# Hereford Price?



## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Hi,

We have opportunity to purchase a 15 month old Hereford Heifer. The sale price is $1000.00
Is this a fair price?
I have no idea and we are thinking about filling the freezer since we don't have a shelter for animals yet.
Please give me your thoughts, I would appreciate it


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## SCRancher (Jan 11, 2011)

Is she pregnant?

I picked up my black angus for 1k each unregistered and 1,500 registered 5-7 months pregnant but these were 3-5 year old.

I only got 1 unregistered and the farmer went ahead and gave me the papers for that one too even though I didn't pay for it.

Just giving you something to go by.


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## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

If you are going to butcher her, and not use her to raise babies for you, I'm not sure that's cost effective at that price. Are you trying to save money over store beef or just have healthier beef?

We paid $1.10/lb live weight for a half a steer in March, steer weighed in at 1200, so our half was 600lbs. That's $660, then processing was about $150. We got back 188lbs of meat INCLUDING the wrap and 10 paper bags, which made our price per pound about $4.30, and most of it was ground beef. We believe we got ripped by the butcher, according to what others got back from the same size steers, so we won't be using that butcher again, but it was not cost effective for us at all! Our steer's hanging weight was 325lbs.

Anyway, we expect our cost per pound to go down immensely with raising our own.


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

She's not pregnant.

We were just looking at using her to fill the freezer. I think that we are going to pass, my husband just spoke with our butcher and he recommended a certain rancher for excellent quality beef.

We were quoted $2.00 a pound hanging weight. For the last couple of years we paid $2.50 a pound.

Thank you SCRancher and Catalytic for your input


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## allenslabs (Feb 6, 2005)

Catalytic said:


> If you are going to butcher her, and not use her to raise babies for you, I'm not sure that's cost effective at that price. Are you trying to save money over store beef or just have healthier beef?
> 
> We paid $1.10/lb live weight for a half a steer in March, steer weighed in at 1200, so our half was 600lbs. That's $660, then processing was about $150. We got back 188lbs of meat INCLUDING the wrap and 10 paper bags, which made our price per pound about $4.30, and most of it was ground beef. We believe we got ripped by the butcher, according to what others got back from the same size steers, so we won't be using that butcher again, but it was not cost effective for us at all! Our steer's hanging weight was 325lbs.
> 
> Anyway, we expect our cost per pound to go down immensely with raising our own.


You took in a 1200lb animal and they said the hanging weight was only 325?! Did you have an absolute coronary in there?! That is crazy. Yes, never ever use that one again as that was totallyNOT correct. Even if you took in a boney holstein (not saying all holsteins are boney but even if you took in a holstein that wasn't fed very well) you would have had better yeild than that.

And yes, I think $1000 for a heifer, just for freezer beef, is overpriced. But that's just me. Best of luck!


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

She'd over 1000 lbs. weight and is fat she is worth it according to today's market.I think fat cattle were about 1.10 lb. on yesterdays Mkt. Once got back eight hocks from one hawg,Granny said ya shudda ask 'em where the Hams for 8 hocks were...Only time i ever rented a locker at the freezer, guess sumone pulled the ole switcheroo on me.


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## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

allenslabs said:


> You took in a 1200lb animal and they said the hanging weight was only 325?! Did you have an absolute coronary in there?! That is crazy. Yes, never ever use that one again as that was totallyNOT correct. Even if you took in a boney holstein (not saying all holsteins are boney but even if you took in a holstein that wasn't fed very well) you would have had better yeild than that.
> 
> And yes, I think $1000 for a heifer, just for freezer beef, is overpriced. But that's just me. Best of luck!


We bought HALF a steer, so our half was supposed to be 600lbs. My uncle knows the guy who raises the steers (they actually are pastured on my uncle's land and then the guy takes them home to finish them out). My dad is convinced that butcher dines on prime meat every night, he's had issues in the past with him apparently.


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## Tirzah (May 19, 2006)

Thank you Allenslabs and Poorboy 

Catalytic,

Sorry to hear about your butcher. That stinks, I hope you can find someone reputable.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

[[[......We paid $1.10/lb live weight for a half a steer in March, steer weighed in at 1200, so our half was 600lbs.....]]]]

No. You paid live weight, but there is about a 50% cutting loss, so your half hanging should have been about 300 pounds. Then there is more loss if you have a lot of the bone removed. 

However, I would have expected more meat than you got.

I only use the most expensive butcher in my area, because I know I get every ounce. One of the shops, I absolutely know they steal meat and I will never use them.


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## pfaubush (Aug 17, 2009)

Oregon woodsmok, could you tell me where you go? The butchers we have here are terrible. I was told to take the hogs to Mohawk in Eugene, and regret not listening.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

oregon woodsmok said:


> [[[......We paid $1.10/lb live weight for a half a steer in March, steer weighed in at 1200, so our half was 600lbs.....]]]]
> 
> No. You paid live weight, but there is about a 50% cutting loss, so your half hanging should have been about 300 pounds. Then there is more loss if you have a lot of the bone removed.
> 
> ...


