What are yearlings worth?

[TSIPP]

I sold 15, 800 pound steers a couple weeks ago $1.90 was the best I did, is that really enough? Seems like all the feed and time it isn’t really enough, maybe I’m doing something wrong? I don’t give them much grain but the buggers eat way too much hay and grass. I’ve got about 80 more to go, where’s the high dollar market?

[WiltonRanch]

That’s shy of $1500. Question is was there $300 in it after you take off purchase price and death loss? That was an old benchmark back in the day.

[parsley]

I’m going to a cattle in October. Can’t resist. Sigh.

[TSIPP]

Two died out of the one forty but a hay bail is a hundred bucks at the cheapest down south, this year it’s probably double, as I get older I keep thinking backgrounding Is the way to go but I’m in need of a sharper pencil.

[DaneG]

https://www.srauction.ca/market-report/

[GDR]

I sold 15, 800 pound steers a couple weeks ago $1.90 was the best I did, is that really enough? Seems like all the feed and time it isn’t really enough, maybe I’m doing something wrong? I don’t give them much grain but the buggers eat way too much hay and grass. I’ve got about 80 more to go, where’s the high dollar market?

It's never enough, I completely understand for the effort and risk but how many do you want to buy at $1.90 knowing where barley and forage prices are. I'm just glad prices are where they are.

[Blaithin]

I’m surprised how good prices are but they definitely aren’t worth carrying over excess with feed costs.

To me the best ways to make it work is buy grassers in spring, pump them on pasture/cover crops, sell in fall. Little to no stored feed required, depending how early you start collecting them. Could have some silage and hay for an earlier start in spring and just in cases in fall.

Or have someone else’s grassers on your land for the summer that you look after. Get a straight rate per animal or per gain, not so much risk if the market stalls, higher ability to get animals off pasture if it’s a year like this year when grass just isn’t there.

Either way gives a bit more buffer to protect land production and gets away from the cost of wintering. As soon as you start feeding the fatties for winter it’s a giant plateau of little gain and depressing costs.

[mcfarms]

You better love cattle for the amount of money in them vs the time, work and stress. I keep saying that’s enough, maybe this fall. Lose on the cows, cash in on the hay.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run numbers on value of hay and cost of renting pasture, bulls, replacements etc to come back with a minuscule amount of money for the time spent and risk of getting hurt.

I am considering crack as a habit instead of cows.

[furrowtickler]

You better love cattle for the amount of money in them vs the time, work and stress. I keep saying that’s enough, maybe this fall. Lose on the cows, cash in on the hay.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run numbers on value of hay and cost of renting pasture, bulls, replacements etc to come back with a minuscule amount of money for the time spent and risk of getting hurt.

It is very unfortunate considering what beef costs in stores . It’s an embarrassment to the ag industry that cattle farms are left with nothing after assuming all the risk and labour
Grain farming heading that same way again next year .

[newguy]

Could be 2000 per calf next fall.The high of the cycle is close as long as nothing messes with it.At least that is what I will tell myself when feeding expensive feed this winter.