selling bred cows private treaty--how much to ask?

[ErinP]

I work in the office of our local sale barn. I know "fancy" younger cows, as well as bred heifers, are going in the $2200-2500 range. Even slaughter cows were anywhere from $1.10-$1.30 for fleshy, younger ones.

Mine are bred and 6-7 years old.

We're wanting to sell them to the neighbor that we've had them leased with. He's interested, was looking to buy a few more, and likes ours.

Help me come up with a ballpark.
What should I ask??

[FarmerDavid]

Bred third period?

[ErinP]

third period?
They should calve in late March if that's what you're asking (like I said, the prospective buyer has been leasing them. They're bred to fit his program)

[MO_cows]

Is he picking them or are you? He wants to buy all the ones he has been leasing, or certain ones?

[ErinP]

"all" of them. (There are only 3 )

And I just found a couple of ads in our local ag. paper asking $2750 for cross-bred angus, black, younger, bred cows (which is exactly what ours are).

[MO_cows]

I would go with $2500, the top end of the sale barn recently.

He already knows for sure these cows can work in his environment/management--that's priceless. He's had the chance to mouth them, must think they have several years left in them.

You don't have to pay auction commission or haul them anywhere or put up with the "tire kickers" that an ad inevitably generates.

Should be a deal you both feel good about. If you want to cut him some discount in anticipation of future business, that works too. I'm assuming a 3-cow deal is a lot bigger deal to you, than it is to him.

[ErinP]

Considering he owns a grand total of 6 himself, I can guess the 3-cow deal is probably a fairly big deal to him, too.

We're both just "the hired help"; long on experience, but short on actual grass.
However, he's decided he's in a place he can start expanding, and we're at a place where it's not worth the hassle at the moment. (And cows are higher than they've ever been)

[DaleK]

They'd be over $3000 here in a heartbeat. Sounds like $2500 there is reasonable

[FarmerDavid]

2500-3000 sounds right. Hard to tell without seeing them. Are they registered?

[ycanchu2]

The cows should be at least twice as much as what the calves will be worth at 6 to 7 months of age. $12-$1400.
It seems high to ask that of a neighbor but what other business can you/they get into and make your money back in 2 to 3 years?