live weight going rate

[mommahen2four]

I'm wondering if someone can tell me the going rate for finished meat going to slaughter? I'm looking at purchasing Highland and want to know if I'm getting a fair deal. He's offering to sell it based on live weight, so I need to know the value of Highland as live weight. Thanks!

[travlnusa]

http://www.equitycoop.com/

Go to this link and pick the town closest to you. When you hit that link, at the bottom of the page you will see "market report"

Click that, and you will have some guidelines to go by.

[mommahen2four]

Travlnusa - I don't understand it?!?

What does this mean?

Cattle
Fed Cattle
Choice Beef Steers & Heifers 84-88
High Choice & Prime Holstein Steers 80-85
Choice Holstein Steers 78-83
Mixed, Select, & Choice Steers 75-82
Silage-Fed & Underfinished Cattle 65-75

Thanks!

[travlnusa]

Those numbers you see are $ per 100 lbs of live weight.

Or another way to look at it is now many .XX cents per lb.

Offer the guy .75 cents per lb if it has a nice rounded rear end and you can not see ribs.

He will tell you that he can get more at the sale

You tell him, he would pay to haul it there, commission to sale barn, beef check off, etc.

Might even start offer a bit lower

[matt_man]

There is a farm here that sells grass fed Highland beef for $3.25/lb hanging weight. That includes cut and wrap.

Rachel

[wstevenl]

If you've got to have something for 75-80 cents per lb why not just go to the sale barn? If you want something that may be better quality, why not be willing to pay the guy a good price? Try to figure what all that meat would cost you in the grocery store, not what a middle man at the sale barn would pay for it. I hear Highlands have REALLY good beef too.

[matt_man]

A highland won't bring much at your typical livestock auction.

[piglady]

You are comparing apples and oranges. If you want cheap beef, go to the sale barn. If you want good beef raised without hormones etc. (and I'm assuming you know how they raised it) then you will pay more but you will get what you pay for. We have a freezer full of highland and know there is a huge difference. Folks around here have no problem selling highland beef so don't expect him to jump at your offer. Highlands are not feed lot animals so they do not bring a good price at the barn, therefore not a good comparison.

[TSYORK]

I sell mine $3.50 per pound, hanging weight. I cover the kill fee, cut/wrap, and vacuum packaging.

[shagerman]

i have herford /angus i charge 1.25 a lb walk in weight. they pay the butcher/kill

[shagerman]

that means i deliver it to the slaughter house. and leave it in there name. if i take a 1200 lb steer in x1.25 = 1500.00 i figure thats pretty good. mine are grass fed and hay. they only get grain in the winter when its really really cold or when the babies are started on grain so mom can go get with the bull. and i dont use steroids or any other crap out there, other than they get wormed if needed.