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Selling the Herd

randiliana

Well-known member
Well, most of them anyways. They are booked to go in November. We just don't have enough hay , and cannot afford to buy more, plus if things work like they should, we will clear up almost our whole debt load.

We will keep about 25 cows, 30 bred heifers, and and the top of the heifer calves. So 100 or so cows are going to town. And we will build back from the cows we keep. We wavered on whether to keep back young cows or older cows and decided to send the younger ones to town. They will bring the best $ . The older girls are the ones that people pay less for, but I figure they are the best choice for rebuilding the herd. We know their performance, and I expect we can get between 3 and 5 more calves out of most of them. There will be some darn good cows that I will be sad to see go ....
 

bverellen

Well-known member
Sorry for your circumstances, but you have the right forward thinking.

I believe that getting out of debt is one of the most powerful wealth building strategies there is.

The Good Lord thinks so, too.

Best Regards...........

bart.

<///><
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I heard there are some around here- especially just south of Big Muddy that are short of hay- and talking of weaning early to get the grass to go as long as it can- and then cull real deep- because of the lack of hay...

Sorry randi about your situation- but I've been there before too...Gonna be nip and tuck here- but I think I have enough grazing/hay if it isn't one of those winters that starts in October...
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
I'm sorry to hear that, but am glad to hear you're being proactive... rather than reactive :wink: . Times are changing here too, and tough decisions need to be made as well. I wish you luck :D .
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Debt equals worry/ stress/ weight/ trouble. And while there are times when all of us may need some debt to grow or begin, in these economic times less debt is critical to me. Good for you for looking forward and being responsible and buisness minded. Here's hoping your planning pays off for ya! Good luck and keep your chin up!!!!
 

Ben H

Well-known member
If you read Greg Judy's book Risk Free Ranching, http://greenpasturesfarm.net/store.php?prodID=12033 you'll find that selling his cow herd due to going broke was the best thing that happened to him. Instead of trying to own cows and land he started leasing land and getting the cash flow of custom grazing, his newest book Comeback farms goes a step beyond to talk about what he's learned and the mistakes he's made since his first book. He now prefers custom grazing dry cows over stockers. Plus this cattle cycle has held it's peak longer then expected, the market will go to the bottom of the cycle agan and that's the time to buy.
 

randiliana

Well-known member
Thanks, everyone. It was a difficult decision, well, actually it wasn't really once we really thought about it. I have a hard time parting with my cows, there was a lot of work and planning that went into making the herd what it was. But on the other hand this gives us a chance to cull out the cows that weren't quite what we really are after, and keep the genetics of what we really do want to have.

With the fact that we needed to buy at least 200 more bales of hay, and the price of that hay it just made more sense to sell the majority of the herd, and also sell whatever hay we won't need to see the few we keep through.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Sorry to hear of your hard circumstances. I think a lot of us Canadian cattlemen can identify with you. The past 5 years have not been kind to us. This year, we have lots of hay in our part of the country, but the cash crunch keeps getting tighter. It is hard to make up the ground we lost with the poor markets and hay shortages of the last couple of years.

I keep thinking that things have to turn around and with a big hay crop, this might be the time to grow the herd a bit but who knows?
 

Clarencen

Well-known member
Congragulations! You have made a good decision. This will relieve much of your stress and worry.

"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" It has been 40 years since I read this book and I do not remember much from it. But analyze the problem, think what is the worst that can happen. What can I do about it? Then act.
 

nortexsook

Well-known member
>>We wavered on whether to keep back young cows or older cows and decided to send the younger ones to town. They will bring the best $ . The older girls are the ones that people pay less for, but I figure they are the best choice for rebuilding the herd. We know their performance, and I expect we can get between 3 and 5 more calves out of most of them.<<

From a business standpoint, I think you made an EXCELLENT decision here.
 

PureCountry

Well-known member
Certainly a tough decision Randiliana, but glad to see you've thought it through and made a logical choice. I agree with keeping back the older cows, as you said, they're proven. You know what you'll get from them.
 

George

Well-known member
Sorry to hear about your problems - - - I had to do the same thing last year and I sold off about 2/3 of the herd. I thought I could buy back this year but everyone had the same Idea. There are very few cows in this area now and more hay than I have ever seen - - - I believe hay will be very cheap this winter although every one is still trying to get last years prices.

We went from drought last year to over double normal this year - - - - well I guess it will work out. I have not even opened three of my pastures this year. I hayed what I could and the rest will be there for winter feed. I might not need the hay I have made.
 

