back in the cattle business

[JPiantedosi]

Well I fell into what I feel is a sweet deal this weekend. 6 Angus cows, 5 heifers and a steer all 5-600lbs and 100 bales of grass hay for $3500!

[rancher1913]

if this drought don't break soon I may be out of the cow business. was at a sale today and straw brought 220 dollars a ton for feed and the alfalfa was over 400 a ton. planting oats soon and praying I get something out of it, but I'm afraid the fat lady is warming up her voice.

[Farmer2B]

Good luck, hope for gentle rain

[francismilker]

Originally Posted by rancher1913

if this drought don't break soon I may be out of the cow business. was at a sale today and straw brought 220 dollars a ton for feed and the alfalfa was over 400 a ton. planting oats soon and praying I get something out of it, but I'm afraid the fat lady is warming up her voice.

That was me in 2011. I heard my wise old grandpa say when I was a kid at least a hundred time, "If a farmer isn't feeding last year's hay he's in a bind and don't realize it." I never fully understood what he meant until I went through the worst drought on record and was giving your above mentioned prices for substandard hay. From that point forward, I vowed to never, ever sell another bale of hay when I had extra. Instead, I'll keep it and feed it next year.

[WJMartin]

I came across a deal for square bales grass hay for $3, I didn't really need it but I bought it just to put in the barn. Just in case. Praying the rain coming in Wed. night gets us the 1/2" the TV guys are promising.

[bigmudder77]

Its getting pretty bad here where I'm at in ohio the prices jump from week to week but most are around $8 a bale for last years junk and $12 a bale for ok hay last year same hay $6-8 for the best of the best hay and $1-3 for junk hay (or what I call junk hay)

We got about 150 bales of grass crap hay this year free and the guy had about 100 more but being stupid i said we can buy hay if we run out and well guess what were out used the last of it today

Straw $4-6 a bale

hope this coming crop don't scare people in to holding all there hay but you know it will and 2014 the market will be flooded with 2013 hay and it will go back down

Also on a side note if the dairy farms were hardly making it before let's see how many make it through 2013 just a sad thing to think about

[Alaska]

Originally Posted by JPiantedosi

Well I fell into what I feel is a sweet deal this weekend. 6 Angus cows, 5 heifers and a steer all 5-600lbs and 100 bales of grass hay for $3500!

Dang I dont see how any one could pass up a deal like that

[bruce2288]

I don't know where you are but here the calves alone would bring more than that at the salebarn. the cows for slaughter would also bring more. Congrats, but kind of feel sorry for the guy who sold that cheap.

[ramiller5675]

Depending on how you read it, you either got 6 cow/calf pairs and 100 round bales of hay, OR you got 5 heifers and 1 steer with 100 bales of small square bales of hay.

If you got the first deal, you got a steal, and if you got the second deal, you got a decent deal.

[myersfarm]

12 animals for $3500 is like $300 a animal forget the hay .. how can that not be a great deal ... when the smalliest is 500 pounds....looks like you could sell for $600 and animal and make $3700 and give the hay away...I have a trailer ...LOL

[Judy in IN]

Hey John! How's that little Guernsey bull doing?

[myersfarm]

Judy just fine he loves butting a big round bale i mean loves

[haypoint]

At $5 a bale for the 100 bales, $500, add $1.00 a pound for each of the calves, There’s $3000. And you got 6 Angus cows for free!
This is a great deal, unless…….
The cows aren’t bred and you’ll feed them all spring and not get any calves.
The cows won’t catch (can’t breed) so you’ll feed them for nothing.
The cows have Johnes and you have it on your farm now.
One or more of the heifers is a Free Martin and you don’t know which until you have a Vet visit.
You can’t find hay to buy at a price you can afford.

[Judy in IN]

Originally Posted by myersfarm

Judy just fine he loves butting a big round bale i mean loves

Probably the only thing that won't butt him back! Smart calf.