When to take calves to sale barn

[BC]

So everyone believes a "full" calf brings the same $ as a "drawn" or "empty" calf.....

It depends on how "full" a calf is. Take a calf that weighs 460 lbs when you leave home. You haul it to the sale, wean on the way to the sale and it will typically loose 6 to 8% (up to 10% in the heat and large fall sales here in Texas). That 460 lb calf goes across the scale and now weighs 425. Lets say the calf brings $1.30 and grosses $552.50. You take that same calf, but he has been weaned and taught to eat and drink at home. He goes into the holding pen and looks for the feed, hay and water. Regains most but not all of his weight. Come sale time he goes across the scale and weighs 450 but only brings $1.25 because he is not" drawn". He grosses $562.50 or $10.00 more.

Most of the time pounds trump price per lb on same class of cattle.

 

[backhoeboogie]

So everyone believes a "full" calf brings the same $ as a "drawn" or "empty" calf.....

It depends on how "full" a calf is. Take a calf that weighs 460 lbs when you leave home. You haul it to the sale, wean on the way to the sale and it will typically loose 6 to 8% (up to 10% in the heat and large fall sales here in Texas). That 460 lb calf goes across the scale and now weighs 425. Lets say the calf brings $1.30 and grosses $552.50. You take that same calf, but he has been weaned and taught to eat and drink at home. He goes into the holding pen and looks for the feed, hay and water. Regains most but not all of his weight. Come sale time he goes across the scale and weighs 450 but only brings $1.25 because he is not" drawn". He grosses $562.50 or $10.00 more.

Most of the time pounds trump price per lb on same class of cattle.

Appearances too BC. I drop mine off on Sunday. The sale is on Tuesday. They've been stressing themselves for a couple of days before they go through the ring. They don't look as alert or keen, drawn, and start to have implications that they have not been properly managed. I don't expect top dollar in this situation.

 

[tom4018]

So everyone believes a "full" calf brings the same $ as a "drawn" or "empty" calf.....

It depends on how "full" a calf is. Take a calf that weighs 460 lbs when you leave home. You haul it to the sale, wean on the way to the sale and it will typically loose 6 to 8% (up to 10% in the heat and large fall sales here in Texas). That 460 lb calf goes across the scale and now weighs 425. Lets say the calf brings $1.30 and grosses $552.50. You take that same calf, but he has been weaned and taught to eat and drink at home. He goes into the holding pen and looks for the feed, hay and water. Regains most but not all of his weight. Come sale time he goes across the scale and weighs 450 but only brings $1.25 because he is not" drawn". He grosses $562.50 or $10.00 more.

Most of the time pounds trump price per lb on same class of cattle.

Appearances too BC. I drop mine off on Sunday. The sale is on Tuesday. They've been stressing themselves for a couple of days before they go through the ring. They don't look as alert or keen, drawn, and start to have implications that they have not been properly managed. I don't expect top dollar in this situation.

Just curious why you drop them off a couple days in advance? I always like to see mine get weighed and graded because I have seen mistakes.

 

[tncattle]

Okay here are the numbers: I had 5 black and one Hereford.

--They sold two black together that totaled 1285 lbs. and sold for $1.25.50 (Those two together totaled 1303 lbs. when weighed yesterday afternoon)
--Black steer weighed 655 and sold for $1.25 (yesterday weighed 667)
--Black steer weighed 495 and sold for $1.26 (yesterday weighed 508)
--Black steer weighed 480 and sold for $1.24.50 (yesterday weighed 494)
--Hereford weighed 645 and sold for $1.20 (yesterday weighed 652)

I was satisfied and thought they did fairly well. I was surprised with the Hereford, thought he would take more a hit than he did. The two lighter ones should have sold for more IMO. They are given fresh water and hay. We handle them regular and they didn't seem that upset when loading and transporting them, it also might help the sale barn is only 20 minutes away. They were also one of the first through the ring because I dropped them off day before and there weren't that many there yet.

 

[tncattle]

Most of the time pounds trump price per lb on same class of cattle.[/quote]

Appearances too BC. I drop mine off on Sunday. The sale is on Tuesday. They've been stressing themselves for a couple of days before they go through the ring. They don't look as alert or keen, drawn, and start to have implications that they have not been properly managed. I don't expect top dollar in this situation.[/quote]
Just curious why you drop them off a couple days in advance? I always like to see mine get weighed and graded because I have seen mistakes.[/quote]


I agree with you Tom which is why I went to Guthrie last summer but it's just so much closer where I took them today.

