Sold three head in West, Texas on 7/13/2023 (Results)

[Lucky]

No way...what sales barn are you using Lucky?....680 to 780 lb heifers even a 877 steer selling for well-over $2. Whatever sales barn you're selling at consider yourself Lucky. I've now had three learning lessons over 750lbs in steer of heifers is BAD...I only got $1.60 to $1.90 max...and these were nice blump calves at 13 to 17 months. I won't ever let mine get much past 550lbs from what I've learned here in West and Decatur. Your situation is a non-reality for my location.

We ship to Oklahoma National Stockyards. My experience with local salebarns is most guys that sale at them don't keep calves much past 60-90 days weaning. When the 750-850 weights come through there's not enough for a truck load so they discount them. The reason for the discount is the buyers have to do something with them until they get a truck load and this cost them.

You should download the Cattle Market Mobile app. It will show you sale results from across the country. It's interesting to look at. Also if you have time watch the Monday OKC sale on LMAAuction.

Again everyone needs to play to their situation and market but it is interesting to learn what goes on as a whole. We weaned on trailer for years then 60 days, then 90 days then grew into 180 days +. I still wonder what is best. The main thing I tell people wanting to get into cattle is get yourself in a situation were you never have to sell your calves. Having to sell is what hurt us for years.

 

[J+ Cattle]

@Lucky I have native grass pastures that are nothing special. In the hot summer, like now, the grass burns up and goes dormant, young, weaned cattle will not gain on it without supplementation to meet their protein needs. Two lbs. of 20% range cubes per head, per day, will keep them gaining about 1.5 lbs/day. Sell them in the 11-12 month age range at approx. the same weight.

I agree with you on the choice of sale barns makes a difference, the larger sales attract more buyers, and you tend to get a better price than at local sales.

 

[Lucky]

@J+ Cattle , when we sell our calves will generally be 14-17 months old. We calve from Feb 7th for about 90 days. We wean according to conditions but usually first of November. I figure a February born calf should weigh 850 in July. 75# pound birth weight and 1.5 # day gain. The deal I see is the gain isn't steady. They'll grow like a weed for awhile then slack off and go back and forth according to the weather all winter. They do continue to grow frame through the winter which is what we're after. When spring hits they grow pretty good for awhile but in the heat of late June and July they stall out. We never supplement after winter. A friend of mine got in a deal a few years back and had to keep his until mid August, he said there was zero gain from mid July to mid August. It just gets so hot. At bigger sales like OKC they sell in groups so you really don't know the weights of each calf. I think North and NorthEast Texas is a great place to raise cattle but the weather conditions vary so much it makes it tough.

We are at 4/5 Acres per cow and probably 1.5 acres per yearling. Be interested to know y'alls stocking rates?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have 80 acres hay fields and 70 acres pasture. We feed hay 6 months of the year. Run 50 breeding females. So, 150 acres feeds them 12 months of the year. That's 3 acres per cow + calves. Cows get no grain. Replacement females are raised from weaning to breeding (6 months) on 5# WSC + hay.

 

[J+ Cattle]

@J+ Cattle , when we sell our calves will generally be 14-17 months old. We calve from Feb 7th for about 90 days. We wean according to conditions but usually first of November. I figure a February born calf should weigh 850 in July. 75# pound birth weight and 1.5 # day gain. The deal I see is the gain isn't steady. They'll grow like a weed for awhile then slack off and go back and forth according to the weather all winter. They do continue to grow frame through the winter which is what we're after. When spring hits they grow pretty good for awhile but in the heat of late June and July they stall out. We never supplement after winter. A friend of mine got in a deal a few years back and had to keep his until mid August, he said there was zero gain from mid July to mid August. It just gets so hot. At bigger sales like OKC they sell in groups so you really don't know the weights of each calf. I think North and NorthEast Texas is a great place to raise cattle but the weather conditions vary so much it makes it tough.

We are at 4/5 Acres per cow and probably 1.5 acres per yearling. Be interested to know y'alls stocking rates?

@Lucky I'm farther west and don't get the rainfall that you do, my stocking rates are 10-12 acres for a cow/calf pair in a good year. Last year and this year have been drier than usual so it's taking 15-18 acres for a pair, and I will still need to purchase hay for the winter.

I try to calve from October through December and wean in June/July. The calves will go backwards for the first month when weaned and then slowly catch back up. It's better if they're trained to eat creep feed before being weaned. An older calf that is already trained to feed is the best teacher to train the freshly weaned calves.

@bird dog buys some summer stocker cattle and has been a great wealth of knowledge in the weaning, feed training, and selling strategy area. When he posts you should pay attention to what he has to say because he knows what he's talking about.

You said yourself that they grow quickly then slack off for a while. I think you will notice that the slack periods are going to be at weaning or when the grass isn't as good, such as in dry periods. During these times if you train them to eat feed during weaning and then supplement them with 2#/day of cubes it will keep them gaining where you don't have to hold them as long. In my area sacked cubes are $11.50 bag, if you supplement them for 5 months at 2# per day that's 300# or 6 bags at a cost of $69. Use bulk cubes in a T&S Trip Hopper and let it trip once for each animal as you slowly drive across the pasture, they will quickly learn to follow the truck and find a pile of cubes.
They should be gaining 1.5 lbs per day or 225 lbs. during the 5 months instead of it being a slack time.

