Remitall Prices

[purecountry]

Judging by the conversation about their program, it sounds like some of you have attended their sale. What do their prices average? I've heard the top-sellers going into the 20-30,000 or more, but what's the average? They claim in their sale catalog that they sell affordable bulls - true or false? I'm talking the Smurfs by the way.

 

[Hill Creek Farm]

Well, last Fall the top bull brought $50,000. Now some of the not so popular bulls I guess could possibly be affordable. How much do you plan on spending on this bull? You always need a budget. :cboy:

 

[Brandonm2]

Remitall sold 12.75 bulls for $133900. Take out the top bull which sold a quarter interest for $50,000, the number 2 bull which sold a half interest for $20,000, the number 3 bull which sold a half interest for $8750, and the number 4 bull which sold a half interst for $5500 and you are left with 11 bulls which only averaged $4513. Remitall also sold 44.5 female lots for $146,525. The top five grossed $79,000 for 3.5 total lots. By my math the average remaining 41 female lots averaged $1647. IF my math is correct you could buy a typical bull and a typical heifer for $6160 from the October 8th Remitall sale. Canada is awfully far for me to drive for cows, but I would call that affordable. (numbers from Hereford World/Dec 2005 pg 90)

 

[purecountry]

I'm not looking to buy HCF, I'm just curious. Their sale coming up has alot more than 13 bulls though. In time we'll be looking for a good Hereford bull to try on some Galloway cross females, but not this year. And I'm sure there's good ones to be found in Alberta without having to go to the Remitall Show, maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Brandonm2]

Well, Hereford World lists all the top bull sales of 2005 and Remitall's fall sale was the only sale of theirs on the list. In the over 100 bulls category, the best Hereford bull sale was Dudley Brothers (Comanche, Tx) which avged $3557 a bull followed by Upstream Ranch (Taylor, Neb) $3330, Harrell Hereford Ranch (Baker City, Or) $3145, and PoweLL Herefords (Ft McGavett, Tx) $3134. IF Remitall had a spring sale last year, it is safe to assume (from that) that $3000 or less bought a lot of bulls there, which seems pretty reasonable to me. On the other hand, Adam Hirshe Herefords in Alberta back in Nov sold 62.5 lots of bulls for the shocking price of $5287 a bull (though that includes a $135,000 top lot).

(Hereford World/March pg 122)

 

[purecountry]

Thanks for the 411 folks.

 

[Aaron]

There are a ton of Hereford breeders in your neck of the woods that would be a better choice than Latimer's cattle. All depends on whether you want horned or polled.

 

[cowsense]

PC; Rem's sale would be a good opportunity to drive across and see for yourself if they will fit your program. After all you are the one that has to satisfy your own needs! FWIW I feel that Rem's cattle may have too much mature size for your wants!

 

[purecountry]

Like I said before, I'm not looking to buy this year, maybe not even next year. I was just curious as to what their 'affordable' bulls went for. When I really read through their catalog though, it's obvious that their program doesn't suit mine. Not when the hype up all of the bulls that push the YW to 1400 as being the best in the sale. If you're constantly pushing for heavier, bigger bulls, you're simultaneously pushing for heavier, bigger females. It's a good recipe for inefficiency.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I run Hereford bulls and there are three Hereford seedstock producers in my area and I have never heard one good thing about Remitall from them. Always struck me funny that people that have been running Herefords for over a 100 years have never been impressed with the program.
I guess you have working mans cattle and rich playboys cattle.

 

[purecountry]

I guess you have working mans cattle and rich playboys cattle.

:clap: :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

'nuff said

 

[Brandonm2]

I have never set foot in Canada, much less the Remitall Ranch, so I am not comfortable at all in throwing stones though from what little I can see/read some of their cattle are too framy for my tastes. That said if I was in Alberta I would go to their sale. Purecountry is actually up there (give or take 400 miles). He can learn more about their cattle in one day of walking around the barns than I will in a lifetime in Alabama reading the Hereford World and seeing a few Remitall sired show calves in the southeast.

 

[El_Putzo]

I'll agree with the framiness in the Remitall cattle, but I'm not sure on the playboy cattle part. Or at least I don't think it used to be that way. I'm reminded of a bull that has probably sired, or grandsired more performance cattle than any other. To my knowledge he was never a show bull, but has produced quite a few. I've only seen one picture of him and although he looked great to me, I doubt he'd win any shows. I'm sure you've already figured out who I'm talking about......20X. He's left quite an imprint on the hereford breed IMO.

I'm sure some of you on here who know me, know me well enough to know, it would darn near kill me to use a bull with a BW as big as Keynote's, but I would us him in a heartbeat on the right cow if I had a chance.

