We sold a couple of loads of calves today and only got 2 bids instead of the usual 6-7. The feedlots that had been contacted all said the same thing. They're pretty much full. They can;t see any future in buying calves when there are customers willing to retain 100% ownership and all the feedlot has to do is the feeding without any ownership. We now have 2 pens of calves at 2 different feedlots that we have retianed ownership on so I can see their point. The we is our marketing group.
Selling calves to feedlots
- Thread starter dun
- Start date
Help Support CattleToday:
gerardplauche
Well-known member
That's tough. What do you epect this will do to this calf market pricing in March????
OP
OP
dun
Well-known member
gerardplauche":1ybvrg6l said:
Persoanl opinion only, it will be just as screwed up then. There are producers that have enough grass that are holding them till spring, we are with some, and hoping things improve. I think heavier calves will sell ok in the spring but light weights will be in about the same boat as now.
One of the feedlot owners commented that the only reason anyone buys calves is because they see a profit in them. If feeders aren;t buying they either have full pens of customer cattle or they're breakevens with the price of corn doesn;t look good.
gerardplauche
Well-known member
Thanks for the heads-up. This is bad news for me. I have a group that is ready for sale now. This all makes sense to me now. I check the weekly sale numbers on the sale barn where I buy/sale. They usually run 350-400 feeders a week. Over the past 3 months, that number has been falling. I saw that last week they only moved 163 feeders through. And top price was $1.14/lb. I am advertising in the local Market bulletin, but no one is willing to pay last year's prices. Looks like I have some thinking to do... :?
dyates
Well-known member
I hope y'all are wrong. Pretty much everybody else here has sold all their feeders and a bunch of their cows. The drought put everyone to feeding hay early in the fall. There wasn't much hay either. I was fortunate enough to have plenty, so I'm holding tight. With numbers being down, I'm just hoping spring supply can't keep up with the demand. Slaughter cow prices most certainly have to come up. There's hardly anything left in several states to cull. People who normally background calves have sold out. I should have some to sell in March that are in the 850-900# range. I hope I don't take a beating.
ROCK-N-W
Well-known member
I just took twelve for the first time selling direct week before last.
Did the pre vacs and all that, was the worst I've done since the 90'S when NAFTA first started.
Took A BEATING highest price I got was 1:15 a lb. & down to .80
Not worth the extra miles for me going back to the auction next time.
Did the pre vacs and all that, was the worst I've done since the 90'S when NAFTA first started.
Took A BEATING highest price I got was 1:15 a lb. & down to .80
Not worth the extra miles for me going back to the auction next time.
OP
OP
dun
Well-known member
ROCK-N-W":1xtbggou said:
Stopped by the local salebarn today to see how things were going. Everything at the sale including the 2 pigs and 10 goats wouldn;t have made a potload. 25-30 6 wight Holsteins and maby a dozen 5-6 weight cross calves.
ROCK-N-W
Well-known member
I'm afraid things are fixen to get real tight all over.
I usually do my home work better before I go. Thata teach me.
I usually do my home work better before I go. Thata teach me.
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
cfpinz":1s4or1qj said:
Got a boar for $0.02 a pound. How much do you want?
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Went to a farm auction yesterday. Got Ma a 3 point post hole digger with three augers for her birthday. Brought tears to her eyes. Got the kids some skin diving equipment including a strap on knife!
Fall calves and yearling heifers were selling for $400 to $675. Price seemed OK for small groups.
Nice 2 to 7 year old black cows were going from $725 to $975. Most for $750. Hay prices have tripled here. I had to bid at that price. Almost bought half of the herd but I already had presents...
Fall calves and yearling heifers were selling for $400 to $675. Price seemed OK for small groups.
Nice 2 to 7 year old black cows were going from $725 to $975. Most for $750. Hay prices have tripled here. I had to bid at that price. Almost bought half of the herd but I already had presents...
gerardplauche
Well-known member
Looking worse yet. Another 10.5% decrease in total cattle at the local sale barn. I have never seen numbers this low at our sale barn... :|
Out west the salebarns are in serious decline and only the little outfits use them much at all anymore. Killer cows are making up a bigger and bigger part of the scene but the calves are either retained or marketed by the truckload. I don't see the sale barn being the marketer of cattle in the future.
gerardplauche
Well-known member
What would you guys say is the main culprit for this trend?
Theres just not enough money to go around anymore.
The cattle industry was broken up into segments- and each segment had their ups and downs but sooner or latter they made money.
Cow/calf
Salebarns
backgrounder
Feedlot
Processor
Profit has been so tight that every segment is getting into the others, Processors are trying to own calves. Cow/calf operations are turning into feedlots or backgrounders. Feedlots were turning into backgrounders(thats over for now).
