FH, I sold my Hereford steers on Aug 11. They weighed 1018 and brought $104.50 so they dollared out to 1063/hd. Just wish I had a couple potloads of them!
At this sale they were selling the red and black cattle together. I was at another sale barn last week where they cut the red and black steers apart. The black cattle brought $4/cwt more.
Also saw a nice red Angus steer that just didn't fit in with his wf herdmates and was about 100 lbs heavier than them. He weighed 1020 and only brought $93 which was lots cheaper than my 14 head of same weight Herefords had done a couple weeks before.
BTW, I just bought a pallet of 3V2S. It cost about $3/bag more than the previous 3V4S. Comparing tags it looks to me like it should be a cheaper mineral, but I'm sure trucking and other costs have increased!
The above quote from anothr thread reminded me of something have believed for a long time....We are very fortunate in the Cattle industry in that there really is not a one size fits all product people are asking for....Let me clarify...If someone says they want a Quality Steak, it can mean a lot of things...Everything from something with no fat to Kobe grade above Prime...It can mean Corn Fed or Grass Fed depending upon a persons preference...
I think this is relevant in regards to Breed Discussions....I have several nieghbors that raise Salers. There is not a Buyer in the Pacific Northwest that I know of that wants these calves. Yet, these guys ship them to a biyer in the Midwest and get a Premium for them because the Meat tends to be lean. In the Northwest, we tend to be governed by the Tyson Grid where CAB and Grade premiums are important...
My point is, I think you can make it on whatever your Breed Preferece is, The important thing is to find out how to capture the Premium for the kind of cattle you raise.
I think it is good if the right type of cattle get marketed into appropriate programs. The one thing we all need as an industry is for the consumer to feel confident that the eating experience they desire can be replicated time after time by shopping at the same place. That is when our Meat differentiates itself and goes away from being a commodity,
PPRM