# Picing a weaned holstein steer



## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

I have some holstein bull calves that I am going to bottle feed and wean for a guy. With cattle prices out the roof, I had to pay three times what I normally pay for these calves, so I know my pricing will have to reflect that. I am not out to hoo doo anyone, just to make a modest profit for my work. What would be a reasonable price for a weaned holstein steer calf. They'll be eating hay and grain well before they're released from my care.


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## allenslabs (Feb 6, 2005)

I only did it once before and charged $1 a day to supply the milk (I had goats milking more than I needed) and they were to supply any medicine needed. I think that is what the Amish around here still charge.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I'd sell them by the pound per what the sale barn is getting or a bit more if they will do it. Your buyer will know the care the calves you raised had rather than wonder about sale barn calves.


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

I am thinking of around $225-$275 each..... does that sound reasonable?


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

bumping, hoping for more comments.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

THAT MIGHT BE THE PRICE YOU WILL HAVE IN THEM...but I do not think anybody will PAY that for them....they bring that at $275 for a 300 lbs


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

I think it really depends on the area. Around here folks are getting about $1 a lb for Holstein calves on Craigslist and the like. Closer to .85 a lb at the barn.

Myers, how do you spend so much on calves? I have under $100 a head in mine and they are passing 300 lbs.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

ok Invalid give us a break down then..... what you buy them for ..death lose .... what the M/R cost ...... feed.....beding or what else you spend on them...then I will tell you what it cost me


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

myersfarm said:


> ok Invalid give us a break down then..... what you buy them for ..death lose .... what the M/R cost ...... feed.....beding or what else you spend on them...then I will tell you what it cost me


 About $30 a head averaged out for calves. $40ish on MR per head. That will get cheaper for me though as I'll grow out some heifers and they can handle things. I use last years hay as bedding and that's free to me anyway, I let a fella hay one of my fields and he shares the hay with me. I give the calves about $2 each worth of wet cob to get them started eating. The rest is hay (not much) and grass. Get them out on grass ASAP.

I don't give antibiotics or hormones or anything. No meds at all unless they get sick. I don't know what a single rubber band costs when banding... less than a penny I think. Generally I try to keep them as natural as I can.

I've lost one calf so far, but he was well past weaning. He never did keep up with the rest so I think he just wasn't right. Found him dead in the field with a mouthful of grass. My neighbor thinks he was shot, but I didn't see a bullet hole anywhere.

So there you go. About $72 dollars. I'd say I have a few incidentals that I'm not thinking of here, and you can split that $30 calf between the other 12 I ran this year. So lets call it $80.

Now I wasn't trying to be a jerk when I asked, I was honestly asking why you'd have $275 invested in each calf at that point. Seems awful high to me, though maybe ya'll spend more on buyin' em.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

here is a PRICE THEY BRING IN WASHINGTON STATE sale barn http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsmmlls795.pdf
weight weight average price range total price at 300 lbs
250-300....... 294................. 114.00.........342.00


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Ok here the calfs sell for $85 average..... a bag MR is $60..... if a calf goes in my pen I charge it $20.barns and panels will not last forever..shot or medicine cost $20 on each calf some will not need anything......Gas and food for me going to the sale barn devided by number of calfs I buy on that trip......yes it cost so I charge it....


.feed I have a grinder and mix my own feed it cost $200 a ton average over the years. thats 18 wheeler loads of feed deliveried plus the deisel to mix and feed it with...for a calf to get to 300 lbs thats born at 85 weaned at 200 and grown to 300 will eat a ton of my feed... from three days old till 300 pounds thats $200 right there

as you can see I count everything hay for bedding..cost me $20 a bale I put one big round bale in each pen of 5 they eat all they want plus I just pull off hay to make the bedding

plus the cost of taking them back to the sale barn when I sell unless i am buying more babies that day

I charge everything $2.00 worth of staples TO FIX FENCE COST MY CALFS $2.00


MY RULE IS if THEY NEED IT ..... BUT I DO NOT..... THEY GET CHARGED FOR IT


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

HERE a holstien calf will not grow very good on just straight hay....they will be a year old and weigh 300 lbs just on grass


I would charge my calfs the cost of taxes and price of land if I could figure it in


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

http://www.toppenishlivestock.com/

Holstein steer 300-400 lbs. 85-110 per hundred

Scroll to the bottom and you'll notice the calves go for 20-50 a head. 20 is for dairy generally. There is a closer auction here:

http://www.clmauctions.com/owner-pages/market-report-page-1.pdf

The smallest weaned Holstein steer was 420 lbs and he went for 86 per hundred. There was a larger that went for 84 per. My original post I averaged it out to 85. Calves are between 7.50 and $35. If you bought the lot you'd have paid 20.90 a head, under my costs.

I don't understand what you're getting at here.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

myersfarm said:


> Ok here the calfs sell for $85 average..... a bag MR is $60..... if a calf goes in my pen I charge it $20.barns and panels will not last forever..shot or medicine cost $20 on each calf some will not need anything......Gas and food for me going to the sale barn devided by number of calfs I buy on that trip......yes it cost so I charge it....
> 
> 
> .feed I have a grinder and mix my own feed it cost $200 a ton average over the years. thats 18 wheeler loads of feed deliveried plus the deisel to mix and feed it with...for a calf to get to 300 lbs thats born at 85 weaned at 200 and grown to 300 will eat a ton of my feed... from three days old till 300 pounds thats $200 right there
> ...


