# how do you price a butcher calf ??



## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

I have a couple of folks wanting to buy a butcher calf from me next year and I really don't know how to price them. Should I just go by the market price for steers, and what catagory would they be? Or is there different pricing for home raised beef? What I want to do is sell the steer and deliver it to the butcher shop for them. They can take care of the butchering fees. I don't want to try to gouge anyone, but I want to make get a fair price for my calves, too.
Any input would be greatly appreciated............P.J.


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

i dont know by you but here its about 2 dollors a pound hanging weight


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## GANGGREEN (Jul 13, 2006)

It depends on a lot of things. What area of the country that you're in and what kind of supply and demand there are there would be relevant. What type of animal that you're selling and how well finished it is. All things being equal, most buyers want their meat to be tender and well marbled and they're willing to pay for those traits. Some markets value "all natural" beef that hasn't been given antibiotics or growth implants. 

We just sold a couple Highland steers and charged $2 a pound "hanging weight", ie. the weight of the hanging carcass less offal, head, hide, lower legs, etc.. They paid their own kill fee and processing fees but I delivered the live animals to the processor. None of my customers batted an eyelash at that price and we've gotten good feedback so I presume they'll be asking to purchase beef again next year.

I've seen prices from $1 a pound liveweight to $1.50 a pound hanging, all the way up to $4 a pound hanging, it all depends on your market and the quality of your product. I'm no expert, not by any means but I hope this helps somewhat.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We charged 2 bucks a pound cut wrapped and frozen. They picked it up at the slaughter house after payment to us.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

CopperHead, 
In Ada, we've been getting $2.00 per pound hanging weight for show calves and we're going to increase it to $2.25 this year to make up for high feed prices. I've heard of some folks doing it by live weight, but I've never done it.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

Thanks all, That sounds about right to me too. Is hanging weight the same as processed weight?? 
Sammy, how can you sell a beef for 2 bucks, cut and wrapped ???? It cost me .48 cents to have them cut and wrapped plus 25.00 for the kill, which means you'd only be getting less than $1.50 per pound, and thats the hanging weight. Can you raise them for that ?? I don't think I'd even mess with them for that.................
I don't have a bunch of feed in them, but mainly just time. I have Dexters and they need to be around 24 months before they butcher well, but I don't feed grain either. Except for some creep in the winter, they are grass fed until I get ready to butcher, then they go on some grain for a couple of months, but not much. I could tell people to figure on about $2.60 to $2.75 a pound for the beef they would actually receive. That would make it easy for them to figure out how much he would cost. 
Thanks again guys..........P.J.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We have very low inputs and do not do anything special to "finish" our beefers.
Even after kill and process fees it works out to about the same as shipping them to market.
So we're not getting rich but not losing either.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

Hey Sammy, in todays market, nobodys getting rich, and if you're not losing, sounds to me like you're ahead :clap:.........I'm kinda like you, I don't have a lot in them, so I don't have to get a lot out of them.
P.J.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We raise Holsteins so the market price is less than true beefers. We started using extra goat milk instead of milk replacer when we can. They run on pasture as long as practical and we have been lucky enough to be able to make hay on some neighbors places and all we have to do is give them some of the hay.
Our kill fee is 25 bucks and the guys come out and do it on the fam which saves me a bit, and our process fees have been less than 40 cents. We usually raise 2 at a time, ship one and sell one or put it in our freezer depending on how much we have.


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## Dexter_Cattle (Aug 6, 2007)

Hi PJ,

I talked to some other Dexter breeders yesterday, about pricing, and it seemed that it averaged anywhere from $2.75 to $4.50 hanging weight, but you pay the processing. They all said that they were sold out or nearly sold out. The leanness of the Dexter sometimes adds a bit. 

Hope that helps.
Dan


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

It's about $2-$3 a pound hanging weight here in WA.


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