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question about "slide" when selling cattle

J

jhemphill

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Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
4
Location
Texas
This is something that I haven't heard of before, maybe should have but it's never come up. What is a slide? Just in case I'm not making sense, we were offered $ for calves, 2% shrinkage and 8 cent slide. What is this exactly?
 
This is a pretty good explanation
http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/beef/beef-using-a-slide.pdf

Basically if you sell a specific weight of calf for a set price, weights over that are subject to a lower price (the slide). This is similar to how an auction might pay $1 for 550 weight calves but only $0.95 for 600 pounders. You may also have an upslide (a bit higher price per pound) for calves under the negotiated weight.
 
On an 8 cent slide, you are paid .50 lb. less for every 25 lbs.
For instance, if you sold your calves for $1.00/ @ 600 lbs.;
if they weighed 625 lbs. you would get paid 98 cents times 625 lbs.

You lose 8 cents every 100 lbs.

It's a bit hard to explain, hope I did a good job!
Unfortunately, buyers tend to slide it one way; very seldom
do they slide it UP if the calves weigh less than the set price.

(editd :oops: )
 
A true slide goes both ways, make sure as Fh said that the buyer understands that fully. Also if you are a long way from the scale negotiate a smaller shrink. I can't remember the number but a large amount of the actual shrink takes place on the truck in the first 10 miles.
 
Good of you to point that out, per.
If those calves aren't weaned, he shouldn't have to take a 2%
at the scale, unless maybe the scale is right at the ranch.
If they are hauled ANY distance and aren't weaned, we'd never
take a 2.

And only one time here have we had a buyer slide the scale both
ways, and he only did it once. It really isn't fair but they've
gotten away with sliding it one way and now it's the standard.

We always have sold our calves to an order buyer.
 
Faster horses said:
On an 8 cent slide, you are paid .50 lb. less for every 25 lbs.
For instance, if you sold your calves for $1.00/ @ 600 lbs.;
if they weighed 625 lbs. you would get paid 95 cents times 625 lbs.

You lose 8 cents every 100 lbs.

It's a bit hard to explain, hope I did a good job!
Unfortunately, buyers tend to slide it one way; very seldom
do they slide it UP if the calves weigh less than the set price.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I follow this. If you lose 8 cent per 100 lbs, wouldn't that be 2 cent per 25 lbs? Should the 625 lb calves bring 98 cent?
 
gberry said:
Faster horses said:
On an 8 cent slide, you are paid .50 lb. less for every 25 lbs.
For instance, if you sold your calves for $1.00/ @ 600 lbs.;
if they weighed 625 lbs. you would get paid 95 cents times 625 lbs.

You lose 8 cents every 100 lbs.

It's a bit hard to explain, hope I did a good job!
Unfortunately, buyers tend to slide it one way; very seldom
do they slide it UP if the calves weigh less than the set price.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I follow this. If you lose 8 cent per 100 lbs, wouldn't that be 2 cent per 25 lbs? Should the 625 lb calves bring 98 cent?
Click to expand...

I was thinking 2 bucks myself. ie: 625 @ $.98
 
The only buyers I've ever seen give a slide both ways is the Canadian buyers- or when sold on the Canadian video...
 
Faster horses said:
OT, what were the prices you were quoting a little while ago
when the regular order buyer iin that area was contracting
calves?

I think it has slipped some since then, but I can't remember
the exact price you quoted. Thanks.
Click to expand...

$1.08 @ 565 was about the going price- $1.10 if you gave shots...Ya I thought Superior was really weak on Montana calves and calves any distance from the feedlots last week....
 
You are not kidding about the cows NR :shock: :shock: We shipped our yearlings today and I caught the tail end of the cows selling first. Good fleshy simmy type cows were bringing 33-34 cents mostly. Anything that was smaller, less fleshy or lame types were around 20 cents. Kind of pathetic and kind of sad to see the Cdn herd being liquidated at these prices. It'll be a long time till February when prices usually pick up and an awful lot of cows will be shipped before then.

On a positive side the yearlings were better than I had expected - our main pen of steers was close to 800lbs and brought $1.06. Not too bad for our tailend steers from last years calf crop - all things considered. In retrospect could have made more selling them in May likely but we are set up to market grass through our cattle and the cattle were unrecognizable today compared to what they were in May. Some years you win, some you lose I guess.
 
Grassfarmer I also sold a couple of loads of Strs and Hfs this week. Same as you bottom half steers 816lb average 103.51. Hfs 780 @ 94.98. Not a real get rich scheme these commercial calves. Not sure what to do with the cull cows, lots of grass at our ranch so probably hold them at least to January. I have had pretty decent results selling early after the new year.
 
per said:
Not sure what to do with the cull cows, lots of grass at our ranch so probably hold them at least to January. I have had pretty decent results selling early after the new year.
Click to expand...

Really? that hasn't worked at all for us the last 2 winters - sure they bring more in Feb/March but in our case it equated to the poor price in October plus the cost of feed October - Feb with no allowance for our yardage. Can't see it will work better this time around with dearer feed. Keeping them over worked good 3 and 4 winters ago but not the last two in our case.
 
650 lb. steers delivered from an hour and a half away from the feedlot in Nebraska on Oct. 1 only penciled to $1.09 in my latest breakeven. Only profit in them was going to be the age/source and some carcass premiums. That was last week...

HP
 
We sold a load of good cows in October 08 to average 38.8c/lb. Kept some similar ones through to Feb 17th and got 41.8c/lb. Unless you can get 5-10c/lb extra for them in the spring they need to gain a fair amount of weight over winter to pay their way. Trying to fatten cows over winter in this climate while keeping feed costs low is not something I have found easy to do. As I say it didn't work for me but it may work for others or it may be luck of the draw when you are selling at the auction.
 

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