Can you believe THIS?

RoyalValley · #1 04/07/11, 06:17 PM

Went to the weekly livestock auction today. There were a whole group of very nice Black Baldy pairs. Probably 3-5 year old cows with their 2 month old calves.

Guess how much they sold for??

$2275 per pair!!!

They guy took all 18. He was given the option to choose some or all.

I was shocked!!!

ksfarmer · #2 04/07/11, 07:38 PM

Yep. Good thing cattle aren't counted when figuring inflation. 400 lb steers bringing $1.80/lb.

RoyalValley · #3 04/07/11, 07:44 PM

Around $1600 is normal price right now for a pair. Yearling Heifers around $1200 and Angus Bottle calves are around $400. Even the Holstein bottle steers 1-2 days old are around $200 at the sale barn.

I got .87 cents per pound on an old butcher cow I sold a few weeks ago. Ended up at about $800 for her.

ksfarmer · #4 04/07/11, 09:12 PM

I sold most all my cows over the last 3 years. Sure wish I would have waited, but, who woulda thunk it. Only got 10 left and got 11 calves (1 set twins). Rented out most of the pasture to a young guy who is just getting started. I don't know how he is going to make it buying cows, glad it isn't me. I remember all too well when feeder calves were .70 one year and .32 the next. Lot of guys got hurt then.

Ronney · #5 04/08/11, 06:58 AM

Cattle prices are going through the roof so those that are in the position to sell now should do so.

I rarely buy in calves but because I've got a bit of extra milk bought in one - $120.00 for a 4 day old calf. Last year they were knocking them on the head as they were born. Local sale at Kaikohe - $400 for 4 day old calves, $800 for weaners and $4.29 a kg for older cattle needing finished - that would equate to $2,574 for an 800kg beast that still had to be finished - and this is on the hoof.

These prices are not sustainable in the long-term and remind me of the big boom 15 years ago.

Cheers,
Ronnie

spinandslide · #6 04/08/11, 10:19 AM

Yes, cattle prices are high..but remember how much higher everything associated with them is..Fertilizer, fuel, corn...and if you live near me..water may be a factor, as we are in the worst drought in 44 years right now.

myersfarm · #7 04/08/11, 12:27 PM

Ronney I did not realize New Zealand price were up there also....

bruce2288 · #8 04/08/11, 01:03 PM

Ronney, Are the cowherd numbers down is NZ?

Ronney · #9 04/09/11, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spinandslide

Yes, cattle prices are high..but remember how much higher everything associated with them is..Fertilizer, fuel, corn...and if you live near me..water may be a factor, as we are in the worst drought in 44 years right now.

Yes, everything is much higher in cost and has been for years but the farmer is not in a position to claw that back as somebody in business might be able to - he is still at the mercy of the world and domestic markets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by myersfarm

Ronney I did not realize New Zealand price were up there also....

They sure are Myers, compounded by several years of severe drought in many parts of the country which saw farmers off-loading breeding and replacement stock so the shortage has generated big prices. Also, the low NZ dollar is working in the farmer's favour at the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruce2288

Ronney, Are the cowherd numbers down is NZ?

Bruce, I haven't got up to the minute figures, but yes they will be probably on a par with what they were 4-5 years ago for the reason that I gave to Myers. This is across the board too - beef, dairy and sheep.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Tom in TN · #10 04/09/11, 09:37 AM

Cattle prices are up in Tennessee, but not as much as the prices that are cited on the earlier posts.

I sold some 500 pound calves about 6 weeks ago and averaged around $1.20. I sold a cull cow about two weeks ago and got $.58 pound for her.

One of the big problems we have here is that there aren't any packers in this area. We sell our calves to buyers from the mid-West feed lots and then they have to truck them a long distance to get them to the feed lots. In addition to the high cost of trucking, there's a higher rate of mortality and sickness associated with the long transport.

I sold three calves on Thursday and I'm eagerly awaiting the settlement check. It will probably arrive today.

As everyone else has said, the input costs have risen too. I paid $19.00 this morning for a 50 lb. bag of hi-mag minerals. Fertilizer is out the roof, and gas is $3.59 a gallon.

I still love it because I have other sources of income to live on.

Tom in TN

Tom in TN · #11 04/09/11, 06:06 PM

I got my settlement check today for the three calves that I sold in Columbia, TN on Thursday.

Heifer - 415 lbs. @ $1.50 per lb.

Bull - 415 lbs. @ $1.36 per lb.

Bull - 465 lbs. @ $1.41. per lb.

Best prices in a long time.

Tom in TN

myersfarm · #12 04/09/11, 07:26 PM

Tom why do you sell bulls and not steers

haypoint · #13 04/09/11, 08:05 PM

Up here, Cull cows headed to butcher were selling at around $.45 last year and now they are at $.78.

RoyalValley · #14 04/09/11, 11:46 PM

http://www.deltasalesyard.com/currentmarketreport.html

My grandma just had a beef cow die and she's probably just going to sell the heifer calf at the sale. She will probably get $400-$500 for a week old calf. She was big, close to 100 lbs. So how's $5/lb sound??

Tom in TN · #15 04/10/11, 02:09 PM

Hey Meyersfarm,

I might not be right about this, but it's my rationale for selling bulls instead of steers.

The price for bulls is almost the same as the price for similarly situated steers. However, intact bulls grow faster and develop more weight that do steers in the seven months that I keep my calves. The calves are on their mommas for 6 months, then I wean them for one month. During the weaning period they eat a little bit of 12% cattle feed but mostly they eat hay or grass depending on the time of year.

I don't have to bother with banding or cutting.

Might not be right, but it's what I do.

Tom in TN

myersfarm · #16 04/10/11, 09:28 PM

usally the price difference is 5 to 10 cents a pound here....so at 465 pound a band would give you $23 to $46 ..thats here price .... on 15 head of bulls would be the same price as selling 14 head steers

francismilker · #17 04/11/11, 02:22 AM

I sell bull calves straight off of mama and wein them at the sale barn. If they come off mama and grass, they don't cost me near as much as they would in time and effort to work them.

As far as prices right now, I'm slowly, weekly widdling down my herd to about 5 head of cows and a bull. With prices up, and the severe drought we're in, I don't want to wait until mid summer to help flood the market with drought cattle. Whether there's a need for them or not, when drought cattle start hitting the market the prices in that area start dwindling.

We just got our first precipitation in 2 months. Including an 11" snow two months ago, we show to have received only 2.01 inches of precip this year and our normal is 6.78. Farmers in my area WILL NOT get much of a first cutting of hay and it will start a panic by the big producers to gobble up all the sub-par hay for high prices. I'm just not going to buy out of state hay if I can keep from it. If I keep only enough cattle to graze standing roughage I ought to be able to get through.

Tom in TN · #18 04/11/11, 05:06 AM

Francismilker,

Boy, do I relate to your drought dilemma. Two out of the past three years we've been plagued by drought. I've had to buy way too much hay to make it through the winters, and consequently, I've lost money on my farm during each of those bad years. I've ended up buying hay that is more like straw than hay, just to keep something in the cows' bellys.

But, hope springs eternal. Maybe this year will be better.

Tom in TN

Middle Tennessee, near Columbia

francismilker · #19 04/11/11, 06:17 AM

I'm right there with ya. I just don't want to lose money on my hobby. Your comment about hay being like straw hits home as well. I've got some hay in the past that I was glad to get because that's all that was there. It just wasn't much hay!!!