Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Video Cattle Sale

Really a pretty good deal when one can sell on site. No hauling costs or shrink when the rigs show up and just load them up. Really helps too when one can sort into consistent lots. Get a bit of history going with really good lots, and buyers will bump things up a tad to get your product.

"You can get a good look at a T Bone by sticking your head up a bulls ass, but wouldn't you rather take the butchers word for it?"
- Big Tom Callahan


I don't know schit about cows, but this seemed strangely appropriate.

Reading a book of Charlie Russell's letters and one was a sketch of him on top of a cattle car in Chicago, and he was commenting about how much smoke was in that city back then.

Also said how his roll(cash) didn't require a rubber band after a few nights on the town.

I have a few cows. It really sucks to work to raise em, feed, em etc. and then just "take " what the market bears. I do enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor, but still.VERY FEW people around here rely just on cows to make a living. Now I know why.

When I was 14 yrs old we sold 1500 head of big aged steers to Wilson Meat Packers in Chicago,with the understanding we would deliver them, we drove them to Craig, Colorado, that's where the closest railroad shipping yard's were. loaded them on cattle cars and took them to Chicago, we rode in the Caboose, and slept on the floor.We unloaded in Chicago 42 hrs after leaving Craig.

The next day I walked thru the Chicago Board of Trade, with my uncles and they had a big black board, with all the prices of the commodities and futures, and they had the price of our May, calves that wouldn't be born for another 6 months, That's when I told my uncles to hell with this cow, raising. I want to raise some thing that I set the price on. to hell with that guy behind the desk in Chicago,


Who has never stepped in Chit,or pulled a calf or fed hay when it's 10 below. he ain't telling me what I can make on what I produce. I was pretty cocky for a young guy, but I proved out to be right. it just took awhile. Rio7

Sold about 600 head of calves on the video auction a few years back.

They didn't do as well as selling to our usual buyer, but he was out for cancer treatment, and it seemed like a good time to try it out.

Been getting ads from AGEX for much the same thing lately. They even come out and weight them for you.

https://www.agex.io/

Jim, Glad you got a decent price for your heifers especially considering the dry spell you guys have been dealing with. This may be a stupid question but with the boutique demand for buffalo have you ever considered getting any? I always figured that they'd be easier than cows in many ways and now that buffalo is sought after there's a market for it. Plus you could sell hunts. 😉

Aces< There ain't nothin that's easier about buffalo, been there done that. Rio7

Buff would be a royal pain in the ass!


Jim, I was reading a market summary in Drovers today and it looks like you did pretty good on that sale. They were predicting a decline in prices but I hope they are wrong!


Sure ain't the glory days of a few years ago but at least it's currently better than this time last year.

No Doubt!

Hate handling those!

Thanks guys, I had a feeling they might not be as cooperative as cows. Is handling the biggest negative to buffalo?

Jim

A rancher from just west of here ,long since gone, is famous for trailing a bunch of grass finished steers across to , I think Whitewater- could have been to Malta. He rode the train with them to Chicago......he's famous, not for the cattle as much as the 'provisions ' he took with him - a grocery bag full of peanut butter sandwiches 😃

The calculation of dollars divided by days does not consider the conception or gestation costs of getting the heifer into the program.

But it is a good place to start.

But 1345 - 500 ( what a new born calf would be worth) times 0.93 thinking a 7 percent death cull loss is more likely a more accurate calculation.

Hay is worth 140 a ton. A heifer will eat 3 percent of her body weight a day.

1345 minus 500 is 855 times .93 about 785 divided by 510 days roughly $1.50 ( I got no calculator with me).

Over the 510 days the heifer will eat 12 pounds of hay a day. 12, pounds times 7.5 cents per pound is $0.85 a day

So it is most likely very important you have a feed source less expensive than hay ........or no overhead.

Best wishes and congratulations on the sale.

It ain't all roses out there for the people who feed us is it?

Roses? He// with roses, I think producers would settle for GRASS.

Since the dry started in late may, the West side has seen puddles only two days. The eclipse was a nice cool break. Nuts. Gimme rain!

Personally, I think the law ought to the way it used to be, if you can't hold it (mine it, pump it, raise it or store it) , then you can't sell it. This "futures market" is just another way for the financial guys to make money off of other people's blood, sweat, and tears at the expense of those folks..

Ed