For years the goal was to get a piece of someone elses share. Find a way to cut them out and maximize profit. The last few years its been to cut out the salebarns and sell direct or feed direct.
All the segments are needed to keep the market stable.
The cattle industry was broken up into segments- and each segment had their ups and downs but sooner or latter they made money.
Cow/calf
Salebarns
backgrounder
Feedlot
Processor
Profit has been so tight that every segment is getting into the others, Processors are trying to own calves. Cow/calf operations are turning into feedlots or backgrounders. Feedlots were turning into backgrounders(thats over for now).
For years the goal was to get a piece of someone elses share. Find a way to cut them out and maximize profit. The last few years its been to cut out the salebarns and sell direct or feed direct.
All the segments are needed to keep the market stable.
simangus23
Well-known member
boo Karen boo
simangus23
Well-known member
money to go around anymore.
The cattle industry was broken up into segments- and each segment had their ups and downs but sooner or latter they made money.
Cow/calf
Salebarns
backgrounder
Feedlot
Processor
Profit has been so tight that every segment is getting into the others, Processors are trying to own calves. Cow/calf operations are turning into feedlots or backgrounders. Feedlots were turning into backgrounders(thats over for now).
For years the goal was to get a piece of someone elses share. Find a way to cut them out and maximize profit. The last few years its been to cut out the salebarns and sell direct or feed direct.
All the segments are needed to keep the market stable.Karen
Karen thats where you are wrong!
Anyone that depends on the salebarn to sell their calves isnt going to make much of a profit anyway--that is why the guy that owns the salebarn has a new truck every 2 years and you are driving dad's hand me down with the 1980 dew eze on it.
Have you ever wondered why the buyers aren't interested in your cattle? I can tell you why------ because you have no data on your calves. They need data and without it you are stuck with making the local livestock exchange guy richer-- shame it is.
My family has been in the cattle business since 1833 and I can tell you this much--- We are a cow calf outfit/ we are a stocker outfit a feedyard and do our own processing. Before we did all this we kept data on all our calves by retaining ownership. We knew what their data was from the time they hit the ground > to weaning > to what they gained on wheat pasture > to what they gained in the feedyards > to what they graded on the rail. We retained ownership so that we could have real data on what we were producing.. We did all the work for the stocker -- the feeder and in the end the Packer knew what he could expect from our cattle----------
So you are a small operator-- why cant you small operators get together and retain ownership on 500 head thru the whole process keep your data as it will help you decide what you should be doing if you need to change at all -- The packers all want a consistant product and until you provide it with real data you will make the guy at the Livestock exchange richer.
After acquiring your data for several years you will probably make some changes in the type of cattle you are raising and in a few more years you will have buyers waiting at your gate wondering when you plan to sell your calves.
This takes time but what else do we have but time---- and heck its a fun ride................
More to come
The cattle industry was broken up into segments- and each segment had their ups and downs but sooner or latter they made money.
Cow/calf
Salebarns
backgrounder
Feedlot
Processor
Profit has been so tight that every segment is getting into the others, Processors are trying to own calves. Cow/calf operations are turning into feedlots or backgrounders. Feedlots were turning into backgrounders(thats over for now).
For years the goal was to get a piece of someone elses share. Find a way to cut them out and maximize profit. The last few years its been to cut out the salebarns and sell direct or feed direct.
All the segments are needed to keep the market stable.Karen
Karen thats where you are wrong!
Anyone that depends on the salebarn to sell their calves isnt going to make much of a profit anyway--that is why the guy that owns the salebarn has a new truck every 2 years and you are driving dad's hand me down with the 1980 dew eze on it.
Have you ever wondered why the buyers aren't interested in your cattle? I can tell you why------ because you have no data on your calves. They need data and without it you are stuck with making the local livestock exchange guy richer-- shame it is.
My family has been in the cattle business since 1833 and I can tell you this much--- We are a cow calf outfit/ we are a stocker outfit a feedyard and do our own processing. Before we did all this we kept data on all our calves by retaining ownership. We knew what their data was from the time they hit the ground > to weaning > to what they gained on wheat pasture > to what they gained in the feedyards > to what they graded on the rail. We retained ownership so that we could have real data on what we were producing.. We did all the work for the stocker -- the feeder and in the end the Packer knew what he could expect from our cattle----------
So you are a small operator-- why cant you small operators get together and retain ownership on 500 head thru the whole process keep your data as it will help you decide what you should be doing if you need to change at all -- The packers all want a consistant product and until you provide it with real data you will make the guy at the Livestock exchange richer.
After acquiring your data for several years you will probably make some changes in the type of cattle you are raising and in a few more years you will have buyers waiting at your gate wondering when you plan to sell your calves.
This takes time but what else do we have but time---- and heck its a fun ride................
More to come
