Dairy question

[topside1]

Evening all, just need two questions answered....1. I have bolded a portion of this dairy auction report, what does "couple" mean? Why would they be sold as a couple? It seems obvious, but could you expand and explain? Second question is what do you dairyman think of these heifer prices....average, below average, etc...thanks, as always I value your input...TJ

Open Heifers: Approved 170-250 lbs 740.00-840.00; 250-350 lbs 800.00-890.00;
350-450 850.00-1090.00; 500-600 1090.00-1205.00; 600-750 1200.00-1395.00; 750-
950 lbs 1290.00-1500.00; Jersey-x 300-350 lbs 615.00-660.00, few 690.00; 400-475
lbs 710.00-890.00; Jersey 300-550 lbs 970.00-1100.00, few 1250.00; Medium 200-
300 lbs 590.00-690.00; 350-500 lbs 730.00-900.00.

Heifer Calves: Medium and Large 400.00-640.00, couple 710.00-750.00; Small
200.00-360.00.
Bull Calves: Medium and Large 65.00-95.00, couple 100.00-120.00; Small 15.00-
35.00

[5webbkids]

I THINK the couple means they were medium to large, but sold for more. If you look up in the open heifers listing there it says FEW....so I think it just means some were more than the average is all......but I could be totally wrong and reading the reports the wrong way!
I don't know about the prices being satisfactory, sorry.

[topside1]

Thanks Webb

[Highland]

A couple in the market reports simply means 2 or 3.In this case a couple were extra nice and brought a bit more.
Prices?--- as allways -- depends on weather you are buying or you are selling! LOL

Have you ever been to the Smiths Grove market? I am guessing that is where that report is from...

[Up North]

[What do I think of these prices?]
I think the buyers are all smoking loco-weed. By the time those heifers get raised, bred, calved out and join the milking string, the buyer has enough invested to eliminate the chance of producing any profit to feed his family.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Up North

[What do I think of these prices?]
I think the buyers are all smoking loco-weed. By the time those heifers get raised, bred, calved out and join the milking string, the buyer has enough invested to eliminate the chance of producing any profit to feed his family.

Not to mention that by then the milk price will have already tanked. At the sale I bought my cow at last spring Brown Swiss heifer calves, 3 weeks old went as high as $1500! I aboult had a calf myself! LOL

[haypoint]

Some of the larger dairies are running all their calves to Auction and buying bred heifers. This has opened up a new enterprize of raising heifers. The demand for bred heifers is great, thus driving up the price for bred heifers. With the "comfortable" profit for a well run operation, everyone wants to raise calves, driving up the price. Spending that kind of money on an animal that seems to be looking for a way to die isn't my cup of tea. Some people like the $100 a pull slot machines, too.

[topside1]

Highland, yes this is a portion of the Smith Grove report. Just yesterday I learned of it's location from a local fellow here in Monterey. Turns out he raises week old heifer calfs to 300 pounds and resells. He was convincing me to move away from bull calves and raise heifer calves for more profit with fewer animals. He said Smith Grove is the place to visit. I'm under the impression that the heifer calf prices are outrageous and will drop considerable in the future....He's currently spending approx. $500 per heifer and re-selling @ $1000-1200 per calf @ the 300pound mark, roughly 4 months old. Most of his are being shipped to California and South America through a cattleman’s network. He is raising over 100 on his farm right now and the market continues to be starving for more. I guess the death of a heifer would be the only major loss....Just trying to think outside the box. I would need to raise quite a handful of bull calves just to equal the profit from one heifer....Sorry to ramble, anymore thoughts would be greatly appreciated....TJ


Mammoth Cave Dairy Auction, Inc., Smiths Grove, KY
Holsteins unless otherwise stated. (prices per head)

Receipts: 852

Supply: Springers 40 percent; Open Heifers 20 percent; Fresh milking cows 5
percent; Cows-Bulls 30 percent; others 5 percent.

Springers: (2-3 years old, 5-8 months bred) Supreme 1150-1500 lbs 1800.00-
2100.00, few 2100.00-2380.00; Approved 1100-1500 lbs 1475.00-1760.00;
Medium 1050-1500 lbs 1050.00-1440.00; Common 1000-1450 lbs 750.00-950.00.

Springers: (4-6 years old, 5-8 months bred) Supreme 1400-1600 lbs 1450.00-
1650.00; Approved 1250-1600 lbs 1100.00-1440.00; Medium 1075-1550 lbs 875.00-
1100.00; Common 950-1500 lbs 480.00-840.00; Jersey Approved 900-1050 lbs
1100.00-1310.00; Medium 850-950 lbs 890.00-1060.00.

Fresh Milking Cows: (2-5 years old) Supreme 1300-1500 lbs 1820.00-2030.00, ind
2510.00; (2-6 years old) Approved 1100-1550 lbs 1190.00-1500.00, Jersey 1060.00-
1480.00; Medium 900-1500 lbs 790.00-1150.00; Common 900-1500 lbs 530.00-800.00.