 Ahh, I see. I don't feed much grain so that cost is out and I'm not doing this as my main source of income so no big grinder or equipment. I already had fences, barn, and grass. Heck, the grass I had to mow or have someone hay it before, so I figure they are saving me a few bucks there. I think the weather is another factor. We have lush green grass year round here so that helps a lot. I use Agmans method of intense rotations, cuts cost a bit.

Gas costs are pretty low cause the fella I by em from is one town over. It's a 20 minute drive and I stop off in town to get other supplies while I'm on the trip.

You guys are paying more for MR and calves than we are over here too. More demand I'd say. I'd hope that means you're sellin em for more though right?

ETA: I should add that I've never even been to the sale barn. I've bought em from the farm and sold em to private parties so far.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I am NOT SAYING ANYTHING EXCEPT...people take money out of there pocket to buy stuff but never add that to the cost of the price to raise calfs......I know prices vary across the USA on everything ...and that is a great price on calfs in your area and I looked heifers are the same price


but look at your prices you quoted 420 pounds bring 86 is $361.20.....and the guy wanting to sell just weaned calfs for $225-$275 each...thats not much BLACK between those prices at just weaned at 200 to 420 pounds will take almost 2 tons feed to get them that big


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I raise dairy heifers 90 on milk at one time and do that 3 times in 6 months and take the rest of year off....I also milk 12 cows and take that milk to raise the calfs


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

here is what the big dairy steers bring here

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/jc_ls756.txt


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

myersfarm said:


> I am NOT SAYING ANYTHING EXCEPT...people take money out of there pocket to buy stuff but never add that to the cost of the price to raise calfs......I know prices vary across the USA on everything ...and that is a great price on calfs in your area and I looked heifers are the same price
> 
> 
> but look at your prices you quoted 420 pounds bring 86 is $361.20.....and the guy wanting to sell just weaned calfs for $225-$275 each...thats not much BLACK between those prices at just weaned at 200 to 420 pounds will take almost 2 tons feed to get them that big


 Ah, I see what you're saying. I keep forgetting everyone else is feeding grain. Forgive me, I started on grass so sometimes I just assume everyone else is doing the same thing. The region we're working in has a lot to do with it I think too. We can grass feed year round and get pretty fat calves here so our costs are lower. Likely why costs at the barn are lower for us here as well.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

myersfarm said:


> here is what the big dairy steers bring here
> 
> http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/jc_ls756.txt


 That's not too bad. It doesn't pencil out to the difference between you're costs and mine, but if I tried to run 90 my costs would be much different too.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

if you Notice I usally put HERE in my post because everything changes as you move around the USA


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## Faith Farm (Dec 13, 2004)

myersfarm said:


> I raise dairy heifers 90 on milk at one time and do that 3 times in 6 months and take the rest of year off....I also milk 12 cows and take that milk to raise the calfs


Myersfarm,
Can you elaborate on this practice of 90 dairy heifers or 30 calfs for 2 months on milk & hay then sell the heifer calfs @ the sales barn @ what weight? 
Do you suppliment their feed, medicate or ???

I have 7 milk cows for a herd share program but I like your idea as a suppliment or replacement. Thanks'
Paul


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Faith Farm said:


> Myersfarm,
> Can you elaborate on this practice of 90 dairy heifers or 30 calfs for 2 months on milk & hay then sell the heifer calfs @ the sales barn @ what weight?
> Do you suppliment their feed, medicate or ???


Look at the Sale barn calf thread and you can see pictures of my set up


I have 90 on milk at one time and turn them 3 times in 6 months I keep them on milk for 8 to 10 weeks...I like 10 better and if I have milk I feed it to them till I buy more calfs to replace them...I only do it from Sept to March as the calfs at other times of year are way to high...I put feed in first day and water...I have lots of land and have different size pens for different age of calfs......I go to sale barn and buy lets say 25 when I get home 25 come off milk....and go into a 1 acre pen..because the new calfs will not need all the milk the 25 pulled will get some of it once a day....but there feed trough stays full of feed ...Feed i grind in a big tub grinder with Soy hulls Distillers grain and hay with a mineral added...they will get up to 250 lbs easy on this then i put in another pen with all that size...I sell at 400 lbs thats the size I feel I am getting the most per pound


the Heifer calfs now are selling pretty cheap both as babies and as 400 pounders so next year I will go to raising beef / dairy crosses...steers or heifers..and any dairy steers to fill my needs


if I can help ask more questions but go to the sale barn calf thread has a lot of info there


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

here in central WI dairy feeders under 400 lbs are going for 1.05-1.60 a pound.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

YES Sammy thats about what they are here..but I will grow the steers bigger than the heifers before I sell...here is our local sale barn 

Feeder Holstein Steers Large 3
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
7 382 382 117.00 117.00
11 629 629 107.50 107.50
12 652 652 114.00 114.00
10 829 829 105.50 105.50


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

that was for steers, they price heifers by the head


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## Faith Farm (Dec 13, 2004)

Myersfarm, thanks for the info. Around here most of the dairy farmers raise up their calfs to 500 - 600 weights and sell @ sales barn for about 1.20 lb. The Lynchburg, Va market is the best in this area which hold 1/4ly sales for feeder dairy calfs. I will look around some to find a farm or two which sell their 2 week old or so young calfs.


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