Cattle prices in Missouri

BJ · #1 04/06/05, 09:22 PM

DH and I went to a cattle sale last Saturday...thinking we would buy a couple of young (2-4 yr old) cows to add to our small herd. WOW

were we shocked to find cattle selling for more than they were last fall! This was an auction with 2 complete herd dispersals due to the owners death. Most were registered black angus. 3yr old cows with new calves were selling for $1600-$1800. 3yr old bred cows w/fall calves were $1950! Made us think we should have a round the clock guard on the few cows that we do own. We're also thinking maybe we had better keep our heifer calves and raise them up since they are from good stock. Old timers say when prices get this high...cattle rustling becomes a problem. How much higher will they go? This is a question I am asking myself more and more....whether I'm at the gas pump, cattle auction, or grocery store! :waa:

bethlaf · #2 04/06/05, 09:54 PM

yeppers, they are high down here now, short and long bred heifers are sellign high , even holstein stters are trading up , can you believe it , makes me wish i had about 100 or so head o f my own to sell ....
you know its not gonna last , but part of it is gas cost too .

opus · #3 04/07/05, 11:17 PM

If anyone was smart...including myself, I would sell everything on 4 feet. I would then hold my money until the market bottomed out...which it will.

This was a couple weeks ago:
http://www.publicauctionyards.com/pages/mrktreport.html

norsebear · #4 04/08/05, 12:52 AM

A little under a month ago I saw a calf still on the bottle go for $275 at the sale here in far s.w. mo. My neighbor sent 15 calves to the sale Tues. and they charged him $140 to haul them 25 mi. HE SAID WHEN IT WAS ALL DONE, IT COST HIM A WHOLE CALF JUST TO SELL THEM...

willow_girl · #5 04/08/05, 01:33 AM

My boss says Holstein bull calves are going for $200 right now!!!!!

jerzeygurl · #6 04/09/05, 10:32 PM

they were quoting in the paper 1.35 for hostein steers and up to 1.65 for other steers under 400#. we were gonna get an old cow for burger but by the time you buy the cow and pay for processing, its not worth it,but at the same sale fil sold his cow calf pair for 1300(the cow was wild and crazy or woulda brought more). he got a cow calf pair for 500, not a big cow or calf, but still!!!

SilverVista · #7 04/10/05, 10:55 PM

Cattle prices have been great for quite awhile! At the sale you attended -- were the bloodlines and EPD's available on the registered stock? That will make a HUGE difference in the price, even more than the good prices that the general market is seeing. I bet there were lots of Angus breeders there who had done their homework.

Susan