Heifer/calf price

[JennNY]

Hi all.. I live in upstate NY and I have an opportunity to buy a Holstein/Hereford mix heifer. The guy is going breed her, keep her all winter and then sell it to us in the spring, w/her calf. His asking price is $1000. Is this a decent price? We have chickens, turkeys, pigs now, but I don't know what a good price for a cow w/calf is.

Thanks,
JennNY

[BJ]

Just wondering...I have angus cows..and don't know anything about hereferd/holstein cross. I'm assuming this will be the first calf for this heifer...if she is successfully bred. If he wants the $1,000 now..I'd say your taking a chance as 1st time heifers can have problems. If he wants $1,000 after the calf is on the ground.....maybe...but I'd check your local market prices for 1st year heifer crosses both open and bred. Here in MO prices on cattle are down because of the drought...no grass...no water. Big cattle producers are culling their herds from here to Texas. So is a hereferd/holstein a beef or dairy cow???

[mpillow]

Cow/calf prices are right around $1000 here in Maine...so I'd say fair enough especially if he'll see her thru calving

[jeff caldwell]

we have had angus cross holstein cattle 40 head of them and they where some of the best cows we have had. i would say hereford/holt would be a good cross also. our calves grow off good and didn't show holtstein in them they where out of a angus bull.
i would not want to pay the 1000.00 up front now maybe a small deposit. cow and calf prices here in west tn. are running in the 850.00 to 1100.00 range. depend on the quality.
jeff

[JennNY]

We definitely wouldn't pay the $1,000 now.. wait to see if she is bred, she'd have her calf there and then we'd take her. The guy is an aquaintance of ours, we used his boar to breed our sow. He is a very nice, down to earth farmer, had a great reputation.. I don't "think" he'd take us for a ride. BUT, not having bought such an animal before, dh and I aren't sure what the going price is.

We want to milk her and raise the calf for beef... we are hoping her milk won't be too much to handle, being a cross w/ a Hereford. Course, we can always feed the extra milk to the pigs!

Thanks for the replies,
Jenn

[JulieLou42]

There's a pair in the want ads out of Lewiston, Id. for $1500...just says "nice, young" Then, we have Longhorns bred to Angus, calving in spring for $600, the lot of 11...no dairy cows mentioned...I agree with MPillow. But you could conceivably milk any cow that you had young enough to halter and tame, depending upon how much milk you want and butterfat content. Pairs at auction Friday went for $900 - 1175.

[phantompark]

We live in NY also. We bought a pure bred not registered Jersey springing heifer last March. She was due with her first calf in April 2005 (she calved in May, 2005). We paid 1200. Best money we ever spent.
A pure bred hereford cow/calf pair can go for 1200 or more from a local grass based farm.
Holsteins calves and cows can go really high here, big dairies getting bigger. It is scary how high the replacement heifers are going for. The neighboring holstien dairy had a "rash" of holstien bulls born and went out and bought week old heifer calves(registered) for $1,000 EACH. 15 of them. OUCH!!!! Where is the profit?
Back to your girl. The pricing sounds really good. You would get her when she is already calved and in milk, the iffy part would be over. A friend has Jersey/holstein cross and at times can get 8 gallons (2nd calving) she has tapered off to 4 right now. They have another holstein cross ( I think holstein, hereford, jersey?) that only gives 3 gallons (1st calving). So output could go either way. Still plenty for a family and some piggies.
I'd wonder why he was keeping her the winter? Hay and feed prices are going sky high here this year (doubling and higher). I would think he would want her gone as soon as she in confirmed pregnant and not carry her over the winter. Will she be bred to a hereford not a holstien?
Good Luck. Let us know what happens.

[JennNY]

I am not sure why he wants to winter her over, that was what he offered/

Thanks for the responses,
Jenn