Nov/Dec Bred Heifer Month----What do you expect

[SADIE]

It has been real quiet on the beef side.

Nov/Dec is the bred heifer sale time:

Predictions anyone?

Edam Sale over---Oct 31
Lloyd sale this weekend---Any commercial breds?
Agribition Nov 28


Dec Bred saled--_Vermillion area.

Sean McGrath---What are your preditions

[SCS]

At Edam Fall Fair, the 25th I might add, Groups of three averaged $2620, and groups of five $3012, with over $2800 average, over all!

[grassfarmer]

Real world commercial cows - buyers asking for $3000 in private ads, buyers more likely to pay around $2000-$2200. Calf/yearling prices have peaked for this cycle combined with high feed costs in the west. Cull cow prices offering less support.

[Happytrails]

Greetings Sadie. I'll be amazed if the good ones don't make 3 bills. Ranchers have tax problems.

[smcgrath76]

Sadie,

I think it is a bit of a gamble but I would not be surprised to see good heifers trade at $3K, probably topping out at $3500 or so. The local cap on price is likely feed availability. These heifers will not make the money that cheap heifers bought 2 or 3 years ago will make, that is for sure. In my mind there is a bit of a gamble on the Cdn $ in there as well. Our prices are numerically inflated when you look at the slide of the dollar and how it has supported prices here.
We have been expanding fairly rapidly but have elected to do it with retained heifers mostly at this stage.

[SADIE]

Thankyou SCS

I got a fist info on that sale right after and follow 3-4 contributors that run a very good program.

My program ans SMcqrath knows is to purchase only Bred Heifers with quality.
Been doing it now for 20 years and it pays back big time. My order is in to my supplier.

Will have lots of good hay at this place thanks to the long open fall. Still cutting and baling yesterday and today.

SLS had their first cow sale on Friday.
Like announced there will be lots of HERD REDUCTIONS at this sale.

Been involved in too many Bred cow sales at three major auction markets.
Good old ranchers sure knew how to MOUTH COWS and pick out the broken mouths and Smooth Mouthed cows, condition them up and sell at a bred cow sale. Many were announced and sold as good young cows.

Happytrails---3K is where I placed the market this fall also on the good ones.

[grassfarmer]

I'd buy the cows every time at $2200 versus $3000 for unproven heifers. With the aging demographic of cattle producers I think many others would too. With more feed available in this part of the prairies the dispersals will be very few from what I'm hearing. Seems those that have them want to hold onto them.

[SADIE]

There is an old saying I heard from several Rancher Clients I had during my 20 years of vet practice in East Central Alberta.

"Whatever you pay for that Bred Heifer above the cow price (within reason) at least one will know the age of the animal(Heifer) and keep here long enough she will eventually grow into the value you paid for it"

There is some good reputation programs out there where the program they run the results are predictable.

Buying bred heifers blindly at any sale there were major wrecks in the past and is still present today.

Make sure you check the dentition of those cows you buy grassy. Lower jaw check those incisors.

[SCS]

We keep our own heifers, raised by us, bulls used on them are also out of our program. Calve between 60 to 90 every year. Little problems, besides mal presentation, sadly if we do go to sell any, the attitude is heifers are trouble. For myself, there is no greater joy than seeing the new momma see her calf for the first time!