When to buy and sell stocker cattle
Are there any pros to buying feeders? My idea is to buy feeder steers in the spring and sell them in the fall, thus eliminating the need to put up hay. Understanding that there is a bit more market risk involved, I'm just wondering if anyone else has gone this route. I guess that the majority of my frustration comes with the fact that every spring I am fighting the rain and wet fields when putting up hay.
Then in the winter, I am tearing up all of my hay fields by hauling out bales to feed.
I am thinking that if I split up all of my fields and do a rotational graze, I would be better off. My only concern is marketing the steers in the fall, when the market is darn near flooded. With just shy of ac I think that a conservative number to run would be 50 feeder steers. What do you all think? Is this a crazy idea? He is crippled and on a cane and just cant get around to feed during the winter.
I buy small rougher calves early in the spring and he always sells the week of Labor day. I give all the shots and wean them for him. For several years he has made money with this year doing great.
He does it because it is the only way he can. It can be done with a profit. If you can get 50 calves you can get them sold.
And just think of all the extra time you would have. You might want a second job. My thoughts only, don't bet the farm on them. KT Some people know people, who know people, who aren't very nice people and you could get a visit from them someday. So be good people. She may like that idea. I have so much to do on this farm, its kind of like my 2nd, 3rd and fourth job.
I'm seriously thinking about doing it. Get rid of all of my mommas and just buy feeder steers. I've not been doing this long enough, but I think that spring feeders will be going for top dollar. If I can realistically put 2lbs a day on them with grass I'll add roughly lbs per head. I would like to line up some farmers to buy from their farm instead of dealing with the sale barn. I'm not sure how that will work out since there is always debate over weight and price.
I just may buy a few this spring to get a taste of how things will go. I'm sure there are others that have decided to go this route, I'm just wondering if they were satisfied with the results.
It is very very common here in West Texas. I run yearlings, doing just as you describe. I buy from the sale barns because thats where the bargains can be found. We buy at lbs and sell at lbs. I would suggest a rather well thought out intake processing program, vac. Grass, good mineral, and quality health care will make you money. Morbidity, mortality, and market fluctuations will cost you money. You can use the option market to protect your selling price. I buy yearlings to sell in truck load lots of around 60 head and I sell direct to the feed yards.
It can be a good business. His full time gig is chicken barns. He buys lightweight heifers and feeds them up to about , runs them in several groups and might buy several small groups to make a groups of 40 or so. He takes into account all his related expenses. He said one of his last groups he thought he was going to lose money on. But all mine have been a group of 5 or less. Sometime we make real good others so so. Last group of 5 did real good but I bought them right and they gained pretty good.
Contolling your costs is key. Be prepered to lose some. I guess that with any aspect of the beef business, you need to be ready to lose sometimes, but probably more so with stockers. My only concern is what weights to run????? Biggest problem here in the North East is fall calves are few and far between.
The Stocker Cattle Business Is A Margin Business
Buying calves in the spring would leave me wondering what will be available? I would like to stick with steers, but are the other posibilities ie heifers worth looking into? Grab the bull by the horns Id say if you have the time, buying at a time and grouping them together is a way to get a good price. Like the one guy said They are and feedlots are looking for something to fill the pens.
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Another thing guys here are doing and working well is buying good quality heiffers. Summer them and breed them. Of course you would be back to the haying thing, but its been working well in this country. A man who straddles the fence gets a sore crotch.
May the wind at your back never be yours. Success is like smoking I would think in your area there would be some late fall and early spring growth that would go unutilized. Perhaps you could no till some winter wheat and clover and run a smaller group in the winter with very little hay. Stockers will eat a lot less hay than cows.
The reason the fall market may be flooded is because there are a lot of people doing this. Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. Shaz- if you do not mind me asking, when do you buy and what weights do you buy? The heifers are red balancers and I can breed them in Aug if I don't sell them.
Stocker Calves for Sale | Cattle Classifieds on Ranch World Ads
I can put them in the feedlot if need be or any combination of the those options. Actually, I prefer the stocker business because it caters to my strengths - grassfarmer while my weakness - breeder isn't so exposed. It does not take me long to realize when I have forgotten more about cattle than you will ever learn. Who is online Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests.
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