Purchasing heavy breds vs steers ?

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Richnm

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If ones goal is to finish steers and to try sell carcasses, should he start with feeders or heavy bred cows ? I can get 300-700lb (don't ask what breed 🤦‍♂️😭 ) steers for .25 above market value or 3rd trimester bred heifers for $1500. Which is a better option? Processing would be at 24 months or 1200lbs.
 
@Richnm I'm going to make some points that I know are obvious
1. Starting out with steer calves will get you to the end point goal of slaughter steers much faster.
2. Bred heifers can have trouble and you lose both the calf and the heifer, total loss.
3. The heifer could have a heifer calf instead of a steer calf, I guess you could ultrasound to determine the sex of the fetus.
4. Sometimes a heifer doesn't know what to do and doesn't take good care of her calf or maybe she doesn't have much milk.
5. If your goal is finished steers for slaughter, why feed the cow if you have a good source for the weaned calves?
 
What is your total cost of production for both?
We have to feed hay 4-6 months a year. For us it is cheaper to sell weaned calves in the fall and then purchase steers in the spring to feed out . It wouldn't pencil out for us to purchase 700 lbs steers at .25 cents above market value and expect a profit feeding them out regardless of breed .
I like to buy low and sell high not the other way around. .25 above market value is a additional $175 a head on 700 lbs steers that you are already in the hole before you ever start.
 
I can get 300-700lb (don't ask what breed 🤦‍♂️😭 ) steers for .25 above market value
WHY would you pay 25 cents over market value??? The entire point to buying livestock is to pay market value or less if you can get a good deal. Paying more than market value just sets you up for failure. By definition, market value is what something is worth.
or 3rd trimester bred heifers for $1500. Which is a better option?
Heifers are a crap shoot, especially if you've never had experience with them. Better to buy experienced cows.
 
If ones goal is to finish steers and to try sell carcasses, should he start with feeders or heavy bred cows ? I can get 300-700lb (don't ask what breed 🤦‍♂️😭 ) steers for .25 above market value or 3rd trimester bred heifers for $1500. Which is a better option? Processing would be at 24 months or 1200lbs.
How many head are you talking about? Do you already have a market for direct sales to consumers. And I am going to ask anyhow: What breed are these heifers, and what are they bred to?
 
WHY would you pay 25 cents over market value??? The entire point to buying livestock is to pay market value or less if you can get a good deal. Paying more than market value just sets you up for failure. By definition, market value is what something is worth.

Heifers are a crap shoot, especially if you've never had experience with them. Better to buy experienced cows.
F2s are more expensive, that's where .25 cents comes in
 
F2s are more expensive, that's where .25 cents comes in
F2s are only worth more (or less) in breeding stock. Steers are steers and heifers are heifers if they are going into a finishing program. The quality of the animals may factor in but that's a condition of conformation, condition, and consistency leading to expected results. And market value accounts for these factors.

Twenty-five cents over market value is still twenty-five cents over market value.

EDIT: Now I see you are involved in the wagyu infatuation. I can't advise you in that any more than I can advise you in miniature highlanders or ostriches.
 
Cross bred strs weighing 700 @ $2 = $1,400
Figure $1 a lb for gain so that's $500. We're up to $1,900.
We haven't hauled them, vaccinated them, penciled in a profit, or a death loss.
Top strs today were $1.75.
That's $2,100 for a 1,200 pound str. And I'll guarantee those $1.75 strs weighed a lot more than 1,200.
 
20 f2s bred back to PB Wagyu or F2 feeders.
Please clarify what crosses the F2s are.
example
Angus x Hereford = F1 50% angus 50% hereford
F1 A/H x Wagyu = F2 50% Wagyu 25% angus 25% hereford
F2 1/2 Wagyu x 1/4 angus x 1/4 hereford bred back to pb wagyu = offspring 3/4 wagyu 1/8 angus 1/8 hereford

A lot of combinations can be used to make f2s just wondering if the f2 steers and f2 bred heifers are same % wagyu
Since you are paying a premium for % Wagyu it's important what % finished product will be Wagyu
To market as Wagyu influenced the finished product needs to be a minimum of 3/8 wagyu (37.5%)
 
I'd cut to the chase and buy the steers. Or open heiferettes if that becomes an option. Bigger the animal, the faster it'll be.
 
As someone that raises angus, angus x wagyu, pb wagyu, and F2s as you say -- the first thing I would say -- do you have a market? Second, a good F1 (out of a quality angus cow) can easily finish in less than 24 months. An F2 though -- all over the board on their growth and finishing time.

F2 or 75% wagyu influenced cows bred back to wagyu -- are going to give you some small and slow growing calves (what is that 93% wagyu at that point). There is a FB message board for Wagyu and to be honest I'm impressed by the people that can get wagyu results well but I see a lot of people harvesting PB or high percentage wagyu animals at 30+ months with results that are less impressive than what I'd expect from F1s harvested at 16-18 months.

My point in stating that is feeding out wagyu animals requires some knowledge/experience imo. Assuming you know what you are doing feeding out and you have a market -- I'd go the route that requires the least initial outlay as I see real risks with both situations (I'm pretty sure you have cows/calves -- so going with the breds for you would lessen the risk with that option and make it a wash in my mind with feeders).
 
Cross bred strs weighing 700 @ $2 = $1,400
Figure $1 a lb for gain so that's $500. We're up to $1,900.
We haven't hauled them, vaccinated them, penciled in a profit, or a death loss.
Top strs today were $1.75.
That's $2,100 for a 1,200 pound str. And I'll guarantee those $1.75 strs weighed a lot more than 1,200.
You better refigure your cost of gain. Current closeouts are $1.40+ and projected closeouts are close to $1.20 due to expected lower corn costs.
 

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