Open Heifers: Approved 170-250 lbs 740.00-840.00; 250-350 lbs 800.00-890.00;
350-450 850.00-1090.00; 500-600 1090.00-1205.00; 600-750 1200.00-1395.00; 750-
950 lbs 1290.00-1500.00; Jersey-x 300-350 lbs 615.00-660.00, few 690.00; 400-475
lbs 710.00-890.00; Jersey 300-550 lbs 970.00-1100.00, few 1250.00; Medium 200-
300 lbs 590.00-690.00; 350-500 lbs 730.00-900.00.

Heifer Calves: Medium and Large 400.00-640.00, couple 710.00-750.00; Small
200.00-360.00.
Bull Calves: Medium and Large 65.00-95.00, couple 100.00-120.00; Small 15.00-
35.00.

[francismilker]

This is a very interesting thread. I've been studying the price of heifers on several different markets for sometime now. From what I can tell, UpNorth is right on target. It's absolutely absurd what people are willing to pay for a dairy heifer. The possibility of profit in the future is null and void if you pay that much for a heifer.

At some point, I might start to think this market is being driven by the same craze as miniature horses, emu's, alpaca's, or other exotics. Sooner or later reality is going to have to kick in and stabilize these prices. Even with my own "hobby farm", I'm debating within myself the idea of selling out with the rising prices of corn and other grains. With the price of feed, immunizations, and other animal care products on the rise, the critters are eating better than the family is! (and you've heard of the old saying, "if mama aint happy; aint nobody happy" !)

[Up North]

TJ - Consider this aspect: Many dairy farms sell 100% of bull calves. So the Lion's share of them will be healthy calves.
Now put yourself in the shoes of a dairy farmer. Would you send your best, brightest healthiest heifer calves to Auction?...Or your marginal health or poorest genetics heifer calves to Auction?
Think through the statistical probability of your buying good heifer calves.
Food for thought?

[topside1]

Thanks for your input. Just one more thing, I'm told these heifer raising operations sell the 300 plus pound heifers to enormous dairy operations around the world. The demand is astronomically high because the cows in these operations only freshen once, and some type drug is used to keep them milking continuously for the remainder of their milking days. So replacement animals are essential no matter the cost. True or False I don't know...just passing the hearsay ....TJ

[Highland]

You would be suprised at how many dairys in this area sell all of thier calves.And most end up at Smiths grove.(my favorite haunt)
Topside your last post is right on the money! I sold 50 cows to a very large dairy.They will only have the calves they are carrying --- shot up with BST and never to be bred back.So yes the demand for replacments will remain strong.

[5webbkids]

And the whole wrongness of this is just surreal! In a few years they are washed up shells not even worth butchering.....how little we value human life it seems, being willing to do this to our animals suck every bit of life out of them without the benefit of a decent trip..... Oh, and don't worry about that steriod residue in your milk, it can't hurt you! If it were not so sick and sad it might even be marginally funny! Many dairies are selling tons of heifers to Cali and places south...I think outside the US the rules are even less stringent, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing "imported" cheap milk.....like that isn't an oxmoron! Gads!

[Up North]

The demand for springing dairy heifers will continue, but will the premium prices continue?
Well,... maybe.
It remains to be seen. Now that Sex Sorted Semen which can result in a 90% Heifer calf birth rate is being used heavily, what will this do to the supply side of the equation?
The other mitigating factor is Milk Price. At present milk prices are strong, providing cash which fuels aggressive herd expansions and strong prices for the available heifers to fill new dairy facilities.
When milk prices slide downward, the money won't be there to bid up heifer prices. Some farmers will just stop buying them altogether.

Will someone who buys high priced heifers in today's market find themselves selling them in a low price market?...Time will tell

[HOTW]

"Would you send your best, brightest healthiest heifer calves to Auction?...Or your marginal health or poorest genetics heifer calves to Auction?"

My SO cousin used to sell the majority of first heifers to market they were quite good breeding but they used a stud bull who was proven to throw smaller calves so the cows would have an easier time of it. Whereas most of his first calves would come in small their second calves would be considerably more the normal size of a Holstein calf. There were a few he kept becuase he just couldn't let them go because they were exceptional but most went to auction.

[john in la]

Originally Posted by Highland

I sold 50 cows to a very large dairy.They will only have the calves they are carrying --- shot up with BST and never to be bred back.So yes the demand for replacments will remain strong.

It is kind of crazy what drives the market sometimes.

Every day we move in the direction that a cow; pig or chicken is just a machine to do a job for us and not a living animal. When we are finished with them they are of no good but for the scrap pile.

Just look at how the dairy farm has evolved in the past 75 years. I can remember stories of how my grandfather milked the cows; bottled it; and delivered it house to house with a horse drawn cart. Ever since then we have been pushing the window in production and calving rates to the limit. The one thing that has remained is the family dairy could sustain itself and could see what road we were going down. We may have changed things around; where we only raised cows and let others raise all our feed for us but at least we knew where next years corn; hay and replacement cows were coming from.

But these kids today have me worried with there big modern dairies.
A few of you have mentioned how some dairies have gone to 1 calf cows. That just does not compute in this old mind I have. Where do they think the replacement cows will come from????????? What genetics are we loosing by these large production cows not putting back into the gene pool???

I may just be getting old but I often find myself thinking and remembering how Dad would say... Sure glad I was born when I was and do not have to live my kids life.

[topside1]

John, been wondering where you have been, thanks for your post..