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Bred cow sale.

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3words

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There was a bred cow sale at the local stockyards on friday,and there was 800 head for sale.The bred heifers averaged $1240,and the bred cows averaged $1020.A lot of the cows and the bottom end of the heifers went straight for slaughter,and there was a lot of good young cows.Nobody up here wants cows anymore,because there are a lot of dispersals booked for this winter already.
 
I talked to a friend who is just north of the border-- and he said one of the major reasons their cattle/hay prices are so much lower is that they can't get fuel to haul them...
Limits on Diesel at 50 gallons a purchase doesn't get you far on the trucking road is what they are telling me... :???:
While our fuel and gas prices are dropping as much as $.20-.30 a day.. I've been running on fumes because you know the next day the price is cheaper...
 
With the price of calves this fall, those prices are almost unbelievable. Some early-born calves are bringing $1000 or more.

What does this mean for the next few years as far as supply and prices?

As far as the cattle industry in Canada?

Is this fallout from the BSE fiasco in this country?
 
Canola
35 bu/acre @ $10
1000 Acres = $350,000 gross

Cows
350 cows @ 100% calving and $1000 calves
$350000

Canola - 6 months of the year
Cows - 12 months of the year

I know there are expenses to generate that income but I think it is pretty clear what is happening up here, and there are a lot of calves trading under $1000 up here. I think this cow herd is going to continue to shrink this winter.

Also, there are not a lot of places around here where you can run 350 cows on only 1000 acres.
 
3words said:
There was a bred cow sale at the local stockyards on friday,and there was 800 head for sale.The bred heifers averaged $1240,and the bred cows averaged $1020.A lot of the cows and the bottom end of the heifers went straight for slaughter,and there was a lot of good young cows.Nobody up here wants cows anymore,because there are a lot of dispersals booked for this winter already.
Click to expand...

About a month ago at a local bred heifer sale at the Glasgow Stock Yards- black angus bred heifers sold between $1600 and $1850... The top group of 35 that sold for $1850 were commercial angus heifers- AI bred to Special Focus...
The only red angus heifers in the sale was a small bunch that sold for $1875...
Hereford/Red Angus F1 baldies sold for $1500...

I haven't seen any bred older cows on the market yet... With the abundance of grass- and low hay prices I think you will see bred prices only going higher...
 
Top heifers at Ft.Pierre on saturday was 52 bwf heifers 978#s at $2400 each
 
We may be in a heck of a position in the beef industry. Canada haveing some major problems within their country,let alone Tyson and other U.S. packers refuseing to slaughter some canadian born cattle, all this could lead up to a definite shortage of top quality beef and lead our consumer's to acuire a taste and habit for other kinds of proteins. I may not live to see it but we need to pay attention to a lot of things that affects our markets over the long run.
 
It takes 2 bidders to make an auction sale. More sellers than buyers these days. Most everybody has lost faith in the industry after being kicked around by one bad news announcement after another.
RSL gives a hint why the cows are going to market to few bidders. Only here they are buying inputs planning for 5-750 dollars /acre and a father and son can easily farm 4000 ac. How many cows to gross those numbers?
Last one out turn off the lights.
 
greybeard said:
It takes 2 bidders to make an auction sale. More sellers than buyers these days. Most everybody has lost faith in the industry after being kicked around by one bad news announcement after another.
RSL gives a hint why the cows are going to market to few bidders. Only here they are buying inputs planning for 5-750 dollars /acre and a father and son can easily farm 4000 ac. How many cows to gross those numbers?
Last one out turn off the lights.
Click to expand...


Leave the lights on for me. :D

It's tough to farm the Big Muddy badlands and I'm not much of a farmer anyway. :lol: :lol:
 
Decent paying jobs are plentiful, land, help expensive...cattle business risky with Cool, BSE, markets; there just are not many who want to get into this industry. And you really can't blame them. Calves last year did not sell great, this year is better, however for anyone to invest, it will have to be a stable market for a few years to become attractive.
Pre BSE, decent cows were bringing around the $2000 mark and our expense were much less. So, would you, on sound business practice...not passion....advise someone to go into cattle????
 
Have to agree with RSL and others. Cows don't look profitable or appealing in comparison to other enterprises. The only ones I see expanding cows up here are guys with oilfield jobs that have the cash to capitalize on others misfortunes. That, and the folks who have debt-free operations that live within their means.

For us, with oilfield income, it still doesn't make sense to expand on anymore than we can market as beef. I expanded a couple times before, and shortly after the market fell out and we lost our ass. So I see no point having anymore than what I can sell into a market that allows me to set my price.

