How were cattle prices at auction this week?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Trying to gauge how cattle prices have responded to the BSE news. Checking the various local auction reports, it looks like prices went up a bit, flat, or down a lot. So that is not much help. ANd the ranges they give aren't very indicative anyways. Any go to any auctions in person?

[kato]

We sold 50 on Tuesday. Prices were not much different than on the ones we sold three weeks ago.

The big discounts are for poor management. Poor castration, poor coats and lousy looking, horns, lame, or sick will cost the seller big money. To the tune of hundreds of dollars in some cases.

That wasn't on ours though. We know better. Lol. We had some over two thousand dollars, and our little late steer brought close to $1600.

[15444]

I've got to send a couple dink fall calves in the next couple of weeks, so I will see just how big the discount is. At about 300 lbs each, anything over $600/head will make me happy. I'd be laughing at $900. I thought both would have been on the dead pile a few months ago, but the mild winter saved their butts.

[blackpowder]

What a coincidence we were only 3 months from risk negligible status.

[WiltonRanch]

Time now to make money cleaning up horny nutty and tough looking calves.

[riders2010]

Ya sure glad they label the meat that comes from those horny rough coat animals in order to give the consumer a saving on the meat that must be if lesser quality right? About as big a crock of crap as the basis level. The cattlemans license to steal at the auction.

[kato]

The meat is not of lesser quality.

Once these rough cattle go through the ring to a better home the transformation can be amazing. We've taken hundreds of what we call auction mart riff raff and turned them into fine looking critters. If their first owners didn't want to do their jobs, and left money on the table, that's their problem. It's remarkable what some bedding, ivomec, and a proper diet can do. But as the prices get higher, the discounts do to. Nobody wants to invest $1500.00 in a calf that comes from a bad home. The theory is that if they weren't castrated or dehorned, ghey likely weren't vaccinated either. Death loss has become a major point. The risk is just too high.

It's marketing 101. If you are going to sell something, make sure you sell quality if you are expecting to get the most return. It's like a grain grower who decides not to turn the aeration on because he doesn't feel like walking out to the bin. Not smart marketing.

[grassfarmer]

AF5, Two sites I like for market reports are Veteran http://www.drylandcattle.com/marketreports.aspx

and Calgary Stockyards http://www.calgarystockyards.com/?q=node/15

Both show the range for all cattle sold plus an average. Most of the others show price range for only "quality" cattle which is pretty meaningless.
Veteran gives prices in 50lb increments versus 100lb and also tells you the number sold in each category.
Veteran posts on the Monday night and Calgary on the Friday so it lets you see trends over the week.
I trust these two reports as fairly accurate of trade - the rest not so much.