Sale Barn Prices

[skyhightree1]

Thanks Sky. Did you get your check? Did the bulls do good?

You are welcome yea check came and my bulls sold as follows 5wts 1.54 6wts 1.29 7wts 1.18

Up to 500 lbs the difference between bulls and steers isn't enough to worry about. After that the seller gets slaughtered also.

I agree but I know one thing there definitely more valuable after being sold than walking around in my pasture no matter what size. I didn't sell many calves last year as prices were really bad and I had unlimited resources with minimal input to carry them did I make more money probably not but liked seeing them sell for more than they would have last year. I use to faithfully band but as you said within certain weights no real difference which is normally when I sold.

 

[farmerjan]

Anything over 350 here and you see a difference in the prices between bulls and steers. But then there is an odd bunch of bulls that will bring about what the steers do.
Shipped 17 heifers this morning. 6 in the 450 range, 2 over 500 ea, the rest in the 375 to 400 I think. Will take some cull cows in later. I think we are seeing the higher end of the prices also. Owner of the sale barn says he thinks steers will still be okay for a bit. I am pushing to send those old cull cows we have, that have the calves on them. Some are decent, a few are not much. I just want them gone. Told my son that and he is leaning more my way. Told him we need some cash in hand not out there eating. And he says that they are getting a fair amount of feed so maybe they ought to go.

It is drizzling, misty rain, colder and damp and raw. We got lucky yesterday moving cattle around with no rain although it had been forecast for showers. Suppose to stay warmer temps this week then the forecast is to drop to the 30's and 40's. I kept saying it was too warm for Feb. Saw some daffodils starting to push up through the grass along the fence at one pasture. All the warmth and some rain....They will get hurt if it drops too much.

 

[1982vett]

Talking heads think the feeder market is at a top...
Kill cows have come up, but still seem cheap. Is supply high?

I'm hearing we have about a month maybe before we turn back more bearish through the rest of 2018. But as we have seen plenty the past 5 years we really don't know chit!!!! :lol:

Just as with your weatherman.....you need to know his margin of error. :lol2:

 

[skyhightree1]

Anything over 350 here and you see a difference in the prices between bulls and steers. But then there is an odd bunch of bulls that will bring about what the steers do.
Shipped 17 heifers this morning. 6 in the 450 range, 2 over 500 ea, the rest in the 375 to 400 I think. Will take some cull cows in later. I think we are seeing the higher end of the prices also. Owner of the sale barn says he thinks steers will still be okay for a bit. I am pushing to send those old cull cows we have, that have the calves on them. Some are decent, a few are not much. I just want them gone. Told my son that and he is leaning more my way. Told him we need some cash in hand not out there eating. And he says that they are getting a fair amount of feed so maybe they ought to go.

It is drizzling, misty rain, colder and damp and raw. We got lucky yesterday moving cattle around with no rain although it had been forecast for showers. Suppose to stay warmer temps this week then the forecast is to drop to the 30's and 40's. I kept saying it was too warm for Feb. Saw some daffodils starting to push up through the grass along the fence at one pasture. All the warmth and some rain....They will get hurt if it drops too much.

In some instances at Lynchburg bulls have been higher than steers in certain weights its pretty crazy.

 

[No Rest Farm]

I'm going to sell a few more tomorrow if I can catch them.

 

[skyhightree1]

I'm going to sell a few more tomorrow if I can catch them.

I was going to come but I gotta get a load of steel in the morning probably. If I decide not to I will meet you there if you buy me some hogs :lol:

 

[farmerjan]

I had to test a 250+ cow herd this afternoon but my son took 5 cull cows back to Staunton. The heifers brought from 1.20 to 1.48, 4 cull cows brought in the .50's. The longhorn brought .39 or .40 I think he said. Will see the check tomorrow. He said that lightweight steers, 250 to 350 were up, some hit over 2.00. Slaughter bulls were down a bit, barely . 70. The longhorn had a dead calf, put a bottle calf on her and she was fine for 2 days. Then decided she didn't want it and started knocking it into the wall and wouldn't let it nurse unless I was standing there while she was eating. I said that's it. The calf has lost weight in a week so it is back on a bottle and now I am treating it for some scours and a cough. She wrote her ticket out. I don't need to deal with it.

 

[No Rest Farm]

I'm going to sell a few more tomorrow if I can catch them.

I was going to come but I gotta get a load of steel in the morning probably. If I decide not to I will meet you there if you buy me some hogs :lol:

I can buy all day if you are writing the check lol

 

[farmerjan]

Got the check in front of me and the heifers did better than I realized. 375 wts 1.31; group of 6@ 450 wt 1.51; 3 @ 500 wt 1.35; 2 @ 680 1.30. Got .50 for an old cow 955lbs ; .58, .59, and .60 for 3 open heifers @ 1030 to 1065 lbs and .38 for the longhorn 720lbs. We were pretty happy with it. Better than last fall prices. Maybe going to take a few more this Friday, but most likely next Friday for sure.
One of my dairy farmers was telling me that the milk truck driver was telling him that there are 6 farms that will be going out for sure; It is getting down to squeeze time with the lenders. There will be alot of cull cows going if there is no better market for these springing heifers and young fresh cows. You can't raise them and get them into the milking herd for the 1,000 to 1,200 that these heifers are bringing.
Gonna get ugly I'm afraid. Sad to work hard all your life and have cows worth less than they were 5 or 10 or 15 years ago.