 

[TexasRancher]

@TexasRancher if a steer is 17 months old and only weighs 780 lbs. then there's either a breed/genetics problem, a health problem or a nutritional problem that you need to correct. It should weigh 780 lbs. long before it reaches 17 months of age.

Correct...It was more like 14 months...sold him August last year during the wicked drought. He was born small (runt) from a heifer.

 

[TexasRancher]

We ship to Oklahoma National Stockyards. My experience with local salebarns is most guys that sale at them don't keep calves much past 60-90 days weaning. When the 750-850 weights come through there's not enough for a truck load so they discount them. The reason for the discount is the buyers have to do something with them until they get a truck load and this cost them.

You should download the Cattle Market Mobile app. It will show you sale results from across the country. It's interesting to look at. Also if you have time watch the Monday OKC sale on LMAAuction.

Again everyone needs to play to their situation and market but it is interesting to learn what goes on as a whole. We weaned on trailer for years then 60 days, then 90 days then grew into 180 days +. I still wonder what is best. The main thing I tell people wanting to get into cattle is get yourself in a situation were you never have to sell your calves. Having to sell is what hurt us for years.

Yeah, i just learned about these bigger stockyard sales versus local sales....from talking with bird dog. I see what's happening now. I can see an opportunity for someone hitting up the local sales during the week buying these discounted 7 and 8's for $1.60 to $1.90 ...placing them temporarily on pasture/grain and them having the semi-trailer means to take them up to the OK national stockyards for $2.50. Even with the price of transport and maintenence someone could make a profit if they are willing to work hard and attend 3 to 4 regular local auctions each week and NEVER remove their medium-sized livestock trailer from their truck!!!

 

[bird dog]

Thanks for the kind words J+. Every place is different and every year is different. Last year I sold everything decent by July. This year I have been adding a few secondary calves and older less popular type bred cows. I have no doubt they are gaining this year without supplementation. I would guess around 1 lb to 1 1/4 lb per day. Doesn't sound like much but calves gaining 1 lb per day means they are going up in value at least $2 per day. If a secondary calf goes from a #2 to a # 1 1/2 and gains 120 lbs by fall, your return is pretty good.

I have two places. One runs 1 AUM for every 7 acres on a rotation basis. Most of the grass is poor.
The other has much better grass and will run one every 5 acres and still provide enough hay for 2/3rds of my needs.

Buyers love trailer weaned large framed 400 lb calves even though they are high risk. Why? Because they know in this heat the calves have lost at least 10 to 12% of their weight before they come into the ring. Vaccinate them and put them in a shady lot with fresh water and good hay and the calf will gain that weight back in a week. Move them to a good pasture and they start gaining 2 1/2 lbs per day when some grain is added. After 45 days sell the batch in a weaned sale. Rince and repeat. There are ways to make some good money on small acreages.

 

[TCRanch]

This was yesterdays sale. They didn't even have any under 400 lbs.

 

[Dave]

PRODUCERS LIVESTOCK MARKETING ASSOCIATION

VALE, OR

MARKETING REPORT

Date: JULY 19TH, 2023 Head Count: 442


Comments: WE HAD A NICE OFFERING OF FEEDER CATTLE TODAY. PRICES WERE HIGHER ACROSS ALL WEIGHT CLASSES. THE BUTCHER MARKET WAS $3-$5 DOLLARS BETTER AS WELL.

Cattle Sold at Auction:
These are the extreme high spots and bulk prices

	STEER CALVES​	HEIFER CALVES​
WEIGHT	BULK​	TOP​	BULK​	TOP​
300-400#	N/T​	N/T​	217.00-250.00​	262.50​
400-500#	N/T​	N/T​	225.00-252.00​	253.00​
500-600#	257.00-271.00​	275.00​	N/T​	N/T​

	YEARLING STEERS​	YEARLING HEIFERS​
WEIGHT	BULK​	TOP​	BULK​	TOP​
600-700#	N/T​	N/T​	202.00-217.00​	221.00​
700-800#	224.00-231.00​	234.00​	187.00-204.00​	210.00​
800-900#	213.00-216.00​	220.00​	173.00-182.00​	185.00​
900-1000#	N/T​	N/T​	N/T​	N/T​

LIGHT HOL STRS	600# & UNDER​	N/T​
HEAVY HOL STRS	700# & OVER​	N/T​
STOCK COWS	Young​	N/T​
STOCK COWS	Older – B.M.​	N/T​
PAIRS (OLDER-BM)	N/T​	TOP- N/T​
HFRETTS	108.00-116.00​	Top- 124.00​
BUTCHER COWS - BULK	105.00-115.00​	TOP- 120.00​
SHELLY COWS THIN - BULK	88.00-97.00​	TOP- N/T​
BUTCHER BULLS – BULK	125.00-139.00​	TOP- 141.00​

 

[libertygarden]

I've been looking at the Paris TX barn prices. They look very good for pairs and replacement cows. I have 4, second calve cows due in the next 30 to 45 days that I do not intend to keep. Should I sell now or wait to sell the pair sometime in September?

 

[MurraysMutts]

I've been looking at the Paris TX barn prices. They look very good for pairs and replacement cows. I have 4, second calve cows due in the next 30 to 45 days that I do not intend to keep. Should I sell now or wait to sell the pair sometime in September?

Idk about Paris.
But pairs are sky high right now. Be a tough call. If ya got grass, I'd calve em out. Especially if they can be sold as a nice group of 3 all matched up