BRED HEIFERS ANYONE?

Got to thinking about the pros and cons of buying and managing replacements.  It's that time of year again...an impressive offering of bred heifers to go across the auction block in the next several weeks!  As always there's lot's of talk about what they'll be worth and who'll be in the market.

After the increased losses last year many will need replacements...but after selling fewer calves this fall due to last spring's heavier losses along with increased winter cost and the huge steer/heifer spread will they have the capital to move forward?  What are the bankers saying?   

When are they due and what are they bred to? Seems like more and more cow outfits are moving the calving dates out some...especially after last winter, right?  And, it's getting harder and harder to find help let alone qualified heifer calving help.

Cattle folks are getting older and calving heifers requires getting up in the middle of the night.  I can't speak for all of 'em but for me, I'm getting up in the middle of the night more than ever but I darn sure don't need to take a walk in sub zero weather with a flashlight and muck boots.

Guess what, we're fortunate to live close to so many of the finest replacement heifers to ever walk the face of the earth!

HOW MUCH CAN YOU PAY?

The old rule of thumb that suggest paying at least four times the price of a feeder steer for a bull seems to have held true over the years.  So a 625 pound feeder steer bringing $1.60/lb  for a total of $1,000 would suggest one could pay $,4000 for a bull.  But what about replacement females?  Is there a good rule of thumb for the price one could pay for a bred heifer?  If there is you don't hear it talked about a lot in the circles I'm familiar with.  Body weight, caving date and phenotype are always factors considered and discussed but is there's a formula or reliable guideline?  There's always discussion regarding mature cow weight and frame score.  I struggle with the guy who wants 1250 pound mature cows and won't bid on a heifer unless she weighs 1,000 at 20 months of age.  That's 80 of her mature weight at 20 months!  I'm thinking she'll be more than 1250 at maturity.  All that being said, is the bred heifer worth twice the price of a steer calf?  If it cost half the price of a steer calf ($500) per year to run her, she has to give you 4 calves at $1,000 before she's paid for.  They don't all stay 4 years and probably won't have $1,000 calves in the early years.  So, I guess one could pay twice the price of a steer calf for a bred heifer but remember, the first five calves are for the banker! If there's profit to be made it'd be on calf six and after.  Best pay close attention  to all the factors that lead to keeping her in the herd past the fifth calf!   

WELCOME TO WINTER

Our snow's hip high on a short sheep! I'm thinking the drought is over, at least in my part of the country.  The first 8 inches came as rain and wet heavy snow and settled to about 4 inches.  Then I wake up this morning to another 8 inches of the cold dry kind.  Not a good day for a patio party before watching the Bobcat game on TV. The good news...gonna perfect on the burn permit and get rid of some unwanted brush piles.  I'm guessing the fire danger is near zero if not below and hoping the temperature stays above that mark.  Welcome to winter!