Which Truckload will make the most profit?

[sillco]

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

 

[Ellie May]

What do you wanna know this for??
Ellie May

 

[la4angus]

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

There is to many factors that can enter into the question to give an "Off the Wall" answer. Many factors to enter into it are Cost per Cwt, Cost of feed, Whether you are going to be backgrounding on pasture, silage, or
hay, or crop stubble. I am assuming that the cattle will not immediately
go onto a heavy grain ration. What is the hedge possibilities. Will the light cattle be back-grounded to sell as yearling feeders. Will the heavier 650 lb
cattle be backgrounded and then fed to a be marketed as fats.
Give us more criteria to work on.

 

[dun]

That's one of "those" kinds questions.
The primary variables are what are you going to do with them, price, and the hidden quality. If you feed them out to slaughter, the 650s won't ake as long, if the market takes adump when they're ready to go and either take a beating or hold them longer, there goes the profits. Same applies to the younger/smaller calves. What's the chance of them getting carcass premiums?
Last year we got lucky and bought 5 weights while the market was low. Ran them on pasture, very good quality pasture but still mostly fescue, for 91 days and sold them as 9 weights. The market had switched around to the point that we got more per cwt for the 9s then we had paid as 5s.
As soon as someone can figure out what clairvoyance pills to take to predict what will happen we'll all make money. But the guy that controls the access to the pills will make the most.
Boils down to "you pays your money and takes your chances".

dun

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

 

[DRB]

If I had my choice of 50000 lbs of 650 lb steers or 50000lbs of 450 lb steers, I would take the 450 lbs steers. its about 110 head verses 77 head. I think the 450's would bring about $1.10 per lb. the 650's would bring about .90. That's $55,000 verses $45,000.00.

 

[Tc]

the 450 steers would make more $$$$ in the long run because more more carcuses hanging on the rail.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tc

 

[A. delaGarza]

THE 450 LBS. STEERS, YOU WILL GET MORE MONEY PER POUND

 

[sillco]

Congratulations TC, You were right on the money. You know all my thirty plus years of producing beef I have been taught to increase my weaning weights which increases my input cost. Then we were told to decrease our input cost which is counter active to overall goal of producing the most pounds of beef from each cow. The heaver calf brings less per pound than the smaller calf and you can get more light weight calves in a pot load which will produce more beef for less input costs. Therefore, as you pointed out, the lighter calves will provide more profit per pot load.

I realize one must have enough calves of the same gender to make a truck load, but producers can form an alliance with their friends and neighbors to make up the difference if they can agree on the type, color, breed and calving time. It seems to me that is the way to go. You can sell your calves direct to the backgrounder or feedlot and cut out the sale barn and other calf jockies. That way the producer alliance makes the money.

Just though I would toss the idea out in the form of a question to see what ya'll though. I didn't mean to confuse anyone. Thank you for your interest and response.

 

[sillco]

DBR the congratulations go to you for being the first to recognize the larger profit of the smaller calves. TC was second.
Sorry for the mistake.

 

[la4angus]

Congratulations TC, You were right on the money. You know all my thirty plus years of producing beef I have been taught to increase my weaning weights which increases my input cost. Then we were told to decrease our input cost which is counter active to overall goal of producing the most pounds of beef from each cow. The heaver calf brings less per pound than the smaller calf and you can get more light weight calves in a pot load which will produce more beef for less input costs. Therefore, as you pointed out, the lighter calves will provide more profit per pot load.

I realize one must have enough calves of the same gender to make a truck load, but producers can form an alliance with their friends and neighbors to make up the difference if they can agree on the type, color, breed and calving time. It seems to me that is the way to go. You can sell your calves direct to the backgrounder or feedlot and cut out the sale barn and other calf jockies. That way the producer alliance makes the money.

Just though I would toss the idea out in the form of a question to see what ya'll though. I didn't mean to confuse anyone. Thank you for your interest and response.

Good Idea. It would work if the producers would get together and then quit trying to screw each other.
Orin Lee Staley thought of this many years ag; but it didn't work with the feeder cattle. I know.

 

[dun]

That's what our marketing association does. This year we moved out 300 and some odd head of both heifers and steers from 16 producers. We have requirements that must be met as to genetics, vaccinations, conditioned, frame, muscle and age. Then we ship them to a backgrounder for a period of time, varies by market conditions, then sell them as potloads. The bakcgounder this year cahrged 48.7 cents per lb of gain. We shipped them just afte the first of the year and got high market.
In all actuality we probably didn't get that much more for them then if we had shipped them without being backgrounded, but we will end up with carcass data and premiums if they earn any.

dun

Congratulations TC, You were right on the money. You know all my thirty plus years of producing beef I have been taught to increase my weaning weights which increases my input cost. Then we were told to decrease our input cost which is counter active to overall goal of producing the most pounds of beef from each cow. The heaver calf brings less per pound than the smaller calf and you can get more light weight calves in a pot load which will produce more beef for less input costs. Therefore, as you pointed out, the lighter calves will provide more profit per pot load.

I realize one must have enough calves of the same gender to make a truck load, but producers can form an alliance with their friends and neighbors to make up the difference if they can agree on the type, color, breed and calving time. It seems to me that is the way to go. You can sell your calves direct to the backgrounder or feedlot and cut out the sale barn and other calf jockies. That way the producer alliance makes the money.

Just though I would toss the idea out in the form of a question to see what ya'll though. I didn't mean to confuse anyone. Thank you for your interest and response.

Good Idea. It would work if the producers would get together and then quit trying to screw each other.
Orin Lee Staley thought of this many years ag; but it didn't work with the feeder cattle. I know.

 

[Jake]

Take a set of the 450# calves preferably heifers. That way if the market goes to pot you can still stick a bull with them and sell them as bred heifers which almost always bring 800- 1000 bucks

 

[la4angus]

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

What are you doin?
Buying?
Selling?
Feeding?
Backgrounding?

 

[A. delaGarza]

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

What are you doin?
Buying?
Selling?
Feeding?
Backgrounding?

does it matter what he is doing? I think that in all of the above the 450 lbs steers will make the most profit

 

[la4angus]

Considering a truckload of steers weights 50,000 lbs, which load will make the most profit? A load of Angus steers each weighting 650 lbs or a load of Angus steers each weighting 450 lbs? This is true of any breed or cross.

What are you doin?
Buying?
Selling?
Feeding?
Backgrounding?

does it matter what he is doing? I think that in all of the above the 450 lbs steers will make the most profit

I think cost of gain, length of time before being sold, death loss, and market price could make a difference in which would make the most profit or loose the least; if you remember those days.