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Yearling question??

Denny

Well-known member
I am looking at purchaseing some light weight calves to run as yearlings most likely will buy heifers as they are close to $20 back of steers at the weight's I looking at around here.

My question is do you guy's & gal's think this is a better money maker than say short term cows.I will have a loan to pay back next fall so I will have to sell them a year from now.On the yearlings would you run them open or breed them and sell them as bred heifers.My wife think's I'm crazy but she alway's think's that.

I'm thinking 300 to 400# calves purchased between now and the end of the year.I know I can get these bought for under a $1 per lb.

Short term cow's will pound out at $600 pretty easy right now for anything worth a hoot..
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
If you buy lighter weight heifers I wouldn't plan on breeding them. You would have to keep them to later in the fall and most people seem to like to buy heavier hfrs. for breds. If you just grassed them they could go late August or early Sept. when the market is usually the hottest.
 

Andy

Well-known member
It will depend alot on your feedstuffs. If you have alot of lower quality forages I would buy the cows, but if you have higher quality feeds that you could use to grow those calves cheaply i would do that.
 

Shelly

Well-known member
I have a couple of thoughts. First off, I agree with BMR about not breeding them for two reasons. One, the weight won't be there when you sell them and two, I know of a couple of guys trying that around here and ending up selling them bred for less than what they paid for them as weaned calves. Also, just from experience of doing it ourselves, buy those lightweight calves now, and then sell them in April as grassers. We actually made money doing it that way! Guys are always looking to buy grassers in the spring. I know you want to run them as yearlings but we found the market is higher in the spring than the fall.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Shelly said:
I have a couple of thoughts. First off, I agree with BMR about not breeding them for two reasons. One, the weight won't be there when you sell them and two, I know of a couple of guys trying that around here and ending up selling them bred for less than what they paid for them as weaned calves. Also, just from experience of doing it ourselves, buy those lightweight calves now, and then sell them in April as grassers. We actually made money doing it that way! Guys are always looking to buy grassers in the spring. I know you want to run them as yearlings but we found the
market is higher in the spring than the fall
.

The market is higher in the spring than fall,I think andy nailed it,taking it a step farther, assuming you have feed,what it comes down to is.........
Sell the feed ? as opposed to the cost of buying light weight calves + labor tending em, interest on the money and associated risks(death/sickness)................do the math
good luck
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Pumped up salebarn heifers don't sell really well as breds but reputation bred heifers can be a pretty desireable commodity in the fall. Light cattle bought right can do very well for you off grass in the fall for sure.
 

murph

Well-known member
Most of the time put-together heifers dont bring top dollar selling them as replacements or bred heifers, but selling them as feeder heifers makes alot of sence and cents too. A dollar a pond at 350 and selling them for a dollar a pound at 750 will work if cost of gain is not too high.
 

6NCattle

New member
We have been buying 6 weight heifers in late Nov, or Dec, and tend to not loss any money on the weight we buy, and can easly put 300lb on them and sell them in Aug. We have not put much feed into them, we tend to just susstain them in the winter, and let the grass do its job in the summer. Sometimes we will spay them, it will make them sell a bit better.
Hope what you are doing work however.
 

cure

Well-known member
I would go for the cows if it were me. So what if the heifers are cheaper; you are doubling your money with the cows. Buy the cows calve them out sell them in the fall for butcher cows along with the calves and doulbe your investment or sell them as pairs this spring. I know that right now in my part of the country I can buy a short term cow for 650 that is pregant. I also know that for an average herd of calves at 450 weight are bring around $1.40 sell them both in the fall and well you do the math.
 

Denny

Well-known member
I am leaning toward's the lite weight hfrs.I was chosen by our state ag department to have my whole cow herd TB tested.I would sure hate to buy some old cows and end up with one that tested positive as they would condemn the whole herd.The light weight cattle do not need to be tested and I will keep them seperate from my cowherd.12 miles apart should be far enough.It will also take alot less pasture for the yearlings vs. pairs.I don't think I will have them spayed though a friend did and they lost some and the profit went out the window.

I got in 20 semi loads of wet Distillars grain's free just pay trucking. 2 semi loads of good corn screenings and have some pretty nice hay bought so.I have it figured I can winter them for about $80 per head and put some weight on them also.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
A lightweight heifer has alot more marketing options open to her than shortterm cows. If there is a market correction-god knows us Canuckleheads know about those lately-short term cows aren't worth much at all.
 

Denny

Well-known member
Shorthornguy said:
If you are looking for the best return on investment why not sell some of the feed?
How are you storing the wet distillers grain?


It's 10 degree's here the wet cake will keep until spring and will all be fed up by then.

I'm not one to sell any kind of feed,I buy feed when it's cheap and sell it thru some sort of livestock.When it comes to feed I feed it or keep it I've seen those guy's that sell it and the next year have to buy it back.
 

Texan

Well-known member
I hate fooling with heifers, but it would sure be hard for me to turn down some light heifers for that kind of money. If you've got the time to spend with them to straighten them out, I don't see how they could keep from making money on the fall yearling market.

If you've got a good banker that will work with you, even better. That way - in case of a market wreck - you can just pay some interest and renew the note in the fall and breed them. There's sure an opportunity to grow out of a market wreck with heifers - IF you have some flexibility at the bank.
 
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