 

[SEC]

PC, I am going to disagree with you a little bit on the yearling weight and the overall increase in frame score.

If Ohlde Cattle Company or Crowfoot can have yearling bulls weighing 1200-50lbs at a year of age we know they aren't overfed. In the right management those bulls could be full and weigh another 100lbs quite easily. If those same bulls weighed more would that make them have more frame?

 

[Brandonm2]

I got no problem whatsoever with a frame 5 1200 lb cow weaning a 800 lb bull calf that weighs 1500 as a yearling on a grain test. Now if I have to support an 1800 lb frame score 9 cow on my grass to get that calf...then I have a REAL problem and prefer a much more moderate framed cow.

 

[purecountry]

Gentlemen, it's not the actual numbers that are at the centre of my focus. My point was their approach to marketing to these stats. Think about it - in their footnotes they brag up the bulls with the most growth and performance. AND, if you continually push the bar for bigger and bigger yearling weights, meaning more and more growth, you will inevitably increase the size of your females, when those super-growthy bulls sire daughters in your herd.

Yes, I agree that a little more groceries would make the same bull go from 1100 to 1300. My point is that their focus is on more and more performance, which is the type of selection no sustainable commercial operation can tolerate.

 

[SEC]

That I will agree with you on, but there is a whole world consisting of 99% of other people that are truly attracted to the numbers. Leachman Cattle Co would have been the biggest and best at that.

Brandonm, I too don't like big cows but let's get off the kick that a 1800 lb cow is frame score nine. How about a frame score 6 cow scaring 1750lbs easily. Pasture condition to boot. How do we hold these heavy, easy doing cows back?

Everytime I heard that a ____ lb cow is to big, I get frustrated. I would be more worried about their kind and frame rather than weight.

Should we worry about what frame score a bull is at one year of age? Certainly, it's more important that what he is at 6 years old. Environment might affect it as much as anything. At a year age we have an idea where a bulls progeny will be at.

 

[Brandonm2]

That I will agree with you on, but there is a whole world consisting of 99% of other people that are truly attracted to the numbers. Leachman Cattle Co would have been the biggest and best at that.

Brandonm, I too don't like big cows but let's get off the kick that a 1800 lb cow is frame score nine. How about a frame score 6 cow scaring 1750lbs easily. Pasture condition to boot. How do we hold these heavy, easy doing cows back?

Everytime I heard that a ____ lb cow is to big, I get frustrated. I would be more worried about their kind and frame rather than weight.

Should we worry about what frame score a bull is at one year of age? Certainly, it's more important that what he is at 6 years old. Environment might affect it as much as anything. At a year age we have an idea where a bulls progeny will be at.

I make the example of the tall, big profiling slab sided freaks of the late 80s early 90s simply to set an example that EVERYBODY would agree on of a cow being "too big". Those are the ones we can all agree on that we don't want. Obviously a wide sprung, thick, wide tracking frame score 6 in good flesh is going to be an easier keeper than that post legged frame 9 EVEN if the two are both of the same weight. Down here in Alabama grazing fescue, dallisgrass, and sericea lespedeza I would probably classify both 1750 lb cows as "too big" for me; though that six frame tank MIGHT do really well in more idyllic conditions in Iowa or on an Alabama farm with more intensive management. I also suspect that a cow that would be a frame 6 1750 lb cow in Saskatchewan would be a frame 5 1500 lb cow IF it had grown up in Alabama. "Scotch Cap" was a frame 7 Angus moose; but all the daughters I can personally remember were moderate framed easy keeping gals who could make it almost anywhere (of course the Southern cow herd at the time had a role in that too).

I am not really worried about what frame score a bull's progeny are at one year old. Heck commercial calves sell by the pound. The more pounds the better on that end. Where frame really affects the bottom line is precisely at that six year old cow you are wintering. Hereford needs to add the $EN EPD that Angus has.

 

[SEC]

Fair enough, I live in the Southwest and we have short grass like most of Montana. Most cows aren't that big, we have a 6807 cow that weighs up well, 1650lbs probably. She has done that on her own. We are good to our grass and always have an abundance and we management on the cattle at the proper times (after calving) we will often see our 2 year old come in with good flesh and if they do that then, they don't look back. Keep in mind they are raising good calves that push the scale down.

I would say most cows around here purebred and commercial would average around 1450lb give or take a little. We have enough feed grains and low quality forage around that many will feed calves through the winter. To small of frame is tricky to background and since the market dicates the system many we to retreieve as much potential to gain is so needed.