Sale Barn

[Bestoutwest]

I took one to the sale on Friday. I had kept him intact b/c he was very well built. As he got older, he started to get a bit more excitable. Not scary, but pushy and would run through gates and got a bit spooky if separated. Just not something I was wanting to pass on. Anyway, got the check today. He was 805 lbs, grass and milk only, at 225 days. His 205 was 733~#. Got hosed him being a bull, got $.93/cwt. What can you do? From here on out the cow's calves are probably going to be terminal, but she raises a heck of a calf. Her other calf was a 3/4 heifer (1/4 LH) that hung at 570# @ 17 months with no grain.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I took one to the sale on Friday. I had kept him intact b/c he was very well built. As he got older, he started to get a bit more excitable. Not scary, but pushy and would run through gates and got a bit spooky if separated. Just not something I was wanting to pass on. Anyway, got the check today. He was 805 lbs, grass and milk only, at 225 days. His 205 was 733~#. Got hosed him being a bull, got $.93/cwt. What can you do? From here on out the cow's calves are probably going to be terminal, but she raises a heck of a calf. Her other calf was a 3/4 heifer (1/4 LH) that hung at 570# @ 17 months with no grain.

You were robbed.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Had to be something else beside the nerts too get docked that bad...color,horns.fat..

 

[Dave]

An 800 pound bull takes that beating every day all day around here. The feedlots don't want them because even if they feed good one that size will still look stagy. Selling on the grid anything looking bully or stagy will get a serious deduction. And there is no market for a 800 pound bull of unknown breeding to go back to the country. Go sit in the sales for a few weeks and you will see that is what they bring.

 

[farmerjan]

Gotta disagree with TT and Alacowman; Had a neighbor take 5 , 8wt bulls in with a load of steers and they brought $.89. The steers were in the 550 and brought 1.20 to 1.40's. I watched the sale for several hours Friday and all bulls were off the steers by at least $.30- $.50 a lb. So I am not surprised at the $.93 price. Steers here are in the 1.10 to 1.40's and heifers in the .90-1.15 for most. Most all sizes too. Bigger were not as discounted as they used to be. So if you have the grass, leaving them to gain a little here right now is not hurting you. Saw a few really good steers in the 5-6 wts hit 1.50 but not too many. Our fall sales are smaller than they usually are, only about 1,00 to 1200 head the past few weeks when they would often be 1500 to 2000. Fewer farmers, fewer cattle?? We are down about 50 cows from 2 years ago. Lost another place that we usually moved cow/cf pairs to in the fall, so trying to figure out where, how, to juggle for this winter. Grass has held up better though, even with the drought conditions and heat in Sept, having fewer cows this summer.

We sold some steers in early Sept, 1.25-1.42, 5-6 wts. Think we are going to hold the heifers awhile. Got about 25 steers to pull off around Thanksgiving. Going to have to move some to pay some bills before the first of the year though.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Our prices are softer up here for some reason. He might have run the ring guys around. Might have appeared less weaned than he his (and I know how buyers use anything to dock). Who knows. I couldn't stay and watch.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0cmVhc3VyZXZhbGxleWxpdmVzdG9ja2NvbXxneDoyZGE0YzQ5Y2RmMGM1Mjg1

 

[Dave]

Our prices are softer up here for some reason. He might have run the ring guys around. Might have appeared less weaned than he his (and I know how buyers use anything to dock). Who knows. I couldn't stay and watch.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0cmVhc3VyZXZhbGxleWxpdmVzdG9ja2NvbXxneDoyZGE0YzQ5Y2RmMGM1Mjg1

I don't know where you sold but take a look at the market report for Producers Livestock in Vale. It isn't too far west of the river. I know they get a fair amount of Idaho cattle.
Between Vale on Wednesday and La Grande on Thursday I probably watched well over 3,000 head of cattle sell. I never saw a single bull at La Grande. At Vale I saw 2 bulls that weighed about 900 which sold for around 85 cents. And there was 2 bulls that weighed 450 which I bought for $1.35. They would have brought 30 to 40 cents more as steers.

 

[DCA farm]

Here bull prices in my area