I didn't see where the breed of that steer was mentioned. I didn't see the age or if it was grain fed. If I imagine a thin four year old holstein steer, the final meat amount is about right. If you had a good butcher, he'd notice how tough and dry the meat was and turn much of it into something you could chew, hamburger. That means less bones, too.
If a two year old Angus steer sells at $1.10 live weight, a 6 year old Holstein/Jeresy steer would have to be around $.70 to interest me.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

pfaubush,

Redmond Oregon. Redmond Lockers, only their sign now says Smokehouse Treats. I don't know if they've changed their name.

Spotlessly clean, perfectly aged, and I know how much meat I should get back, and I am getting it all. He makes superb bacon and sausage. Unlike others, he actually follows directions and I get my cuts back just like I ask for them. The meat is frozen rock solid when I pick it up.

The Butcher Boys in Prineville do a good job and they are less expensive. The only problem I've had with them is I've received meat back that wasn't completely frozen.

For the Redmond butcher, you have to get your reservation in early if you want fall butchering.


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## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

haypoint said:


> I didn't see where the breed of that steer was mentioned. I didn't see the age or if it was grain fed. If I imagine a thin four year old holstein steer, the final meat amount is about right. If you had a good butcher, he'd notice how tough and dry the meat was and turn much of it into something you could chew, hamburger. That means less bones, too.
> If a two year old Angus steer sells at $1.10 live weight, a 6 year old Holstein/Jeresy steer would have to be around $.70 to interest me.


I'm not sure of the breed, but they are meat steers, not dairy steers. The owner takes them off my uncle's pasture a month or two before slaughter to feed grain. The meat is tender and very tasty. (I could find out the breed, but it really doesn't matter at this point, as I won't be buying one again, and I DEFINITELY won't be going anywhere near that butcher again, nor will my dad or uncle.) My uncle's half steer was smaller than ours (1000lb on the hoof as opposed to our 1200lb on the hoof) and he got more meat than we did. We all realize there will be variances amongst the different steers, but we all also realize my husband and I didn't get what we should have.

The butcher "saw us coming," but what he didn't realize is that we weren't some "stranger." My last name is not the same as my dad's or my uncle's, so I'm sure he thought we were prime pickings. And he was right, we were...but now he has lost the business from all of the steers that particular owner took in to him each year, and I have a BIG, BIG mouth. Small towns aren't the place to screw people over. Had my steer been under my uncle's name, I guarantee we would have gotten more meat. Most people around here find processors via word of mouth, and I talk to a LOT of people who either raise their own beef/pork/goat or buy it when it's finished and take it for processing. My uncle and father are good old boys who have lived in that town their entire lives, they know pretty much everybody within 150 miles of the butcher, and they're spreading the word too. I found my pig butcher via word of mouth, and I've since sent him quite a bit of business from others who weren't happy with their butchers. (I live in AL, my dad and uncle live in FL, but we're only about 50 miles apart)

My dad had apparently had a run in with that butcher before over not getting all his meat, but he wasn't quite sure. He quit using him then, but he didn't badmouth him. He's badmouthing him now.

Anyway, our experience is water under the bridge now. We learned a lesson, and in the future we will stick with the butcher we found for our pigs. I share our story to help others who are new to all this, in the hopes it prevents someone else from wasting their hard-earned money.


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## Catalytic (Sep 15, 2010)

oregon woodsmok said:


> [[[......We paid $1.10/lb live weight for a half a steer in March, steer weighed in at 1200, so our half was 600lbs.....]]]]
> 
> No. You paid live weight, but there is about a 50% cutting loss, so your half hanging should have been about 300 pounds. Then there is more loss if you have a lot of the bone removed.
> 
> ...


Our weights were:

1200lb steer on the hoof
Half of that is 600lbs

our 600lb half was 325lbs hanging weight (we paid the owner on the live weight, we paid the processor on the hanging weight). We got back 188lbs, in 10 brown grocery bags. (We got 5 sacks of meat, double bagged) Wrap from a pack of hamburger weighs .25lb. Between the brown bags and the wrap, I'd guesstimate that's 25-30lbs of paper, so roughly 158lbs of meat/bone.

I requested my bone and fat back, to make stock and tallow. I got ONE package, very small, labeled soup bones. If my half was 325lbs hanging, I figure I should have gotten back at least 250lbs including bone and any fat. Anything that could have bone in it, does. 

We've eaten most of the meat now, otherwise I would sit here and list everything we got back from the butcher. According to my uncle, we should have had more steaks and roasts than we did, and a lot more hamburger. (We compared, package by package, to what he got. We requested our meat be cut exactly the same way he requested his cut)

This was our first beef, and we know beef has a lot more loss than pork, but this was a bit much supposed waste.


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