Any bred cows heifers sold yet?

[smcgrath76]

AF - I like your get up and go. If the
heifers are good they can be worth
$1500, but I am not sure you aren't
better to buy good young pairs for a bit
more, or young breds for a bit less.
Hard to say, but the cycle should help
get them paid off if you buy them early
enough.
FWIW - you do have a lot of
infrastructure, but if it's part of your
plan have at it. I was looking at some
good shop packages in a flyer that were
very well priced, but all of our
equipment added together still doesn't
equal the price of the materials for the
most basic shop (LOL). Different
strokes for different folks as they say.

[T.N.T.]

As soon as someone hears what cows are going for at the first bred cow sale,please post the amounts on here.Neighbour approached us yesterday about selling his cow herd,with first option of renting or buying his pasture.We have wanted his land for a long time but we didn't force the issue as he is a really good guy.

[ALLFARMER]

Gaucho I have fed in the fields and don't care to
any more. 3 reasons 1 I or my guys don't want to
pull string every day, in the 35 or 40 below with
some wind thrown in strings frozen on not allot of
fun when your feeding lots of numbers. 2 the
wind blows the fines and leaves off when
shredding bales in any kind of wind. When bunk
shredding I keep all that plus break up any froEn
or moldy parts of the bale. 3 I waste nearly zero
feed when bunk shredding no walked on shit on
feed. 4 cows do not shit much where they eat
when shredding on open field, they eat then go
back and shit in their bedding. I can shred one
bale in about 3 minutes on average so I can go a
month on a tank of fuel, I use more cleaning my
yard. I do like natural bush but then I have to
drive the tractor a mile or more every day and
the cows eat snow for water, something I am
now against personally. Also I can feed grain at
the bunk if it gets very cold or we need to pick up
condition. Also if an animal needs attention I
throw a gate and I have her....1 man and less
than 10 minutes and I can treat anyone. As far
as hauling manure it gets put on as thick ad I
want where I want. Old end dumps are 4000 at
auction.

[SADIE]

This is what is happening in the Saskatoon region. First Bred cow/Heifer sales will be the Friday Nov 11 at SLS. Swift Current & Moosejaw sales will start up about the same for Bred Cow/Bred Heifers.

It this area the grain sector was king this year. Great yields, great quality and great prices. Several complete herd dispersals already listed to go this fall. Two herds are Blacks which I know of. Really no replacement heifers kept back in last 2-4 yrs so that tells you something.

Edam Fall Show and Annual Sale is the Last weekend in October. Some bred heifers will sell. A few pens of the Power genetics (HHerford X Simmental) F1s. Lloydminister Show and sale should be about the next weekend (Usually). Isn't Edmonton Fall Fair the same weekend as Saskatoon Fall Fair. Two weeks later is Agribition's commercial Pen of 10 Bred Heifer sales.

These sales then set the tone for the bred sales at all markets and off farm sales across the country.

Got the Producer today. Will glance at it after this post.

[gaucho]

Allfarmer.. this may be a revelation to you but a very handy trick for feeding bales... its called sisal twine.... slash and go or let your cows break the bales apart and leave it in the fields to rot. If you have plastic you can also go pick them in the spring....much more fun because you can even find deer sheds. The 2nd thing is cows have all day to chew their cuds... They are ruminants.... lets all say that again ruminants... meaning they have the ability to breakdown forage material by chewing and composting their feed!!why are you chopping their hay for them...3rd you do not need to bed cows as long as they have space and shelter from winter, but the way you keep clearing trees its no wonder you have the fines blowing all over the place. 4th up until minus 25 cows have excess heat of fermentation which means it does not take energy to melt snow to water... besides don't you realize that cows also have to warm water to body temperature when they drink from a tank? 5th... if you are having to supplement grain to cows in order to keep condition on them then you are either running the wrong type of cows, calving in the wrong season, have poor genetics, not managing your pastures well or all of the above. Finally dumping manure in one spot with an end dump is not managing nutrients. We run a lot of animals... our manure hauling cost averaged over 4 years is $300 / year....why? because our cows are not on a welfare program... hey but then again its great when there is the oil patch to subsidize a hobby.

[grassfarmer]

It's funny how everyone is getting all excited about being in cows again. All the talk of expansion, $1100 cows, $1500 heifers, investing in infrastructure it seems the sky is the limit. Wasn't so much bold talk when bred cows were $400-$600. Typical of the counter market-cycle thinking that feeds the cycle, same as it feeds the stockmarket ups and downs. As long as the majority of participants sell low and buy high they will lose out on a lot of profit every time.
I'd much rather be buying beat up commodity stocks on the TSX than overpriced cows at the moment.

[per]

Gaucho brings up an interesting question around management and outside income. Being surrounded by "oil patch" ranches I have observed different types of management styles. Some manage their ranches like a hobby and have cattle because they like cattle, but most operate their ranches to give the best chance of profit. I would suggest Allfarmer manages more like a hobby ranch. Having said that, it is his prerogative to operate however he wants and who can deny the fun of having first class infrastructure.

So then comes the question. Do ranches that don't need to make a profit affect the market cycle? (either negatively or positively)

[perfecho]

Per, do believe that outside money does effect the prices. Know of a feedlot in our area who maintains that over half of his customers are in other forms of business and have feeders for tax reasons. Sometimes these people are not as concerned about profit as one totally involved in the ag world......however, perhaps this helps calf producers????
I do think there are a number of calf producers that are in it for other reasons, so maybe it is a wash. One thing I have learned is the most successful farms seem to have a successful business as well ;-)

[T.N.T.]

The stock market bores me to much to have my money in that.I will stick to investing as i always have in cattle and more land,and by the looks of my portfolio i haven't done to bad over all these years!!!

[ASRG]

Does outside money distort the cattle business?
Definitely! Very few of us started from scratch?
We either inherited it or married it, or got a sweetheart deal, or have the oil company paying us for leases, pipelines, royalties?
I have an older neighbor who is a millionaire several times over through smart investing. He farms the same place his grandfather homesteaded. Has top of the line new equipment, never scrimps on inputs. What he makes on his 1000 acres is chump change compared to his dividend checks! Is he a hobby farmer?
There is no "proper" way to raise cattle? No magic formula for being a super cattleman? Just whatever works for you.