There are alot of other things to do in our new climate that generate wider margins than cows. That said, sure would be nice to have the 250 calves we used to market on a year like this when they're selling for $800 and up.
 
Wow, this a tale of two countries. 800 dollar calves in this country weigh about 340 pounds... We have seen some grass broken, but there is is hay to be had. I think we are adapting to "our" new normal.
 
While I'm happy for all that get a good calf cheque, its discouraging to read of big prices knowing you'll get paid much less for your work. Around here a steer calf has to be 700 pounds and good to make $1000. I don't have any.
I realize making business decisions based on envy isn't healthy but leaving $300 on the table makes you want to give up.
 
Oldtimer said:
I talked to a friend who is just north of the border-- and he said one of the major reasons their cattle/hay prices are so much lower is that they can't get fuel to haul them...
Limits on Diesel at 50 gallons a purchase doesn't get you far on the trucking road is what they are telling me... :???:
While our fuel and gas prices are dropping as much as $.20-.30 a day.. I've been running on fumes because you know the next day the price is cheaper...
Click to expand...

Anybody else heard of this (50 g limit)?
 
S.S.A.P. said:
Oldtimer said:
I talked to a friend who is just north of the border-- and he said one of the major reasons their cattle/hay prices are so much lower is that they can't get fuel to haul them...
Limits on Diesel at 50 gallons a purchase doesn't get you far on the trucking road is what they are telling me... :???:
While our fuel and gas prices are dropping as much as $.20-.30 a day.. I've been running on fumes because you know the next day the price is cheaper...
Click to expand...

Anybody else heard of this (50 g limit)?
Click to expand...

Not where I'm at. At least not yet.
 
S.S.A.P. said:
Oldtimer said:
I talked to a friend who is just north of the border-- and he said one of the major reasons their cattle/hay prices are so much lower is that they can't get fuel to haul them...
Limits on Diesel at 50 gallons a purchase doesn't get you far on the trucking road is what they are telling me... :???:
While our fuel and gas prices are dropping as much as $.20-.30 a day.. I've been running on fumes because you know the next day the price is cheaper...
Click to expand...

Anybody else heard of this (50 g limit)?
Click to expand...

No shortage here either,filled the farm fuel tanks on friday,and the truck driver never said anyting about no fuel shortage either.
 
3words said:
S.S.A.P. said:
Oldtimer said:
I talked to a friend who is just north of the border-- and he said one of the major reasons their cattle/hay prices are so much lower is that they can't get fuel to haul them...
Limits on Diesel at 50 gallons a purchase doesn't get you far on the trucking road is what they are telling me... :???:
While our fuel and gas prices are dropping as much as $.20-.30 a day.. I've been running on fumes because you know the next day the price is cheaper...
Click to expand...

Anybody else heard of this (50 g limit)?
Click to expand...

No shortage here either,filled the farm fuel tanks on friday,and the truck driver never said anyting about no fuel shortage either.
Click to expand...

Sounds like an Alberta thing. Suncor was short of Hydrogen sulfide to make diesel. I think they were hauling it west from Sask.
The son had his big tank filled with out asking with summer diesel near the end of September. The coop had to go pump it out as he would never use that much before needing winter fuel. Besides the fact that he had no idea they had filled it and it was leaning so he wanted to level it. :?
 
We hadn't/haven't heard about any limits either :?

For a bit of Trivia ... On Nov 2, 29.6 gallons (clear diesel) cost me $138.79 locally. A 23.11 gal fill, the day after, at a Co-op in Great Falls was $87.57 ($93.53 CDN) ... $4.69/g here - $3.79/g down there.

So by OT's reasoning, fuel should be 29 cents a gallon down there now, even less if it dropped by .30/day. I also hate walking or freezing, so I don't intentionally run on fumes, especially this time of year 8)
 
OT.. What a dumb comment. I don't know what world your friend is living in, but there are no limits here. Not even on the radar.

Don't forget BSE cost us pretty much our entire next generation. I only know of three operations around here where the owner is under 40 years old, and every one of those is one of our former 4H members. The rest are gone. And they won't be back.

At our local auction a couple of weeks ago one fellow brought in his calves to sell. They were about as perfect as you could ask for. Lots of them sold for well over a thousand dollars, and they weighed up really well. Their mothers were fantastic cows. The next week, with this good advertising under his belt, the cows came for sale. They sold for less money than the calves. I imagine most went for slaughter. It's enough to break your heart.

It started on May 20, 2003, it got worse with MCOOL, and the damage is not done yet. Thanks a lot.

:roll: :roll: :roll:
 

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