Auction Cows

pointer_hunter · #1 12/23/05, 08:31 PM

With the low price our open cows brought at the auction, I've put my thinking cap back on. Here is my idea:
Buy a few open cows from auction at 25-40 cents a lb. Take them home and pack on the lbs. for a few months. Take them to the butcher and sell the beef.

My first thought was how could I tell people it was farm raised beef if I bought it at the auction...but...if I kept them at the farm for a few months while putting weight on I would see if there were any illnesses that are hidden before butchering. Besides, isn't that what the feeder steer buyers do?

Any ideas or comments?

Goat Freak · #2 12/23/05, 09:10 PM

Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, by the way, i also know of a guy that buys cows that are already pregnant, between2-3 on the auction scale, how far along they are, and then about a month or two after the baby is born he sells the both of them back at the auction, and makes a bit ot money out of it. Good Luck with whatever you choose to do, Good Luck, bye.

Ken Scharabok · #3 12/23/05, 11:32 PM

I am currently running 12 older long-bred cows for the winter. Expect to take them back to the spring cow/calf sale as a 3/1 package. These are mostly middle-aged cows (full mouths). My neighbor likes to buy peggers hoping the cow will sell for slaughter for about what he paid and the calf is his gross profit.

On your question, I would just be honest about it. You purchased it for fattening up. If held longer than 60-days any harmful effects from anti-biotics should have worked out of their system. What you have will still be technically superior to supermarket beef.

Much of your special roasts sales and hamburger comes from culled cows.

However, when you buy an older cow at auction bear in mind it was culled for some reason.

Jennifer L. · #4 12/24/05, 08:07 AM

Pointer, I would be very careful to disclose to people if you are selling freezer beef to individuals, that that kind of beef came from auction, etc., and is not exactly "farm raised" since you didn't raise it. You have to remember that a lot of people are interested in the fact that the animal they buy to eat had a quality life on the farm. That's part of why they are buying from individuals intead of the supermarket. If they found out later you were buying culls from an auction house, well, you get the idea. Word of mouth can go a long ways.

You can put good spins on things, like they came from the auction and were on pasture all summer, etc. But I wouldn't sell them as always having been there on your farm.

Jennifer

pointer_hunter · #5 12/24/05, 08:40 AM

Thanks for the replies. I didn't mean to come across as misleading anyone. The auction house that I would be going to normally has culled holsteins for the most part, but sometimes it has cows like ours....just selling them to thin the herd. I wouldn't be doing this on a regular basis. I was thinking of swinging in each week until I found decent fairly sound animals.

I have thought about buying a few of those holstein culls to butcher and sell for the RAW dog food market.

agmantoo · #6 12/24/05, 09:03 AM

IF I thought I was going to be a cattle producer on my farm for years to come I would never consider buying cattle from various sources and then bring them to MY place along with all their parasites, diseases and unknown problems. Why introduce YOUR place to all these problems? I have a sizeable herd and I have never had a vet to treat the cattle, my death losses are almost non existent, I have no disease in the herd that is apparent, I only treat sporadically for parasites when an individual animal shows signs of not being in absolute top condition, the cows calve naturally and my calves typically sell at top prices when sold. I do not even permit the transport trailer to come in contact with the area where the retained animals are exposed. This may seem overkill to some people but it works for me.

pointer_hunter · #7 12/24/05, 11:48 AM

It was just an idea to help with next year. The calf crop normally is used to pay for the property taxes and other expenses, but due to poor bull performance this year there will only be three calves (hopefully) next year. I thought this would be a possible option to make up for it. I would not put these cows with the others. I actually have access to another place that I thought about fencing in just for these and they wouldn't come in contact with any of our herd.

I'm also working with the family to try and straighten out the bull issue so this doesn't happen again