COMMERCIAL BRED HEIFERS SOLD AT AGRIBITION REACHING NEW HEIGHTS

[SADIE]

farmer-son

Your post came in during my last entry.
I have been and studied it now for 15 years. I have bought and have bought the reputation groups at some very low end prices. I was there when the prices collapsed and I capitalized.

A wise old cattlemen told me years ago.

Buy the Bred Heifer? That is the only way to really know her age. Doesn't matter what you pay for her (In reason) she will grow into her value.

I pregchecked for 20 years at Veteran Auction Barn, Cereal and Provost over that time and many old cows on sileage, big gutted snuck through as young bred cows. Mouthing these babies became habitual and I saw many ranchers get thrown around and hurt doing that practice.

Isnt the base value of any bred animal heifer or cow still current meat prices?

Don't we all when we sell want to protect for that value?

[grassfarmer]

"Buy the Bred Heifer? That is the only way to really know her age."

Coming from the guy that opposes age verification that's priceless lol

[kato]

Interesting thread.

We've bought just about every class of animal over the years, but bred heifers is not among them. Well, ...not exactly, we have bought a couple of purebreds, but only one turned out, so that's not a good measure.

As for buying breds now, I think SADIE's right, and the approach my hubby takes when he's buying feeders is likely the best one. He's persistent. He shows up at all the sales. He stays until the end.. this is very important. And he keeps his eyes open, because sometimes a good one sneaks by. And I do chores when he's gone. LOL

That being said, buying bred cows has always worked best for us when they came from someone's yard. The difference in the number of culls over the first couple of years is astounding.

We want to get the herd back to white again, so rather than keep Limo cross heifers this year, we're going to sell them and have already bought back some good thick bodied Char heifers. They came from two herds, are very identical, and we can develop them and breed them the way we want. This will be the third year we've done this, and it's worked pretty well so far. We bought them while ago, at a lighter weight for a little over $700, and I'm pretty sure we can get them up to being "bred heifers" for less than a thousand dollars. They should make 1300 pound cows, from the looks of them.

There was a discount on the white calves for a few years, but that's gone now. At the sale last week, black heifers of the same size brought 15 cents a pound less than the white ones. Cattle are moving east again, obviously.

[SADIE]

Now on line---Www.canadian western agribition.ca. Go to home page. Results Year, beef, commercial show and results.

The breds, contributor, weights and price with buyers name.

ON another site you could see the full breeding specs on each pen, sire ,dam, weights, birth dates.

I believe it is the first time commercial breds broke $2000.00 ea. I don't even know if they broke $1900.00ea before. The low was a pen of 5 black angus weighing just under 1000 lbs each bringing $1300.00 to the high of $2300 semi/red angus (CONDITION) weighing about 1265 lbs each.

The contributor of the low end cattle were alot of new faces with lighter cattle. The higer end were experienced multi times that run a program and have the condition.

Buying out of a program and at a sale like this the cattle are much quieter and have been worked with. That is important to me as my hair gets flecks of grey or baldness comes on.

[ASRG]

Really good cattle from reputation outfits usually pay in the long run?
Although you have to consider just how much that cows calf will sell for....don't forget she may be the source of a lot of your future cow herd?
When I was a very young man in 1973 I bought a bred PB heifer for $3,000....I don't know what that would be in todays dollars....but I bought a new pickup the same year for $3700!
Today, just about my total cow herd has that cows genetics somewhere in their makeup.
She lived to 17 and only had one bull calf(I used him). Every heifer calf she had was a winner. In reality she was the best buy I ever made.

[perfecho]

Add a 0 for todays dollars and you wouldn;t be too far off.
We think cattle are high now....during the high of the seventies, producers sold calves at close to a dollar a pound..... you could buy a vehicle for 7 calves, a 1/4 section for your calf crop.........personally I don't think calves are high today, however I will agree it is a hell of a lot better!

[ALLFARMER]

Bred cows were $850 - $900 a year ago. Now
$1300/$1500 that's a 40% increase.

It sounds like everyone feels high calf prices are
here to stay.

[SADIE]

Allfarmer--Talking to you on two threads now.

Here is how I see it IMHO and I could be wrong and as time goes on we will see the results. This thread should create some critism but "Good" "I'm am used to that by now"

Forget about any worldly thing that can fudge the cattle market now look at what doesn't change when you look at the Canadian Cow-herd.

1)Winter feed supply----looks great basically throughout the country---Yes/No

2)I believe because of the higher prices many grey haired/aged people are using this year to get out and complete dispersal Yes/No. For every 100 cow herd dispersal 25%-30% will be culls and slaughered????

Getting out because of:
1)good price now finally
2)Want to go south for winter months
3)working off farm
4)the shift to the grain sector
5)THE UNREACHABLE REGULATORY DEMANDS---Shortage in PFRA PASTURES --now Hon Ritz wants to sell PFRA pastures////

3)What is going to happen 2011 prairies basically had huge grain harvest in quality & quantity. What is going to happen in a year of off grades and quantity?? where is that going to be fed.

Where is the real opportunity in agriculture right now---Grain sector or the beef sector?

[kato]

He wants to sell the PFRA pastures? I believe that was one of my predictions (which is somewhere on Agri-ville, but I can't remember where).

I wish I had been wrong on that one.

[SADIE]

Kato--last contact tonight. I sat on the PFRA advisor for the 4 years to take my turn and learn the rules. I have been off the advisor now for 4 and are being begged to go back on. My term 6-8 years ago applications were tight and any increase---wow you might get a new patron in with 10 head or an increase of a couple per year. During that time talk was a pasture fee increase to make pastures "break even" or "functionally operational". This was when pastures were always maxed out with capacity. Now massive shortages in pastures around Saskatchewan. Why?? Patrons selling out of the business. Like mentioned age, off farm job, switch to grain and really (talk to the people)---They are boycotting the RFID tagging and retagging laws--The regulations. Traceability is a swearword to many and they have just thrown up their hands and saying "BYE BYE COWS".

Now recent Western Producer (Last two weeks)---Ritz talking of selling PFRA'S.

[kato]

Thanks for the info. This might deserve it's own thread.

[ALLFARMER]

Producers may be getting out but cows are
selling In many areas for much more than meat
price.

I figure 2 things are driving high bred cow prices
1) the massive hay yields 2) the current strong
price calf run

This year we personally didn't get a good hay
crop, down 35% So I guess I will wait and hope
guys fill up with bred cattle and the prices come
late January / Feb soften. At least we save feed
from now till then.