 

[SmokinM]

Glad they did good for you Jan. Is the line better at Staunton now? I quit going because of the wait to unload. Sell some at Lynchburg and some at Shenandoah in Harrisonburg. Going there Saturday with a load.

Dairymen have a hard row to hoe right now with milk prices what they are. All but gone around here, a lot of work for no reward. Easier to sell the land and count the money or ride around in a combine if you still have the farm bug.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Got the check in front of me and the heifers did better than I realized. 375 wts 1.31; group of 6@ 450 wt 1.51; 3 @ 500 wt 1.35; 2 @ 680 1.30. Got .50 for an old cow 955lbs ; .58, .59, and .60 for 3 open heifers @ 1030 to 1065 lbs and .38 for the longhorn at 720lbs. We were pretty happy with it. Better than last fall prices. Maybe going to take a few more this Friday, but most likely next Friday for sure.
One of my dairy farmers was telling me that the milk truck driver was telling him that there are 6 farms that will be going out for sure; It is getting down to squeeze time with the lenders. There will be alot of cull cows going if there is no better market for these springing heifers and young fresh cows. You can't raise them and get them into the milking herd for the 1,000 to 1,200 that these heifers are bringing.
Gonna get ugly I'm afraid. Sad to work hard all your life and have cows worth less than they were 5 or 10 or 15 years ago.

Longhorns are cheap to get in with and cheap when you get out.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, the longhorn was just one of those things, Got her and her heifer calf for less than 500. about a year or so ago. Figured I would sell her calf to a few that do some roping around here but they wanted her at 3 months for less than 200 and I said no. The cow bred right back and if she had had a live calf would still be here. Still have the heifer, she will be my "lawn ornament". Has a nice set of horns, very ladylike and doesn't use them on anyone. Got 260 out of the cow so the calf is worth the other half of what they cost.
Lines have been very short at Staunton but will get longer when we get into March and April. We do go to the barn at 4 am to load and get there by 5-530. Was first in line last week and 3 more came in before we left. Then when we go back at 12 or 1 it is dwindling down if any line. It will get crazier by mid March. And if prices fall, they will get really long real fast as people try to unload before the bottom falls out. Hope that doesn't happen, but I want to be shut of as much as we can that is for sale before then. Got 70 cows just starting to calve and 20 heifers ready to start and I don't want to deal with selling when the weather is getting nice. Or prices are coming off. Maybe it will hold, and I hope for everyone it does.......

Good luck at H'burg on Sat.

 

[farmerjan]

Where are you located SmokinM ?

 

[Stocker Steve]

One of my dairy farmers was telling me that the milk truck driver was telling him that there are 6 farms that will be going out for sure; It is getting down to squeeze time with the lenders. There will be alot of cull cows going if there is no better market for these springing heifers and young fresh cows. You can't raise them and get them into the milking herd for the 1,000 to 1,200 that these heifers are bringing.

Milk truck drivers are in the know. Recent joke is that the lenders have calculated a "zero date" for each customer - - when their equity goes to xxxx. "Small" dairies are going out here, but milk production is still going up. I think purchasing corn silage below total cost is propping up some of the expanding industrial dairies.

Some talking heads are predicting "high" corn grain prices within 3 years, as the Chinese government ramps up ethanol production to improve air quality in their cities. What will happen in the commodity beef industry when corn goes back over $5/bushel ?

 

[Txpiney]

Sold a few steers a couple weeks ago and was happy with the prices.


They were sold at Kirbyville auction barn.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Sold a few steers a couple weeks ago and was happy with the prices.


They were sold at Kirbyville auction barn.

Hopefully CB will see this and realize to pay attention. What was last year or 40 years ago isn't what's happening today. That's the problem with believing what you hear and not what you see.

 

[ddd75]

One of my dairy farmers was telling me that the milk truck driver was telling him that there are 6 farms that will be going out for sure; It is getting down to squeeze time with the lenders. There will be alot of cull cows going if there is no better market for these springing heifers and young fresh cows. You can't raise them and get them into the milking herd for the 1,000 to 1,200 that these heifers are bringing.

Milk truck drivers are in the know. Recent joke is that the lenders have calculated a "zero date" for each customer - - when their equity goes to xxxx. "Small" dairies are going out here, but milk production is still going up. I think purchasing corn silage below total cost is propping up some of the expanding industrial dairies.

Some talking heads are predicting "high" corn grain prices within 3 years, as the Chinese government ramps up ethanol production to improve air quality in their cities. What will happen in the commodity beef industry when corn goes back over $5/bushel ?

record corn yields year over year.. I don't see higher grain prices anytime soon. but its all up to the weather.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Got 67.50 on kill cows today.

 

[Brute 23]

Saw some #450-ish bull calves bring around 1.75 last week. There was nothing special about them. I would sell every one I had if I had any.

 

[pricefarm]

I bought two cow calf pairs yesterday. The cows where black 4 years old with calves about 2 months old. The cows are thin probably weigh around 1000#s. Got them for 950$ each.