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Calf prices

Big Swede

Well-known member
I went to Valentine yesterday to watch my friends calves sell. The market was really hot. His steers weighed 628 @ $138 and his heifers weighed 615 @ $137. He sold his big load of steers last summer on the video. He figured it cost him about $75 per head. I overheard some buyers during the sale and they were dumbfounded. One said he was just going to go home.

I had planned to hold mine till March or April but I think my plans have changed.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Yesterday good black local steer calves brought up to $1.40 for 5 -6 cwt and their sisters brought in the $1.30 range. Chars are at least a nickle more.

Plainer types were trading in the $1.15 -$1.25 range, mostly calves brought in from Eastern Ontario by dealers. This fall, the junk calves are bringing the same money as the top end brought a year ago.

It's hard to know if one should sell now or background them. I have enough feed for a change.

What is sad is that calves are only now approaching the values that they should be in order to make it worth while to raise them.
 

SMN Herf

Well-known member
I had a customer who sold their steers in Mobridge on Thursday.

First semi load of 79 bwf steers weighed 743lbs and brought $122.50. Over $910 per head.
Order buyer then took the second group of 56 blk and bwf steers for the same money weighing 736lbs.
Then they sold 21hd of 751 lb Rwf steers for 120.5.
They also had 99 head of 646lb bwf and a few blks sell for $127.50

First time I have been to a sale all fall and a lot of optimism right now. Those heavy steers have to have about a 1.05 breakeven with no trucking, no interest and no death loss on them.

There are a lot of local people that normally background calves with silage in the pile that have yet to buy any calves.
 

BRG

Well-known member
Good for you and your customer.

On another note, I had a call from a guy lookong for some F1 Hereford/Red Angus replacement heifers. Do you know of any for sale?
 

burnt

Well-known member
Well you could kinda see it coming when so many cows went to town but that didn't make it any easier to hang in there when the pinch is on from 7 years of losing money.
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
I wonder what pairs will be worth next spring? Bred cattle here are worth $900 to $1200, a winter would cost another $400 all things considered. The ranch next to us is vacant and will handle 175 cows.
 

burnt

Well-known member
gcreekrch said:
I wonder what pairs will be worth next spring? Bred cattle here are worth $900 to $1200, a winter would cost another $400 all things considered. The ranch next to us is vacant and will handle 175 cows.

When you look at it that way, it makes a 350# calf at $1.60 look pretty affordable. There were a few at the sale yesterday.
 

SMN Herf

Well-known member
BRG said:
Good for you and your customer.

On another note, I had a call from a guy lookong for some F1 Hereford/Red Angus replacement heifers. Do you know of any for sale?

I have a neighbor who has put hereford bulls on his red angus cows but he planned on keeping all the replacements. It would probably depend on how serious he is in purchaseing them and depend on how many he would want.
 

Trinity man

Well-known member
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Prices here sure ain't that right now :cry: But....even if they were...wouldn't do us anygood.....cuz we've already sold em.

You must not have check prices this week. http://www.agr.state.tx.us/agr/main_render/0,1968,1848_9931_8199_0,00.html?channelId=9931

You will be surprize now. 500 lb calves top at 1.44 tuesday in Crockett and not to far from that in Nacogdoches Thurday. They was 10-15 higher than before Thanksgiving.
 

BRG

Well-known member
Had a customer sell in Aberdeen at Hub City Livestock on Saturday. The market was hot and his 744 lbs steer sold for $122/cwt
 

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