Slaughter cows and bulls.

[kenny thomas]

I seen a lot of slaughter cows sell from 1.70 to 1.94 and bulls up to 2.29 yesterday in Sweetwater TN. I seen some thin cows i figured would bring 1.25 bring 1.80 and more.
And today a Piedmontiese cow sold in Paris Ky for 2.14.
These are slaughter cows not anything going back to the farm.
Where does the price stop? I know there is a big demand because of July 4th but then what.

 

[SBMF 2015]

It "should" taper off a little at the end of grilling season but who's going to complain about $1.50 kill cows?
As long as the demand is there the packers will keep things high.

 

[kenny thomas]

It "should" taper off a little at the end of grilling season but who's going to complain about $1.50 kill cows?
As long as the demand is there the packers will keep things high.

Only complaint i have is that i dont have any to sell now. And on a 1500 lb cow the difference in 1.50 and 1.94 is $660. Good time to cull if needed.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Only complaint i have is that i dont have any to sell now. And on a 1500 lb cow the difference in 1.50 and 1.94 is $660. Good time to cull if needed.

All true. It makes 2nd chances not even a consideration.
We were sorting replacements the other day and and a really nice hfr was just being dumb. I told her if she didn't knock it off I'd just cut her head off. My wife was running the gate. She just shut and chained it. Not a good time to be stupid.

 

[Dave]

I haven't seen those $1.70 and up cows. But everything is $1.50's and a few in the $1.60.

Yesterday I did see 3 steer calves weighing 305 sell for $5.025. I don't see how that ever comes out in the black. I was sitting by a friend who runs bigger stockers. He had a cheat sheet which he kept looking at while they were selling steers his size. He would shake his head and keep his hands down. The big lots ran out and big order buyer must have filled their trucks as they quit. They had been paying $3.50 for those 650 pound steers. After they quit my friend bought 40-50 steers weighing 650ish for $2.95 - $3.15. He grazes them to add 200 pounds. He has a pasture across the road from a 15,000 head feedlot. So when they are ready to go there is no trucking involved. Just a couple guys horse back to drive them to the feedlot.

 

[sstterry]

Last Saturday at Volunteer Stockyards

 

[farmerjan]

I seen a lot of slaughter cows sell from 1.70 to 1.94 and bulls up to 2.29 yesterday in Sweetwater TN. I seen some thin cows i figured would bring 1.25 bring 1.80 and more.
And today a Piedmontiese cow sold in Paris Ky for 2.14.
These are slaughter cows not anything going back to the farm.
Where does the price stop? I know there is a big demand because of July 4th but then what.

????? Crazy... I don't know where or when it will stop...

 

[sstterry]

????? Crazy... I don't know where or when it will stop...

Let's hope never!

 

[MurraysMutts]

@kenny thomas
I remember a while back u said things were too high to buy....... and u were going fishing.
That was when we should've bought I guess.
I definitely ain't buying anything else, as I was fortunate enough to stock early before this went crazy again.
Yes. I fed a small amount of hay. But it was paid for.

This has been going on for some time now. Curious to see where prices are after the 2 week break for harvest.

 

[kenny thomas]

@kenny thomas
I remember a while back u said things were too high to buy....... and u were going fishing.
That was when we should've bought I guess.
I definitely ain't buying anything else, as I was fortunate enough to stock early before this went crazy again.
Yes. I fed a small amount of hay. But it was paid for.

This has been going on for some time now. Curious to see where prices are after the 2 week break for harvest.
View attachment 59419

I still think im going fishing. Seen groups of 3wt Holstein steers tonight sell for 3.80. 4wts brought 3.50. Cant even buy dairy calves now.

 

[Dave]

I finally got a chance to go fishing yesterday. Drove to a reservoir first thing in the morning. Lots of campers there. Those not in their camp trailers were dressed like Nanock of the North. Got out of the pickup. It had to be in the 40's with a stiff breeze. It is the first day of summer so I hadn't even tossed in a coat. Great working weather but a little chilly dressed in a thin shirt sitting waiting for a fish to bite. I didn't last too long.

