Trading up ?

[rjbovine]

Discussion with coworker about bred heifer sale I watched on the RFD channel . Prices were 1850 to 3000 dollars per head vs older bred cows at 1700 to 1850 per head . His comment that the heifers should have better or the latest genetics and justified the higher price . This is my question. Should a producer trader up his herd every couple yrs for the newer genetics . Would the latest genetics pay dividends .

 

[Anonymous]

Keeping up with the jones' never put money in my pocket

 

[Isomade]

For a commercial man that will NEVER pay.

 

[dun]

For a registered breeder as long as he can get good value from the older cows as he replaces them with heifers, the newer (if better) genetics works. Some seedstock people subscribe to the bull of the month club and all they're doing is changing genetics to (hopefully) get better prices for bulls/replacments that he sells. Some of them sell everything that comes 7 years old. Over the years I've bought a good number of those older cows and made serious money on them via their offspring and a few by keeping them a few years, breeding them and selling them as pairs.

 

[mlazyj]

I don't know about trading up , you should be using your bull genetics to improve your herd each year . If you aren't getting the results you want it doesn't hurt to buy some new cows that have what you need.

 

[TexasBred]

For a registered breeder as long as he can get good value from the older cows as he replaces them with heifers, the newer (if better) genetics works. Some seedstock people subscribe to the bull of the month club and all they're doing is changing genetics to (hopefully) get better prices for bulls/replacments that he sells. Some of them sell everything that comes 7 years old. Over the years I've bought a good number of those older cows and made serious money on them via their offspring and a few by keeping them a few years, breeding them and selling them as pairs.

Yessir...and that's when a lot of those cows are just hitting their stride.

 

[bigbull338]

its a way of getting new bloodlines in your herd.but i would NOT sale a productive cow to buy new blood.id buy the new blood when i sold some old cull/problem cows.but as said quiet a few breeders sell their 5 to 7yr old cows to get new blood.

 

[B&M Farms]

Im a commercial producer but there is no way I would trade a good 7 year old cow for a heifer. I have to get more than 5 calves from a cow to justify raising her to her first calf. I cull and replace cows that need replaced but a proven cow is worth more to me. I try to improve my genetics with bulls.