 

[kenny thomas]

Thanks tncattle. You done great on weight loss. Very good in holding their weight. I did notice they were weaned which did make a difference but i think you done very well. Price wasnt too bad either but i agree the smaller ones did not sell as well as the bigger ones.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Just curious why you drop them off a couple days in advance? I always like to see mine get weighed and graded because I have seen mistakes.

I've got a day job. If I sell 10 times in a year that would mean 10 vacation days to sit through that sale. The sale that was opened on Saturday ticked me off once so I don't haul there any more.

Sitting through the sale usually renders me buying a few bargains to doctor at the house. That is additional burdens Just greedy I guess. I see a cow ailing from something I can fix and the next thing I know she's in the trailer. Hold her at the house for a while and then take her to the farm and eventually back to auction.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Okay here are the numbers: I had 5 black and one Hereford.

--They sold two black together that totaled 1285 lbs. and sold for $1.25.50 (Those two together totaled 1303 lbs. when weighed yesterday afternoon)
--Black steer weighed 655 and sold for $1.25 (yesterday weighed 667)
--Black steer weighed 495 and sold for $1.26 (yesterday weighed 508)
--Black steer weighed 480 and sold for $1.24.50 (yesterday weighed 494)
--Hereford weighed 645 and sold for $1.20 (yesterday weighed 652)

I was satisfied and thought they did fairly well. I was surprised with the Hereford, thought he would take more a hit than he did. The two lighter ones should have sold for more IMO. They are given fresh water and hay. We handle them regular and they didn't seem that upset when loading and transporting them, it also might help the sale barn is only 20 minutes away. They were also one of the first through the ring because I dropped them off day before and there weren't that many there yet.

Did you notice your Hereford had the least amount of weight loss? I wonder if that's just a coincidence?

 

[Mid South Guy]

If you add up all the on farm weights and sale weights and calculate the weight loss as a percentage of on farm weights, your shrink is 1.766%. The standard that order buyers want is 2%, so you are pertty much right on. It would be interesting to know what the market was that day for the different weight classes. Were yours top, average, or low? I suspect they were top. The order buyers I know have bought and seen 10's of thousand of calves and can spot in a heartbeat calves that are overly full. They know the second those calves go on the truck they will lose about 2% of the weight they just paid for and factor that in by paying a lower price. I have sold calves to order buyers directly off the farm in truckload lots. The calves were weighed 1 mile from the house. The price I got was market top +$.05/lb (because they were weaned, vaccinated, dewormed,bunk broke and preconditioned for 30 days), but the weight I was paid on was the actual weight less 2%. No professional buyer I know of will pay on direct on farm weights without at least a 2% shrink.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Dickson Livestock Center, Dickson, TN
Weighted Average Report for Tuesday Oct 18, 2011

Cattle Receipts: 409 Last week: 553 Last year: 517

According to the Federal-State Market News Service, compared to same sale one
week ago, Slaughter cows 1.00 to 3.00 lower. Bulls steady. Steers and bulls
under 500 lbs steady to 5.00 lower, over 500 lbs steady to 5.00 higher.
Heifers steady to 5.00 higher.

Slaughter cows 51; Bulls 8; Total feeder supply 327; Steers and bulls 182;
Heifers 145; Feeders over 600 lbs 71; Feeder and or replacement cows 23.

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 1 - 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
1 290-290 290 148.00 148.00
6 300-345 313 139.00-150.00 142.39
15 365-398 379 131.00-146.00 136.68
3 400-438 425 137.00-148.00 140.45
14 460-495 480 124.50-140.00 129.81
6 510-547 531 122.50-129.50 127.39
3 565-590 575 124.00-125.50 124.84
8 625-645 637 120.00-125.50 123.20
5 650-695 674 117.00-125.00 122.95
1 740-740 740 124.50 124.50
Medium and Large 3
1 240-240 240 121.00 121.00
5 275-296 292 120.00-140.50 136.64
3 320-340 330 120.00-127.00 124.02
6 355-395 380 116.50-121.00 119.11
2 410-415 413 118.00-124.00 120.98
5 485-498 494 113.00-122.00 116.36
2 515-525 520 113.00-116.00 114.49

Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 1 - 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
2 230-245 238 115.00-117.00 116.03
3 290-290 290 114.00-117.00 116.00
5 325-337 332 113.00-117.00 114.17
3 370-395 385 117.00-121.00 118.67
11 400-438 420 118.00-130.00 122.94
8 455-495 480 116.00-127.00 123.19
13 510-547 530 117.50-125.50 123.08
10 560-595 576 119.00-126.50 122.39
14 603-620 612 115.00-124.00 117.47
1 655-655 655 116.00 116.00
2 705-715 710 113.00-114.00 113.50
1 750-750 750 103.00 103.00
2 810-825 818 96.50-100.00 98.27
Small 1 - 2
1 345-345 345 101.00 101.00
2 353-353 353 102.50 102.50
7 465-490 470 90.00-105.00 97.46
2 505-510 508 80.00-90.00 84.98
1 635-635 635 92.00 92.00
Medium and Large 3
4 215-215 215 113.00 113.00
5 270-293 283 110.00-113.00 111.44
2 330-340 335 105.00-112.00 108.45
5 355-395 378 102.00-115.50 111.40
4 405-445 425 104.00-108.00 105.47
6 463-485 469 107.00-114.00 110.02
4 560-580 570 108.00-118.50 114.23
7 615-647 641 107.50-111.50 109.88
2 660-665 663 101.50-103.00 102.25

Feeder Bulls Medium and Large 1 - 2
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
13 400-435 415 127.00-138.50 131.33
4 450-485 464 119.00-125.00 121.49
9 505-545 524 119.00-126.50 122.67
7 550-595 572 120.00-126.50 124.32
4 620-630 625 120.00-124.50 122.38
2 665-685 675 119.00-120.00 119.51
7 700-735 716 100.00-112.50 107.85
3 820-835 825 87.50-89.00 88.01
1 915-915 915 92.50 92.50
1 980-980 980 90.50 90.50
Small 1 - 2
2 435-445 440 101.00-111.00 106.06
1 480-480 480 101.00 101.00
Medium and Large 3
4 400-440 428 117.00-122.00 119.53
7 460-475 466 110.50-118.50 114.39
2 580-595 588 116.00-117.00 116.49

Slaughter Cows Breaker 70-80% Lean
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
5 1405-1695 1547 60.00-64.50 62.62
Boner 80-85% Lean
1 885-885 885 64.50 64.50
5 1040-1370 1158 58.50-64.00 61.24
1 1430-1430 1430 65.00 65.00 High Dressing
Lean 85-90% Lean
20 845-1355 1076 50.50-57.50 53.84
11 850-1150 1009 44.00-50.50 48.19 Low Dressing

Slaughter Bulls Yield Grade 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
3 1620-1815 1727 70.50-74.50 72.80
1 1615-1615 1615 66.50 66.50 Low Dressing

Source: TN Dept of Ag-USDA Market News Service, Nashville, TN
615-781-5406 www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubsNV_LS146.txt

 

[Mid South Guy]

You did Good!!! -- Appears your method doesn't have any negative affects on your weights or price associated with fill.

Been through Dickson, TN a few times on my way to deployment and welcome home ceremonies at FT Campbell (son in the 101st Airborne). To me that is very beautiful country and great looking cattle country. Also, Dickson has the cheapest gas prices of anywhere within 500 miles. At least where I've been, E,W, & N.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Dickson is a nice area and you're right, cheapest gas between Nashville and Memphis.

 

[John SD]

I consigned 35 steer calves to the sale on Friday. I'm hoping they will sell in two sorts, 3 at most. Don't have them in but I'll try to size them up to match each other and keep the smaller and off color calves at home for a while yet. Plan to wean the whole bunch. Keeping all my heifers for now. Might cull the bottom off the heifers later on.

Pretty good size sale shaping up on Friday with 8000 calves consigned and 1000 yearlings sold first before calves. It's a busy time of year here with 3 sales per week through October. The sale barn is selling black hided calves on Weds and weigh-up cattle on Saturday. http://www.ftpierrelivestock.com

 

[Goodlife]

I hope you will bear with me, but I want to be sure I understand the numbers. The 655 lb steer went for 1.25/lb and looking at the auction results the feeder steers in that weight range had an upper range of $125.00/cwt. So that steer sold (along with others) at the highest price steers that size were selling for that day.

 

[Douglas]

That is right Goodlife. But these results are made by the government grader sitting in the audience not the computerized system for the barn. The graders often miss some sales. I have had many calf sales that were outside the range reported by the USDA. You know the "close enought for government work"

 

[Goodlife]

Another Sale Barn question. Are there seasons? Do they run cattle sales year round or are their times when nothing is really running through (January in Illinois for example?)

 

[bigbull338]

our sale barns sell year around.but most of the calves go through in the spring an fall.even though alot of us calve year round we like to hit the spring an fall sale windows.

 

[VanC]

Another Sale Barn question. Are there seasons? Do they run cattle sales year round or are their times when nothing is really running through (January in Illinois for example?)

There is one in Greenville that might not be far from you. They have a weekly sale but also special feeder calf sales in the spring and fall. Just had one about 3 weeks ago. They might not have a weekly sale around Thanksgiving or Christmas. Not sure about that.