 

[bird dog]

We've been our normal hot with humidity. The boring summer pattern of 75 to 97. The smart a$$ weatherman said they had winter storm warnings at Glacier Nat'l Park last night like that was going to make us feel better.

As far as cows go, there is just not enough of them to meet demand. I would guess that the export market will have to dry up for us to reach the peak. With the dollar getting cheaper, that may not happen for a while. Meanwhile we are selling our seed stock.

 

[Brute 23]

I finally got a chance to go fishing yesterday. Drove to a reservoir first thing in the morning. Lots of campers there. Those not in their camp trailers were dressed like Nanock of the North. Got out of the pickup. It had to be in the 40's with a stiff breeze. It is the first day of summer so I hadn't even tossed in a coat. Great working weather but a little chilly dressed in a thin shirt sitting waiting for a fish to bite. I didn't last too long.

I have been fishing the surf lately on PINS. It's like 60 miles of unmaintained beach. It's the same way. People travel there with their "overland vehicles" pulling trailers with gas cans and all kind of stuff. They make videos about survival, self reliance, talk about airing down your tires, how to dive in the sand, etc. The Jeep people are the most dramatic. It's pretty funny to people like us.

I go easing down the beach in my 3/4 ton, an ice chest with drinks, and some venison dried sausage sticks just like I'm checking cows. We got pastures that more sketchy than that.

I thought the same thing in Big Bend. The Jeep guys were clogging up the road, hanging their heads out watching their tires and stuff, just creeping. At one spot they were going one by one with 2 spotters. I went to the left and started going on around them in my diesel truck. One spotter had to move because I drove right over the wash out he was standing on. I rolled my window down a little bit and and told him... thank you. I think it busted their bubble a little.

Our lease roads in WTX were worse than the roads in Big Bend.

If you go on YouTube and watch the recovery videos it will blow your mind. Tons of people with 4wd jeeps or trucks that don't know how to put them in 4wd or take the traction control off or even where their front tires are pointed. It is scary, crazy.

 

[kenny thomas]

Seen a Limousin bull yesterday bring 2.35 but the best selling things were the thin and crippled cows brought up to 1.63. Good cows were mostly in the 1.60's with a few at 1.70. Calves were a little cheaper because of the heat. 102 when i left the stockyard. 115 in South Carolina where a friend bought us a few holstein steers.

 

[mwj]

Kenny were those cows going to feed? With a lot of good grass and some hard feed some of them can pack on some pounds. Were there multiple bidders?

 

[kenny thomas]

Several bidders. Going to slaughter. Probably slaughtered today or tomorrow. Slaughtered in TN, NC, and Penn.

 

[bird dog]

I tried to buy some old bred cows today. I failed miserably. There is not much $ difference between the semi-good cows and the ones with no teeth. The latter are way over priced.
Long bred cows in high demand regardless of age.
I only raised my hand three times and was successful once with a SS pair for $1950. The cow is dog friendly and thin. 150 lbs underweight. Longish horns that will be tipped tomorrow when I work her. No ear tags and no holes in her ears.

I will put her with a bull for a while and see what happens.

 

[Dave]

Very few stocker and feeders today. Lots of sheep, lambs were $1.80. A few pairs and bred cows. All priced too high. They killed anything old or short bred. Tough to compete with kill buyers paying $1.60+. And all those cows were big and heavy. Certainly not range cows.

 

[kenny thomas]

Very few stocker and feeders today. Lots of sheep, lambs were $1.80. A few pairs and bred cows. All priced too high. They killed anything old or short bred. Tough to compete with kill buyers paying $1.60+. And all those cows were big and heavy. Certainly not range cows.

Same way here. A 1200lb cow at at 1.60 is $1920 even if she is a cull.
As i have said before, time to go fishing.

 

[Dave]

Same way here. A 1200lb cow at at 1.60 is $1920 even if she is a cull.
As i have said before, time to go fishing.

These weren't 1,200 pound cows. A 1,400 lb cow at $1.60 is $2,240. A couple 1,600 cows with 300 lb calves sold for $3,800. I think that is about what they were worth to split.