Kato

Well-known member
You may look back and see it was a very good move. Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing! 8) 8)

We'll be OK for hay this year, IF WE EVER GET DONE! :shock: :shock: :shock: In our area, August 17 is considered the safe cutoff date for taking a second cut of alfalfa without damaging the plants over winter. Forget the second cut.... we're still working on the first! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: The hay we're baling today is the first out of about 900 round bales done so far that will go up without rain on it. And to top it off, the main tractor is in the shop with undetermined injuries to the transmission........... :shock: :shock: :shock:

As I was saying, Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing......
 

randiliana

Well-known member
Kato said:
You may look back and see it was a very good move. Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing! 8) 8)

We'll be OK for hay this year, IF WE EVER GET DONE! :shock: :shock: :shock: In our area, August 17 is considered the safe cutoff date for taking a second cut of alfalfa without damaging the plants over winter. Forget the second cut.... we're still working on the first! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: The hay we're baling today is the first out of about 900 round bales done so far that will go up without rain on it. And to top it off, the main tractor is in the shop with undetermined injuries to the transmission........... :shock: :shock: :shock:

As I was saying, Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing......

Life with out debt :shock: If we do get out I don't really know how we will handle it :wink: . But, seriously you are very right, it will be nice. I am sure we will remedy that situation though, some thing (cows) will come along that we just will have to have. But even so the debt load will be much, much less.

As for haying, we have never hayed so quickly in our lives. I think it took all of 2 weeks. We made just over 500 bales. No major breakdowns, which considering our equipment is really nothing short of a miracle. We have had years like you, hay forever, to the point you want to just throw up your hands and give up. So look on the bright side, this year may have been bad for you, but if we can have an easy year, everyone can :lol: 8) One thing though is that we never have to worry about a second cut. We don't get enough rain here to make that a real option, unless you really want to winter kill some hay.
 

randiliana

Well-known member
Thank you for all your comments. It helps to hear from people who have been in the same or similar situations. Things will work out, I am sure. I have faith in fate, and that things really do happen for a reason.

It is also nice to have others validate the idea of keeping the older cows rather than the younger ones. I did believe we made a good decision, but it is still good to hear that others think it is a good one.

As well as selling the cows, we will be able to sell (rather than buy) a couple hundred bales. In fact that is what helped to clinch the idea of dispersing the cows. At $100+ a ton we just could not afford to buy enough hay to get the whole herd through.
 

Denny

Well-known member
Kato said:
You may look back and see it was a very good move. Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing! 8) 8)

We'll be OK for hay this year, IF WE EVER GET DONE! :shock: :shock: :shock: In our area, August 17 is considered the safe cutoff date for taking a second cut of alfalfa without damaging the plants over winter. Forget the second cut.... we're still working on the first! :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: The hay we're baling today is the first out of about 900 round bales done so far that will go up without rain on it. And to top it off, the main tractor is in the shop with undetermined injuries to the transmission........... :shock: :shock: :shock:

As I was saying, Life without debt would sure be a wonderful thing......


I'm on my 3rd baler this year,I have 3 of them all junkers that work at the beginning of haying but break down and get exchanged.My baleing tractor hydraulic's quit working last Friday I have about 200 bales worth windrowed to bale tommorrow.I've also spent a $1000 on my mower about 1 week into haying so there I sat for 10 days with no mower.We've got 250 acres left to cut and then we'll be chopping corn.
 

cowzilla

Well-known member
DEBT FREE :shock: No rolaids and a full nights sleep . Sounds like a good decision to me. And there will always be other oppertunities to buy cows and good cows . Most of the pricey hay around here will be woody and black,not worth the cost of feeding cows. Lots of herd disspersals being booked around here. Might be a good idea to sell all cows otherwise some people think you are just culling. Will bring you more money per head if complete disspersal. Keep heifer calves back and start from scratch. Skip a calving season and go on a holiday :!: You probibly deserve it :)
 

jodywy

Well-known member
Last year I had the worst hay crop I think that ever came off this place, sold the cow herd way down, and didn’t keep any heifers. This spring I was able to put all of them on the forest as another outfits could fill his permit. I had to buy hay this spring as we had snow into mid May. This summer been Wow , not much rain but Dry farm 1st crop alfalfa was a bumper crop and the irrigated meadows are good (still baling and hauling) even after keeping the cows on them till June 20th.
But got the ranch under contract, tired of being a hay farmer to raise cows. We are looking at a grass operation, which feed very little hay.....
 

Shortgrass

Well-known member
I've been gone all week, so I'm catchin up. 20 debt free cows will profit more than 120 paying interest on the 100. Just be patient, and build back with your own, and you will have the kind of cattle you like, and no debt load to face this again. Free advice is worth everything it costs :lol: :!:
 

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