra grass and we buy in off times like July/Aug when most are not looking to add to their herds. Have managed to get a few nice cows and some keeper heifers over the years, and sold alot of middlin ones in the process. Often we can put some weight on the cows, and the calves will bring okay prices. Not alot of monetary gain, but enough to pay for a few of the pasture rents over the years
Farm Fence Solutions
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,008
Having a pile of paid for mommas on rented pasture when feeders hit $3. Also losing said rented pasture and forcing the sale of the pile of cows when they were worth $2200/head. I'd rather be lucky than good any day.
I've never wanted the stigma of being a "trader" attached to my name. Also, with one big exception, id consider myself to be the most unlucky person in the world. It's hard for a guy like me to work a scheme. Everything comes unraveled, and I end up losing. I just stick with cows and calves.
True Grit Farms
Well-known member
A couple friends are buying 300 - 400 lb heifers again this year, last year they did really good. Myself I'm buying thin young cheap bred cows, haven't lost any money doing that yet, but sure ain't getting rich. My way of thinking is cattle are a gamble, and don't spend more than you can afford to lose on them.
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Buying SS heavies for no more than 200 over kill price.
Calf them out split the pairs in the fall and sale.
Calf them out split the pairs in the fall and sale.
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
I'd make a horrible pen hooker...some folks can make money sitting on a flat rock..some can even sell rocks...Bigfoot":obgmzrv6 said:
Bigfoot":8z0cjnx4 said:
I'm not a trader either. I could single handedly bring down the cattle market if I bought some thing and tried to flip it at a later date.
I like running a game plan and working one the effiencies over time. If I can sell some hay or heifers private treaty that's where the cream is. I know I can make it at at X amount, so I would rather gamble I can get over that.
I don't like things I can take a loss on. It takes a lot of wins to make up for one loss.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Depends on your facility set up and your management skills and your time available.
The majority of buyers have some limitations - - so they keep it simple and focus on bred cows.
That leaves a lot of other opportunities for risk seekers.
The majority of buyers have some limitations - - so they keep it simple and focus on bred cows.
That leaves a lot of other opportunities for risk seekers.
littletom
Well-known member
No trader I have cows because I enjoy them. But the best deal I have gotten into was in 2012. Friends bought couple pot loads of young poor texas cows in drought, let me get a few. I still have most of them, some the best cows I have. Most were 3 years old and bred. Cost 600 a piece.
