I saw some decent broken mouth cows last week sell for $500. But this time last year I was buying cows for $500. And I averaged $670 by the time I was done buying in January. To meet my hay budget from last year I have to wait until the first of February to start buying. One of the problems along with expensive hay is just finding hay for sale at any price. I heard one guy talking about hauling down to some lower forest circus ground down along the Snake River and just turning out. Paying trespass fines is cheaper than buying hay. We have had a lot of rain recently. Things have greened up and a lot of cows are still out. The longer the cows are able to stay out the more pressure there will be for the hay guys to sell. It is a real crap shoot this year. The smart thing might be to sit this one out.Bred cow prices have dropped here, down to U$S 600 to 700 for running age cows. Local buyers seem to have run out of orders, and the regular weekly sales do not bring in out of state buyers. Even with the low purchase price - - you will still have $ 1100 to 1300 of direct costs into a moderate cow by the time you turn her out to pasture. Would this pencil out a profit for you in the fall of 2022?
Some current cow buyers are betting on a strong price increase next fall. I think heifers would have more appreciation potential than cows per ton of winter hay.The longer the cows are able to stay out the more pressure there will be for the hay guys to sell. It is a real crap shoot this year. The smart thing might be to sit this one out.
How much are replacement quality heifer calves back compared to steers?$1.80 here. If they still have nuts it usually means no shots and just weaned. So you can add treatment and possibly death loss to a break even. Still gotta have a sharp pencil.
Yep, I see two ads for $270 a ton. One in Hermiston the other in New Plymouth Idaho. Add $20-$30 a ton for delivery. There is a fair amount sitting around in stacks with the producers sitting on it figuring the price will go up by late winter. I have news for them. Cows will just get sold.I saw 285/ton at the stack. Big bales in E.Wa. today
How much are replacement quality heifer calves back compared to steers?
Bulls | ||||||||
300-500# | 125.00 | to | 182.00 | Avg. | 160.00 | |||
500-600# | 120.00 | to | 141.00 | Avg. | 133.00 | |||
600-800# | 101.00 | to | 124.00 | Avg. | 118.00 | |||
Steers | 300-400# | 150.00 | to | 191.00 | Avg. | 170/.00 | Load Lots | |
400-500# | 148.00 | to | 186.00 | Avg. | 164.00 | 822# @ 160.00 | ||
500-600#. | 145.00 | to | 180.00 | Avg. | 160.00 | 958# @ 150.00 | ||
600-700# | 140.00 | to | 169.00 | Avg. | 153.00 | |||
700-800# | 130.00 | to | 159.00 | Avg. | 144.00 | |||
800-900# | 120.00 | to | 160.00 | Avg. | 140.00 | |||
900-1000# | 110.00 | to | 151.25 | Avg. | 130.00 | |||
Heifers | 300-400# | 140.00 | to | 182.00 | Avg. | 150.00 | Loadlots | |
` | 400-500# | 142.00 | to | 173.00 | Avg. | 152.00 | 799# @ 139.00 | |
500-600# | 138.00 | to | 163.00 | Avg. | 138.00 | 857# @ 138.00 | ||
600-700# | 30.00 | to | 163.00 | Avg. | 138.00 | |||
700-800# | 122.00 | to | 139.00 | Avg. | 126.00 | |||
800-900# | 110.00 | to | 138.00 | Avg. | 120.00 | |||
900-1000# | 110.00 | to | 128.00 | Avg. | 123.00 |
Seems like a number of folks are planning on 2014 all over again, but there is not any heifer hay available here. Guys are selling some swamp hay with 3 to 6% CP.I'd say anything worth bringing home to make cows out of were $0.03-$0.10 higher than the avg steers.
I still like the price of those big bull calves.
Grind the junk hay, add some gluten and balancer.Seems like a number of folks are planning on 2014 all over again. Good thing my heifers are replacement quality.
There is not any heifer hay available here. Some swamp hay around at 3 to 6% CP.
I still like ice fishing. Could sell my hay and buy an Ice Castle?
I got 8 little calves yesterday for about the same money Canadian Dave. One is a bull, three are steers.Well my light bull idea got shifted today to light steers and heifers. I bought 3 steers and 6 heifers. They averaged 362 pounds and cost $1.28 a pound. I am a bit of a bottom feeder on these calves. The few light bulls they had sold for more than I wanted to pay. The guy sitting beside me bought nearly 200 light steers. One group of 33 reputation steer calves weighing 335 he paid $2.17. Not in my budget to do that.
This brings up a point we were discussing in another topic, there are lots of 3wt calves sold at reasonable prices and it's way below production cost. Any cow with that small of a calf should be a cull. Do you think their mommas were all in the slaughter pens? I bet not.I got 8 little calves yesterday for about the same money Canadian Dave. One is a bull, three are steers.
Only one of my 9 was branded. In this area that fact points toward a back yard hobby farm. Two of the steers I bought together. They weighed 425 and cost me $1.47. A good 25-30 cents under what that class was selling for. The big buyers sitting on their hands. My bet is they weren't weaned or vaccinated. Well they are weaned now and will be vaccinated in a couple of hours.This brings up a point we were discussing in another topic, there are lots of 3wt calves sold at reasonable prices and it's way below production cost. Any cow with that small of a calf should be a cull. Do you think their mommas were all in the slaughter pens? I bet not.
Not likely, lots of people make excuses or don't knowThis brings up a point we were discussing in another topic, there are lots of 3wt calves sold at reasonable prices and it's way below production cost. Any cow with that small of a calf should be a cull. Do you think their mommas were all in the slaughter pens? I bet not.